Tips for thriving greenhouse plants
Successful greenhouse growing requires a system that caters to a diverse range of plants. Simple, right? Well, any experienced greenhouse manager or grower knows it is far from that. With a wide range of factors to manage – from environmental conditions to nutrient management – you must be strategic and stay vigilant to ensure a healthy, valuable end product.
Implement these tips to elevate your greenhouse plant performance and make more confident management decisions.
Understand common greenhouse challenges
Fred Hulme is a veteran plant scientist with over 35 years of experience working with greenhouse and nursery growers. In an AgSource webinar, he highlights the primary reasons for nutritional problems in greenhouse plants, tracing the issues back to three potential factors:
- Incorrect fertilizer: The fertilizer used may not be suitable for your specific crop or water source.
- Inadequate fertilizer application: Applying too much or too little fertilizer can lead to nutritional imbalances.
- pH issues: An overly high or low pH in the root zone can severely impact plant health and quality.
So, how do you navigate and address these challenges? One way is to conduct testing. While onsite testing is an option and can provide a preliminary overview, it may not offer the detailed insights you need. Fred recommends testing through an accredited lab like AgSource to obtain an accurate and comprehensive analysis of your plant’s status.
A growing media analysis is the first step to supporting healthy plant growth, helping you determine the availability of nutrients in your growing media and identify any fertility concerns that could be a roadblock for plants. The analysis results are presented in various formats, including color-coded comparison charts and side-by-side views with data from over 31,000 samples, making it easy to gain a clear understanding of how your growing media is impacting plant performance.
The foundation for success
Selecting and maintaining the right growing media is only one part of the equation for achieving healthy plants. Water and fertilizer are equally important factors to consider. Unlike field soils, growing media has limited buffering capacity, making the quality and management of water and fertilizer even more critical for optimal growing conditions.
Conduct a water test to assess key factors affecting plant health and fertilizer uptake, such as pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Each of these measurements influence plant performance in different ways, so establishing a baseline is essential to making smart adjustments to optimize plant health and growth.
Similarly, a plant tissue test is a valuable tool for evaluating various fertilizer sources and understanding how quickly they are absorbed by the plant. Rather than testing plant tissue once, it’s important to conduct a series of analyses to track trends and changes over time. You can use this information to make informed decisions about your fertilizer choices and assess their overall effectiveness.
Take a proactive approach
“You can’t let things be on cruise control,” advises Fred. Leverage data from your routine laboratory analyses to stay ahead of potential issues in greenhouse plant management.
“If you develop a good system based on data, you can prevent a lot of problems. And if there are problems arising, you can catch them early if you have data to work with.”
At the core of this proactive approach is partnering with a trusted laboratory to conduct tests, help analyze results and plan next steps forward. Fred recommends the following checklist as a guide for choosing the right laboratory partner:
- Ensure the lab is timely and accurate
- Look for a turnaround time that keeps up with your needs
- Choose a lab with advanced equipment and consistent methods and procedures
- Opt for a team of experienced professionals
- Establish a long-term relationship with one lab for continuity and accuracy across analyses over time
AgSource is well-equipped to assist you with any of your growing media, plant tissue or water testing needs. We have six laboratory locations across the Midwest, featuring a dedicated staff and rigorous processes to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of your results.
Ready to elevate your greenhouse management? Learn more strategies from Fred Hulme and AgSource’s Garret Johns, in our webinar: The Three Pillars of Unlocking Greenhouse Performance
Let AgSource be your partner in success! Connect with our team today to discuss your operation’s specific goals and testing needs.
