Growing Facilities Use Policy

Growing Facilities Use Policy
University of Pennsylvania, Biology Department

(Updated February 2025)

I. Growing Facility Bench Space Allocation

      • Bench space within the Greenhouse is allocated on a first come first served basis, with priority given to Biology Department research and coursework. Other requests may be considered on a case by case basis.
      • Individuals and groups must request space by filling out a request form online at https://www.bio.upenn.edu/biopond/content/greenhouse-user-form
      • Requests should include the following information:
        • Reason for use e.g. course name(s) or research project description
        • Amount of space required
        • Types of plant material to be maintained
        • Will any outside material be brought in?
        • Duration of the project
        • Specific maintenance requirements e.g. special watering instructions, additional light requirements, special fertilizer needs, pesticide limitations, etc. (See A Note About Pesticide Use).
        • Account information for billing supplies.
      • All plants and material must be removed the bench within one week after the project end date stated on the request form. For class materials, all plants and material must be cleared from the bench by the end of the semester. If more time is required, a new request form must be filled out.

II. Growing Facilities Management

      • Lighting:
        • The greenhouse uses a mix of HID and LED supplemental lighting.
          • Room A: 16 hrs/day
          • Room C: 12 hrs/day
          • If additional lighting is required, fixtures may be provided by the user with greenhouse staff approval.
        • Lighting settings on the chamber are customized by the lab using the chamber
      • Fertilization:
        • Plants are fertilized twice per week with a 21-7-7 acid special fertilizer with complete macro and micro nutrients at 250 ppm Nitrogen. To maintain optimal plant growth a 15-5-15 cal-mg fertilizer is used once per week in room A in addition to the twice weekly 21-7-7 applications.
        • For projects scheduled to last over 2 months, slow release fertilizer may be added to the pots if requested by the user.
        • If plants are not to be fertilized the greenhouse user must indicate this on the user request form, and clearly communicate with the greenhouse staff.
        • Watering and fertilization in growth chambers is the responsibility of the user

III. Growing Facilities Staff Maintenance Responsibilities

      • Water 365 days per year, using a regimen of a balanced fertilizer, as described above, and clear water.
      • Scout and treat for pests and disease
      • Greenhouse maintenance and routine sanitation
      • Adjust and maintain supplemental lighting and photoperiod
      • Communicate any needs or concerns to the user as soon as possible.
      • The following services may be offered based on available time and with prior arrangement.
        • Propagation by seed or cuttings.
        • Transferring from tissue culture to soil.
        • Transplanting seedlings and other plants.
        • Staking and pruning.
        • Pollinating and bagging flowers.
        • Harvesting and cleaning seed.

IV. Responsibilities of Individuals and Groups Utilizing Facilities

    • Label all pots or trays with the following information:
      • Plant name –  full Genus and specific epithet on at least one plant per crop.
      • Lab or project with which it is associated.
      • Any other necessary information.
      • Hand written tags must be written in pencil as all markers quickly wash off.
    • Check plants for pests before giving them to Greenhouse Staff or placing in a growth chamber, including insects, mites, pathogens and weeds.
    • Plan space and supply needs in advance.
      • Two weeks notice is required for greenhouse staff to purchase any specialized, non-stock supplies. Users will be charged for these materials.
      • All potting media use must be recorded on the soil usage log so that users can be billed appropriately.
    • Maintain plants in appropriately-sized pots. Oversized pots leave extra space for weeds to grow and hold unnecessary moisture leading to plant disease and stress. Undersized pots make it harder to prevent drought stress. If you need assistance please ask growth facility staff.
    • Remove plant material promptly that is no longer needed in order to help reduce watering time, host plants for pests and soil area for weeds.
    • Keep growth areas and work areas sanitary and orderly
    • Communicate any needs or concerns as soon as possible to a member of the Greenhouse Staff.
    • Users are also responsible for helping to keep the facility sanitary by cleaning up:
      • Work tables after potting, harvesting, etc.
      • Carts after transport
      • Sinks after use.
      • Greenhouse corridor floors of soil, debris if dropped while transporting your plants.

  •  The greenhouse team works hard to keep an orderly, sanitary facility, but cannot keep up if users don’t share responsibility. We will help discard large experiments, but it is the user’s primary responsibility to clean up area and discard materials after use .

