Using automation to maximise your greenhouse crops.​

Greenhouses are one of the best ways to grow crops outside of their normal season. They work well for when demand is high, and increase the scale of your operation in a sustainable way. Greenhouses can be labour intensive, which is why many growers have invested in automation. Conveyor belts are loaded with trays of pots, each tray having an identifiable barcode, and each step can be controlled by sensors. The benefits of using conveyors in greenhouses include increased efficiency, reduced labour costs, and improved plant quality. Conveyors can be used for a variety of tasks, such as transporting seedlings, moving pots or trays, and delivering nutrients and water to plants. To fully automate a greenhouse, a conveyor system may be integrated with other automation technologies, such as sensors, controllers, and software systems 

How much of the greenhouse be automated? 

Almost every step of the greenhouse growing cycle can be automated, or have some form of automation. Once the crops are planted, the sensors and conveyors work together, and document everything that happens.  

Assigning trays 

The pots go onto the trays which will have the barcodes scanned into the LiveFarmer software. When a different sensor triggers that a certain crop needs attention, it uses the barcode to locate that specific pot.  

Soil health sensor 

When the soil sensors are installed in the pots, they will check the status of the soil, and relay this information back to LiveFarmer. If the soil is deficient in nutrients, or moisture, then the conveyor kicks in and moves the tray to the appropriate area. The amount of water used is then also automatically added to the LiveFarmer records. 

Irrigation 

When the tray is in position, the crops can now receive the correct amount of water. As the data is all on the system, it can automatically read how much the irrigation system needs to apply, and stop when finished.  

Sunlight 

The crops will require sunlight in order to grow, and downtime for them to rest. UV sensors can indicate how much sunlight the crop has received, and once it meets a certain threshold, it can be moved out of the sun.