Policies and Procedures

Section I – Greenhouse user training and safety

Safety is a top priority at the research greenhouses. All greenhouse users, guests, and visitors are expected to prioritize safety while at the greenhouses. Please alert greenhouse staff about any unsafe conditions or actions.

Greenhouse orientation:
All new greenhouse users must attend a greenhouse orientation session within one month of beginning work at the greenhouses. It is strongly encouraged to attend orientation before starting work at the greenhouses. Greenhouse orientation covers many important topics about working in the greenhouses and includes an extensive tour of the greenhouse facilities.

After-hours access will only be granted after completion of greenhouse orientation.

Greenhouse orientation is held regularly every other week on Fridays. You must sign up in advance to attend a session – contact greenhouse staff to do so.

Worker Protection Standard (WPS) training:
Federal law requires that WPS training be taken every 12 months and must be up to date prior to entering any research greenhouse facilities. This training is available as part of the greenhouse orientation and is also offered by CALS Safety.

It is each person’s responsibility to keep their training up to date, and to inform greenhouse staff of their compliance. Failure to do so may result in loss of access to the greenhouse facilities.

Section II – Facility use

Greenhouse facility descriptions:

Walnut Street Greenhouse

72 growing rooms of varying sizes, providing 15,000 square feet of bench space. About 70% of the rooms are air-conditioned, using a blend of fan coil units, evaporative cooling, and package AC units. Heat is supplied by a blend of fan coil units and steam. 32 of the rooms feature advanced temperature and lighting controls.
5 reach-in growth chambers – 3 have 12 ft² of growing space, 2 have 16 ft². Some chambers can regulate humidity and CO₂
52 cold frames measuring 12’ x 6’ each.
One walk-in cooler measuring 7.5’ x 7.5’.

King Hall Research Greenhouse

Four greenhouse rooms and an adjoining headhouse, providing 1200 square feet of bench space.
All rooms are air-conditioned using package AC units.
Heat is provided by steam.

West Madison Greenhouse

Two large open-span greenhouse rooms providing 4200 square feet of bench space.
Staged forced-air heat.
Evaporative pad cooling.

Growing space requests:

Contact greenhouse management to request space. There may be a significant delay between a request for space and assignment of space. It is recommended that you make your request well in advance of your desired project time frame.

Provide the following information:

Amount of space required.
Time frame of project – anticipated start and end dates and/or project duration.
Desired environmental parameters – day and night temperature, photoperiod, etc.
Special project needs – pest control limitations, planned introduction of pathogens or pests, special equipment, modifications to the growing spaces, special plant handling instructions, etc.

After initial contact, greenhouse management will communicate with you and work toward fulfilling your request. The time it takes to fulfill a request varies greatly and depends on several factors. Greenhouse management will make every effort to fulfill requests for greenhouse space as quickly as possible.

Space assignment requests are given priority in the following order:

Faculty, staff, or students of CALS.
Faculty, staff, or students of other UW-Madison schools and colleges.
All other requests.

All space assignments are at the discretion of greenhouse management. Several factors will be considered, and space will be assigned fairly with the goal of utilizing the available space as efficiently and completely as possible, with a primary focus on research crops and projects.

Access and security:

On-campus greenhouse facilities are open 6:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays, excluding legal holidays.

After-hours access options:

Walnut Street Greenhouse: Keycard access using your Wiscard can be provided. Contact greenhouse management for details.
King Hall greenhouses: A building key can be borrowed. Contact greenhouse management for details.
West Madison Agricultural Research Station greenhouses: There is a numeric keycode which is required to access these greenhouses 24/7. Contact greenhouse management for details.

Contact greenhouse management or UWPD regarding any problems or questions related to greenhouse access.

Growing space use:

Growing spaces are defined as greenhouse growing rooms, growth chambers, and cold frames.

Growing spaces are intended to be used for growing research plants only. Non-research plants such as garden transplants, houseplants, and ornamentals are strictly prohibited.

Any modifications to growing rooms or equipment, as well as installation or removal of equipment to the facility, require prior approval of greenhouse management.

It is OK to rearrange benches if the desired bench configuration does not block access to greenhouse equipment or to emergency egress routes and exits. Be mindful of the need for pest control personnel to navigate the room and treat your plants. It’s always helpful to communicate your plans to greenhouse staff.

Growing spaces should not be used for storage of supplies. Temporary, organized storage of a small number of supplies being actively used in plant care or research activities is acceptable. All other storage items should be kept in designated storage areas. Any items kept in the growing rooms should not impede access to greenhouse equipment or emergency egress routes.

Housekeeping:

Growing spaces and headhouse work areas should be kept clean and free of debris and dead plant material.

Emergency egress routes, exit doors, and emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers and AEDs must always be kept completely clear and obstacle-free.

