Early cultivation of crops is always a serious risk that external factors will become an obstacle, depriving the crop and devaluing all efforts. Therefore, gardeners are trying to protect their plants from weather changes, providing them with the most comfortable conditions. One of these ways is to use hinged polycarbonate greenhouses. Consider the advantages of this design and how to make it yourself.
Polycarbonate greenhouses with opening top: features and purpose
A greenhouse is an agricultural design that is intended for growing seedlings or small plants in greenhouses. Due to the fact that the walls of the greenhouse are made of a transparent material that does not prevent the penetration of sunlight, the soil inside is heated, and the moisture does not evaporate as it does in open ground. As a result, the inside creates the most favorable conditions for plants: high and stable temperature, as well as humidity.
Helpful advice! If you want to provide plants with comfortable conditions, you can increase the level of CO2 in the greenhouse. To do this, it is enough to place it near the place where any organic waste is decomposed.
It is important not to confuse a greenhouse with a greenhouse, since these structures have significant differences from each other, and first of all it concerns their dimensions. Greenhouses are much larger than greenhouses in size and can be used for growing large crops. Greenhouses, as a rule, do not exceed human height in height and are used for seedlings or small plants.
The standard dimensions of a greenhouse do not exceed 1-1.5 m in length, 1-1.5 m in width, if the construction is single-leaf and 2-3 m, if it is two-fold. In length, this design can be from 1.5 to 4 m, depending on the wishes and capabilities of the owner.
Constructions of this type are used to grow a variety of crops, including all kinds of greens: dill, parsley, lettuce, lettuce, sorrel; vegetables: carrots, onions and others. You can also grow berries, such as strawberries, strawberries. Often, greenhouses are used for growing flowers.
It is important to understand that placing plants inside a greenhouse is only one of the stages of their cultivation. In the future, you will have to constantly make sure that the conditions inside the structure are comfortable for the plants to be grown. Do not allow overheating or freezing. It is for this purpose that the opening flaps are used, which make it possible to regulate the temperature and prevent dehydration and dying of the plants.
Thanks to the ease of use of such a structure, greenhouses with an opening top have gained their popularity. But you should not miss the fact that the designs of this type may differ from each other, and have their own characteristics and advantages. Among the main types, three options are worth noting:
- Greenhouse “Snail” is a structure having a section in the form of an arch. One or both of the doors of such a structure opens, giving the owner access to the plants.
- Greenhouse “Zucchini”? one more structure with an arched section. This method differs from the previous one in the way of opening: the sashes go up, which is often associated with the wings of an insect. Because of this, it is often possible to find the second name of this greenhouse? “Butterfly”.
- “Belgian glasshouse” is not so popular, but still quite famous among summer residents. Externally, the body of this design resembles a box or chest, the top cover of which rises. In this case, the upper part of the greenhouse can be single-slope or dual-slope.
According to the owners of greenhouses, each of these options has its advantages, and deserves to be installed on the site. Consider the main positive aspects of the use of such structures:
- the size of the greenhouses allows you to install them on almost any, even very small area;
- low cost is another advantage of such greenhouses. All materials required for the manufacture of the structure have an affordable price, which makes it possible to purchase such a greenhouse or make it by hand;
- greenhouse designs? are mobile. The owners have no problems in order to dismantle the structure or simply move it to another place, because the size and weight of the polycarbonate greenhouse is completely small;
- efficient use of the entire territory, which is reserved for a greenhouse. Thanks to the opening roof, the owner can access any plant located inside the structure;
- There is no need to buy a ready-made greenhouse, if it is possible to devote a little time and effort. With minimal financial costs, it is quite possible to build a structure with your own hands, especially if you have a basic set of tools and the ability to use them.
Helpful advice! To buy the most convenient greenhouse, you can view as many designs as possible on the Internet. To do this, you must specify in the search engine an exact request, indicating the city in which you live. For example, to prescribe “Polycarbonate greenhouses with an opening top Cherepovets.” In the photo section you can see all possible options and prices.
Far from always, the owners of summer cottages have a question about where to place the greenhouse. Indeed, in most cases the territory is initially small, so the design is placed where it fits. But even in this case, it is worth taking care of its correct location. As for large areas where there is enough space for a greenhouse, here you need to try to meet all the necessary conditions, which will allow you to get a high yield in the future.
