Keep your plants cool throughout the growing season!
Reduce thermal stress, avoid condensation on walls and ceilings, make greenhouses fresher, and generate greater comfort with circulation fans.
By dispersing inside and outside air, ventilation in greenhouses, nurseries, and gardens balances numerous environmental parameters. Ventilation systems influence the following factors:
- The temperature of the air
- Level of moisture
- Condensation of moisture on surfaces
- Consistency of air temperature
- Plant-to-plant airflow
- Gas and odor emissions
- Levels of airborne dust and disease
- Unvented heaters' combustion fumes
These fans are also known as HAF fans or horizontal airflow fans. They can be installed on the ceiling rafters, frame pillars, or floor.
Circulation fans are the bulldozers of greenhouse fans. While circulation fans come in various dimensions and often include a power adjustment, they are less flexible than exhaust fans, as they are set to do nothing but blast air.
Benefits of Using Circulation Fans in Greenhouses
Regulate Air Temperature
Circulation fans will aid you in breaking air stratification. Because hot air rises, hot air will become trapped at the top of your greenhouse. Below, cooler air descends. And unless you utilize fans to break up the layers, they will remain stagnant.
Assist in Photosynthesis
Your plants will benefit from efficient air circulation because it boosts photosynthesis. Fresh air circulating your greenhouse delivers the carbon dioxide plants need to grow.
Excellent Ventilation
Plants benefit from occasional gusts of wind. You can enhance plant pollination with excellent greenhouse ventilation and airflow.
Unified Environment
It is fundamental for producers that plants develop relatively in the greenhouse. Circulating air creates a unified greenhouse environment, reducing the threat of plant diseases and moisture damage. This optimizes economic procedures while boosting productivity.
The Purpose of Circulation Fans in Greenhouses
Air circulation is an integral part of your plant quality management system. These fans aim to circulate and move air within your greenhouse.
In a heated greenhouse with zero added ventilation, temperatures rise one degree for every foot raised above the floor. Without a fan to circulate the air, the temperature would have to be adjusted higher in the winter months to keep the plants on the stand warm enough while the warm air above is wasted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is Greenhouse Ventilation?
Answer: Ventilation is the movement of air through a cycle of fast air changes. When the temperature within the greenhouse exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or when the humidity level reaches 100 percent, you must ventilate the greenhouse. On average, 40-60 air changes per hour are recommended. And along the ridge, the total ventilator area should be 16-20% of the total floor area.
The primary function of a greenhouse is to create the ideal environment for plant development. Ventilation is necessary for maintaining a balanced indoor climate that uses the sun's dynamic spectrum while maintaining the perfect temperature and air quality for your plants to grow.
During winter, greenhouses store heat from the sun, resulting in a higher temperature within the greenhouse than the outside. In the summer, though, an unventilated greenhouse may turn into a furnace, trapping sweltering heat rather than protecting your plants from the weather.
Question: What are the Types of Greenhouse Ventilation?
Answer: Greenhouse ventilation is classified into two types:
Natural ventilation - is provided by low-profile roof vents and louvered side vents. Using heat cushioning and wind to cool a greenhouse dates back to the early days of climate control. Before the 1950s, all greenhouses featured vents or louvers that were opened to permit excess heat to exit and cooler outside air to enter. Cold air from the outside enters a greenhouse through louvered vents at the bottom and warms up. Warm air travels and naturally gravitates around the open windows and roof vents as the temperature inside the greenhouse rises. Then air from outside pushes cool air into a greenhouse while warmer air escapes.
Fan ventilation – Fans installed at the ends of the walls or on the greenhouse ceiling promote adequate ventilation. Under all types of weather, fanning systems offer good airflow inside the greenhouse. A little vacuum is formed as the fans exhaust the hot air, pulling in cooler outside air through louvers, open doors, and crevices.
Final Verdict
Circulation fans in greenhouses help eliminate hot and cold spots in corners. They also help maintain uniform temperatures and reduce heating costs by up to 5% while preventing mildew and plant diseases by lowering the humidity within the plant canopy. Carbon dioxide utilization is also improved, a basic necessity for healthy plants.
Climate, ventilation, cooling, and humidity are factors to consider in plant growing. Circulation fans in greenhouses are a small investment for healthy plants, an often overlooked item. But as we have highlighted in this article, they are a must-have for growers, beginners, and veterans alike!