3 Ways CEA Growers Can Optimize Conditions in Their Facility
September 11, 2024 Since 2017, when Nadia Sabeh, Ph.D., founded Dr. Greenhouse, an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm, her goal has stayed the same: to create the right environment for high quality crops all year round. We recently chatted with Dr. Sabeh, and she shared three tips for CEA growers to create ideal growing conditions in their facilities.
Dr. Nadia Sabeh
- Install a Shade Screen
Dr. Sabeh recommends that growers regulate sunlight in their facility with a shade screen or thermal curtain. Without some sort of protection from the sun, it’s easy for plants to get heat stress. To her, it’s better to avoid this issue before a greenhouse gets too warm than rely on a cooling system to lower the temperature and humidity after the fact.
“For me, a shade screen is key because no matter where you are, there is a time of day where your plants receive more sun than they need,” she said. “The sun generates a lot of heat, and [many growers] ask an evaporative cooling system, ventilation system or air conditioner to take that out. But with a shade screen, you can easily regulate the amount of heat in your greenhouse or indoor farm.”
2. Get Horizontal Airflow (HAF) Fans
Secondly, she encourages every CEA grower to invest in horizontal airflow (HAF) fans, unless they’re growing lettuce. Unlike vertical airflow (VAF) fans, HAF fans reach the entire canopy in a greenhouse or indoor farm. These types of fans suck the hot air from a heating system and distribute it throughout an entire CEA facility instead of concentrating it in just one spot.
“The traditional HAF fan system works really well,” she said. “It’s good at mixing air from the heating system and circulating that heat throughout [a facility]. This can help with energy savings as well, since you’re relying more on fans to do the work.”
3. Know Your Set Points
Most importantly, Dr. Sabeh wants growers to know their set points in their greenhouse or indoor farm. This means being familiar with the ideal conditions for the crops they’re growing and making sure they’re creating them in their facilities.
“Reevaluate what your set points are and check to see if you’re within range of recommended conditions,” she said. “Ask yourself if you’re growing within the temperature and humidity range that are best for the particular cultivar you’re growing in.”
Make sure to watch the full CEAg Talks interview with Dr. Sabeh.
This article is part of our August edition of CEAg World Insights. Click here to view the entire interactive report.