Greenhouse Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Greenhouse
  • Building Name: Greenhouse
  • Alternate Names: Glasshouse or hothouse
  • Created: Ancient Roman times
  • Materials: Glass, wood or metal
  • Purpose: To grow plants in a shelter with sunlight
  • Uses: Grow food for commercial or personal use

16 Greenhouse Facts for Kids

  1. A greenhouse is an exterior structure used to grow plants in controlled conditions.
  2. A greenhouse has walls and a ceiling made primarily out of glass or other transparent materials.
  3. The glass used to build a greenhouse should be a horticultural glass grade.
  4. The glass needs to be free of air bubbles, which can act like a magnifying glass and burn plants.
  5. The size of a greenhouse varies, they can be as small as a backyard shed or as large as a warehouse.
  6. Greenhouses for personal uses are typically smaller and contain between 50 and 200 square feet.
  7. Greenhouses for industrial use are typical big and, in many cases, exceed 100,000 square feet.
  8. The concept of growing plants in a controlled environment started in Ancient Rome.
  9. A greenhouse has several benefits when compared to growing outdoors or inside a home.
  10. In a greenhouse, the sun is typically used to power the growth of plants via photosynthesis. In some industrial settings grow lamps might be used instead of the sun.
  11. In a greenhouse, the temperature and humidity levels can be controlled. This allows the grower the ability to optimize both the temperature and humidity level for the plants they’re growing.
  12. A greenhouse can be used year round, even in colder climates. The energy from the sun heats the inside of a greenhouse during the day and at night the heat is trapped by the glass.
  13. In a greenhouse, you can use carbon dioxide enrichment systems. This allows the grower to control how much carbon dioxide is available to the plants they’re growing.
  14. In a greenhouse, you can use semi-automated or fully-automated fertilizer delivery systems. These fertilizer systems can range from a basic gravity fertilizer system to an advanced automated fertilizer delivery system.
  15. In a greenhouse, you can better regulate pest populations and even prevent pests all together. A greenhouse works great at keeping out animal pests, like rabbits or squirrels. However, insects’ populations can be reduced, but in most situations not eliminated without harsh pesticides.
  16. There are estimates that claim there are around nine million acres of greenhouses in the world.

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