How to strengthen maintenance and management of vegetable facilities before and after floods

Floods caused by sustained heavy rainfall can cause certain damage to vegetable production facilities such as solar greenhouses and large and medium-sized arch sheds. For this reason, before and after floods, vegetable growers should take measures early to strengthen maintenance of facilities, so as to reduce losses and quickly return to new production.

I. Solar greenhouses

(1) For old solar greenhouses, promptly repair the back slope surface, plug and fill pits and leaks so that it forms a smooth downward gentle slope, and cover the back slope surface and back wall with film or rainproof non-woven fabric. If old greenhouse film is used, the damaged areas should be repaired before use; if new rainproof film is chosen, film with better extrusion resistance and elasticity should be selected, and the thickness of the film must also be guaranteed. Agricultural film that is too thin should not be chosen as the rainproof film for the back wall. The width and length of the selected rainproof film should be slightly larger than the height and length of the greenhouse itself, to facilitate sealing the wall and fixing it. The upper part of the film should be fixed at the top of the greenhouse back slope, spread flat, and then covered with soil and compacted, while the lower part of the film should be pressed at the bottom of the back wall. To prevent the film from being damaged by wind, bricks or other heavy objects can be used to press it down at certain intervals on the film.

(2) For newly built solar greenhouses without greenhouse film covering, plastic film should be used as early as possible to fully cover the back wall and gable walls to prevent the walls from being washed away and collapsing by rainwater.

(3) For solar greenhouses that have already been damaged, first, repair and replace the damaged greenhouse film. Second, add soil to repair the damaged walls. For walls with relatively light damage, local reinforcement can be done by adding soil, or they can be built up with bricks or concrete; for walls with relatively large damaged areas, suitable wet soil can be put into woven bags, stacked up, and compacted; for walls that are severely damaged and have no repair value, machinery can be used to level them, rebuild the walls, and compact them layer by layer. Third, repair the greenhouse framework. For partially collapsed greenhouse frameworks, level and correct them to ensure the framework is vertical within one plane; for severely deformed frameworks, disconnect the original east-west longitudinal connections, level them, and then reconnect them; for frameworks that have collapsed and deformed severely and cannot be repaired, remove them and install new frameworks.

(4) Repair drainage facilities. Dig drainage ditches between sheds as quickly as possible to ensure smooth drainage. To prevent rainwater from flowing backward into the shed, sandbag barriers or similar can be set up at the bottom corner of the front roof and at the greenhouse entrance, so as to avoid water accumulation flooding the shed and damaging the walls.

II. Large and medium-sized arch sheds

(1) Promptly repair the frameworks of large and medium-sized sheds; those that are severely damaged and deformed and cannot be repaired should be replaced as early as possible.

(2) Repair or replace the shed film, retighten the film-pressing lines, and reinforce the shed film, insect-proof net, and shade net to avoid another hazard from heavy rain and strong wind. Set up barriers around the large and medium-sized sheds, or dig drainage ditches between sheds as quickly as possible, to prevent rainwater from flowing backward into the sheds.

Dong Bozhao, Hebei Provincial Green Food Office