Greenhouse Mechanization and Material Handling
(book excerpts)The moving of plant material from one place in the greenhouse to another can be very labor-intensive due to the large quantities and the distances traveled across a greenhouse. Each handling of plant material costs money and time, and because of the large number of plant material involved, the total labor cost can be very high. Thus, greenhouse mechanization and material handling systems are generally needed to reduce labor costs and better utilize the space available in the greenhouse. Whether moving plants from the propagation room to the growing area or supplying substrate to a filling machine; the use of the benches and conveyors can be a very simple, effective, efficient, and flexible means of handling plant material within most greenhouse operations. For example, replacing stationary benches with rolling benches allows the grower to increase the width of the production aisles without losing any crop production; this enables workers to move more efficiently between the benches. Having all these systems appropriately designed and installed significantly increases the chances of growing the highest-quality crops at the lowest overall cost.
Topics Within This Chapter:
- Greenhouse Benches
- Benching Materials
- Bench Layout and Size
- Aisle and Bench Size
- Stationary Benches
- Container Benches
- Ebb-and-Flood Benches
- Trough Benches
- Plant Handling Systems
- Conveyors
- Belt Conveyors
- Gravity Conveyors
- Chain Conveyors
- Auger Conveyors
- Gantry Conveyors
- Overhead Monorail Conveyors
- Carts
- Forklifts
- Front-End Loaders
- Tractors, Trailers, and Other Vehicles
- Tray and Pot Filling
- Tray Filling Machines
- Pot-Filling Machines