utdoor conditions. These
growing tools may be used all at the same time or whenever one or more is
Compared to traditional growing structures, the timing and
concentration of growth regulators needed when growing in open-roof designs are
different. In some situations, they may no longer be needed. Similarly, the
timing and amounts of pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation water also differ.
Temperature recipes used to schedule crops differ. When growers switch to
open-roof structures, they will have to carefully reapply their skills to
manipulate crops as necessary. However, they will have many more tools and
alternatives available to them to help them be successful and profitable.
A computer operation system is an essential component for
proper operation of an open-roof growing system. Trying to keep the roof and
side walls in the correct position by hand is a full-time job, and other chores
will usually cause the person in charge of the structure to “fail”
on a regular basis. A one-time purchase of a good computer control system
(typically about $20,000 purchased and installed) is much less expensive than a
permanent, full-time worker.
No matter how sophisticated, growing structures do not
operate by themselves. Remember that the computer controller does not operate
the system or grow the crop for you. This is computer-assisted growing, not
computer-controlled growing. You must still know your crop and its needs, and
make daily, routine or seasonal adjustments to the computer settings as needed.
Consider the labor savings
An important reason growers are selecting open-roof
structures is to reduce labor costs. There are significant labor savings from
reduced crop handling. When using open-roof systems, plants need not be moved
from stationary-roof systems into “acclimation areas” for
hardening-off before shipping (the roof is moved instead). style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Useful growing space is not wasted as
Seasonal greenhouse glazings need not be removed — the
roof is moved instead. Eliminating each labor-handling step saves a significant
amount of money.
For some crops, such as florist azaleas, open-roof
structures can eliminate from 2-5 handling steps. Depending upon your crop and
your current handling system, you can eliminate as much as 50 percent of your
handling labor costs by growing
under an open-roof system.