One of the independent components of any type of nursery construction — be it for home or commercial-grade use — is the covering , also phone glazing . There are four main type of glass : Plastic Films , Polycarbonate , Glass , and Fiberglass . What you pick out depends ultimately on budget , climate and what you be after to develop in the glasshouse . Each has its advantages and disadvantages .
Plastic Film Greenhouses
According to a 1993 study by researchers Gene A. Giacomelli and William J. Roberts of Rutgers University , plastic ( polyethylene ) picture show , is the most popular glazing fabric , chiefly due to its low initial cost . It is fairly cheap to install , requiring a relatively limited amount of other structural cloth , especially when used in a Quonset - stylus mental synthesis . to boot , if you install a dual layer of polythene plastic film with an air blank in between , you could reduce your heating cost by up to 40 percent versus polycarbonate , glass or fibreglass .
Other advantages to formative film are that it is a swell diffuser of sun , allowing for intense light at the canopy layer of the nursery . It also produces few shadows because fewer bitstock and truss are typically used in constructing a polythene greenhouse . It is a great selection for first - time greenhouse agriculturalist .
One of the biggest drawback to using plastic film is it has a evenhandedly short lifespan . Over clock time , sunlight and melody pollution greatly weakens polyethylene and makes it unannealed , causing it to shred and tear . ultraviolet radiation inhibitors , applied to the plastic , prolong old age somewhat , but you are still looking at replacing this type of glazing every two to three years . So , while in the short term plastic film is cost effective , in the long footrace it becomes more expensive than other coverings .
CC flickr photo courtesy of o5com
Polycarbonate Greenhouses
A more set plastic than polyethylene , polycarbonate is the Modern case of greenhouse comprehend available on the market and comes in matted layer , twin - wall , or corrugate single - level thickness . It also fare in bronze - tinge panel for a diffused light outcome that might be desired in a retail setting . Polycarbonate is flexible enough to be used in cheaper Quonset - style construction , and the three-fold layered sheets in particular tender great heat insulation . Polycarbonate sheeting is passing indestructible , capable to withstand hailstorms and skirt accidents much better than glass . It is not as prone to UV or pollution impairment as polyethylene , so it can last up to 10 years without needing refilling .
As for disadvantages , polycarbonate sheeting ( depending on character ) can be prostrate to clouding , or yellowing , over time , resulting in light personnel casualty . The double layered polycarbonate is also prone to alga growth , which can easily be remedied by taping the conclusion shut during the construction phase angle of your greenhouse project . And while polycarbonate is much more durable than both looking glass and polyethylene , it is far costly than both . The expensive price - ticket makes polycarbonate prohibitory to many gardener .
Glass Greenhouses
According to researchers Giacomelli and Roberts of Rutgers , ice is the idealistic material for greenhouse glazing because it provides the well light transmission out of all the various covering and has a higher comparable thermal evaluation . Also , the two investigator note , the light distribution can be improve even more by engrave small pattern into the glass itself . When compared to other covering , Methedrine also endure a long sentence , is non - combustible and is insubordinate to both breeze pollution and UV radiation .
The biggest drawback to using glass as a greenhouse glazing is cost . While the panel are meretricious than polycarbonate , glass is backbreaking and needs more complex body part to support it and therefore construction costs are initially a lot eminent . Out of all covering , glassful is also the most susceptible to tragedy , i.e. , hailstorms , thrown objects and bird accidents . crack instrument panel have to be replaced fairly often .
Fiberglass Greenhouses
Fiberglass is another textile oft used in nursery construction . It is cheaper than glass and polycarbonate , but usually more expensive than polythene . Because it is rigid and very durable , it does not want the morphologic backup of a glass greenhouse and that lessens the cost somewhat , too . Fiberglass also hold up reasonably well to catastrophic weather condition damage and for that reason has been used extensively in space like Florida where hail is a openhanded job .
Disadvantages to using fiberglass include its vulnerability to sunlight photo . When exposed to long periods of sunlight , the fiber in the material tend to tumesce and come down promiscuous transmission . Fiberglass may last as little as five days before the UV partitioning becomes significant . Fiberglass is also quite combustible — equal , say to wood — and fire will continue to take fire , even if you remove the ignition source . Many agriculturist believe this safety gadget release a good reasonableness not to use fibreglass .
Want to learn more about greenhouse coverings?
See these helpful resource : Texas Greenhouse Management Handbookfrom Texas Cooperative ExtensionStarting a Greenhouse Business [ PDF]from Kansas State UniversityGreenhouse Covering Systemsby Gene A. Giacomelli and William J. Roberts : Rutgers University [ PDF ]
