The basics to maintaining your greenhouse

General Maintenance of Green Houses

The first part of the process of maintenance is to look for any cracked or broken panes. Especially if you have an older greenhouse a small stone or high winds can cause the panes to move and the loss strength and crack/brake. If you do find any broken panes you can easily replace them at any Green House Spares shop. The second step depends on what type of greenhouse you have, an aluminium framed or wooden framed one, while the aluminium framed greenhouses are known for being low-maintenance you still to check the frame work to ensure they are holding the panes in safely. With a wooden greenhouse you will need to treat the wood with a preservative or weather resistant oil/paint.

Cleaning

This is very important for your greenhouse. Obviously something as simple as a dirty/covered window will limit the amount of light coming in and slow down the growth of plants and those tasty vegetables inside. To clean the outer windows I would suggest that you use an average sized bucket of warm water. Adding soap of some sorts will benefit the cleaning process and remember to use a sponge that isn't brand new as it could get filthy from the greenhouse. Before you begin the cleaning process, it is best to check that your sponge is clean and hasn’t fallen on the ground lately as it may gather small stones and other debris which, when cleaning, could scratch and maybe even crack the glass panels. A quicker way is to attach a Hozelock just spray down however the finish isn't as good and will have to be done more regularly. Interior cleaning is also important not only so that you have a nice environment to work in but also to prevent and disease in plants and pest control such as rats

TIP: WASH ON A BREEZY DAY SO THE WIND CAN DRY THE LEFT OVER WATER, MEANING YOU HAVE MORE TIME TO ENJOY THE OTHER THINGS IN LIFE.

Maintaining the Growing Environment

Traditionally, your green house will be one that is hot and humid, making it ideal for growing plants, but unfortunately it also makes it ideal for pests and diseases. These pests and diseases can affect your plants by spreading to them from one plant to the other. This will obviously reduce your growing enjoyment and will have a huge impact on the quality of the plants you grow and any fruit/vegetable items you produce. If for example you are growing your food to eat, then obviously diseases are not something you will want to have a problem with. Keeping your greenhouse clean and tidy will also reduce the chance of having a problem with pests. Cleaning up other vegetables that are on the floor etc will ensure that no pests have reason to be there. A lesser focussed on 'pest' are garden weeds. It is a good idea to go over your garden with the proverbial tooth comb to make sure that all weeds have been removed as weeds will take up valuable resources (water, food) that the plants you are growing will need.

Ensuring that your plants have some shade is also of great importance, as it will make sure than that the plants that can't handle the direct sun don't have their leaves scorched by the sun light. Sun on plants is obviously important to help growth but shade can be just as beneficial. It goes without saying that if you see even the hint of a pest that you should be ready to pounce on them with your entire mite (see what I did there with the mite / might?), anyway. Be on the lookout for bugs such as red spider mites, the mealy bug and aphids. Diseases that can attack include mildew and botrytis.

One final tip is to make sure you look at the labels on your plants when you buy them or read the back of the seed packets so that you have a good idea of the best living conditions you can offer your plants. Knowing exactly what conditions your plants enjoy will ensure that they have the best chances to grow and thrive. During the colder months in the winter you will want to move some plants out of the green house to prolong the life, many move them into Logcabins or a Metal Shed. If they go into logcabins they also make it look beautiful for when you go in.