Hoses should be coiled neatly and as out of the way as possible. Water should be turned off at the faucet whenever a hose is not in use.

Benches, floors, and drain areas should be cleaned routinely (once a week suggested) to ensure that drains do not become clogged with debris.

Refuse should not be kept in growing rooms. Remove it to proper trash receptacles immediately. Do not place compostable items in trash receptacles except when regulations such as an APHIS permit specify that method of disposal.

Compostable items such as plant material and potting mix should be placed in compost bunkers at each facility. Trash, plastic, and wood items should be kept out of compost. At King Hall, greenhouse staff will remove compostable materials upon request, since there is no compost bunker on site.

Notify greenhouse staff of any leaks, spills, clogged drains, blocked egress routes, or other issues promptly.

If greenhouse management discovers a housekeeping problem, the following will happen:

Greenhouse management will reach out to the contact on file for the room/space and describe the problem.
If the problem has not been resolved within 7 days of that contact, then greenhouse staff will correct the problem.
The funding on file for the room/space will be billed for cleaning or repair fees as detailed in the ‘Fees and billing’ section.

Use of equipment and tools:

Various tools and equipment are available for general use at the greenhouses. These items are generally located in the headhouses, hallways, storage areas, or autoclave room. Some examples are carts, wheelbarrows, scoops, watering cans, sifting screens, shovels, brooms, mops, aprons, and vacuums.

Clean all items and return them to their proper storage location at the end of each workday or when you’re done with the item, whichever is first.

If you can’t find something you need, find an item that needs repairs, or have any other questions or concerns about tools and equipment, contact greenhouse staff for assistance.

Autoclave use:

Special training is required before you can operate the autoclave. It can be very dangerous if operated incorrectly. Ask greenhouse management for details about training.

If you wish to use the autoclave, you must make a reservation. Contact greenhouse management or follow the instructions provided in the autoclave room.

Step by step instructions for autoclave operation are also provided in the autoclave room.

Use of supplies:

Reusable pots and bamboo stakes are free to use within any of the research greenhouse facilities.

Pots and stakes are stored at Walnut Street Greenhouse in the main storage area as well as in headhouses.

When you are finished using these items, remove as much loose dirt and plant debris as possible, and remove any labels, tape, or other markings.

Take the pots and stakes to designated wash areas at Walnut Street Greenhouse (covered during the orientation tour).

Expendable and single use supplies such as disposable flats, potting media, and fertilizer are available for a fee (see ‘Fees and Billing’ below).

Contact greenhouse staff if you cannot find what you need or have any other questions about supplies.

Storage:

Chemical storage

Storage of chemicals at the greenhouse facilities must be approved in advance by greenhouse management.

Flammable, caustic, corrosive, or otherwise dangerous compounds may not be stored in growing rooms or common areas under any circumstance.

Chemicals found to be incorrectly stored, or stored without approval, will be immediately removed to proper storage or discarded by greenhouse staff.

General storage

Growing spaces should not be used for long-term or excessive storage of supplies.

Headhouses and common areas should not be used for departmental storage except in designated areas or with permission of greenhouse management.

Designated departmental storage areas are available and clearly labeled at Walnut Street Greenhouse. All items stored in these areas must be labeled correctly as described by the departmental storage guidelines below:

Housekeeping:

Storage areas must be kept clean and tidy.
Never impede access to controls, equipment, aisles, or egress routes.
Store your items neatly. Utilize appropriate containers.
Do not keep items in storage for more than one year.

Item labeling – All stored items must be clearly labeled with the following information:

PI/Lab/Group name.
Contact phone and/or email.
Date placed in storage.
Date it can be discarded.

Any items not clearly labeled with all the above information may be discarded during quarterly storage cleanup.

Off-site storage is also available. Contact greenhouse management for details.

Quarterly storage audits are performed by greenhouse management. If stored items are found out of compliance with storage policies or past their discard date, greenhouse management will attempt to contact the owner of the item. If the owner of the item doesn’t respond or fails to comply with storage policies by the deadline provided, or if the owner of an item cannot be identified, the item may be discarded.

Section III – Plant culture

Pest control:

Expectations for greenhouse users

Nothing grown at the research greenhouses should be consumed by humans or animals.
Because of the large amount and variety of crops and projects at the greenhouses, and the low pest pressure thresholds demanded by research, various chemical pesticides are regularly used, and many are either not labeled for food production, or have labeled preharvest intervals.

All greenhouse users are required by law to take Worker Protection Standard (WPS) pesticide safety training annually. People may not enter or work in the greenhouse growing areas unless their WPS training is up to date.

No one except trained and licensed pesticide applicators should enter a greenhouse facility while pesticide applications are being performed.

