Are you wondering,“How does a greenhouse work?”There are almost endless uses for a greenhouse,and a look at the history of greenhouses will highlight all these uses.From ancient Roman times,greenhouses have been used to grow plants in less-than-ideal conditions,with great success.
Greenhouses offer plants and flowers a safe space to grow,away from unsatisfactory weather.They protect seedlings that would otherwise be ravaged by the elements,and those common garden pests.What’s more,they allow you to grow exotic flowers that you would never have dreamed you could grow in your particular climate.
Explaining the greenhouse effect
Think of what happens if you park your car in the sun all day,with no shield at the windscreen and all the windows up.It gets very hot in there,and when you get into that car,that heat lasts for some time if you don’t immediately open the windows and gasp for some cooling air.
This is precisely what happens in a gardening greenhouse.
A greenhouse collects and absorbs the heat from the sunlight streaming through the glass roof and walls.It retains this heat well into the darker hours.To avoid it getting too hot,you need a vent in the greenhouse roof,and possibly a fan.
So,what happens in the winter,when there aren’t as many sunlight hours?Because the greenhouse is a contained unit,it traps what heat and light there is,which is much better than plants being left outdoors for when the nighttime chill sets in.
How the inside of a greenhouse works
Here are some basic greenhouse facts for anyone new to greenhouse gardening.
The inside of a greenhouse acts like a type of incubator for plants and flowers.It supplies the optimal conditions for plant growth and development.All living things need warmth,light,and water,but a greenhouse offers these in the correct amounts.
The glass roof and walls of a greenhouse absorb and concentrate the sun’s rays.This is why the term“greenhouse effect”became popular.The earth’s atmosphere traps the sun’s heat,just as the greenhouse structure traps the sun’s heat.
All plants need sunlight to facilitate photosynthesis.This is the process by which they create glucose for energy.It serves the same function as the food that humans eat.Photosynthesis is necessary for plants to survive.
Some plants are more sensitive than others to the outdoors and need to be nurtured very closely,especially when in the seedling stage.A greenhouse is perfect for them,as it shelters these young plants from the cold,the wind,and other wintry conditions.
This is why many greenhouse gardeners use their greenhouses specifically for overwintering their plants.But you can grow whatever you like in your greenhouse,all year round.The trick is to maintain optimal conditions for growth,with the aid of specialized greenhouse equipment.
