Greenhouses are so much more than a home for your seedlings and sun-loving plants. They are an essential part of the garden for so many of us, not least as a place to grow even more plants, but also as incredibly useful storage.
It isn’t as simple as just picking up your plants and placing them inside of your greenhouse ideas though. In fact, there are many commonly made greenhouse mistakes that lead to plants facing trouble, from wilting to scorching under the sun’s intensity, as well as threatening the longevity of your greenhouse structure.
1. Purchasing a low quality greenhouse
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It may be tempting to purchase the cheapest greenhouse you can find for your garden ideas, but a greenhouse of higher quality is worth the investment and will last far longer.
Skip Richter, owner of Gardening With Skip, says, ‘Many cheaper greenhouses are unfortunately rather short lived, difficult to use and will soon enough need to be replaced.’
The worth garden 4 tier mini greenhouse from Amazon is a popular choice for people planning a greenhouse on the smaller side. Though be mindful about the size of your greenhouse: if you purchase one too small there either won’t be enough space for your plants or your plants will become crowded, competing for moisture and space.
Skip is the Supervisor of the Horticulture Committee at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He received his master’s degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University, “the source of all earthly knowledge”, and has served as a county horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension for 34 years among many other things.
2. Having poor ventilation inside a greenhouse
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It’s important to open the windows and doors of your greenhouse on particularly warm days, even if you’re growing tropical garden ideas. Many people forget that greenhouses need air, and poorly ventilated greenhouse creates the perfect environment to stifle your plant’s ability to breathe, exposing them to all kinds of dangerous diseases.
Reese L. Robbins, creator of Just Pure Gardening, says, ‘Without good airflow, heat and humidity build up quickly, creating ideal conditions for fungal diseases like botrytis and powdery mildew. Plants may also suffer from heat stress.’
Clipping a fan like the AC infinity Cloudray from Amazon onto a shelf in your greenhouse to help circulate airflow can also be a great help in preventing stagnant air.
3. Positioning your greenhouse in the direct sun
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Glass gets incredibly warm on hot days. You may have felt it before in a conservatory or while sitting in an overly-toasty car. If your greenhouse has no shade it will become a sauna during the summer, which is far too hot for the the best food to grow in greenhouses and other plants to handle.
‘Many gardeners forget that greenhouses can become scorching in midsummer,’ says Reese. ‘Without shade, indoor plants for direct sunlight can suffer leaf scorch and stunted growth.’
To remedy this, do what you can to place your greenhouse in part shade or install a shade cloth like this shade cloth from Amazon to the roof of your greenhouse. This cloth still allows light to come in but takes the edge off of it so your plants won’t burn.
Reese is a gardener, writer, and the founder of JustPureGardening.com. Just Pure Gardening is full of fruit and vegetable growing guides, garden ideas, and garden product reviews.
4. Using garden soil in greenhouse containers
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Similar to a cold frame, the artificial climate of a greenhouse is different to that of a garden, so the soil needs to be different to accommodate it. It’s a common error for people to use the same soil types everywhere in their yard, but doing so will leave most of your greenhouse container plants waterlogged.
‘Using regular garden soil in pots inside a greenhouse is a mistake,’ says Reese. ‘It’s heavy, drains poorly, and can introduce pests and pathogens. Use a sterile, well-draining potting mix instead. It’s lighter and reduces disease risks significantly.’
The jiffy natural & organic soil mix from Amazon is a popular choice, providing aeration for plant roots as well as nutrients.
5. Using dirty tools, containers and covers
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Reusing pots and tools in your greenhouse between different plants may not seem like a problem at all, but it can actually cause a lot of issues down the line. If diseases spread from plant to plant, the humid conditions of a greenhouse will encourage bacteria to develop faster, bringing rapid harm to your plants.
Tatiana B. Anderson, a tropical plant expert at TopTropicals.com, says, ‘Reusing dirty pots or tools spreads disease. Clean garden tools and disinfect containers and trays regularly using a diluted bleach solution to clean clear plastic or ground covers if they show mold or algae buildup.’
You can wipe surfaces down, including cleaning the greenhouse itself, with natural cleaning agents such as lemon and baking soda, or white vinegar.
Tatiana Anderson is the co-owner and co-founder of Top Tropicals, based in Fort Myers, Florida. Top Tropicals grow and sell a whole range of flowering and fruiting tropical plants.
If you’re into DIY, why not consider making your own greenhouse? There are endless DIY greenhouse ideas out there to try in different shapes and sizes, and some of these are ideal for smaller garden plots and even balconies.