Mold, algae, fungus, or mildew are a frequent problem for greenhouses. Because greenhouses have to as sealed up as possible, any gaps will soon build up mold or mildew on the surface due to the high moisture or dampness in these spots.

Cleaning the mold, fungi, or algae off your walls is a task you will need to do every so often. If not, they can spread, and may infect plants and may also get into your lungs when you breathe (through spores). Not only are they unattractive, they can be hazardous to your plants or your health. It really depends on what type of mildew or mold you’re dealing with, but cleaning them every now and then is good practice.

Keep the surfaces of the greenhouse as dry as possible. Use an old sponge or cloth to wipe the damp areas periodically, and use a mildew spray to kill any built up mildew. You may need to use an improvised sponge attached to a solid wire to get into crevices and clean them.

The floors need to be cleaned sometimes, too. Depending on the build, greenhouse floorings can be wood, cement, gravel, fabric carpeting, or just plain dirt. The floor needs cleaning, as mold, weeds, mud, and decaying plant matter can build up easily on the floor.

Some greenhouse roofs are made of plastic or fiberglass material which will gradually turn a darker shade due to microscopic mold, or heating from the sun. This will reduce the amount of light that can pass through the roof, so you may have to consider replacing it. This degeneration occurs with glass roofs too, making them more brittle, although they may take longer to deteriorate; perhaps a decade or so.

Newer greenhouse friendly polycarbonate materials have been introduced in recent times which are longer lasting, retain heat longer, and do not grow opaque or fade or over time. These panels can last for decades, but the caulking sealant that binds them together definitely still needs occasional repair work in the form of recaulking. You would need a good caulking gun and a scraper to replace the caulk.

Another area that needs maintenance is the area between the panes, where condensation can build up and cause algae and mold to grow. You would also have to clean these areas, although not as often as you would with glass. Also, the polycarbonate panes can be damaged by steep changes in temperature, or thick ice, or falling branches, and so would require replacement. So, that is why the best greenhouse designs are modular plans.

There are many good greenhouse designs today that are eco-friendly and have a modular plan. Besides the above, there are other things to consider if you really want to keep your greenhouse in tip top shape; there’s also the watering system to consider. Make sure the piping system is adequate. Maintaining a greenhouse is not so easy, but in return, a greenhouse provides immeasurable benefits and enjoyment for any serious gardener.

One of the grouses about Christmas trees is their needles falling out. Generally, balsam, Fraser and Douglas fir trees keep their needles on relatively long, while spruce pines shed their needles quite fast. Before you go home with your tree, test it for its freshness and pliability – Give it a shake and drop it on the cut end of the trunk onto the floor. Some needles should come out, but that is ok. If a lot of needles fall out, get another tree.

How do you keep your Christmas tree fresh? Saw off the bottom 1-2 inches of the trunk and soak the trunk in warm water. Warm water dilutes away any exuded sap from the cut and helps the tree with absorption. You can also spray the needles with water using a mist sprayer.

You can help the Christmas tree absorb more water by drilling a hole right up the trunk and stuffing it with thick cotton. The cotton helps absorb water into the trunk, acting like a wick. Of course, this only applies for non-potted Christmas trees.

Keep the tree away from heat sources like the fireplace, radiators, heaters and sunlight. If you get yourself a potted tree, wrap wet towels around the root ball and put the tree in a tray or pot filled with a little water. The clothing acts as a wick drawing in water in this case. If you’re worried about needles and debris dropping onto the floor, spread out a heavy plastic sheet underneath the tree.

Plants develop their roots only where they can find what they need, like water, nutrients, and air. So if the water does not penetrate deeply into the soil, the roots will only stay near the surface. When there is no water supply, and the weather turns hot, the top part of the soil will dry out – killing the plant when it can get no more water as all its roots would just be concentrated there.

It’s important to understand how water moves in the soil. Water moves through soil by gradually wetting each soil particle as it moves along. A soil particle that is wet has a thin film of water around it which permits other passing molecules of water to move along and wet other dry soil particles below and around it.

When maximum soil percolation is reached, this is called the field capacity of the soil, when each soil particle hold the maximum water film around it without losing any water to outside forces. This is when air pockets are at their lowest incidence. But as the plant roots start absorbing water and evaporation continues, the spaces between the soil particles get opened up and the films of water diminish. This strengthens the pull of the soil particles against that of the plant roots and therefore the plant loses out and is unable to extract water. The time period in between field capacity and wilting point is when there is enough water for the plant to grow.

Healthy watering practice for your garden means to keep it from constant field capacity. External forces like temperature, humidity, and wind all affect the rate of water transpiration from the soil. Hot weather causes plants to absorb water so rapidly that they may wilt due to not being able to absorb water fast enough. Therefore, water more frequently when the weather is hot and less, when it is cool or humid.

A good rule of thumb is to test the soil before watering. If the top 4 inches of soil is dry, you may want to consider watering, but otherwise, you may want to hold off from watering. Plants use up much less water during cool weather and can go for a few weeks without much water, so you can definitely ease up on watering with the approach of winter.