V. Use of the Head House or Other Facilities for Research or Instruction

  • General Rules
    • Use only assigned materials.
    • Brush off potting bench after work is complete. Use only brooms labeled for use on counters.
    • Sweep floors using brooms located next to the eye wash station.
    • Tools must be cleaned and put away in their proper locations.
    • The greenhouse sink under the cabinets with plates and cups is for hand and dishwashing only
    • The large sink on the left side of the headhouse (between room C and B) is used for washing pots. Please do not leave any pots in that sink.
    • In Lynch Greenhouse, leave used pots stacked in or on top of the green trash can next to the large sink.
    • In growth chambers, pots and trays must be sanitized by the user.
    • If you fill the trash can, please bring the bag to the trash compactor on the loading dock.
  • Access:
    • The greenhouse will be open from 8:00am- 4:00pm Monday to Friday.
    • Greenhouse will be locked outside these hours.
    • If you require a key for access outside normal hours, please contact facilities.
  • Tools:
    • Most greenhouse tools are available for use by greenhouse users. These include all tools in the red tool drawer.
    • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) may be required when using certain tools and is available in the Head House (safety glasses, dust masks, latex and nitrile gloves, earplugs, fabric and leather gloves). If using a tool or chemical and you are unsure if PPE is needed, please ask a Greenhouse Staff member.
    • Tools must be cleaned and put away in their proper locations.

 

  • VI. Supplies and Materials
  • Many materials including 4, 6 and 9” pots, flats with and without holes, and 32 and 72 cell inserts are used from a common greenhouse supply, without cost to the researcher, except in the following cases, when the cost of the requested material will be allocated to the research project:
    • When the user requires a particular container size or type of amendment that the Greenhouse Staff does not usually stock.
    • The quantity of a product required for the duration of a project is more than half of the minimum quantity that must be purchased:
      • Minimum purchase: 4” pots – 900, 6” pots – 440, 9” pots – 50.
      • Minimum quantity purchased for 32 and 72 cell inserts is 100.
    • Requesting Supplies and Materials:
      • Courses or labs requiring plant material must provide 8 weeks prior notice to allow for propagation or procurement. Ideally, all teaching material required for a semester should be requested before the start of the semester.
      • If material is needed for a project that is not normally stocked by the Greenhouse Staff please let the Greenhouse Staff know of the need as soon as possible.
    • Common Greenhouse Supplies:
      • Common supplies are supplies used throughout the greenhouse as part of normal greenhouse operation. These include:
        • Beneficial insects
        • Fertilizer
        • Cleaning solution and tools
        • Pesticides
        • Plant health supplements
      • Billing:
        • When requesting bench space, a billing code for the project is required.
        • When products are purchased for the greenhouse that are common use, such as beneficial insects, pesticide or fertilizer, each account will be charged a portion of the cost based on the amount of greenhouse space they are using.
        • Percentage of greenhouse space used by a person or group will be determined once monthly.
        • Copies of purchases can be provided upon request.
        • The cost of printing tags will be billed when new tags are ordered, approximately every 6 months.
      • Potting Medium:
        • Potting medium will be stocked by the Greenhouse Staff and will be billed on a per use basis.
        • Labs will be charged when stock is replenished; approximately every 6 months.
        • Greenhouse users must record and submit how much potting medium is used, to the best of their ability, each time an item is potted. A potting log will be located on the potting bench for recording potting medium use.
        • Growth chamber users must notify greenhouse staff when they take a bag of potting medium from the bunker.

VIII. Note About Pesticide Use

  • Beneficial insects are used to control insect pests as much as possible, they are our first option for controlling insect pests. If beneficial insects do not control the population horticultural oil or soap will be used to cause the least amount of harm to our beneficial insect population. If other less harmful methods are not successful, traditional pesticides will be used.
  • The Greenhouse Staff uses pesticides on plants within the growing facilities on an as-needed basis throughout the year, though pest pressure in the indoor facilities is usually highest during the winter months. Unless pest pressure is determined to be high enough to warrant broader application, these are targeted to individual crops or groupings. Given the open layout of our facilities, there can be no expectation of a completely pesticide-free environment.
  • If a user is concerned about pests on their plants and would like to discuss more intensive pesticide use on their crops for a specific project, a consultation with a member of the Greenhouse Staff can be arranged.
  • Requests to limit pesticide use on particular crops should be made as part of the initial space allocation request. If limitations are required and control is not possible with reasonable alternative chemicals or methods, the Greenhouse Staff may require that a plant or crop be removed from the indoor growing facility to prevent further spread of the pest.
  • A record of all pesticide use for the growing areas and gardens is kept in the Head House, as required by law. If you require additional information about a particular product, a binder containing the labels for products in the Chemical Storage Room is also kept in the Head House.
  • If a scheduled pesticide application interferes with research, it is the researcher’s responsibility to notify the PGF Manager as soon as possible.
  • Users are prohibited from entering any growth area that has been sprayed prior to elapsing of the Restricted Entry Interval (REI); this is typically a 12-hour period from the end of the application.
  • EPA-approved NO ENTRY signs will always be on doors of treated areas, meaning the restricted access is currently in effect. Users must abide by these signs whenever posted. Although the control agents used range widely in their toxicity, it is prudent for users to assume that all pesticide applications are potentially hazardous. Violation of entry restrictions by a user is strictly prohibited and may result in suspension of PGF use privileges.