Polycarbonate greenhouse: specifications, dimensions, reviews

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Greenhouses are often installed in summer cottages for growing seedlings and vegetable crops. In country houses, where it is not customary to grow vegetables for your own table, they are used to grow flowers and exotic plants.

In both cases, more and more often you can find not structures made of glass or covered with a film, but buildings of a beautiful shape, even elegant, made of polycarbonate.

Advantages of polycarbonate greenhouses

Polycarbonate greenhouses confidently crowd out the usual glass structures.

The polymer material has undeniable advantages that allow it to replace glass in special facilities to create a microclimate that favors plant growth in early spring.

The first important advantage of a polycarbonate greenhouse is light transmission. It is slightly lower than that of glass, but the honeycomb structure of modern material allows you to filter the radiation and pass only useful rays into the greenhouse. At the same time, light spreads equally throughout the internal volume, and natural photosynthesis occurs evenly in all plants.

Lowthe thermal conductivity of polycarbonate allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature for plants on hot summer days and cold spring nights.

Polycarbonate, unlike glass, is a hard material. It's not easy to destroy it. The 4mm sheet can withstand direct hammer blows without damage.

At the same time, a polycarbonate greenhouse is much lighter than glass, so its frame can be made not of galvanized steel, but of aluminum, which does not corrode and lasts longer. Such a greenhouse does not need a solid foundation.

And one more advantage of using polycarbonate for greenhouses is the optimal ratio of the price of the product and the result obtained.

Polycarbonate is a wear-resistant material that can withstand temperature extremes, fireproof and environmentally friendly.

Features of using polycarbonate for greenhouses

Polycarbonate greenhouses are easy to assemble with your own hands. Working with polymer material is not difficult, but you need to follow a few simple rules.

You can't make a mistake when mounting polycarbonate sheets on a frame. Firstly, they must be positioned so that the stiffening ribs are located vertically, then the resulting condensate will flow down without problems, without accumulating between the layers of material.

The second thing you need to pay attention to when installing sheets is the installation of a protective layer from ultraviolet light outward.

It is convenient to make arched greenhouses from polycarbonate, because it bends, unlike glass, andmuch stronger than the film that was previously used for them. But the manufacturer sets the maximum radius along which the material can be bent. If you try to make an arch of a smaller diameter, stresses arise in the polycarbonate, and it may collapse.

You can cut polycarbonate with a knife or a file with fine teeth. Before installing the cut-out panels on the frame, their ends must be sealed using self-adhesive tape. To connect the sheets to each other, a special polycarbonate profile is used. The panels are attached to the frame using self-tapping screws and thermal washers.

When installation is completed, the protective film is removed from the surface of the polycarbonate, dirt is wiped off with a soft sponge or cloth dipped in warm soapy water.

Types of greenhouses

Greenhouses are unheated - this is the simplest type. They are not heated, but already in early spring in the afternoon the soil warms up so much under the rays of the sun that it is suitable for growing seedlings and some vegetable crops.

In partially heated greenhouses, when a conventional heater is used, it is possible to grow seedlings of heat-loving flowers in winter at temperatures above 7 degrees Celsius.

Heated polycarbonate greenhouse with a minimum temperature above +13° can be used for growing exotic plants.

Greenhouses differ in the form of construction. The traditional gable greenhouse is easy to use, you can walk in it without bending down, the plants are sufficiently lit, and a large planting area is provided, sometimes in two tiers. A variety of such a greenhouse isDutch design, in which the side walls are made at a slight angle. It is more stable and more lit inside.

Shed greenhouse is most often located near the southern or western wall, not only saving space on the site, but also warming up from it.

There are greenhouses and more complex shapes, polygonal, dome-shaped and in the form of a lancet arch, they are not only functional, but also decorative, but more expensive than buildings of the usual traditional shape.

The cheapest and simplest greenhouses for seedlings are made on a low arched frame.

Ready polycarbonate greenhouses

Today, without complicating your life, you can choose a ready-made set for a greenhouse of a certain size and shape. It consists of a collapsible, easy-to-assemble frame and polycarbonate sheets of predetermined dimensions. You don’t even have to assemble, the selected set will not only be delivered, but also installed in the specified location.

But sellers do not always describe in detail the shortcomings of their goods. Therefore, when buying, you need to pay attention to several important points.

In addition to the wall thickness of the polymer, its structure also plays a role. The edges inside the sheet can only be located transversely, there can be another longitudinal layer, and in reinforced sheets there are also edges located between the transverse bridges at an angle.

In the instructions, the manufacturer usually describes how the greenhouse should be prepared for winter. If the plastic is thin enough, then it is recommended to remove the roof of the greenhouse for the winter so that it does not fall underthe weight of the snow. When an enterprise is confident in the quality of its product, the instructions say that it is not necessary to remove the roof. Such a greenhouse is more expensive, but there are fewer worries with it, you don’t need to fiddle with the installation and dismantling of the roof twice a year and store these sheets somewhere.

Some manufacturers make wooden frames. In this case, they must be treated against decay so that they serve for more than one year.

The metal frame, if it is not aluminum, must also be protected from corrosion.

Lightweight small structures do not need a foundation, their supports are simply driven into the ground.

Reinforced greenhouse for areas where there is a lot of snow in winter, assembled on a frame with a lot of jumpers and installed on a small foundation so that the structure does not sag.

