The School's glasshouse unit boasts excellent growing facilities, which produce a constant supply of high quality plant material, to strict deadlines, for teaching and research and its controlled environment systems play an important role in this production.  

We can offer an extensive service, ranging from propagation, seed production, quarantine facilities, etc. We can grow a wide range of crops, often out of season, ranging from common ornamentals, to endangered species. We can even maintain cultures of pest and diseases in isolation if required.

All the greenhouses are linked to a data acquisition system, which monitor and log real time temperature and relative humidity levels. This can be used to replicate growing conditions at a later date, as well as supplying students and academic staff with useful information. All areas are monitored and protected by T-Scan Wireless telemetry system, which provides 24/7 access to greenhouse temperatures, with alarm notifications. 

The various forms of heating and ventilation control give a wide range of growing conditions. In addition to the greenhouse space available, a small illuminated cooled incubator with a capacity of 450lt is available for seed or plant vernilisation purposes.

Information from an on site meteorological station integrates with the controlled environment systems, which automate ventilators, supplementary lighting and shading screens.

Monthly average temperatures of both the glasshouses and the meteorological station are available for download.