Hortitech design, engineer, manufacture, supply and install Greenhouses, also known as Hothouses, and Shadehouses. We have been designing and installing Melbourne Greenhouses for nearly 40 years, supporting the horticulture industry with cover and crop protection solutions.
What is a Greenhouse?
A Greenhouse, Shadehouse, or Hothouse, is an outdoor structure with four walls and a roof that is typically arched, made from steel (or timber) and covered in premium-grade Greenhouse Plastic, Polyflute, Hortiweave or Shadecloth, that allows plants to grow in regulated climatic conditions. Hortitech Greenhouses range from small Tunnel House Kits (THK) in set widths of 2.7m, 4.3m, 4.9m, 6.4m and 7m to larger, custom sized Commercial Greenhouses. The interior of a greenhouse exposed to UV rays, or sunlight, is significantly warmer than the outer environment temperatures, which protects its crops and allows for growth all-year round, even in winter.
Our Commercial Greenhouses are premium production facilities for fruits, vegetables and flowers. Hortitech offer various Greenhouse equipment and accessories such as plastics, shadecloth, circulation fans, vents and sliding doors to aid in the air temperature regulation, humidity heating, cooling, lighting, shading and ventilation of the Greenhouse to control and optimise conditions for plant growth.
A Greenhouse works by converting light energy from the sun’s UV rays into heat energy. These light rays from the sun enter the Hothouse, where they are absorbed by plants and objects and converted to heat.
How does a Greenhouse Work?
The warmer temperatures inside a Greenhouse occur due to UV rays passing through the (typically) transparent Greenhouse Plastic roofing and walls of the Hothouse, which is then absorbed by its contents; including the flooring and plants of the Shadehouse, becoming warmer than the external temperature to aid in the quality plant growth all-year round. As the Greenhouse structure is not open to the atmosphere, the warmed air cannot escape via convection, so the temperature inside the greenhouse rises. Hortitech offer circulation fans and tilting vents to aid in additional ventilation depending on your crops needs.
Ventilation
Ventilation is a vital and key aspect of a successful Greenhouse. Without sufficient ventilation, hothouses and their inhabiting plants can become prone to diseases and stunted growth amongst other problems. Ventilation is required to regulate the temperature and humidity of the Shadehouse to the optimal level, and to ensure movement of air and prevention of the build-up of plant pathogens that thrive in stagnant air conditions. Ventilation also ensures a supply of fresh air for photosynthesis, allows for the plants to breathe, and may enable important pollinators to access the greenhouse crops. Ventilation can be achieved via the use of circulation fans and vents.