Throughout the year and in certain locations, it can be very difficult to maintain a good temperature, jeopardizing production. Drastic temperature drops and rises can damage crops, so we recommend maintaining specific temperature and humidity levels with some of our specialized heating systems.
Variables to define the best climate for your greenhouse
The success or failure of a harvest is conditioned by several climatic factors:
Temperature
Although it will depend on the planting of your greenhouse, generally the temperature should range between 10ºC and 20ºC. At certain times of the year, reaching this temperature can be difficult if you don′t have a greenhouse heating system installed.
Humidity
Controlling the humidity in your greenhouse is one of the most delicate issues in the growing process. The difficulty is in reaching an adequate level of humidity in the entire area, since with high temperatures the humidity decreases and with high temperatures it increases.
Each crop requires a specific humidity, so you will have to be very aware of this value and calculate an appropriate average. To facilitate this control task, it is very useful to have a greenhouse heater with a humidity sensor and a measurement panel.
Sunlight
Light is the most important factor, along with humidity, for crop growth. Sunlight added to a good temperature, adequate humidity and an optimal level of CO2; they enhance the photosynthesis of the crop and help its growth.
If you need to increase the natural light inside your greenhouse, cover it with transparent materials that reduce shadows and add white plastic mulches to reflect the light. It is also very important to take into account the orientation of the greenhouse, place it in the area of the plot that receives the most sunlight throughout the day.
But beware, that excess natural light can damage and burn the leaves of the harvest. If you need to reduce the entry of light, use a white cover and install shading screens along with black plastic padding.
CO2
CO2 is responsible for regulating the chlorophyll function of crops. Typically, inside a greenhouse, the levels are between a minimum of 0.003% and a maximum of 0.2%. It is necessary to control that the CO2 concentration never exceeds 0.3%, since it is toxic for the harvest.
Types of heating systems for greenhouses
When choosing the heating system for our greenhouse, we must minimize the use of fossil fuels to promote care for the environment.
Within all the options of the greenhouse air conditioning market, we should pay attention to the following criteria:
- Cost effectiveness
- Security to avoid fires or burns in crops
- Make sure that the heat source is kept close to the plants and that it reaches the entire production area
Central heating
This heating system is based on a heat source and a pipe system that carries heat through the area. Within central heating systems, heat transport can be done in several ways:
- Heating with hot air: the air in the greenhouse is heated through a network of ducts that dissipate the heat in the lower part of the crop, reaching the appropriate temperature for each type of crop.
- Underfloor heating: heats the greenhouse through underground pipes that run through the ground. The pipes are made of polyethylene and the maximum temperature that can be reached is 40 ºC.
- Bed heating: pipes are installed above the ground. The heat from the pipes radiates towards the food and roots, promoting their growth.
- Crop heating: in this type of heating the steel or aluminum pipes are on the crop and can heat up to 50ºC.
- Tabletop heating: The polyethylene pipes that radiate heat travel through the tabletop supports, heating them up to a maximum of 79ºC.
Heating system with hot air generators
Hot air generators for greenhouses are teams that work completely autonomously. Our AM series models can run on diesel, methane gas or propane gas and their mechanics are based on heating the air drawn in by the fans and driving the hot air inside the greenhouse.
These types of greenhouse heating are very effective in places with mild minimum temperatures, during winter and with crops that need a not too low minimum temperature such as tomatoes or lettuce.
These air conditioners can be adapted to any size of greenhouse, since at MET MANN we have several models and powers of the AM series. The hot air heating system is very fast and is a great solution to avoid frosts that can cause so much damage to the crop.
The main advantages over other heating systems are:
- Air diffusion can be done in two ways: directly or through a network of ducts to channel the air into adjoining areas where the equipment has been installed.
- It has a combustion efficiency of 90%.
Electric heating
This heating system radiates heat through electric mats located on the greenhouse floor. Because the heat comes from under the plant, it is the ideal system for crops where only the root needs heat. The only drawback of this type of air conditioning would be the increase in electricity consumption.
Thermal screens
Within the market for thermal screens, there are several types: open, closed, synthetic threads or aluminum sheets. They can be used as a source of heat for the plants and, during times of more humidity, they can be used as a double cover to avoid direct dripping to the harvest.
In agriculture we must try to choose the best climate control system for the greenhouse and for the environment. This system is one of the most responsible and careful, since the heat captured during the day keeps it to be used at night.
MET MANN professionals
Choosing an efficient heating system can be complicated if the technical requirements for the greenhouse are not known. For this, at MET MANN we put our expert advisors at your disposal. Choose the best greenhouse heating system with the certainty of a safe purchase and with our quality guarantee.