Five Strategies for Managing Rising Greenhouse Production Costs

By Stuppy|August 2, 2022

Lowering production costs and increasing efficiency is important to all greenhouse growers as labor, energy, and input costs get more expensive. Fuel and energy costs alone are up more than 30% over last year. While consumer spending has been strong on lawn, garden, and greenhouse products, which has offset some of the expenses, growers can’t rely on that to continue.

The good news, according to a recent blog post from the team at Stuppy Greenhouse, is that there are tried-and true-strategies that will help minimize those costs, and in some cases, realize significant savings. Some of these are easy to execute, while some require some upfront capital. The return on investment of capital improvements can be realized rather quickly, however, making the effort worthwhile.

The post highlights five ways to reduce production costs, including:

Implementing energy-saving strategies such as lowering the thermostat set points at night, and insulating the perimeter of foundation walls.
Incorporating under-bench heating, which creates a more uniform root zone temperature than a system that heats air, resulting in better germination and rooting of young plants.
Using passive ventilation when possible, and setting the environmental control system to activate cooling in stages.
Optimizing your equipment by positioning temperature sensors correctly, cleaning gutters, and keeping up with maintenance.
Conserving water. As areas affected by drought keep increasing, it may be time to consider closed systems that treat, contain, and reuse irrigation water.

Learn more from Stuppy here.