Greenhouse Users Manual
Contents
1. at his or her discretion If the Department Chairperson is one of the interested parties or is related to one of the interested parties then the most senior independent Biology Department faculty member will mediate OR declare a solution at his or her discretion Section 5 The Greenhouse Coordinator The job of the greenhouse coordinator includes de 2 Working with multiple Department users to assign space in the growing area Determining maintaining and monitoring appropriate environmental settings and watering regimes throughout the greenhouse based on user requests within the restrictions set by the teaching collection Attending to greenhouse maintenance and pest control working with Plant Services and outside vendors as needed Monitoring plant care for the teaching collection and classroom stock materials The Greenhouse Coordinator will only care for research projects when such care has been specifically requested by the researcher student staff or faculty Researchers requesting plant care should provide a written protocol for care watering fertilizing etc to the Greenhouse Coordinator 6 Maintaining and developing the teaching collection to provide materials requested by the Department faculty and staff to supplement curriculum 7 Stocking greenhouse supplies for the teaching collection Stocking supplies for class materials or for faculty research projects will be done only when requested and should b2. 617 braley gonzaga edu The role of the Greenhouse Coordinator is spelled out in Section 5 of this document Section 1 Rules 1 2 Consult the Greenhouse Coordinator before starting a new project All automated systems are set by the Greenhouse Coordinator Do NOT attempt to reprogram any controller Please request changes from the Greenhouse Coordinator Please DO NOT relocate any plants even your own without consulting the Greenhouse Coordinator The Greenhouse and the Greenhouse Support Area should be kept free of contaminants biological or chemical 4 1 There is NO SMOKING in either area 4 2 No field samples or equipment should be stored or processed in either area without prior approval from the Greenhouse Coordinator Use only fresh planting media No re used soil or homemade compost should be used in the greenhouse Use only new or cleaned chemically sterilized pots or containers Pots and flats may be chemically sterilized with a 10 bleach solution Use clean tools Tools may be wiped with rubbing alcohol before and after use 8 Clean up after yourself 10 11 12 13 14 15 8 1 Remove soil and litter from your work area and spray the counter with a 10 bleach solution when you are done working 8 2 Keep your growing area free from soil and leaf litter 8 3 Dispose of dead diseased or contaminated plants immediately 8 4 Remove all materials at the end of your e
3. Gonzaga University Greenhouse Users Manual Revised May 27 2015 Introduction The Biology Department at Gonzaga University maintains a 920 ft greenhouse with one growing room located on the south end of Hughes Hall The greenhouse serves three missions housing a teaching collection of plants providing growing space for student projects or growing stock materials for teaching labs and providing growing space for faculty research projects There is no charge to use the greenhouse It is currently supported by laboratory fees paid by students Researchers are asked to purchase planting media and planting containers using their research budgets All greenhouse users must coordinate their space requirements with the Greenhouse Coordinator Growing space for all student or faculty projects is made in writing prior to starting the experiment using the Greenhouse Space Request Form Allocation of greenhouse space is determined in part by space demands project size environmental requirements past stewardship utilization efficiency sanitation and cooperation For best results and continued greenhouse privileges communicate all greenhouse needs with the Greenhouse Coordinator All users students and faculty must agree to abide by the rules put forth in this document and their signatures on the Greenhouse Space Request Form will serve as evidence of agreement The current Greenhouse Coordinator is Amanda Braley HU 106 509 313 6
4. e paid for by the course coordinator or faculty mentor 8 Assisting with other duties such as designing planting and monitoring research projects when specifically requested Section 6 Conditions and Definitions Automated Systems Irrigation light heating and cooling are separately computer controlled Classroom projects materials Gonzaga s teaching mission dictates that space be available for growing classroom materials stock materials such as peas or class research projects This use is anticipated to be larger during the academic year and much smaller for summer courses During the academic year 8 watering stations will be maintained for classroom use Environmental settings Irrigation light heating and cooling Faculty research Faculty research projects include those specifically designed to test hypotheses developed by Department faculty or staff These projects may be part of a funded grant or aimed at generating data to support a grant application At a minimum 2 watering stations will be maintained for faculty research projects year round More research space can be made available as class demands diminish over the summer Greenhouse Coordinator A staff member of the Biology Department with advanced training in Botany Agriculture Horticulture or similar Biological field whose task is to maintain a functional research and teaching greenhouse as specified above in Section 5 Growing Space Growing space in the gree
