When Automation Fails: Heatwave Scorches Greenhouse Grapes & Orchids

Dr. Russell Sharp discusses how environmental automation can help grow rooms and greenhouses — and what happens when it breaks. He recounts a Dutch grape nursery where vent failures during a heatwave pushed temperatures over 50°C (122°F), ruining about 95% of the harvest, and an orchid grower who lost roughly 75% of his crop after a power outage disabled vents and shade systems. The episode underlines the need for fail-safes, backup power, and contingency planning for automated systems, and notes the human and financial toll on growers, as well as potential mitigation steps like alternative revenue streams and resilient infrastructure. ----more---- https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/organic-fertilisers/seaweed-extract-cold-processed/ ----more----