Why Make Use of Greenhouse Automation Systems?
That is a question that I am sure goes through the mind of every greenhouse grower at some time or another. Is it really worth the cost? Will my employees embrace it and employ everything that a automated control system has to offer?
Automation takes on a lot of different forms. Here we will be talking about controlling the internal enviroment and automating the irrigation system with fertilizer (fertigation). It is taking the tasks that we ask our employees to do every day and making those tasks more simple and efficient by automated them. Not to meantion the cost savings on labour, energy, water and fertilizer.
Remember, the end goal of automation is not to get rid of employees, but to make work better for them. It is everyone’s job to make the next person’s job easier. What are you doing to accomplish this at your business?
Is it time to start thinking about a new climate control system to control your internal enviroment? Or maybe, you would like to ensure your crop is feed the optimal amounts of nutrients on a consistant basis with an automated fertigation machine?
What are the Top 10 Reasons to Install Automated Fertigation Systems?
Automated fertigation systems allow the grower to irrigate and fertilize a large area of crops with minimal process waste and staffing.
Advantages of this type of Greenhouse Automation:
1. Can accommodate both overhead (misting,) and root zone (drip, NFT, flood tables) watering systems.
2. Greatly reduce or eliminate labor and the potential for human error in mixing feed formulas.
3. Water and fertilizer use can be minimized as these systems can more readily accommodate recycling of water.
4. Saves time as similar plants can be grouped together and watered in single or multiple zones.
5. Sensors can monitor how much water and fertilizer your plants are getting/needing.
6. Growers can program the control based on easy settings such as (time, moisture, EC, etc.) and/or make decisions based on outside weather conditions.
7. Grower can remotely monitor control crop based on individual zone watering needs while managing the entire cycle of the crop.
8. Even, consistent watering cycles to produce a more consistent crop with better crop yields.
9. Can create a zero runoff system. As in Europe, we’re seeing more stringent water use restrictions in Canada where it is now law not to discard of waste water.
10. Extreme ROI: payback can be achieved for all sizes of greenhouse projects but generally speaking, the larger the project, the more economically feasible.
Overall, greenhouses can be irrigated automatically so growers can water crops with minimal staff while maintaining time to inspect and manage the crop growth. Greenhouse automation is a proven standard in Europe, especially flower growers in Holland. As greenhouses continue to become more popular in North America (especially with the newer trend towards medical marjuana), automation will grow toward becoming the new standard (amognst all growers) as legislation regarding water use and runoff becomes stricter.
What about Greenhouse Environmental Control Systems?
Growers today are looking for greenhouse environmental control systems that save energy, are easy to use, and can be accessed remotely. New products from leading manufacturers are designed to tap into these needs. Climate Control Systems Inc. has been developing greenhouse environmental control systems for over 35 years.
Most growers in today’s day and age are using some form of control in the greenhouse and some systems are more advanced than others. After several years of optimal performance, many greenhouse growers find their environmental control systems becoming less reliable, and replacement parts more difficult to find.
Sometimes legacy systems are no longer supported by the manufacturer, leaving growers in a bind. In these cases, growers may find that an environmental control system upgrade or complete replacement a necessary worthwhile investment.
Whether or not growers with an older system are experiencing reliability issues, they may be having problems purchasing parts and getting tech support for their legacy system. In some cases, the control system may be past the point for an upgrade, and it will be necessary to replace it.
There are Several Potential Benefits to Installing a New Environmental Control System:
1. Improved labor efficiency
2. Reduced energy consumption
3. Improved reliability
4. Improved crop quality and yield
5. Opportunity to expand and add more equipment and sensors
6. Opportunity to modify with dimmable lights or variable speed fans, which can save energy while optimizing crop requirements
7. Newer control systems often boast a suite of features to make management easier, such as text or email alerts
8. If you are not happy with your current controls system company or they don’t offer the features you want, this may also be the time to change.
In the day-to-day rush of growing plants and filling orders, it’s easy to ignore greenhouse controls that do everything from open and close louvers to provide the right amount of fertilizer to your plants. Take the time after the rush is over to inspect all controls to see if they’re properly set to factory recommendations and invest in greenhouse automation systems that work.
our solutions are both simple to operate and with all the customizable automation software you will be able to finally completely manage your greenhouse from a single computer and cut energy cuts by 30-35%.
Want a-depth look at our climate management software? Get in touch with one of our Greenhouse Engineers and we can schedule a demo for you. If you would like a quote on some our automation systems, you can also send in a request from our contact page for better greenhouse management.