Greenhouses in Türkiye
Agriculture is one of the most important economic fields in Turkey, as there are many incentives and facilities provided by the Turkish state to workers in this field, and agricultural activities must be explained accurately. In this article, we will talk about a very important field, which is the field of greenhouses (greenhouse agriculture). .
With a little effort, you can create a plastic greenhouse (greenhouse) and make good profits from it. Creating it is not very complicated and does not require designated places. The greenhouse can be installed in a village or city center or even on a small farm. You will enjoy watching your seeds grow into seedlings that you grow. To sell it later.
With the increase in demand for vegetables and plants, in addition to the presence of a large demand for seedlings themselves, our company has a group of projects related to establishing greenhouses, and because it is an investment that interests you, we will explain to you some details related to it through the following points:
Determine the type of plants you want to grow:
The first step you will take when establishing your agricultural project is to determine the types of plants you want to grow and the amount of production. We recommend that you start by growing large quantities of one type of plant. If you start with crops that contain many different types, you may not be able to handle them all.
There is a need to provide different irrigation and shading equipment and fertilization and spraying requirements for each type. The growth time of each individual plant is different and each type of plant requires different humidity and temperature. Moreover, it is very difficult to prepare different plants for sale and sell them at different times, and this may be a burden. Heavy when you are just starting out, while you will be able to produce 10,000 plants of one type (for example), what is the reason for producing 2,000 of different types and dealing with the complexities of different growth conditions, watering mechanism, fertilizer, etc..?
When determining the plant species to grow, choose the most profitable plant species in order to achieve the best amount of profits. Evaluate the leaves of the plants and the prices required for their cultivation, then determine the acceptable quality and the most profitable plants for you, and take into consideration the following elements:
1- Approximate production costs
2- Comparing the sales price with the production price for each item.
3- Comparing the expected profit returns of plant species.
4- The possibility of exporting and selling products outside Türkiye.
5- The time required to produce the plant variety.
Installing the greenhouse foundation:
Installing the greenhouse is considered one of the most important points that must be studied before starting to implement the project, and because the average lifespan of a greenhouse is 20 years (a long period), we are therefore presenting two options: either renting for a very long period or owning the land on which the greenhouse will be established in order to avoid losing all the efforts made in it. Investment if you have to leave the land on which you are establishing the greenhouse.
Make sure to conduct sun and temperature tests to correctly determine the greenhouse area. If there is no light for your greenhouse, it is not a suitable place. Also, very hot areas are not suitable for growing all plants, so first check the sun and the average temperature, and remember that the purpose of the greenhouse is to grow plants. In a shorter time and for different periods by maintaining high humidity and controlling temperature, this is a good reason to focus on growing a single plant in large quantities.
Planting seeds:
After determining what needs to be planted, you must know the methods and methods of planting, and how to maintain the plants in the appropriate conditions for growth. If you are new to the field, we advise you to use pots in the first periods of planting seeds. It is also easy to see and get rid of harmful weeds that grow quickly in the pot. It varies. Growth time depends on the temperature, humidity, and amount of oxygen the plant receives. Excessive sunlight or incorrect watering can damage or even kill newly growing buds. Care must be taken to ensure all conditions necessary for buds to grow properly.
The depth of planting seeds in the soil depends on their size. The general rule is to bury the diameter of the seeds three to four times their size. If your seeds are small, sprinkle them on the surface of the soil and bury them with gentle pressure. When they grow enough to handle them later, move them to another place and plant them again with this method. This way, the plant becomes strong enough to withstand adverse weather conditions.
Providing a high level of lighting:
An important condition for healthy plant growth is providing the sunlight that plants need. Your greenhouse must have the highest level of lighting even on dark and cloudy winter days. Plants at other times of the year should not be exposed to too much light to avoid damage, especially If the ventilation system is not very good.
The highest light transmission is achieved with a single-layer glaze of 90-93 percent. In addition, the available light in the greenhouse may not exceed 60-70 percent due to obstructions such as cables and heating pipes, especially in greenhouse designs when the glass is framed True, your other option might be bipolar coatings or structured acrylic or polycarbonate panels. If the framing is done properly the light transmission provided by single glazing can be achieved at the same level.
To determine your plant’s lighting needs, purchase a light meter to give you the appropriate levels. Most of these tools have easy-to-use instructions. When reading a light meter, take it out of sunlight and read it in the dark part of the greenhouse (if it is exposed to direct light or reflections on the light meter may change value ) .
As we talked about lighting, we must talk about the correct shading of plants. Plants can get burned by the sun if there is not enough shading. Shading prevents plants from drying out. The amount of shading you will change also depends on the type of plants that are growing, as many types of flowers and vegetables require slight shading. In the summer, but it does not need shade in other seasons.
One of the shading options is to use paint on the outer layer of the greenhouse. While it becomes transparent when it rains, it continues to shade on sunny days. There are many types of high-quality paint that you can find on the market.
Environmental control inside the greenhouse:
Do not underestimate the importance of controlling the environmental conditions of your greenhouses. Fresh air circulation is required for your plants, as is the case with watering water. Attention must be paid to controlling the temperature for each of the preserved plants, as the temperature must always remain at 21-24 degrees, as must Humidity should be around fifty percent. If you can maintain these levels regularly, your plants will grow much faster, their colors will be more vibrant and their quality will be much better.
When climate conditions are well controlled (if you use a climate-regulating computer, this will be very helpful in growing your production), production will also increase, especially in a double-layer greenhouse that gives better results than a fiberglass or single-layer greenhouse.
