Keeping a greenhouse cool in the Summer Texas heat is essential. Unless you have warm growers, you must invest strength, money, or both to keep your greenhouse cool.
You can cool a greenhouse through ventilation, moisture, water, and various other methods. These can be useful during the hottest Texas days in August. Otherwise, your plants will rarely survive under 96 degrees in Texas heat.
In this article, you will find the best ways to cool down a greenhouse in Texas. We will also include cooling methods that do not require any electricity.
When Should You Cool Down Your Texas Greenhouse?
Typically, 90 degrees is too hot for a greenhouse. Therefore, if the temperature inside your greenhouse goes past 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you must take action to cool it down.
Moreover, it’s better to take precautions during the Summer in Texas as the temperature can rise quickly and damage the plants. So, if you are expecting Summer soon, it’s a good idea to invest in cooling methods for your greenhouse.
Keeping Your Greenhouse Cool in Texas Summer
There are a few ways of cooling a greenhouse in extreme heat. The following are the most successful methods that Texas farmers recommend:
Ventilation: Best for Cooling a Greenhouse in High Humidity
High humidity can intensify the hellish Texas heat. Therefore, a good ventilation system is necessary.
Your greenhouse door, roof vents, and side vents are the main ventilating escape for humidity.
For every five square feet of area, you need one square foot of ventilation. This 5:1 method is the best possible solution for proper cooling of a greenhouse during high humidity.
You can also invest in automated ventilators but it isn’t necessary for cooling smaller greenhouses.
Ventilation methods can be divided into two different categories:
- Active ventilation: Using different types of ventilation fans.
- Passive ventilation: Vents, doors, etc.
As you can guess, active ventilation is more costly than its counterpart. You should go active ventilating if the passive option isn’t working during extreme heat.
Watering: Obvious Greenhouse Cooling Method Without Using Electricity
Water stress is a primary concern for plants during the extreme heat of Texas summer. Therefore, it’s a must to water the plants regularly.
Plants have a cooling method of their own. Through the leaves, plants let out moisture. Similar to us sweating, this mechanism helps plants cool down. As a result, a proper watering schedule is important during summer.
Plants with scorched leaves dried out foliage, and wilting conditions are usually suffering from water stress. Be on the lookout for these signs!
Damping: Cooling Texas Greenhouse with Moisture
Wetting the surroundings of plants is a process of damping. You can water the soil, pathways of the greenhouse, and other surrounding things that can hold moisture.
Damping increases the moisture inside a greenhouse. As a result, the plants can survive better. Damping is an efficient way of cooling a greenhouse in a hot climate.
9 Greenhouse Cooling Systems in Use, Private and Commercial (Video)
Final Note
The methods described here are very cost-effective and energy efficient. Again, ventilation, watering, and damping are the three main ways experienced Texas farmers use to cool down a greenhouse.
Always monitor the temperature inside your greenhouse by having a thermometer. It can give you readings that will save the plant’s life.