Virtual Grower is a new decision support tool for greenhouse growers. Users of the software can build a virtual greenhouse with a variety of materials for roofs and sidewalls, design the greenhouse style, schedule temperature set points throughout the year, and predict heating costs for over 230 sites within the continental US. Different heating and scheduling scenarios can be predicted with the input of a few variables, with accurate data based upon historical records collected by USDA monitoring stations across the country.

One interesting (and interestingly named) function is called “It’s Day When I Say It Is,” in which the daytime temperature is set to a specific time period in the day instead of changing gradually from one day to the next. By contrast, the “It’s Day When The Sun Is Up” setting activates the daytime temperature setpoint at sunrise based on your location in the country. In this selection, the thermoperiod matches the natural photoperiod or light period. Growers looking to quantify heating costs more accurately in existing greenhouses, or see how much a new range would cost to heat, couldn’t ask for a better tool at a better time. Visit http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/software/download.htm?softwareid=108 for your free download.