Fertilization with carbon dioxide:
As every plant grower knows, carbon dioxide is very essential for growing high-quality, healthy plants. You can achieve high efficiency by keeping carbon dioxide levels higher than normal during the fall and winter, when no air flow comes from outside and the greenhouse remains closed for months. Normal atmosphere concentration between 250 – 350; Raising this level to a range between 1200-1500 increases plant growth by 30 percent, but remember that this alone is not enough when other necessary conditions are not met.
Irrigation and watering:
Plants must be given a sufficient amount of pure water. If this is not done, they will dry out a lot and their growth will stop. To prevent this from happening, check the quality of the water several times a year to determine its level of purity. You can fill a sample of the water in a container and hand it over to be tested by one of the local testing companies.
On the other hand, it is preferable to check the soil moisture in the lower part (5-6 cm) visually in the early morning. You must prepare a well for watering water supply. Irrigate it until all the soil is moist in the agricultural pots. Apply water-soluble fertilizer every ten days. Days, mixing moss into the soil increases the soil’s ability to retain moisture, providing more stable moisture.
Fogging:
Spraying or misting has now become a method used by gardeners and farmers for rooting in softwood grafts. The purpose of misting is to reduce transpiration by creating a thin layer of moisture on the leaves and thus the grafted plant remains healthy until it forms true roots. The grafted plants can then be exposed to light and air.
Direct because the humidity is high enough to protect the plant from damage.
Fogging also speeds up the rooting process, helps hard-rooted species, and washes away all fungal spores without damaging the plant. While this process keeps the plants constantly moist, keeping the amount of watering to a minimum is a point to pay attention to. Plants can be left without nutrients as excess water will wash away the minerals in the compost. Moreover, excessive watering can directly damage the grafted plants, so a sprayer is sufficient to give a slight moisture.
There are two ways to control sprayers. The first method is electric timers that can be set to spray every three, five, and seven minutes. The only problem with these mechanisms is that even if weather conditions change, the frequency of fog remains the same. If the timer is set to spray every five minutes, The plant will be flooded from the inside, but the humidity will still be insufficient in sunny weather.
The second sprinkler system contains a sensor called the “electronic leaf”, and is used with a switch and a valve. This artificial leaf is placed between the grafted plants to sense the percentage of water in the real plants. When the electronic leaf reaches a certain level of dryness, the system becomes active and begins spraying. When The electronic paper obtains sufficient moisture that notifies the system and the water is cut off.
Sales and marketing:
Now that we have passed the stages of plant growth, it is time to start selling them. Prepare the steps you will take in a detailed plan, such as meeting with potential buyers, producing seasonal plants, advertisements, boxes, purchasing mechanisms, arranging shipments, etc.
Some people hand over sales work to an intermediary and focus on the technical and production side of the business while others like to take care of sales and do everything personally. If this option seems more attractive to you, we recommend that you improve your operational, process management and problem-solving skills.
Determine the appropriate market:
Previously, shipments of vegetables and fruits were sent to wholesale merchants. Today, it is completely up to you to determine the market segments and determine the method of selling your products. It would be beneficial to direct production towards export in order to diversify your sales market. Possible options could be local markets, vegetable vendors and chains. Stores as well, and each of them has its own ways.
Taking the reasons for success:
The first rule for success in sales is that if something does not touch you internally, do not sell it. Focus on the types that you prefer to produce, and produce the best and finest types of vegetables and fruits, and feel proud of selling them, not only for the sake of earning profits, but because you are providing a very important service.
The phone can facilitate many sales procedures by sending pictures of your greenhouse products, and concluding agreements with customers by communicating with them by phone will make a lot of trouble easier for you.
If you want to distribute your products privately and not through an intermediary, it is preferable for you to carry out packaging and packaging operations in the name of your greenhouses, using good and healthy packaging. Vegetables and fruits must also be washed well before packaging and preserved in good environmental conditions.
Complete the deliveries correctly and at the appropriate time and ensure the correctness and accuracy of the quantities agreed upon with the customer. If you are delivering to a customer in places far away from you, you must provide a car equipped with a refrigeration service to keep the vegetables and fruits in good condition.
You are responsible for the goods until they are delivered, so make sure to keep them intact and without damage. You must also obtain the customer’s signature when receiving shipments of goods. Cash payment upon delivery will be the best method that facilitates receipt and delivery for you and the customer and prevents any delay in payments.
If you are dealing with shipping companies, make sure to sign a contract with the company that guarantees your rights to preserve the shipped goods. It is also preferable for the shipping company’s trucks to contain cooling devices and loading mechanisms that prevent any damage when loading and unloading the goods.
Large store chains usually pay merchandise dues within a period of 21-30 days, while small stores take a period between 10-15 days. You can make a discount of 2% to stores that deliver within a period not exceeding 10 days in order to encourage them to pay. The value of goods will increase faster, and your production of high-quality vegetables and fruits will help you sell them at a higher price than the market price.
Investment in soilless agriculture:
Revenues from soilless agriculture, or as it is known as “hydroponic farming,” have reached $40 billion around the world, and this technology is used in Turkey at a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius.
The Netherlands and Belgium are among the leading countries that use soil-free agriculture, and agriculture is done without soil in 95% of the greenhouses in these two countries. As for Turkey, the number of investors has increased in recent years, as one data showed that about 48 thousand hectares were invested. In the field of greenhouses, the number of greenhouses has reached 4,000, and experts say that the number could reach 15,000 greenhouses within two to three years.
As a final piece of information, soilless agriculture yields five times better than regular agriculture.
