It has now been almost two months since we have had the keys to our new greenhouses. The verdict so far- “They are really great!” Are there a few things we may have done differently? Maybe. But I think the overall opinion from the occupants is that these greenhouses are wonderful. The new Williams Hall Greenhouse complex on the OARDC campus in Wooster, Ohio contains 14,400 sq ft of space for conducting greenhouse research and growing exceptional plants for laboratory based research projects (~20,000 sq ft including the hallways). They are Nexus houses with glass glazing. The complex includes 14 bays that are 24’ x 40’ and two smaller bays that are 24’ x 20’. The greenhouses are controlled by an Argus Titan 2 environmental control system. Each room is equipped with supplemental lighting and shade curtains, all controlled by Argus. Individual rooms have fertigation systems and many of the projects use automatic irrigation/ fertigation. Some new features include soil moisture probes that can be used to control the irrigation frequency based on the media moisture content (also controlled by Argus). This facility replaces the one that was destroyed in September 2010 by a tornado that ripped through the OARDC campus. It has been a long time coming, but our new facility will enhance the research and educational capabilities of our programs, and it is a huge improvement from the greenhouses that previously occupied this site. We want to thank everyone who was involved with this project, especially the L.L. Klink design build team. If you plan to be in Wooster, give me a call and I will give you a tour.
Michelle Jones
D.C. Kiplinger Floriculture Chair
jones.1968@osu.edu
330-263-3885
New Williams Hall Greenhouses on the OSU OARDC campus Wooster, Ohio.
Greenhouses and research projects were destroyed when a tornado hit the OARDC campus on September 16, 2010.
