What is greenhouse in Agriculture?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 04, 2026
greenhouse, also called glasshouse, building designed for the protection of tender or out-of-season plants against excessive cold or heat. Large greenhouses are important in agriculture and horticulture and for botanical science, while smaller structures are commonly used by hobbyists, collectors, and home gardeners.
What is a hot house for plants?
A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.
What is the purpose of a hot house?
A hothouse is generally heated to withstand cooler temperatures, whereas a greenhouse may not be heated. Using a hothouse allows gardeners to grow crops like vegetables and flowers throughout the year, even in the depths of winter, as long as there is sufficient heat available to protect the plants.
What do you mean by greenhouse?
A greenhouse is a structure, usually made of glass, in which temperature and humidity can be controlled for the cultivation or protection of plants. A greenhouse is designed to trap heat from the sun’s rays inside and acts to keep the plants inside warm, even when it is cold outside.
What is difference between polyhouse and greenhouse?
A polyhouse is a type of greenhouse that uses polyethylene to cover the roof and/or sides of the building to let natural light in. A polyhouse is typically smaller than a greenhouse. It’s a popular choice because it costs less to build than a glass greenhouse does.
What are the different types of greenhouses?
Generally speaking, there are three types of greenhouses: lean-to, detached, and ridge and furrow or gutter connected (Figure 1). Few lean-to greenhouses are used for commercial production because of limitations in size. This type of house is the most popular among hobbyists.
What is the difference between a hot house and greenhouse?
Some people use the terms greenhouse and hothouse interchangeably to refer to a glass or plastic building used to grow plants, but there is one significant difference between the two. Greenhouses are warmed only by the sun, while hothouses are heated by artificial sources.
Whats the difference between a greenhouse and a hot house?
A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls. Its roof and sides have to allow light to penetrate. Hothouse is a heated greenhouse for plants that require an even, relatively warm temperature.
Is polyhouse farming profitable?
Polyhouse farming is 100% profitable if done the right way, however constructing a Polyhouse can be expensive, building a commercial Polyhouse can run into few crores of rupees. Even though Polyhouse farming subsidies reduce the burden, Polyhouse construction is not for every farmer.
What is a traditional greenhouse?
Tough, durable, and able to withstand even the worst of what the winter can throw at it, a true traditional greenhouse is a grow space designed for full-year operation—providing protection that often exceeds that offered by a high tunnel or hoop house.
What are the disadvantages of using a greenhouse for heating?
The main problem with heating a greenhouse as opposed to a building that has solid opaque walls is the amount of heat lost through the greenhouse covering. Since the coverings need to allow light to filter into the structure, they conversely cannot insulate very well.
What is a hoop house?
A High Tunnel System, commonly called a “hoop house,” is an increasingly popular conservation practice for farmers, and is available with financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). With high tunnel systems, no summer is too short or winter too cold because high tunnels:
What is the history of the University greenhouse?
Originally only on the estates of the rich, the growth of the science of botany caused greenhouses to spread to the universities. The French called their first greenhouses orangeries, since they were used to protect orange trees from freezing.