Smart Orchid Greenhouse with Integrated Systems
Smart Orchid Greenhouse – Precision Cultivation in Shandong with MIILKIIA’s Integrated Systems
Located in Shandong, a province in China known for its wide-ranging climate extremes. Shandong experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures often reaching over 35°C, while winters can be cold and dry, with temperatures dropping below freezing. This makes maintaining a consistent, optimal environment for sensitive plants like orchids particularly challenging.
Client Background
This grower has over ten years of experience in orchid cultivation and is well-known in the local market for producing and selling high-quality flowering orchids. Their journey began with traditional open-air propagation methods, later evolving into greenhouse production. However, even with greenhouses, the challenge of maintaining stable and suitable conditions for orchid growth persisted. Temperature fluctuations and inconsistent humidity levels often affected flowering quality and extended growth cycles.
The Challenge: Outdated Infrastructure, Unmet Potential
Before the upgrade, the grower had been using tradtional greenhouse structures to cultivate orchids. The previous greenhouses had relatively low height, lacked internal thermal insulation and internal shading, and were not equipped with any intelligent monitoring systems. As a result, controlling temperature and humidity was a constant struggle. These limitations led to inconsistent flowering, extended growth cycles, and high operational labor demands. To stay competitive in the ornamental plant market, they needed a modern solution that could deliver precise climate control, automation, and real-time data monitoring—especially given the orchid’s sensitivity to light, temperature, and humidity.
Why Orchids Need Precision
Orchids are one of the most climate-sensitive ornamental plants, requiring careful control of temperature, humidity, and light at every stage of development. From propagation to full bloom, their environmental needs change significantly:
● Propagation Stage: Young seedlings require stable warmth and high humidity. Ideal daytime temperatures are around 22–26°C, with 18–22°C at night to encourage root development and reduce mortality.
● Vegetative Growth Stage: As the plant matures, it needs more ventilation and light. Temperatures should rise slightly to 24–28°C during the day, with 18–22°C at night, promoting robust leaf and root expansion.
● Flowering Stage: During flower bud differentiation and blooming, orchids need a cooler environment with a distinct day-night temperature difference. 20–24°C in the day and 15–18°C at night help trigger and sustain flowering, while avoiding bud drop or early wilting.
This delicate balance makes precision environmental control essential. Even slight deviations can result in poor flowering, delayed cycles, or quality loss. That’s why smart greenhouses with real-time monitoring, insulation, and automation—like those provided by MIILKIIA—are key to consistent success in orchid cultivation.
MIILKIIA’s Solution: A Smart Orchid Greenhouse for Reliable Results
MIILKIIA provided a tailor-made solution, focused on stabilizing growing conditions and simplifying management:
✅ Four-Sided Thermal Insulation Quilt
Miilkiia equipped the greenhouse with a new-type thermal insulation quilt, designed specifically for horticultural greenhouses. Compared to traditional materials, this upgraded quilt:
● Uses advanced multi-layer composite structure for better thermal performance.
● This high-efficiency insulation layer helps retain warmth in winter and block heat in summer, achieving at least 10% in annual energy savings.
● Has a compact folded volume, making transportation and storage more efficient
● Is lightweight yet durable, ensuring easy installation and long service life.
✅ Automated Misting & Irrigation
A misting system is installed at intervals between each seedling bed, ensuring consistent and precise humidity levels across all areas. This system helps maintain the ideal conditions for orchid seedlings, promoting healthy growth. The automated irrigation system saves time and water, ensuring consistent care while reducing manual labor.
✅ Exhaust Fans & Cooling Pads
To reduce internal temperature and humidity during hot periods, we installed a fan and wet curtain system. This evaporative cooling system effectively regulates the internal environment, providing an optimal growing climate even during extreme heat.
✅ Circulation Fans
Mounted high within the greenhouse, circulation fans promote even airflow across all zones. By preventing humidity buildup and temperature layering, they support stronger, more uniform orchid development.
✅ Air Conditioning System
To ensure a consistent temperature during the hot summer months and prevent heat stress on the orchids, we integrated a high-efficiency air conditioning system. This system complements the other climate control measures and ensures year-round optimal conditions for orchid growth.
Remark: Equipped with insulation quilts, circulation fans, exhaust fans, and air conditioning for for stable environment.
✅ Temperature & Humidity Control System
Advanced automation maintains an ideal microclimate for orchids, ensuring optimal flowering and reducing plant stress.
✅ IoT Environmental Monitoring
Real-time data on temperature, humidity, and light levels is accessible via a smart dashboard, enabling growers to respond quickly and make informed decisions.
Results: Faster Growth, Higher Yields, Lower Costs
● Growing cycle reduced by at least 20%, increasing annual output
● Labor and management costs significantly reduced thanks to automation
● Energy savings of 10% per year with insulation and intelligent control
● Improved orchid uniformity and quality, better meeting market standards
Client Feedback
“Since using the new greenhouses, our production has increased, and the quality of the orchids has actually improved. We’ve also reduced labor and energy costs, which has been a great help. Now, we mostly monitor the conditions inside the greenhouse from the office through the smart system, and operate the facilities using automation.”
Key Benefits of the Collaboration:
✔ Faster crop turnover through shortened growth cycles
✔ Labor savings through automation
✔ Energy efficiency through thermal insulation
✔ Greater predictability and control via digital monitoring
Conclusion
This smart orchid greenhouse is a powerful example of how targeted technology upgrades can breathe new life into traditional operations. By configuring the greenhouse and cultivation system based on the local growing climate and the specific temperature and humidity needs of crops, growers can overcome climate challenges and meet the demanding requirements of various crops cultivation. With MIILKIIA’s integrated systems, growers can achieve more yield, less effort, and higher sustainability, ensuring optimal growth conditions for their crops.