By Patricia Wainwright

Outfitting your greenhouse with grow lights can be a big investment. Formulas exist to help do-it-yourself gardeners figure out how much wattage is needed and then the cost of running greenhouse grow lights. Beyond cost there are green house grow lights considerations as to how you will manage adjusting the distance between the lights and the tops of the constantly growing plants. With the cost and engineering done the long term benefits of being outfitted with greenhouse grow lights are great.

photo credit: DVS1mn

When thinking about putting grow lights in your greenhouse it is important to decide what plants you will be growing in the “off” season that greenhouse grow lights allow you to produce. The light requirements are listed for plants in garden books and on information sticks that come with nursery plants. Plants in the vegetable group that require less than full sun are few but there are many what will grow indoors with greenhouse grow lights just fine. Leaf lettuce is a great example of an easy edible plant to grow. Although it lists full-sun for good growth leaf lettuce does green in the solid shady area. There are such abnormalities and only trial and error will determine what grows well in your greenhouse. It is generally common knowledge that metal halide lamps are excellent for growing veggies and high pressure sodium lights are the type of light to be given flowering plants. Some greenhouse grow lights fixtures allow for changing the out the two types of greenhouse lights out to provide the specific color spectrum of light needed during the different phases of the vegetation’s growth. Blue spectrum light promotes foliage growth while red spectrum light supports blooming flowers and ripening vegetables.

The latest in greenhouse grow lights technology are the LED lighting configurations that provide non-polluting full spectrum lighting while generating the least amount of heat. Due to the heavy cost of setting up LED greenhouse grow light systems they are mostly found in large commercial or industrial growing operations. The front loaded cost is offset by the fact that LED plant grow lights last for over 50,000 hours each. There are LED lights still working today that were plugged in during 1970.

To calculate just how much it will cost to run the greenhouse grow lights once they are installed you begin by combining all the individual lamp wattage and divide them by one thousand. The results are the amount of kilowatts you will be energizing. Multiply that number by the cost per hour of electricity in your area to get the operating cost per hour. To get the total operating costs per month multiply the number of hours used by the operating costs per hour.

Greenhouse grow lights can be a great addition to your gardening experience. Different plant needs as well as budget are greenhouse grow lights considerations you need to think of. If cost is no object or a large nursery operation is being planned the LED plant grow lights would definitely be a good way to go.

Author Patricia Wainwright Resource: Get all the facts about greenhouse gardening and organic gardening at GreenThumbArticles.com!

Article Source: Greenhouse Grow Lights Considerations

Article From: Organic Gardening Articles

By: Dave PiersonPerhaps the easiest greenhouse to construct requires the fewest parts and the least amount of construction experience.  When looking for an easy solution for your greenhouse desires, your best bet is to use the PVC greenhouse.

PVC greenhouses can be a snap and a great deal of fun to build if you involve some friends or the family.  Of course, your first plan of action is to find the proper materials you’ll need to begin designing and erecting your own personal ecosystem.  Obviously, you’ll need varying sizes of PVC piping.  Depending on the size of your PVC house, you’ll want to look into something along the lines of about 35 inches in length –of course, resizing your PVC pipes according to what part of the frame you’re constructing.  

You’ll need PVC connectors –T-shaped and cross connectors.  These will provide the joints to the framework of your house.  With the joints and the pipes, using hammer and nails are completely unnecessary.  You may want to enlist the help of a rubber mallet, just to fit the pipes into the connectors snugly so they aren’t tempted to go anywhere when the wind picks up.  With your frame built, your next step is, of course, to cover your house.  Plastic covering is perfect for these houses and are quite sturdy.  

Watch out for using greenhouse plastic, however, as it’s rather easily ripped if the weather isn’t ideal.  To keep your plastic covering place you can go as lo-fi as large binder clips or as professional as slitting poly pipe lengthwise to clip your plastic to the frame.  Building a PVC greenhouse is as easy as sticking a pole in a hole, literally.  With the joints and poles construction shouldn’t take more than 4 hours or so.

There are a plethora of PVC greenhouse products on the market to assist you in your quest to create the perfect year-round greenhouse for your fruits and veggies.  There are covers that are specific for PVC greenhouses, there are, of course, various brands of PVC piping and connectors at your disposal, and accessories such as cooling pads to keep your plants at the perfect temperature during the hottest parts of the year.  

Also for the greenhouse novice, PVC house kits are available on the market with all the materials, tools, and top of the line coverings and pipes you could possibly desire.  Kits also come equipped with such things as plant fixtures, environmentally friendly insect control, and ventilation systems –again, to keep the temperature ideal for your year-round plants.

Your PVC greenhouse plans need not be overly complex.  In fact, being the simplest to assemble, these greenhouses are virtually impossible to mess up.  They’re so easy to construct, even a child as young as five years old could do it, with a adult over-sight of course.  As with all construction endeavors, be sure that when you’ve decided to take the plunge you’re aware of what you’re getting yourself into.  Though a snap to build, be sure you get a good set of plans to make the project go as smoothly as possible.

About the Author

Dave Pierson is a master gardener and professional nurseryman who has been teaching others how to build hobby greenhouses for over 15 years. To learn more about how to build your own pvc greenhouses, please visit http://www.gardengreenhouseinfo.com. Our FREE ‘Build Your Own Greenhouse’ mini-course is a tremendous resource for anyone serious about building their own personal greenhouse.

(ArticlesBase SC #1932256)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Pvc Greenhouses Are A Snap To Build