Request a space at one of our facilities.

Greenhouse Space Request Form

~$11.6MM in capital improvements
during FY22 and FY23

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

The future location of the multi-disciplinary greenhouse will surround the recent cool-season greenhouse construction.
3D model visualization of Plant Growth Facilities new greenhouse.
CAES to Build A Multi-Disciplinary Greenhouse
Plant Growth Facilities will be adding approximately 8,000 square feet of greenhouse and support spaces tailored to agricultural and horticultural plant research at our Riverbend location. Construction began late-August '22. The facility will feature Wadsworth SEED environmental controllers, Adiabatic Cooling, Supplemental LED lighting, Automated-Irrigation Solenoids, Insect Exclusion, Sample Processing Spaces and more.
Pamela Lewis with student assistants Justin Cline and Ellen Jones.

 

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


Pamela Lewis with student assistants Justin Cline and Ellen Jones.

 

Graduation decor by PGF's Pam Lewis

Lewis has raised flowers and plants for the Graduate Recognition Ceremony for about 10 years now. All of the leftover plants are donated to nursing home and assisted living facilities in the Athens area.

Poinsettias are Lewis' favorite horticultural crop. In their natural environment, they flower in response to short day lengths. So preventing light drift in the winter months is paramount and achievable with the blackout tents we created.


The Plant Man Kevin Tarner

 

Lance Fountain

Lance was raised in Axson, GA. He earned his BSES in Entomology at the University of Georgia, where he worked for the University's Black Fly lab, Insect Behavior lab, and Insect Zoo.

Facility updates


Greenhouse M1 with the roof polycarbonate removed and the end wall replaced.

 

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.


South Milledge Greenhouses following the replacement of old polycarbonate panels.
Plant growth professionals working on the evaporative cooling pad update

 

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 1st Cool-Season Greenhouse

 

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


White Fly Grant

 

Whitefly grant

Thanks to a whitefly grant award, our entomology department's old greenhouse will be updated with supplemental lighting, area trench drains, insect-exclusion vestibules, new glazing and many other features. Following completion, the greenhouse will have five compartments all capable of BSL-2 certification.

View Entomology Greenhouse Progress Photos


Riverbend Soil Shed Update

 

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.


Invasion of the ear snatchers CAES News
Pod people: Invasion of the ear snatchers
In honor of International Podcast Day on Sept. 30, we are highlighting a few shows out of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension. You will find Cultivating Curiosity, All About the Pod and Two Agents & the FACS wherever you get your podcasts.
According to Georgia Organics, “Land Steward award winners not only foster a better environment through the soil, but through their larger community through leadership, education, and outreach.” CAES News
Growing interest in regenerative agriculture is driving research to restore the Earth
Increasing populations and changing climate conditions will require both innovative and ancient growing methods to feed the world. Regenerative agriculture, a movement both burgeoning and broad, is underpinned by the public’s growing awareness of how land stewardship and agricultural production contribute to the fate of our planet.
Mel Garber sits beside his wife, Barbara Bankston. CAES News
UGA Cognitive Aging Research and Education Center helps patients, families navigate challenges of dementia
Mel Garber remembers the phone call clearly. “How do we turn off the fireplace again?” His wife, Barbara Bankston, was on the other end of the line. She’d turned that fireplace on and off a thousand times. It’s a gas fireplace, so all you have to do is turn the knob, Mel told her. Maybe it was a one-time slip of the mind, he thought. They were getting older.