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How do greenhouses work? Do they have special lights that give the same effect as the sun? Are they expensive to have or maintain?

2006-12-10 07:52:48 · 2 answers · asked by Cris Tee 2 in Home & Garden Other - Home & Garden

2 answers

greenhouse work on the principal that heat can enter thru the glass from the sun, and then becomes trapped inside because it cannot escape very effectively thru glass. in more northerly climates, there are shorter days so extra lighting may be neccessary. keep in mind, however that some plants need shorter day lengths to come into bloom--chrysanthemums and poinsettias for example. extra heating will also be neccessary in very cold climates, even tho a well-built greenhouse can be many degrees warmer than outside on a winter day even without additional heating. commercial greenhouses are quite expensive to maintain and operate and need to be doing well financially to make a good profit. if its just one that you've tacked on to your house for your personal enjoyment, then cost will be low (depends on the quality of glass used, and if its insulated, etc. I have a home-made greenhouse thats attached to the south wall of my porch. its simply made of old storm windows nailed on to a wooden frame of 2x4s the roof is made of corrugated translucent fiberglass. its good enough for me to start out bedding plants in the very early spring, as it usually keeps the temp inside about 5-10 degrees celsius warmer than outside (depending on the amount of sunlight) luckily i live in a location where the sun shine bright almost every single day, even in the coldest winter day, which can plummet to -40.

2006-12-10 08:25:33 · answer #1 · answered by mickey 5 · 2 0

They keep the temperatures quite even year round. I believe they are primarily for tropical plants. You have to do a lot of overhead sprinklers or hand water once or twice a week, year round.

If you build one in the north you would have to have heaters in the winter.

Well you would have the initial cost, then the cost of installing overhead sprinklers, and the cost of heating in the winter.

2006-12-10 07:59:21 · answer #2 · answered by ? 7 · 0 0

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