~$11.6MM
in capital improvements
during FY22 and FY23
Our team is excited to work with you!
Meet our Plant Growth Professionals
53
greenhouse compartments for
Research and Instruction
31
Conviron chambers.
16 held for flexible use.
9 supporting BSL-2 research.
100%
Compartments with Cooling Systems
79% Compartments with
Supplemental Lighting
~7,500 sq-ft expansion for facilities by Georgia H.B. 81 Appropriation
58% of our chambers have dimmable LED lighting
CAES Multi-Disciplinary Greenhouse Addition
Plant Growth Facilities added approximately 8,000 square feet of greenhouse and support spaces tailored to agricultural and horticultural plant research at our Riverbend Greenhouse Complex. Construction began late-August '22 and was completed December '23. The facility features Wadsworth SEED environmental controllers, Adiabatic Cooling, Supplemental LED lighting, Automated-Irrigation Solenoids, Insect Exclusion, Sample Processing Spaces and more.
2426 Growth Chamber Expansion
Our newest growth chamber facility was finished in November 2021. The area features 12 Conviron chambers, 5 of which are reservable for use by CAES programs. You can view time slots available for research and current reservations at our greenhouse and growth chamber reservation page.
Photos of the 2426 Growth Chamber Room Expansion
PGF Growth Chamber Availabilities
Get to know our plant growth professionals
Graduation decor by PGF's Pam Lewis
Pamela Lewis has been cultivating flowers and plants for the CAES convocation ceremonies for a decade. Following the event, she carefully selects the best remaining plants and donates them to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the Athens area.
Poinsettias hold a special place in Lewis’ heart as her favorite horticultural crop. In their native habitat, these plants bloom in response to shorter day lengths. To ensure their proper growth during winter, we employ blackout tents to prevent light drift.
Daniel Gershon
Daniel earned a B.S.A. in Horticulture from the University of Georgia in 1992. His decades of experience began when he was a student working at the UGA Trial Gardens. In 1998, he established Apple Cart Horticultural Services, Inc, a successful landscaping business. By 2010, he joined the Grounds Maintenance team at UGA where he supervised a crew for thirteen years. He enjoys family outings, plant propagation, restoring motorized vehicles and equipment, and giving tours of his cherished gardens.
Facility updates
Greenhouse M1 thru M3 Polycarbonate Replacement
These greenhouses were built in 2008. Over time the polycarbonate has degraded from UV radiation. This impacts the quantity and spectral composition of the light transmitted through the polycarbonate panels to the plant leaves. CAES - Office of Teaching, CAES-Office of Research and Plant Growth Facilities are funding new paneling! Expected completion is early-June 2022.
Evaporative cooling pad update
Our facilities include 52 greenhouse compartments on three sites in Athens. Thirty-six percent of the compartments required almost 800 new cooling pads. Combining an order of this size allowed us to purchase with economies of scale. The savings were directed back into the cooling media by "double-dipping" many of the pads to extend their expected life from five years to an average of eight.
PGF's first cool-season greenhouse
Our facilities have expanded to include 600 square feet of cool-season greenhouse space to support Robin Buell's genomics research program. The greenhouse will be completed this May. These compartments will be a part of the larger multidisciplinary greenhouse expansion scheduled to begin construction in late-July 2022.
View Cool Season Greenhouse Photos
Whitefly grant
Thanks to a whitefly grant award, our entomology department's old greenhouse has been updated with supplemental lighting, area trench drains, insect-exclusion vestibules, new glazing and many other features. The greenhouse now has five compartments all capable of BSL-2 certification.
View Entomology Greenhouse Photos
Riverbend soil shed update
We have removed an unused raw material bunk in our Riverbend soil shed to increase the amount of mixing and sterilizing space and increase the amount of palletized media that we can have on hand.
CAES News
UGA Extension supports resilience in Georgia farm communities after Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene wrought sweeping devastation across Georgia’s agricultural sector in late September, leaving an indelible mark on both the land and the people who tend it, bringing focus to vulnerabilities in Georgia’s farming industry and the need for more robust safety nets. In addition to the physical destruction, the hurricane took an emotional toll on Georgia’s farmers. In response, UGA Extension has prioritized mental health support.
CAES News
A larger-than-life legacy: CAES student’s contagious enthusiasm inspired others
When Miriam Edelkind-Vealey applied for a summer role at a University of Georgia pollinator biodiversity lab in 2020, the junior undergrad didn’t quite know what to expect. After being told she got the position, Edelkind-Vealy didn’t hear anything for a few weeks. It was only then that she learned a collaborator on the project, second-year master’s degree student Amy Joy Janvier, had passed away.
CAES News
Nothing lasts forever: CAES professor finds solutions to break down ‘forever chemicals’
University of Georgia Professor Qingguo “Jack” Huang always wanted to do one thing: solve problems. Growing up in a small city in central China, Huang’s favorite subject in elementary school was math, granting him the opportunity to work on many problems. In high school, his passion transitioned to science, where he learned he could feed those same interests in a way that benefited others. He was finishing high school in the 1980s when Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring made its way to Chinese newspapers, capturing Huang’s attention.