Greenhouse users should not enter any greenhouse room with signage indicating that pesticide treatment has been performed, unless they are certain that the REI for that treatment has expired.

Greenhouse users may not use pesticides of any kind in the research greenhouse facilities unless they have received permission in advance from greenhouse management.

All pesticides stored at the greenhouse facilities must be kept in designated secure pesticide storage areas. Pesticides may not be kept in growing areas, common hallways, or regular storage areas.

Scouting

All areas with growing crops are scouted for pests and disease by greenhouse staff on a weekly basis.

You may also inform greenhouse staff of any pest or disease observations or concerns at any time.

Treatment decisions are made based on area- and crop-specific thresholds which vary considerably based on several variables.

Communication and scheduling

At Walnut Street Greenhouse, pesticide applications are performed every Monday from 3-6 pm (Tuesday if Monday is a legal holiday). The facility is closed during this time frame.

At King Hall and West Madison, pesticide applications are performed as needed, not on a set schedule.

All pesticide applications are recorded in a master file. In addition, paper copies of pesticide application records are kept in a central location at each greenhouse facility for 30 days after the application. Each area being treated will also be marked with signage indicating the area cannot be entered.

Researchers will receive communication in advance about which areas are being treated. At Walnut Street Greenhouse, a list of rooms to be treated the following week will be posted on the whiteboard outside the offices by Friday of the week prior. At King Hall and West Madison, researchers will receive email announcing treatment scheduling and REIs.

Researchers may also approach greenhouse management with specific pest control requests.

Treatment methods

Greenhouse staff perform pesticide applications in selected areas as determined by the results of scouting and by specific research needs.

Greenhouse staff may also release insects, mites, nematodes, and other beneficial organisms as part of the pest control program.

Plant movement and quarantine

All live plant material being brought into the greenhouses is subject to quarantine, inspection, and treatment (if necessary).

Required procedure for moving plant material into the greenhouses:

Notify greenhouse staff in advance about plans to move plants into the greenhouses. Provide the specific date and time you intend to move the plants.
Follow instructions from greenhouse staff about where to place incoming plants, and what routes to take through the facility.
Wait for greenhouse staff to scout the plants. Greenhouse staff will communicate their findings, and if pests are present, proceed to treat the plants. You will receive notification when the plants are ready to be moved into your assigned area.

Any live plant material brought into the greenhouses without following these procedures may be removed and/or discarded upon discovery by greenhouse management.

Watering/irrigation:

Watering is the responsibility of each researcher/lab at all campus research greenhouse facilities. Greenhouse staff provide weekday watering services at the off-campus West Madison greenhouses. On weekends and legal holidays, each researcher/lab is responsible for watering their own plants at West Madison.

Water must always be turned off at the faucet when the hose is not in use, to prevent leaks or equipment damage. If a failure to do so results in damage to facilities or greenhouse equipment, or a waste of fertilizer from fertilizer lines, the responsible researcher may be billed for associated costs.

Labs may choose to automate watering within their assigned spaces at campus greenhouses. All additions or modifications of automated watering equipment must be approved by greenhouse management before installation. Costs for installation, repair, and maintenance of automated watering systems are the responsibility of the researcher. Costs of damage to greenhouse equipment or facilities due to issues with automated watering systems may be billed to the funding source of the lab that installed the systems.

Plant nutrition:

At Walnut Street Greenhouse and the King Hall greenhouses, there are liquid fertilizer systems available to use free of charge.

At the West Madison greenhouses, there is a portable liquid fertilizer cart which is restricted to use by greenhouse staff only. Greenhouse staff can fertilize your crops at this location upon request.

Pelletized timed-release fertilizer is available for purchase.

Other fertilizers can be ordered for you upon request.

Greenhouse users may apply their own fertilizers if desired. Fertilizers and other chemicals should not be stored in greenhouse rooms. It is very helpful and strongly suggested that you keep greenhouse staff informed of your use of fertilizers and amendments.

Training and pruning:

Plants should be trained and pruned such that they are not allowed to grow into lights, greenhouse controls, vents, fans, or other greenhouse equipment.

Plants should not be allowed to grow into pathways between benches so much that moving though the area becomes challenging.

Section IV – Fees and billing

Types of space available:

Greenhouse

Air conditioned (package AC or FCU) – Capable of maintaining cooler temperatures in the warmer months. Depending on the individual room and cooling equipment, rooms can usually be held at around 65F/16C up to 80F/27C during the warmest times of year.
Evaporative cooling (West Madison) – The evaporative cooling at West Madison cools effectively on all but the hottest and most humid days. Target temperatures at the West Madison greenhouses are typically 80F/27C daytime, 70F/21C nighttime.
No air conditioning – These rooms will maintain good temperatures in the fall, winter, and early spring, but in the summer, they will be very hot, often exceeding 100F/38C.