Criteria for choosing a polycarbonate greenhouse

Producers of polycarbonate greenhouses take care to produce products that meet the most diverse requirements of users. To make a choice, you need to know where the greenhouse will be installed, what plants will be grown in it, and how much money it will require. The dimensions of the structure and the materials from which it should be made depend on this. For example, for low plants, such as radishes, a low greenhouse with a light frame made of aluminum tubes and cellular polycarbonate as a coating with a thickness of no more than 4 mm is sufficient. Such a greenhouse can be easily dismantled for the winter.

For growing taller plants or just for ease of movement insidegreenhouses are used greenhouses in the form of a house, which are called attic. Such structures are built more thoroughly. The frame needs to be stronger. For it, profile pipes and polycarbonate with a more complex structure are used.

If there is not enough space on the site, then wall construction is preferred. It is easier to bring heat and lighting to it, to make an entrance directly from the house. Such a polycarbonate greenhouse in winter can serve as a greenhouse for exotic plants.

Greenhouse installation

Mounting a greenhouse is easy, you can order a service for assembling the finished product. But choosing a place to install it is not an easy task.

Installation of polycarbonate greenhouses is carried out in an open area, not shaded by trees or other buildings. The largest surface of the building should be facing the sun. If its design is gable, then the roof ridge should be oriented from west to east. In the case when the greenhouse is removed for the winter, it is oriented from north to south.

The site for installing the greenhouse must be flat.

In this area, the soil should be suitable in composition for growing the plants for which the greenhouse is intended.

If it is planned to arrange heating and lighting in the greenhouse, to supply water, then it should be located closer to the main building. The wall of the house, to which the wall greenhouse will be installed, must first be waterproofed so that it does not become moldy.

Small greenhouse for summer cottage

Since polycarbonate bends, more and more often standard gable greenhouses in summer cottages are being replaced by arched-type buildings. They are made in a small width, 2.2 m, but are convenient for placing plants. The height of 2.2 m allows you to easily move inside the greenhouse, taking care of the plants and, if necessary, placing them in two tiers.

The length can be from 4 to 10 meters, with or without an intermediate partition. At the ends, doors with vents are made. At the request of the customer, additional vents, an automatic machine for ventilation and fencing of beds of given sizes can be installed.

A galvanized profile pipe 30x30 mm with a wall thickness of 1.5 mm, a honeycomb polycarbonate coating with a thickness of 4 mm and a length of 6 m is used as a frame for greenhouses.

Prices for such polycarbonate greenhouses depend on the length of the structure and some additional types of equipment and start from 21 thousand rubles.

Manufacturers claim that frame arches installed at a distance of 550 mm can withstand heavy snow loads and do not require additional supports.

Reviews, unfortunately, often say the opposite. If it is not possible to come to the site in winter to clear snow from the greenhouse, then it is better to take care of installing additional supports, at least for winter time.

Sometimes the sidewalls are angled 10-15° for greater stability, but manufacturers are skeptical of this statement, believing that the complexity of installation nullifies the advantages in strengthfacilities.

Traditional house design

Growing in polycarbonate greenhouses of this design is possible both in the ground and in boxes on racks.

As a rule, the sizes of such greenhouses are standard. The optimal height of the side walls is about one and a half meters, the maximum height of the entire structure is up to 2.5 m. The northern side of such a greenhouse requires additional insulation.

In a greenhouse of this design, according to experts, it is easier to arrange ventilation, because the heated air rises under the ridge and can be removed even through small windows.

But polycarbonate is good because it allows you to perform any lightweight construction, and ventilation is not a problem. Yes, and the building of the traditional form looks boring.

Teardrop-shaped greenhouse

Not so long ago, greenhouses in the form of a falling drop appeared and began to rapidly gain popularity. Such a greenhouse successfully resists snow loads, is installed in much the same way as an arched one, with the same set of additional equipment. A drop-shaped polycarbonate greenhouse is made in width not less than 3 m, while the length can be from 4 to 12 m.

The frame is made of profile pipes 40x40x2 mm, and at the base and more. Often not installed on the foundation, but mounted directly into the ground. Manufacturers, as a rule, offer a coating of various polycarbonate, from thin domestic to Austrian withbilateral protection. From this, prices for polycarbonate greenhouses of the same size can differ by two or more times. For example, a four-meter greenhouse without additional equipment with Russian polycarbonate 3.5 mm thick costs from 17 thousand rubles, and the same, but with a reinforced frame and Austrian LEXAN SOFTLITE coating, especially for growing plants 4.5 mm thick, already costs more than 40 thousand rubles.

Reviews on polycarbonate greenhouses

Depending on how carefully the polycarbonate greenhouse was chosen, reviews can range from absolutely enthusiastic to negative of the same intensity.

Experienced gardeners who have rich material for comparison note that seedlings sprout better and heat-loving vegetables (peppers and eggplants) grow more readily in the same summer cottage in a greenhouse coated with polymer material.

But the majority confirms that the frame should be chosen strong and rigid, with an anti-corrosion coating, in extreme cases, install additional supports so that after the winter the greenhouse will not be repaired.

Many say that for domestic snowy and windy winters polycarbonate 4-5 mm thick is not enough. You need to choose a material with a thickness of 6 mm or more and with a protective coating, then you will not have to repair the greenhouse.

And about how many different plants a polycarbonate greenhouse can accommodate, the reviews list, as if they are competing who is more. It is easier to name what is not grown in it. Perhaps only root crops (potatoes, beets, carrots).

According to material characteristicsa polycarbonate greenhouse in Russian climatic conditions can be used all year round with heating or from the very beginning of spring until deep frosts in autumn. Any size and shape of the structure can withstand wind and snow loads, you just need to correctly calculate the rigidity of the frame, its configuration and the cross-sectional parameters of the profile pipe. And do not save on the quality of polycarbonate, because it is known that the miser pays twice.