App to better understand your greenhouse environment

"Our website VPD calculator is the most visited resource on our website. Our team decided to build a mobile VPD Calculator App for growers and farmers to quickly calculate their environment's VPD," says Dr. Nadia Sabeh, President of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc. "It is critical to know the best environment for plant steering and health to ensure optimal crop outcomes and timing are achieved."

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) represents the pressure that air puts on the plant to transpire and move water and nutrients from the roots to other parts of the plant. For example:

• With low humidity and high VPD levels, there is more pressure on the plant to transpire and use more water. If plants are not well-watered under high VPD levels, they may begin to wilt.
• With low humidity and low VPD levels, there will be less pressure on the plant to transpire. If plants are over-watered under low VPD levels, they are prone to pest pressures.

VPD can be a valuable metric for growers to predict water use, steer crops for optimal growth, and operate HVAC equipment to achieve the desired indoor plant environment.

The Dr. Greenhouse VPD Calculator App supports all crop types and includes VPD lookup tables for tomatoes, leafy greens, and cannabis. The app allows growers to use their existing air temperature and humidity sensors to understand if the room condition is more suitable for vegetative, flowering, or stress-induced plants. It provides color-coded results to indicate if the room is humid (blue), vegetative (green) or reproductive (yellow), or dry (purple).

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Image Courtesy of Greenhouse Grower

Source: Greenhouse Grower