How to Grow Truffles in a Greenhouse: Greenhouses 201

Truffles are a culinary delicacy that can be grown in a greenhouse.

They are a mushroom-like type of fungus that grow to be bumpy, white and small in size. Truffles grow on the roots of certain types of trees – oak trees are the easiest of these to cultivate, though hazelnut trees are also sometimes used.

Growing truffles in a greenhouse can be useful because the greenhouse environment allows you more control over growing conditions and truffles do not grow well in temperature or humidity extremes, nor do they tolerate sharp changes in these conditions.

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Greenhouse Growing

1. Position your greenhouse to get as much sunlight as possible.
2. You may need to use lamps for supplemental light in dark wintry conditions, but this can be expensive, so generally you want to minimize use of lamps as much as you can.
3. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, erect a greenhouse near the south side of a building if you do not have the money or space to build one in a standalone fashion.
4. Greenhouses should also be on ground that is either level or only slightly sloped.
5. Click the following link to learn more about greenhouse positioning.

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Truffles on Oak Roots in Your Greenhouse

1. Since growing truffles must go along with growing trees, be prepared to create enough space in your greenhouse for oak trees and to be patient enough to give the oaks time to grow.
2. Mature oak roots can grow many crops of truffles over the years and even over decades.
3. Oaks require full sun conditions and quality potting soil with lime and compost mixed into at least the top 1'.
4. This soil should also be free of obstructions like rocks or thick clods of dirt. The ideal soil pH for an oak growing truffles is 7.5-7.9.
5. Buy oaks to transplant to your greenhouse from an approved, reputable truffle grower that have been injected with truffle fungus.

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Planting Oak Trees for Truffle Growing

1. A good heuristic for how deep the holes should be for the transplants is twice as wide as the roots of the oaks and at least 2', with the total soil depth being about 5'.
2. Tree roots tend to grow horizontally instead of vertically.
3. Each hole should be around 6' from each other hole to give the roots space for growing horizontally.
4. Also, be sure that there are no trees within 30' of your greenhouse site, since otherwise water could be directed away from your oaks.
5. There should be no plants of any kind within 3' of your greenhouse for the same reason.

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Watering and Maintaining Your Oaks

• Spread the roots carefully apart by hand when planting, and set each sapling into each hole lightly.
• Fill in the holes with soil and firmly pack the soil down to avoid air pockets.
• Water right after planting and keep soil consistently moist but not soaked.
• The area you plant in should be well-drained as well.
• Temperatures should also be warm but not too hot. Plant in winter or early spring.
• Irrigation is probably a good idea for a larger crop of oaks, and thus of truffles.
• Mulch is useful to aiding you in keeping the soil moist and also to keep out weeds and even grass, which can be a problem even in a greenhouse setting, and which can be especially damaging to a truffle harvest.

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Conclusion:

Harvesting Truffles

You probably will not get any truffles until about a year has passed, at which point you will want to regularly and carefully search the soil around the roots for small, firm lumps that you can then pull upward to harvest. It is important to do this regularly because truffles that are not harvested will go bad. Add more compost to the soil after harvesting to lay the groundwork for the next batch of truffles. If you have a lot of oak trees with truffles, consider using a pig or a trained dog to help sniff them out for you.

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About this Posts Author:

This post was published and written by Mr. Whitney Michael Segura, the founder and chief of operations of Mini Greenhouse Kits store and online network of information based websites.

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Applications of Warm Aired Greenhouse Heaters

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Applications of Warm Aired Greenhouse Heaters

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Greenhouses usually need some form of heat during parts of the year when the weather changes and the temperatures shift downward;

One of the two main types of heaters used for greenhouses is infrared and warm air heating systems.

• Both have distinct points as to which works best for different types of greenhouse use and climates, if done properly the heating system can be self-sustainable.
• The warm air greenhouse heaters are a bit different in applications and usage then the infrared models.
• The warm air heaters are usually fueled by natural gas, electricity or propane although natural gas is usually cheaper to use. Passive solar heaters provide efficiency and are completely sustainable, for modern green gardeners.

 

When greenhouse heaters that use the warm air are to be used in the building, it is important to make certain that the proper venting and intake of fresh air be set up according to the manufacturer specifications.

1. If harmful exhaust enters the greenhouse, while the heaters are working, it can cause a great deal of damage, to the people and plants inside.
2. In addition to the proper placement of the heaters and ventilation, the means for circulating the air flow, so that the plants are protected from the colder temperature.
3. It is important remember, that the conservation of the heat, in the areas that can be controlled by heaters, is one of the applications that may make the difference, in how a crop does.