Here’s more tips on watering the right way:

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Of these, fungus infestations are the commonest plant pathogens, and one of the commonest fungi is leaf spot. These leaf spot fungi manifest in a variety of colored lesions like black, brown, red, or yellow. After developing the spots, the affected leaf will drop from the plant. Bad cases can cause mass defoliation and severely affect the tree. This problem is caused by a fungus that spreads from one infected plant to another. The spores (which are airborne or waterborne) are also spread through dead leaves and other plant debris.

There are 3 common types of leaf spot diseases:

Anthracnose

Anthracnose fungi (Colletotrichum graminicola) attack young leaves and shoots in spring; occasionally older leaves as well. The fungus causes the appearance of large, dark blights on leaves, and cankers on twigs and small branches. Wet weather encourages the growth of this fungus, while it diminishes in dry weather. There are other types of anthracnose fungi that cause large cankers and sometimes can be fatal to the tree.

Certain anthracnose cases are difficult to eradicate. There is not much you can do at control, apart from pruning and spraying the plants with fungicides like chlorothalonil and polyoxin. For best results, spray the fungicides during the wet phase of spring, when the leaves unfold, 2-3 times a fortnight. Destroying the infected plant is a last resort, but may be necessary in bad cases.

Black spot

Black spot (Diplocarpon rosae) is a fungus mostly affecting roses, and causes circular black spots which spread from lower leaves up to the top. The circles are very small, but appear as a big blotch in heavy infestations. The fungus is spread by its spores which immerse in water and then latches onto newly emerging leaves due to splashing. Remove all old leaves, dead leaves, and if necessary, spray the infected areas with fungicides (chlorothalonil, folpet).

Scab

There are several kinds of scabs, which affect different types of trees and plants. One of them (Cladosporium carpophilum) affects the fruits, twigs, and leaves of apricots, peaches, and plums. Another, the apple scab (Venturia inaequalis) affects apples and may cause heavy fruit loss if not tackled early on. Still another scab is the pear scab (Fusicladium pyrorum). Scab is common in wet weather, and thus, the season for scabs is early spring.

Unlike other leaf infesting fungi, the dark lesions of scab are the actual fungus growth on the affected area and not areas of dead tissue. While it does not kill its host tree, scab is still a troublesome problem.

Remove all the leaf litter, and prune out the affected areas as much as possible. Traditional fungicides like captan, mancozeb, or wettable sulfur have long been used to control scab. Spray just before flower buds open, spray again after they show color, and one more time when two thirds of the petals have fallen.

Other control measures

Fungicide is of course, the last resort in controlling leaf spot problems. Organic fungicides can be used, but are usually those of the copper based type which have limited effectiveness (although they do contain the problem from spreading). Do try to ask at your nursery for scab resistant cultivars when you purchase seedlings.

Also, choose your planting location well. Try not to plant in a low lying or shaded area because of the moister microclimate and poorer water circulation in the soil, and clear up fallen leaves and fruit to minimize the available habitat for the fungi spores to colonize. Unless the leaf spot problem is bad, in many cases this is a problem that many gardeners have to put up with (and keep in check).

Obviously, the plants you can grow in fall are somewhat limited to generally fast growing, hardy types of vegetables. There are long term and short term fall vegetables. The long term fall vegetables are those that can withstand the first onsets of frost, while short term fall vegetables are those that are typically killed by those first frosts. As you can expect, the timing and onset of frost varies from region to region. Using an old fashioned Farmer’s Almanac may be helpful.

Long term crops include cabbages, carrots, turnips, onions, broccoli, and spinach. Short term crops include corn, okra, potatoes, tomatoes, and most types of beans. The frost tolerance of vegetables above and below freezing point (0 degrees Celsius) denotes whether they are frost tolerant, or frost susceptible.

It is important to choose vegetables with the shortest growing season so that they can mature and be ready for harvest before the first onset of frosts. Look for seed packages with the label “early season” or the quickest growing ones with the least time to reach maturity. Those that mature within 1-2 months include spinach, beets, and turnips, while vegetables with longer maturity duration of 2-2.5 months include carrots, broccoli, peppers, and parsley. It is best to plant them way before fall starts, unless you are planting the fast growers. Procure them early during spring or early summer. Most seeds store well in a cool and dry place, until they are ready for planting.

To prepare for fall gardening, you should first clear all the spring and summer crops you have growing. This frees up the soil nutrients for the fall crop and gives them more space to develop. Also, leftover crops can spread diseases and pests. Remove all weeds and grass as well.

Choose the location with care. The amount of sunlight the plot receives throughout the day is most important, as the sunlight in fall would not be as intense as during the summer. Most vegetables require sunlight throughout the day in order to be productive. Before planting, till the upper layer of the soil to about a foot depth, wet it, apply compost or mulch and a bit of sand if you prefer, and then leave it for a day or so, after which it should be ready for planting.

Fall gardening has its benefits which many gardeners do not experience as they don’t attempt any gardening during the fall. But the rewards in some sublime tasting produce may well make up for all the hard work taken to reach that stage, and affords you more opportunity to get outdoors and spend more time in your garden – during that period of the year.