Sitting in the Sliade 



JEFF WARSCHAUER 



Warren Buffet once said, "Someone is sitting in 

 the shade today because someone planted a 

 tree a long time ago. Today, many growers are 

 reaping the fruits of their vision for excellence over 

 the years. To keep pace with the changing world, it is 

 critical to keep abreast of the many options and con- 

 tinue evolving your approach to business. 



What are the latest trends in greenhouses for com- 

 mercial growers, landscapers, and garden center managers? 



Structures 



What's new in greenhouse structures? Many custom- 

 ers find wide span-houses to be a great advantage to 

 their growing environment. The Nexus 42' Vail or 

 the Nexus Big Sky with the 6' x 8' sealed glass sys- 

 tem, are two options that you will see in many op- 

 erations. The new naturally ventilated greenhouse, 

 the Zephyr™! offers a solution for natural ventila- 

 tion because it is designed and constructed to meet 

 regional snow load ratings. The Zephyri^ uses a 

 top mounted roof vent, allowing air to escape at the 

 highest point in the greenhouse. The Nexus Con- 

 vertible Roof combines the retractable roof with the 

 proven technology of the Nexus Vail peak design. 

 The Convertible allows growers to take advantage of 

 full-sun growing conditions for crop hardening 

 while having the ability, to close the roof during in- 

 clement weather. A secondary shade system can be 

 added for shading the crop and for heat savings. 



Headhouses are multipurpose structures, usable 

 for shipping and growing. You can cost justify your 

 next headhouse expansion (on a peak style green- 

 house) by adding a clear or translucent cover en- 

 abling shipping and production January through 

 June and growing an additional crop in the summer 

 months. 



Automation 



In recognition of the pressures to reduce costs fac- 

 ing growers today and the problem of greenhouse 

 labor availability at any price. Nexus has become 

 the only full spectrum North American greenhouse 

 supplier, putting all automation for greenhouses and 

 greenhouse structures under one umbrella. Many 

 growers want their complete growing environment 

 to be designed, manufactured, and serviced by one 



company Nexis will be the North American repre- 

 sentative for HAWE Systems International, one of 

 the largest containerized bench system manufacturers 

 and for Vissefinternational Trade and Engineering, a 

 leader in automated equipment such as transplanters 

 and seeders. 



Energy Shade Curtains 



These automated curtain systems are used to reflect 

 much of the sun's energy — solar energy, thus re- 

 ducing heat in the structure by as much as 15F in 

 summer. During the winter months, curtains can be 

 closed to save as much as 20 to 25 percent of your 

 heating cost. This obviously is dependent upon how 

 much the shade is kept closed. Many different shade 

 factors and colors are available. It's important al- 

 ways to consider fire-retardant cloth as an option. 



Venting/Cooling 



Many options are available for natural and me- 

 chanical cooling. Other than traditional cooling 

 fans, wet pad systems, and roof side vents, newer 

 systems (such as the Nexus retail self-contained 

 cooling system) are available. These allow for evapo- 

 rative cooling in a remote self self-contained unit, 

 offering full access to walls for display and less 

 noise than traditional fans and pads. Be sure to al- 

 ways consider required maintenance on these op- 

 tions as well as location' noise level, and additional 

 associated costs such as electricians, installation, and 

 energy usage. 



Retailing is Detailing 



Retail selling of plants has become another profit 

 center for many of our commercial growers. It used 

 to be that a grower could just put up a small struc- 

 ture near their nursery and people would stop to 

 buy flowers. Now the grower is competing with 

 very elaborate retail environments as commonplace 

 as the grocery store. In order to compete, customers 

 must have the same comfort and ease of shopping 

 that they find in other places. Many of the design 

 and building rules have changed over the last few 

 years. Here are several of the things that are new in 

 retail structures and why. 



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