Warm air rises and cool air sinks, which make it an important fact that the greenhouse owner or grower needs, to keep a close eye on the temperature of the different areas of the greenhouse because the ends and certain areas may not warm as evenly with warm air heating systems.

The use of fans in addition to the heating system, may be needed to make certain the warmed air is circulating properly to all areas of the greenhouse as it is needed. The efficiency of the greenhouse heaters that supply warm air to keep the plants, from becoming too cold, is debated especially when the climate change is more drastic.

The importance of the building geographic location, materials and size are all some of the elements that need to be calculated when figuring out the best size and type of warmed air heater to use.

Some will require a certain size, based on the square footage of the area, to be warmed, and others may need an additional system.

The secondary system means to keep the even flow of warm air, where it belongs down among the plants to protect them. An accurate means of detecting and controlling the temperature of various areas of the greenhouse, is an important part of the system as a whole.
 

Some of the heating systems, use the fact that warm air rises, to let the heat flow from the bottom of the growing areas into the top.

• This can cause problems if there are wide temperature variations, that cause problems in areas of the greenhouse. For example, the heat could be hotter at the ceiling level and much cooler down where the plants are growing.
• These problems are usually corrected, with the use of additional equipment, such as fans and automated ventilation windows.

Application of the warm air heaters can be measured by the efficiency of the system itself as well as how it is set up inside the growing area.

A good heating system should offer enough warmth throughout the area without major cold spots;

• Be able to be adjusted and maintained easily.
• Be able to be installed and used in a manner that is responsible, for the environment and adhere to the regulations, about air quality inside and outside where it is ventilated.

 

One of the more interesting ways, to apply the warm air heaters to work more effectively is to use them with a series of pipes, that can either carry liquid or have air blown through them to heat the areas where the plants are grown.

If a liquid filled pipe is underneath the planting medium, then the seeds will germinate and grow faster than if the soil was not heated. Conduction heating is also used with this method as the objects that are heated in turn heat others within their proximity.

The use of heating systems for greenhouses is of course, dependent on the budget available and the means to implement the particular system that is desired.

If the growing area is not large, then the heater needed will not be the giant model but something that fits the space.

• It is a good idea when using the warm air greenhouse heaters, to keep track of the weather changes during the day and evening after the sun goes down.
• If the greenhouse is made of a material that is energy efficient, less energy will have to be used to keep the plants unharmed. The fact is that energy efficient greenhouse designs, already are in use and are growing in popularity.
• If heat loss calculations are in the greenhouse design, built and maintained well, the warm air heating system that is chosen should be adequate for the job of keeping the climate within a good growing temperature.

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Video: Learn How to Make an Old Greenhouse Structure More Energy Efficient

Source: YouTube.com
Number of Views: 454 (As of 11/22/2013)
Uploaded: October 28th, 2011
Description: Michigan State University's Dr. Erik Runkle interviews Michel van Rijn, commercial director Rijn Plant, De Lier, NL on how they have updated an older greenhouse to achieve sustainable goals and reduce energy costs & compare to new.

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Greenhouses that are not designed well may take some thought and additional effort to make the application work, but it is not an impossible job.

Part of the use of greenhouse heaters can be learned from articles and books, but pure experience in your particular geographical area will be the best way to find out if it is the best application for your greenhouse.

The circulation of the air is what will help your plants to grow and thrive, with the heated air available to keep away the chilly night temperatures.

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Recommended Additional Reading:

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Page Title: Guideline's for Climate Control: Greenhouse Humidity & Temperature
Source URL: http://jainpipe.com/Designtechnical/climate.htm
Uploaded: October 28th, 2011
Description: Guidelines for climate control of temperature and humidity inside greenhouses, what is the NaanDanJain Fogger, what are the essential conditions for efficient cooling using the NaanDanJain Fogger, find out what is the importance of the droplet size created by the NaanDanJain Fogger, how much water is needed to cool a greenhouse, and learn about cooling and humidifying cannot be conducted simultaneously.

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MiniGreenhouseKits.com: Homepage

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What is Better to Build a Glass or Polycarbonate Greenhouses?

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Which is the Best Choice, of Greenhouse Building & Construction Planning, Glass Greenhouse Plans or Polycarbonate Greenhouses Plan?

