Everything is getting smarter: phones, cars and even home appliances. As a commercial grower, you may have heard some buzz about the benefits of a smart greenhouse. What makes a greenhouse fall into this category, and what technology would benefit your growing operations?

There are a host of benefits that come with smartening up your greenhouse, but not all of them will deliver the same leaps in profitability and resource management. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of smart technology in the greenhouse to better equip you for future investments in your business:

Efficient Management of Resources:

A simple greenhouse goes a long way in allowing you to manage humidity, temperature and sunlight exposure. A smart greenhouse goes further:

• Hydroponics allows for the optimal use of water, allowing you to manipulate timing, temperature and more in how your plants receive moisture.
• Ventilation systems give you control over temperature, air flow and humidity for ideal growing conditions.
• Still waiting for the smart part of this equation? A centralized, automated and cloud-based software solution allows you to receive real-time readings, make adjustments based on granular-level data insights and do it all from the comfort of home. No more Saturday afternoon runs to the greenhouse to monitor conditions or make adjustments.

Improved Profitability:

A basic greenhouse extends your growing season and removes the threat of wind, storms and heat waves. A smart greenhouse provides detailed insights so you can continue refining and adjusting your growing conditions. It can also monitor specific conditions that may warrant additional attention, such as a pest infestation.

The investment in hydroponics is particularly useful for boosting yield and profitability. A hydroponic system can increase yields by up to 30% when compared to traditional soil-based growing.

Support Sustainability:

An automated solution in a smart greenhouse equips you to meet your sustainability goals. For instance, a precision irrigation system can reduce water consumption by 70%, compared to conventional watering methods. In addition, an HVAC system can be automated to make adjustments based on the needs of your specific crops and surrounding climate.

Address Labor Shortages:

A smart greenhouse can reduce the mundane tasks assigned to your staff. Items like monitoring soil conditions, watering and adjustments to shades or venting systems can all be reassigned to a centralized control system. There are even developing technologies that are testing AI-driven harvesting techniques through robotics.

Maybe you’re not ready to employ a robot to harvest your vegetable crop, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t mind checking humidity levels from the comfort of your home. Contact Stuppy today to discuss which of these smart greenhouse technologies might be a good investment for your commercial growing business.