Products

Cooling Systems

The predominant concept used in greenhouse cooling is evaporation.  According to rules governed by the psychrometric chart, the air temperature can be reduced while humidity increases simply by evaporating water into the environment.  When taking into consideration capital expenditure, on going energy costs, uniformity, and water use; high pressure fogging comes out as the most popular cooling technique in Australia.  Growers are very aware of the temperature and humidity that allow their crop to perform at its peak.  A correct cooling system provides another tool that the grower uses to create an ideal environment for the plants.

Heating Systems

Modern greenhouses are designed to allow a maximum amount of light to enter the growing environment.  While greenhouse covering materials are successful in achieving transparency to light, they have a very limited ability to block the outward flow of heat.  Therefore, greenhouses whether glass or plastic are extremely vulnerable to thermal loss, especially at night time.  There are many ways to replace the heat lost in the greenhouse.  The goal for the grower is to choose a system with the best compromise of capital investment, functionality, and on going energy costs.  As energy will most likely be the largest ongoing cost for a greenhouse operation, it is very important to run some numbers prior to selecting your heating system.

Growing Systems

One of the great advantages of growing in a greenhouse is the ability to support, irrigate, drain, and structure the plants in a fashion which promotes higher yield, and higher labour efficiencies.  Growing systems are the gutters, hangers, and crop supports that allow all these physical requirements to be optimized.  A Growing System is very dependent on the crop.  This section outlines the most common types of systems and explains the merrits of using them for particular crops.

Water Management

Where water is a scarce and often expensive resource; management strategies are fundamental.  Whether it be a basic plastic tunnel, or a high tech multi-hectare glasshouse, care must be taken to account for peak summer irrigation requirements both in quantity and quality.  Without good water, horticultural production of any sort will not get off the ground.  The topics explained in this section can provide a grower an excellent overview of what tools can be provided to treat and distribute water from various sources.  Often the first step to determine water management requirements can be as simple as a water test.

Growing Media

In the hydroponics or "soiless" industry, an inert media must be chosen in which to grow the plant.  The media is the point where the roots bed and take up water and nutrients supplied by the irrigation system.  Rock wool provides the best characteristics and uniformity for a hydroponic substrate.   Grodan is a world leading manufacturer of hydroponic rock wool media.

Design

Greenworks participates in the conceptual design and engineering phase of many complex projects.  With capabilities in the theorectical side of energy analysis, thermodynamics, psychrometrics, structural analysis, hydraulics; the planning side in 2D site plans, and 3D modeling; and the practical side of fabrication and installation, Greenworks offers all the services required to bring a project to fruition.