Which single number matters most?

Marketable kg per m² with grade-outs by reason. It connects every other record to income.

Is there an ideal EC or temperature?

No universal value. Targets depend on crop, variety, stage, substrate, water and season; take them from your adviser and supplier.

How often should I review the sheet?

Weekly for the block sheet; immediately when alarms or quality complaints appear.

Do I need new sensors?

Only if existing ones are missing, badly placed or not calibrated. Fix measurement before buying more.

Will this guarantee higher yield?

No. It helps you find and test improvements. Results depend on crop, variety, climate, water, market and execution.

How to improve greenhouse output and quality by managing irrigation, fertigation, climate and harvest data together

Reviewed: 2026-10-13 · SeedMatchGroup

Short answer

Record marketable kg and grade-outs every week next to the irrigation, drain, EC/pH and climate data for the same block. When quality or yield drops, look back two to four weeks in those logs for the change that preceded it, test one correction on part of the crop, and keep what your own data confirms.

Grower weighing harvested cucumbers on a digital scale at the end of a greenhouse row, with grading crates and a record sheet — Weekly weighing and grading per block is the anchor for every other data stream.

Most greenhouses collect plenty of data but keep it in separate places: the controller, the fertigation unit, the packhouse and the payroll. Improvement starts when those records sit on one weekly sheet. This guide shows what to record, how to review it and when to call an adviser.

The weekly block sheet

Column	Unit	From
Marketable kg	kg per block	Harvest scale, packhouse
Grade-outs by reason	%	Grading sheet
Water applied	L/m²	Controller or meter
Drain (substrate)	% of applied	Drain meter or cup
Supply and drain EC / pH	mS/cm, pH	Fertigation logs, hand meter
Day/night temperature, humidity	°C, %	Climate computer
Radiation or light sum	as logged	Climate computer
Pest/disease notes	text	Scouting
Labour hours	h per block	Time sheets

Reading the sheet: look back, not sideways

Yield and quality respond to conditions with a delay that depends on crop and stage. When a problem appears, scan the previous weeks for a change — a heat spell, a drain EC rise, a dosing fault, a change in irrigation start time. Mark candidate causes; do not adjust several things at once.

Irrigation and fertigation checks

Uniformity: a catch-can test across the block; large differences between emitters show up as uneven growth.
Drain and EC: compare drain EC with supply EC over time; a steady rise can indicate salt accumulation — interpret with your adviser for your crop and substrate.
Water quality: test the source and any change of source; Penn State Extension notes that water quality problems can reduce yield, but limits depend on crop and system.
Recipes: nutrient recipes are crop-, stage- and water-specific. Take them from your agronomist or supplier; there is no universal recipe.

Climate checks

Compare achieved temperature and humidity with the targets your crop adviser set.
Check sensor placement and calibration before trusting a trend.
Note hours above or below target per week; these are easier to act on than averages.

Testing a correction

Choose one change suggested by the sheet.
Apply it to part of the crop; keep a comparable part unchanged.
Track the same weekly columns for both.
Keep the change only if marketable kg or grade-outs improve without a new problem.

When to bring in help

Call a local agronomist, extension service or accredited laboratory for leaf/water/substrate analysis, persistent disease or pest pressure, or when the data shows a problem you cannot explain. Pest and disease control must follow local registrations and labels.

One weekly sheet per block, read backwards when something changes, and one tested correction at a time — that routine turns existing data into better decisions.

Tools and next steps

Frequently asked questions

Which single number matters most?: Marketable kg per m² with grade-outs by reason. It connects every other record to income.
Is there an ideal EC or temperature?: No universal value. Targets depend on crop, variety, stage, substrate, water and season; take them from your adviser and supplier.
How often should I review the sheet?: Weekly for the block sheet; immediately when alarms or quality complaints appear.
Do I need new sensors?: Only if existing ones are missing, badly placed or not calibrated. Fix measurement before buying more.
Will this guarantee higher yield?: No. It helps you find and test improvements. Results depend on crop, variety, climate, water, market and execution.

Sources

General planning guidance. Results depend on crop, variety, climate, water, regulation and market; numerical examples are hypothetical. Confirm decisions with qualified local specialists.