Problems in the Cologne Wüstenhaus: New ventilation flaps are urgently needed!

Problems in the Cologne Wüstenhaus: New ventilation flaps are urgently needed!

There is currently news from the Flora greenhouse facility in Cologne that is moving garden lovers and nature lovers. The opening date, originally planned for the second quarter of 2022, had to be postponed to April 2024 due to construction delays on the Höhenweg Review online reported.

A further setback occurred when the handover to the Office for Landscape Management and Green Spaces failed in March 2023 due to problems with the watercourse. In the meantime, the final expert calculations are underway, the results of which we are all waiting for this week.

The challenge in the desert house

Particular attention is paid to the flora facility's desert house, where humidity poses a problem for the cacti that live there. These excessively high values, which are harmful to the plants, appear primarily due to the rain position of the ventilation flaps, which do not allow sufficient air circulation. An expert report therefore recommends installing additional ventilation flaps to improve dehumidification. However, it remains unclear how quickly and cost-effectively these recommendations can be implemented. Furthermore, the status reports, which are usually presented every two months, have been outstanding for several weeks, which makes the situation even more opaque.

One thing is clear: the climate regulation in the tropical and subtropical houses already works excellently, while the desert house continues to struggle with the high humidity. The construction history itself is also remarkable; work on the display greenhouses began in 2015 and the first steel arch was only installed in 2020. The costs of construction rose from 11.4 million euros to 19.3 million euros - a development that was influenced by various factors such as the corona pandemic and increases in construction prices.

Climate change and greenhouses

But it's not just the flora greenhouses that are affected by all of this. In the context of climate change, greenhouses have the potential to act as a solution for agriculture, such as Garden of Eden explained. This is not only important for the local flora in Cologne, but also affects all agriculture. Greenhouses can help minimize the effects of climate change, ensure long-term food security and promote more sustainable production techniques.

These adaptation strategies are crucial. They include the use of environmentally friendly materials, efficient irrigation methods and the use of renewable energy sources. Recycled materials are also used to reduce waste and optimize resource use.

Still, so that Federal Environment Agency, German agriculture is already confronted with challenges arising from climate change. Examples of this include more frequent extreme weather events, which not only endanger plants but also crop yields. Adapted cultivation practices are required here in order to increase the resilience of the companies.

In summary, it shows that despite all the challenges, sustainable and future-proof agriculture is possible. The Flora greenhouses in Cologne are intended to become part of this solution, even if there are still many hurdles to get there. We remain curious to see how the situation develops in the next few weeks and hope for positive news.