Comments
northof420 t1_jec0848 wrote
Seeing your piped CO2 comment. Could you technically put a brick of dry ice in a greenhouse and let it vaporize off or would that just be a negligible amount of CO2? Small greenhouse in my backyard (about 6ā each side Iād guess) not some massive industrial greenhouse
Orgot t1_jecwjyr wrote
Good question! I don't know, but it should be possible to multiply the standard CO2 proportion of air by the density of air at your altitude by the volume of air in the greenhouse (216 cubic feet for a 6'x6'x6' greenhouse with nothing in it) to get the mass of CO2 inside at a given time. If you wanted to raise that by 10%, you'd just add that mass of dry ice - it has the same mass whether solid or gas.
But, air exchange with the outdoors will equalize that concentration gradient eventually, perhaps even as fast as the dry ice sublimates. Even in an airtight greenhouse, the enhanced CO2 levels will benefit some plant groups more than others, in a way that changes with day length and temperature. Timing probably matters too, with some plants shutting their stomata in the day.
Lirdon t1_jeb4lmu wrote
Green houses allow to control the climate inside in a way that is impossible outside. Outside you're a slave to the wheather and the seasons. Inside you set the seasons. So you can grow crops out of season, and grow crops that can't flurish in the local climate otherwise.
Oldirtybastard58346 t1_jeb530p wrote
The large advantage to a greenhouse is being able to consistently control the environment in which the plants reside.
Plants outside are subject to too much or too little rain, too cold or too hot temperatures, etc.
In a greenhouse you have a greater degree of control over environmental conditions. You can control hydration, you can control temperature (to some extent), etc.
The main benefit is that this enables to you to grow plants during seasons where the plants would not be able to survive outdoors, as well as insure against natural fluctuations in expected environmental conditions.
TL;DR its not necessarily more efficient as it is more convenient.
tmahfan117 t1_jeb7q0z wrote
Greenhouses extend the growing season. Plants that would normally die from the cold can last from a few weeks to sometimes a few months longer in the greenhouse.
Some places can grow some plants all year round in a greenhouse.
[deleted] t1_jeb4lra wrote
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dellive OP t1_jebekth wrote
Thanks all for the insight.
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Orgot t1_jeb4i87 wrote
Lots of plants from tropical climates have minimum temperature and humidity requirements. Gardeners and farmers in temperate or even polar climates cannot grow these plants outside at all, but greenhouses let them re-create those conditions indoors while still giving plants access to sunlight. Even plants that can survive outside often grow faster under the controlled conditions in a greenhouse. Pest management is also easier in the controlled environment. Some greenhouses can even have extra CO2 piped in for even faster growth.