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Post Category: Greenhouse Articles > Building Greenhouses > Greenhouse Components & Parts > Glass and Polycarbonate > Material and Cost Comparison

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Greenhouses are classically made from aluminum and glass, but recently, some people are substituting the glass for twin wall polycarbonate.

• The mega trend toward producing your own vegetables is leading more growers to experiment with different materials and expand beyond traditional options.
• Plastic greenhouse construction materials include fiberglass, polyethylene film, and polycarbonate.

Polycarbonate has numerous advantages over glass, including:

1. Greenhouse Insulation Ability:

Successful greenhouse plant growing is a matter of keeping the plants at the right temperature.

• Glass is not a very efficient material when it comes to heating, because it transmits heat and cold too rapidly.
• People have made use of glass’s difficulty retaining heat in other structures, from thermometers to spoons, but it is a disadvantage in other areas.
• Greenhouse glass panels are usually double or triple the normal thickness of glass to provide enough insulation, which can be problematic.

Polycarbonate

At the right thickness, polycarbonate sheets retain heat better than horticulture glass.

1. Polycarbonate sheets can lengthen the plants’ growing season, which can make all the difference in plant production.
2. Twin polycarbonate sheets are structurally similar to thermal windows, and provide a similar benefit.
3. They can reduce heating costs when compared to glass-paneled greenhouses, due to their greater heat retention abilities.

A material’s thermal insulation value is its ‘R’ value: Horticulture glass that’s three millimeters thick has a lower R-value than four-millimeter twin-wall polycarbonate sheets.

Single layer polycarbonate sheets have a reduced R-value compared to glass, so it is important to take grades and measurements into account, and not to substitute single layer polycarbonate sheets for twin layer polycarbonate sheets.

• A higher R-value can make all the difference for the plants, particularly when growing during the autumn and winter.
• The R-value will increase in proportion to the thickness of the twin panel polycarbonate walls.

 

2. Greenhouse Structural Durability:

Glass is famously fragile. 

1. Polycarbonate sheets can withstand far more pressure and shocks than glass, including fallen tree branches, hail, heavy storms, and the impact from incoming tennis balls.
2. Growers with nearby trees, active wildlife, or bustling neighbors may want to invest in polycarbonate sheets.
3. Twin polycarbonate sheets are also highly flame resistant, in case of emergencies.
4. On average, twin polycarbonate sheets last for fifteen years under ideal conditions.
5. Greenhouses made from glass require substantial repairs over the course of their own lifetimes.

 

3. Ease of Greenhouses Assembly:

Polycarbonate sheets are not as heavy as glass, and do not have to be cut specially to fit the greenhouse specifications. 

Glass is heavier than many other building materials, and needs the sort of significant framing structure polycarbonate sheets do not. Glass also must be kept completely rigid during construction. Often times, amateur growers cannot construct glass greenhouses themselves, and must procure the services of a contractor. Polycarbonate sheets are more conducive to individual assembly.

 

4. Internal Light Penetration:

There is a risk of burning plants when using glass-paneled greenhouses, because glass does not effectively diffuse light.

1. Polycarbonate sheets are constructed to have a ribbed texture that breaks ultraviolet rays.
2. The texture of polycarbonate sheets diffuses the incoming ultraviolet light, all the better for plant growth.
3. The diffused light minimizes shadow, so growers can take full advantage of incoming light and not have to compensate on behalf of the plants.
4. Some plant species need more or less light, and could be most efficiently grown in a greenhouse made from twin-walled polycarbonate.

 

Materials: Made with Glass

5. Reduction in Inside Greenhouses Condensation Levels:

Twin polycarbonate sheets have been tested in conditions of eighty percent humidity, with a fifty degree temperature differential between the outside and the inside of the greenhouse.

1. There was still no condensation on the greenhouse glass. 
2. Greenhouse condensation is more important in regards to aesthetics, but a buildup of moisture can still be problematic.

Greenhouse Materials: Made with Polycarbonate and Plastic Roof

Glass Greenhouse Panels: Materials

Glass Hot House: Sun-room Greenhouse Conservatory Elegant Style

Basic Hobby Greenhouse: Built with 6mm Twin Wall Polycarbonate Panels

EarthCare Greenhouses Brand: Basic Hobby Greenhouse 6' x 6' Kit w/ 4mm Polycarbonate

 

Growers can also take advantage of both materials, and get greenhouses constructed from a combination of glass and polycarbonate.

• Some growers still prefer glass greenhouses for sentimental reasons.
• Advances in materials science will create a portfolio of options for greenhouse growers and hobbyists.

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