Regardless of the size of the plot, the greenhouse should be positioned in such a way that it “looked” to the south or east. This will give the plants plenty of sunlight. As practice shows, in greenhouses, which are located to the north or west, most of the crops grow worse.
In addition, it is important to ensure that the greenhouse is located on a well-lit area. Trees and walls of buildings should not interfere with the ingress of sunlight, as this is extremely important for their growth and development. In this case, it is worthwhile to ensure that the structures are protected from the north, since it is from this side that the coldest winds blow.
Helpful advice! In addition to all the objective factors, choosing the location of the greenhouse, it is important to take into account the convenience of its use. The most important thing is that you have free access to any of its points and without problems could open the upper part.
Looking through the photos of polycarbonate greenhouses, you can see that they all have a fairly simple design, the independent production of which does not require too much effort. But in order for the resulting construction to meet all the requirements and be solid, you need to try to follow some recommendations. Step by step we consider each step of construction.
You can make a greenhouse with an opening top of virtually any material. However, this will largely determine its operational life and will affect how comfortable it will be to use and how often you will have to face the need for repairs. Consider the most common materials and their characteristics.
Wooden frames for greenhouses are used not too often, although it is necessary to recognize that this material is used for this purpose more often than anyone else. Now it is gradually being abandoned, which is associated with its two significant drawbacks: the tendency to rot and desiccation. In addition, wood can be a place for insects.
Where a more durable greenhouse will work, if you use a galvanized profile for the frame. This is a very durable material, so that a structure made from a profile will not be afraid of precipitation and strong wind. In addition, the material is easy to use, which allows assembly even alone.
To build the frame can be used and galvanized corners. Due to this, the strength of the structure will be extremely high, although the cost of the greenhouse will be somewhat higher. It is because of the extra expenses, gardeners do not often use this material, especially when it comes to building a small greenhouse for seedlings or greenery.
Another very convenient, but not so expensive option is metal-plastic pipes. They are very flexible, due to which it is easy and convenient to work with them, giving them the desired shape. The finished design will have a small weight, and if necessary it can be easily moved to another place.
Helpful advice! If you need to make a temporary structure, and at the same time you need to spend as little money as possible on it, then the use of plastic pipes and plastic film would be an ideal option.
If you value reliability and durability, then you should pay attention to aluminum pipes. This is a rather expensive material, which, nevertheless, is able to serve for many years. But such a structure should not be installed on an unclosed and unprotected area.
The foundation is no less important part of the greenhouse than the frame or covering material. He plays the role of support, as well as the insulating layer, not allowing the ground inside the structure to freeze. In addition, inside the greenhouse a favorable environment is maintained, which is formed due to decomposition of organic residues.
Given the fact that the greenhouse of polycarbonate has a small weight, it is quite possible to do without the foundation. But if you do not plan to move the greenhouse, then it is better to take care of the arrangement of the foundation of brick, timber and concrete.
The simplest algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Along the perimeter of the future greenhouse markup is performed.
- By marking dug trenches 10-25 cm in depth.
- A third of the trench is covered with sand.
- Bricks or a box from a bar of the suitable size inside keep within.
- All remaining space in the trench is filled with gravel. Although it is quite possible to just fill it with earth.
- The frame is fixed to the foundation with the help of long metal pins, each of which is hammered into the ground by 50-70 cm. This method makes it possible to fix the greenhouse as efficiently as possible and prevent its displacement even in the case of exposure to very strong winds.
This design provides the ability to open one or two side flaps by sliding up and back. Often this model is called the “Breadbox” because of a similar mechanism of action. The moving parts are fastened with the help of hinges, due to which their movement is ensured.
Each of the mounting options that were considered is a simple and at the same time effective way to make a polycarbonate greenhouse with an opening top, suitable for growing seedlings and small crops. Of course, there are no problems in order to purchase a ready-made structure, but many gardeners still prefer self-made structures, considering that you can independently realize a perfectly suitable greenhouse made of polycarbonate. A video of the installation of the frame and covering the greenhouse with covering material clearly confirms that all the steps can be done with your own hands.
