Latest Articles

Plums and Damsons
Find out more about plums and damsons
fruits
09:58, 17th Aug 2010

Review of The Treehouse Diaries
A review of the book The TreeHouse Diaries by Nick Weston
books
11:17, 26th Jul 2010

Storing Herbs by Freezing
Find out how to freeze herbs to retain their flavour for months
preserving
16:10, 4th Jun 2010

Make Your Own Leafmould
Find out how to make your own leafmould to improve your soil
grow your own
15:28, 4th Jun 2010

Greenhouse Thermometer
Use a suitable max min thermometer to track temperatures in a greenhouse
greenhouse
11:22, 3rd Jun 2010

Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles
Build a greenhouse from old plastic bottles
greenhouse
10:19, 3rd Jun 2010

Make Tomato Passata
Preserve tomatoes by making delicious tomato passata
preserving
12:00, 25th May 2010

Growing Outdoor Tomato Varieties
Tomato plants which will survive outdoors in the UK
fruits
11:56, 25th May 2010

Watering Your Greenhouse

Find out how to keep your greenhouse plants well watered




Watering Your Greenhouse

greenhouse | grow your own

The two most important things to consider when using a greenhouse are Greenhouse Ventilation, and Watering. If you plants are not kept well watered in the heat of your greenhouse then they will provide low yields at best, and will die at worst. Therefore attention must be paid to how you will water your greenhouse plants regularly, even if you are not at home for example when you are away on holiday.

Crops in the greenhouse will always need more water than those outside the greenhouse. Apart from the fact that rain does not fall in the greenhouse, the atmosphere is usually much hotter inside the greenhouse and soil will dry out much faster.

Many of the Irrigation options used outside in the garden are also valid inside the greenhouse, for example, using a watering can or spraying the plants with a hosepipe. However if water is left sitting on leaves rather than down on the soil and near the roots, it does not do the plants any good and can lead to the proliferation of mould and mildew.

Therefore here are some other options to consider:
Capillary Matting for Greenhouse Crop Watering

Capillary Matting / Watering - Here plants are sat on top of a thin mat made of cotton or polyester which holds a few litres of water per square metre. Water is sucked up from the mat by the soil which then results in the roots getting wet as required. You can water the mat by hand (rather than watering the plants themselves) or the mat can be hung into a water reservoir a few inches below, and it will suck up water until it is saturated or the reservoir runs dry.
Electronic Watering Timer

Water Timer - A Garden water timer can be used with any drip irrigation system to water the plants in your greenhouse at specific times of day and for set durations. It is connected directly to the hosepipe which is in turn connected to your mains supply (or to a water butt). This can also be used to refill the reservoir of water used by capillary matting systems leaving you able to leave your greenhouse unchecked for many days safe in the knowledge that everything should be fine. Very simple and very complex timers are available from £10 to many hundreds of pounds.

NEW - Click here to visit our Greenhouse Directory with details of suppliers of greenhouses and related accessories.

Article Published: 12:29, 9th Jul 2008


Related Articles


Greenhouse Ventilation
Understand the importance of venilation in a greenhouse
Article Published: 12:29, 9th Jul 2008
greenhouse | grow your own

The Greenhouse
Find out more about the benefits of greenhouses and glasshouses
Article Published: 12:29, 9th Jul 2008
greenhouse | building | grow your own | smallholding

Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles
Build a greenhouse from old plastic bottles
Article Published: 10:19, 3rd Jun 2010
greenhouse | building | grow your own

Choosing a Greenhouse
Decide which greenhouse is right for you
Article Published: 13:26, 23rd Jul 2008
greenhouse | building | grow your own

Greenhouse Thermometer
Use a suitable max min thermometer to track temperatures in a greenhouse
Article Published: 11:22, 3rd Jun 2010
greenhouse | building | grow your own

Polytunnel Hot Spot Tape
Find out about the use of anti hot spot tape in polytunnels
Article Published: 12:29, 9th Jul 2008
building | grow your own | greenhouse

Why Buy a Polytunnel
Learn about Polytunnels and their benefits
Article Published: 17:12, 17th Sep 2008
building | grow your own | greenhouse | smallholding

Make Your Own DIY Polytunnel
Find out how to make your own robust polytunnel for half the price of the retail product
Article Published: 17:12, 17th Sep 2008
building | grow your own | greenhouse

Growing Outdoor Tomato Varieties
Tomato plants which will survive outdoors in the UK
Article Published: 11:56, 25th May 2010
fruits | grow your own

Fighting Slugs
Find out how to protect your crops from slugs
Article Published: 10:20, 18th Jul 2008
vegetables | grow your own