5. nhouse consists of 30 3 ft x 5 ft benches arranged in pairs Floor space in the greenhouse measures 20 ft x 46 ft or approximately 920 square feet Heating and Cooling Heating and cooling settings are applied to the entire growing area The Greenhouse Coordinator will determine set and maintain seasonally appropriate temperatures that accommodate the greatest diversity of plants in the growing space Independent faculty member A member of the Gonzaga University Biology Department faculty not directly involved in or related to someone involved in any greenhouse use issue Lighting Lighting conditions must be applied to the entire growing area A shade curtain can filter ambient sunlight and metal halide lamps can extend the photoperiod While the filter or lamps are applied over the entire growing area light availability varies throughout the greenhouse and varies throughout the year Nutrients Fertilization is manual using either tap water or de ionized water in a watering can A semi automated system is available for fertilizing using tap water Teaching Collection Due to the varied light and water requirements of plants kept in the teaching collection they will occupy a variety of benches throughout the greenhouse It may be difficult to condense these plants as space demands increase The rare or slow growing nature of these plants dictates that the teaching collection be guaranteed a minimum of 1 3 of the greenhouse growing space
6. ocation Limitations of this document Space allocation will be granted or denied in writing or email Any space allocation grievances should follow the protocol specified under Section 4 Space Allocation Grievances Greenhouse use may begin after receipt of written permission AND after all users and workers have had an orientation training session in the greenhouse with the Greenhouse Coordinator Greenhouse space is not granted indefinitely You must list an end date All allocations will be reviewed annually approximately on the anniversary date of the approved allocation Section 3 Space Allocation Limitations 1 The Teaching Collection cannot be regularly discarded and replaced A minimum of 5 watering stations are allocated for the Teaching Collection year round Classroom curricular uses have priority use of 8 watering stations during the academic year This is for student research projects or growing stock plant materials such as peas for laboratory exercises Other users may request unused space from the Greenhouse Coordinator A minimum of 2 watering stations will be available for faculty research year round Other users may request short term use of any unused space from the Greenhouse Coordinator Other members of the GU community may request space from the Greenhouse Coordinator Space will be given as it is available on a first come first served basis after all teaching coursework and research needs have been me
7. or 5 benches Watering Each bench pair 3 ft x 10 ft can be watered automatically by one of 15 water control stations Each water control station can drip irrigate approximately 60 pots per bench pair Nine of the 15 water control stations can be watered by overhead misters or by both drip irrigation and overhead misters The 6 benches in the middle of the greenhouse lack overhead misters The automatic watering system uses de ionized water Tap water is available for manual watering
8. t Section 4 Space Allocation Grievances 1 2 Every effort will be made to accommodate all users In general space will be allocated based on the priorities established here Section 4 of Gonzaga University s Greenhouse Users Manual in parts 3 through 7 Other considerations include past stewardship Space allocation limitations are spelled out in Section 3 above When space for coursework becomes limited priority will be given to the classes with the largest demand for space typically the largest enrollment courses Classes for Biology Majors will be given priority over non majors courses Research priority will be given to the most junior non tenured faculty mentor in an effort to foster professional development A funded project receives priority over non funded projects A project specifically designed to generate preliminary data for a grant application but not yet funded will be given special consideration on a case by case basis but should generally receive a higher priority than a project with a more flexible time line Faculty mentors working with students receive priority over faculty working independently In the event that space conflicts cannot be resolved between the interested parties and the Greenhouse Coordinator the Greenhouse Users Group will consider the options and propose a solution If the situation is still unresolved the Department Chairperson will mediate the conflict OR declare a solution
9. xperiment 8 5 Wash all containers with soapy water at the end of your experiment Never dispose of soil in a large container 9 1 Use a smaller bucket that YOU can lift to the outside dumpster 9 2 Take all used soil and dead plant material out to the dumpster when you have finished for the day Do NOT rinse sweep or dispose of soil into the floor drains Turn off the hose when you are finished with it Close all cabinet and room doors when you are done for the day Good bugs are living here Please don t spray or kill anything Pest control is coordinated by the Greenhouse Coordinator The greenhouse is for growing plants NOT for storing supplies No materials may be stored in the growing area Permission to store materials in the Greenhouse Support Area will be on a case by case basis No storage is allowed on the work surfaces Continued violations of greenhouse rules will result in forfeiture of greenhouse privileges Section 2 Procedures for Requesting Space All requests for greenhouse space must be made in writing to the Greenhouse Coordinator preferably at least 1 month prior to planting Please use the following protocol 1 2 3 Initiate your request via email to the Greenhouse Coordinator You will be asked to fill out the Greenhouse Space Request Form Formal discussion will occur between the user user s supervisor and the Greenhouse Coordinator Space allocation will be based on Section 3 Space All
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search