Environmental & Plant Biology Greenhouse Policies and Procedures

Greenhouse & Garden Facilities Information, Procedures and Guidelines

A.   Authorization must be obtained for any use whatever of greenhouse or garden space or materials. Arrangements should be made with the greenhouse manager, a minimum of two weeks in advance of use.

B.   For undergraduate and graduate research projects, the student is solely responsible for his/her own research material including routine watering and fertilizing. Spraying will be done by the greenhouse manager after consultation with and/or notification by the researcher.

C.   All new plant material and non-sterile soil to be introduced into the greenhouse is to be brought to the potting room to be inspected by the greenhouse manager before being placed in the greenhouse.

D.   Old research material for undergraduate and graduate experiments that is no longer required should be removed from the greenhouse and the area thoroughly cleaned. See greenhouse manager for cleaning procedure and proper disposal of materials.

E.  Faculty and/or students are required to submit a space request proposal for greenhouse use. For best consideration, space should be requested four weeks prior to the start of Fall Quarter for use at any time during the school year. Faculty will need to request space for any undergraduate projects a minimum of two weeks prior to expected occupancy of greenhouse space. However, please be aware that requesting space 2 weeks in advance does not guarantee that space will be available. Undergraduate project space requests will be assigned only on a space available basis. Remember that “extra” space usually does not exist during Spring Quarter. Space requests should include a brief description

needed, the period of time space is needed, and specific requirements (lighting, temperature, pest control, humidity, etc.). Based upon these requests, the greenhouse manager will assign space as needed on a first come/first serve basis while trying to accommodate as many different labs as possible. If space has been requested and approved for a particular time frame and there is any change in the starting or ending date, please let the greenhouse manager know as soon as possible.

F.  The researcher will assist greenhouse personnel in keeping assigned space, carts, and other greenhouse areas clean and free of clutter by returning all equipment and supplies to proper locations and discarding trash into the proper receptacles, and in general housekeeping of assigned space.

G. Do not remove any plants or materials from the greenhouse, with the exception of your own research material, without the greenhouse manager’s permission.

H. Faculty and/or the TA of record should request plant material for teaching purposes a minimum of one week in advance of date needed. A class/lab syllabus for the semester with necessary plant material indicated and quantity and its maturation stage is required since certain material can take several weeks to be readied for use. Plants will be delivered to the Porter Hall stockroom to which they should be returned as soon as the class is finished. Do not just remove plants from the greenhouse for class. Another class may have requested the same material for its use and the greenhouse personnel may presume the material has been stolen.

I.  The Plant Biology Dept., greenhouse manager or greenhouse personnel cannot accept liability for any materials left at or used at the greenhouse.

J. No adjustment to any environmental controls (e.g. ridge or side vents, exhaust fans, temperature, shading, supplemental lighting etc.) should be made without first consulting the greenhouse manager.

K.  The greenhouse manager is available to assist faculty, graduate and undergraduate students with horticultural procedures and practices used in the greenhouse setting, including but not limited to: container preparation, seeding, propagation, estimation of space needed, choice of hard goods to use, and location of vendors for special supplies, etc.

L. Permanent research and personal teaching collections being kept at thegreenhouse will be maintained with routine fertilizing, watering and spraying being done by greenhouse personnel upon request of individual in charge of said collections. On occasion, special assistance may be requested of certain faculty and/or students by the greenhouse manager for specific tasks as they pertain to these collections of plants.

M. Faculty members are encouraged to discuss directly with the greenhouse manager their needs for teaching purposes the semester prior to the class being taught. Suitable material can then be more readily available, and changes can be made in previously used material, and/or new material can be more easily suggested, obtained and prepared.

N. Faculty, or the TA of record, must request use of the greenhouse and/or garden area two weeks in advance if they would like to bring students to the area for either a class tour or lab class meeting.

O. Be certain that all the entry doors to the greenhouse remain securely closed after normal working hours and at all times on weekends. Please double check all doors upon leaving the facility. Turn off all lights in the facility that you turned on. In the event that the facility is locked during normal work hours on a weekday be certain it is locked when you leave. This situation would result when there are no responsible greenhouse personnel in attendance at that time.

P.  Requests for any new plants for inclusion in the teaching or permanent collections of the greenhouse or garden should be addressed directly to the greenhouse manager.

- Harold W. Blazier, Greenhouse Manager
August 1997, updated September 2002