Growth Chamber

All growth chambers are located at the Walnut Street Greenhouse.
Newer chambers are capable of advanced light, temperature, humidity, and CO2 level control. There are two chambers, and each has 16 ft² of growing space.
Older chambers are capable of basic temperature and light controls. There are three chambers, and each has 12 ft² of growing space.

Cold Frame

All cold frames are located at Walnut Street Greenhouse.
12’ x 6’ wood frames, and some shading frames/materials are present on site.
It is possible to modify or add structures onto the cold frames with the permission of greenhouse management.

Walk-in Cooler

The walk-in cooler is located at Walnut Street Greenhouse.
5’ x 7.5’ interior dimensions, with some shelving.
Temperature is kept at 38-40F/2-3C.

Types of supplies available:

Potting media – available for a fee based on current market prices.
Disposable plastic flats and inserts – Available for a fee based on current market prices.
Reusable plastic pots and trays – These containers are washed and autoclaved by greenhouse staff between uses. They are available for free use within any of the research greenhouse facilities. If you wish to borrow some containers and move them to a different facility outside the research greenhouses, contact the greenhouse staff for instructions.
Plant labels – Available for a fee based on current market prices.
Fertilizer and amendments.
Field soil.
Sand.
Special order items – ask greenhouse management.

Fee structure:

Bench fees (per month)

Description	Monthly rate
Greenhouse, air conditioned, per ft²	$0.89
Greenhouse, non-AC or West Madison, per ft²	$0.55
Growth chamber, per ft² (must rent whole chamber)	$13.75
Cold frame, per frame	$6.60
Walk-in cooler (negotiated with greenhouse management)	variable

Expendable supply fees

Supply fees are variable and based on market prices, which are updated quarterly. Refer to the current price list in the supply storage areas at Walnut Street Greenhouse or consult with greenhouse staff. Special orders are possible.

Cleaning and repair fees

$50/hr., 1 hr. minimum.
Assessed at greenhouse management’s discretion – see ‘Facility Use’ section.
Additional repair fees may be assessed to offset actual impacts to the greenhouse budget, if a failure to follow greenhouse policies and procedures results in damage, excessive wear, or required service of greenhouse equipment or supplies.

Lost item fees

Loss of a borrowed building key – $100 fee.

Loss of other borrowed items – fee varies based on the item.

Credit card fees

Payments made by credit card are subject to a 3% additional fee.

Fees for non-UW entities
There is a variable upcharge for all supplies and space provided to non-UW entities (currently 55.5%). This is based on the External F&A rates defined by UW-Madison.

Billing and payment:

Growing space occupancy and billing

Greenhouse rooms and growth chambers are billed in ½ month increments. If a space assignment begins on or after the 15^th of a month or ends on or before the 15^th of the month, then there will only be a ½ month fee for that month.

Cold frame fees are billed in whole-month increments only.

Once a greenhouse space request has been fulfilled and a space has been assigned, billing will begin on the start date of the assignment, regardless of whether work has begun, or whether plants are present in the space.

Communicate any delays or downtime during the reservation to greenhouse management. If a greenhouse space remains vacant for more than one month after an assignment has begun, or for more than one month during the assignment period, without communication from the assignee, the assignment will be considered abandoned, and the space may be assigned to another researcher.

For as long as a researcher keeps their plants, departmental materials, or equipment in a growing space, the space assignment will be considered active, and fees will be charged for that space.

If a researcher has completed work but the room still hasn’t been cleaned sufficiently, fees will continue to be billed for the space until cleanup has been completed.

If a researcher has planned or recurring downtime and wishes to reoccupy the same greenhouse room, growth chamber, or cold frame after that downtime, then they should communicate with greenhouse management. Greenhouse management will try to reassign the space to another group during the downtime; however, if no other assignment can be made, then the researcher wishing to return to the space may be billed for the downtime.

It is the researcher’s responsibility to communicate any delays, schedule changes, desired extensions, or downtime to greenhouse management. Any extension or modification of space assignments is at the discretion of greenhouse management and based on several factors. Extensions will not be granted if another assignment has already been booked for that space. However, it is often possible to work out an alternative solution.

Recording use of expendable supplies – honor system

Greenhouse users should record quantities of any supplies they take on the appropriate whiteboard or chalkboard, as explained in greenhouse orientation. Greenhouse users can also email greenhouse management with this information.

Failure to record supplies you take amounts to theft.

Acceptable forms of payment

Funding string (preferred).
Credit card (3% upcharge).
Check.

Frequency and schedule

Fees are calculated each month and statements are generated and supplied to labs/groups. Funding string and credit card payments are processed each month by ARS Headquarters.

Payment schedules for check payment are negotiated between greenhouse management and each client.