Greenhouse
The Department of Horticulture Greenhouses are attached to the Horticulture Building and support activities related to specific courses, research projects, exten-sion demonstrations and depart-mental functions. The green-houses cover about 26,700 sq. ft. separated into two areas designated as "Old Range" and "New Range".
The "Old Range" was built about 1915 and re-glazed in 1975. It consists of ten 25ft. x 75ft. basic houses plus three greenhouses reserved for a conservatory and plant collection area. Some houses are divided into smaller units by interior glass walls. Supplemental lighting to in-crease day length or photo-period is available. Some benches have blackout cloth to shorten day length. Approxi-mately 340 sq. ft. of bench space has intermittent mist irrigation for plant propagation. All houses are heated with steam and most houses have automatic vents.
The plant collection consists of two houses with benches containing over 400 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants organized and labeled alpha-betically within family groups. Between these houses is the center conservatory where these plants are grown in a natural setting with ponds and water-falls. No pesticides are used in these three South greenhouses. Predatory insects are released as necessary to control pests. Cardinals come and go year round and even hatch their young in greenhouse trees.
The "New Range", built in 1980, consists of six 19ft. x 25ft. houses with concrete floors. Each house is equipped with automatic vents, exhaust fans, chilled water cooling and steam heat. Supplemental lighting and deionized water are available in most houses. These smaller houses are used for faculty and graduate student research.
The public is invited to visit from 8AM to 4:45PM Monday through Friday. Groups larger than ten are encouraged to call 515-294-2751 to make arrangements. There is no admission fee.
Arlen Patrick, Greenhouse Manager, demonstrating pesticide spraying using proper equipment.
