Automation greenhouse controller
Jul 10 2019
Off

What is Agritech and Why Should You Care?

“Agritech” is the fusion of Agriculture and Technology. More specifically, it is the use of technology in agriculture to maximize yields and efficiency. In order to achieve these aims, agritech uses technologies that include comprehensive data collection, robotics, and artificial intelligence.   Why should you care?   Potential for the future of agriculture   The…
Residential 12x16
Jul 03 2019
Off

How Can I Keep My Residential Greenhouse From Overheating?

By Paige Schavey   As summer approaches and the outside temperatures begin to rise, the temperature inside your greenhouse will begin to rise with it.  How do you combat overheating inside your greenhouse? Here are four things you can do to keep those temps down.   Passive Ventilation  Open any windows and doors and leave…
Oct 29 2018
Off

An Introduction to Vapor Pressure Deficit

How well do you understand temperature and relative humidity? By Harry Connor Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) is used by growers to assess how dry the air is at a given moment. If the air is too dry, photosynthesis will stop in order to protect the plant from exhaustion. Photosynthesis is the process of converting sunlight,…
water wall passive solar greenhouse
Mar 13 2018
Off

Water Barrels vs. Phase Change Material

  Innovation plays an important role in every industry. Bulky, inefficient methods are catalysts for new-age technology. Since traditional greenhouses lack insulation, thermal masses can provide extra heat. Thermal mass materials absorb heat during the day and release the heat back into the greenhouse at night. Water barrels are widely used to maintain temperatures in…
Greenhouse Controls for GAHT system
Jun 02 2017
Off

Setting Controls in a GAHT System or Climate Battery

A climate battery is a ground to air heat exchanger, which provides year-round heating and cooling of solar greenhouses and other structures using the thermal mass of the soil underground. Ceres’ patent-pending Ground to Air Heat Transfer (GAHT™) is a high-performance climate battery specialized for year-round greenhouse growers. For more on how a GAHT™ system…
water wall passive solar greenhouse
Feb 21 2017
Off

Tips on Using Water Barrels in a Solar Greenhouse

Year round greenhouses, or even those used for season extension, face the challenge of extreme temperature swings. The structure collects excessive amounts of heat during the day when the sun is out, causing them to easily overheat. However, they quickly lose this heat at night due to a lack of insulation, resulting in overcooling or…
Jul 21 2016
Off

Energy-Efficient Ways to Cool a Greenhouse

Growing in a year-round greenhouse often means contending with heat. For most crops, photosynthesis slows when temperatures exceed 95 F. As the dog-days of summer hit, we explore the most energy-efficient ways of cooling a greenhouse. 1. Keep heat out (Shade Cloth)  Best for: all climates The first is to reduce light and heat gain…
Dec 01 2015
Off

Get More Out of Your Solar Greenhouse This Winter with Phase Change Material

“The Phase Change Material has been up for a few weeks now and is keeping the greenhouse about 20 degrees warmer than the minimum outside temp. Without the PCM, the greenhouse was about 10 degrees warmer. As of today [Nov 17th] I am still getting lots of tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers. My Myer’s lemon…
Mar 25 2015
Off

10 Do’s and Don’ts for Designing a Ground to Air Heat Transfer System

A Ground to Air Heat Transfer system– also called Earth Tubes or a Climate Battery – is a low-cost method for heating and cooling your greenhouse year-round using only the sun and the thermal mass of the soil underground. For more info on how it works, see our GAHT page here. A GAHT system is…
year-round greenhouse
Nov 14 2014
Off

3 Ways to Heat Your Greenhouse for Free this Winter

Learn how to harness and store solar energy to keep your greenhouse growing through the winter for free (or next to nothing) Greenhouses can be interesting environments to grow in. This is because standard greenhouse materials like glass and plastic (“glazing”) are extremely good at letting in light and heat in, and extremely good at…