Today it is difficult to meet kitchen garden without greenhouse, especially it concerns those areas where the summer is short. So there is a wish to grow up thermophilic cultures, and not just onions, carrots and potato. Therefore each true gardener has greenhouse, and many have it not one.
The easiest way to get the greenhouse - to pay money and to wait until the firm establishes it in the specified place of kitchen garden. But this way not for those who want to make the greenhouse with own hands and wait that it will be unique, such what her owner wants to see. Such greenhouse will be for certain stronger, more reliable and to conform to all functional requirements which the owner wants to see.
Among other things, it is known that for reduction of costs the producer will surely try to save on materials and fixture. Therefore all the same it is necessary to strengthen independently in addition design, including at the expense of more powerful base.
Polycarbonate merits and demerits
Today, perhaps, the most popular material which fans of country life use in greenhouses is polycarbonate. As well as any material, it has the pluses and minuses. It is possible to carry to the first:
- In comparison with polyethylene and glass polycarbonate is much stronger material. The roof covered with polycarbonate in the winter easily maintains snow loads while glass can fall off and become useless.
- Besides, if to compare to glass, then the cost of polycarbonate is much lower.
- As material two-layer, polycarbonate has higher heat-insulating qualities.
- Among properties of polycarbonate ability to scatter sunlight, it allows to reduce risk of burning of plants at hot weather.
- Polycarbonate is resistant to wide temperature range, it maintains both the Siberian frosts, and the southern heat.
- At last, what very important for fans everything to do by the hands, this material easy, flexible and freely giving in to drilling that considerably simplifies mounting work of the greenhouse.
It should be noted also shortcomings of polycarbonate:
- First, fusible material complicates additional heating of the greenhouse, for example, by means of furnaces.
- Secondly polycarbonate is subject to "burning out" in the conditions of surplus of sunshine and then it becomes short-lived.
- One more lack of polycarbonate is availability in the market of set of low-quality material. The first test can be made by means of weighing, the leaf sizes 600Х210 has to weigh about ten kilograms if weight is much lower, then it is low-quality and fragile polycarbonate.
Nevertheless, today polycarbonate is the most popular material used in greenhouses and hotbeds.
The choice of design for the greenhouse from polycarbonate
Thanks to elasticity of polycarbonate it is possible to design greenhouses of the most various forms. Today it is often possible to see structures of greenhouses with roundish roofs in which support arches are.
But it is necessary to remember that snow therefore in regions with snow winters, it is better to build greenhouses from two or single-pitch roof descends from them worse.
Selection of material for framework
In selection of material for greenhouse framework from polycarbonate, it is necessary to proceed from its dimensions. Naturally, than they are more solid, the framework has to be that more reliably. Today the framework for the greenhouse can be made of polycarbonate:
- from wooden bar;
- galvanized profiles;
- the pro-thinned-out metal pipes and steel corners;
- polypropylene pipes.
It is obvious that the last option the least strong and is suitable for small greenhouses and hotbeds. Though has two big advantages: it is not subject to corrosion and is low budget.
Frameworks also do of aluminum, the quality turns out excellent, but also cost not all on pocket.
Framework from wooden bar
The greenhouse which framework is constructed of wood – construction reliable, but it is necessary to remember that the tree perfectly absorbs moisture, and therefore is subject to rotting. Therefore materials of which the framework of the greenhouse is under construction need to be impregnated carefully with the antiseptics intended for street use.
The most widespread section of wooden bar of which the greenhouse framework – 50*50 is made on design corners for bigger reliability it is possible to ispolzvat thicker bar. By the way those who want to save on materials can make bar, knocking together together two – three boards. They, to all other, it is better, than the bar is transferred by loadings and are stronger design.
It is the simplest to fix framework racks to the wooden basis by means of metal corners which can always be bought in shop and that racks still of weak design were not unsteady, it is better to record them temporary hay crops.
As for roof, that is, of course, the handymen capable to make timber frame construction arch, but it is more logical to design it with one or two slopes. Drawings of such designs and also it is always easy for instruction for their mounting to find in the Internet.
Greenhouse framework from the pro-thinned-out metal pipes
Such design it is indisputable stronger, than wooden, but also labor costs demands considerably big. But for the gardeners wishing to build the greenhouse of polycarbonate the hands with large-scale of reliability and durability, this option will approach as well as possible.
But at the same time will demand to master welding business. Of course, pipes among themselves it is possible to fix also bolted connections, but the welded design much more reliable. Metal, as well as tree is subject to corrosion therefore the profile pipe needs to be processed special structure.
Advantage of profile pipe is that at the big durability it can be brought under and, respectively the structure of the greenhouse can be made arch.
Framework from galvanized profiles
Advantages of such framework in simplicity of mounting and small weight that does not demand to construct the heavy base. Shortcomings are shown in areas with abundant snow under which weight the galvanized profiles easily bend.
When mounting the normal technology, as is used at construction of partitions and walls from gypsum cardboard. The difference is that the covering of framework is made on the one hand then gypsum cardboard fastens.
It is better to do roof of this design with abrupt slopes to reduce snow loading during winter, to make racks of two profiles twisted among themselves and, besides, for bigger rigidity of design, to connect the next racks hay crops.
The choice of the base for the greenhouse from polycarbonate
The greenhouse is not the lock on sand and not colossus on clay feet, the reliable support is necessary for it. There are several types of the bases of the greenhouses applied to construction:
- continuous footing;
- the base from wooden bar;
- column base.
When choosing one of these options will correctly consider that time to which construction is built. If it becomes for ages, it is better to choose the base having the large-scale of durability – tape. It is very labor-consuming, demands earthwork and concrete work, but to such base it is possible to fix safely frameworks of any design which, will have by the way not only reliable support, but also security from cold penetration and also excessive moisture. For this purpose will be not superfluous to lay out on base perimeter brickwork height in two-three bricks.
If in use kitchen garden there can be need of re-planning of the site, then it does not make sense to build concrete bed. It is possible to be limited to the base from the wooden bars fastened among themselves on greenhouse perimeter. The bar is used from 100*100 mm and thickness.
Here it is necessary to remember that at contact with the earth the tree quickly becomes useless therefore it needs to be processed carefully the means which are pushing away moisture and also to think over the system of waterproofing which will protect the base of the greenhouse.
But all the same, such design is short-lived and will demand full replacement of the basis after a while. Therefore the option when the wooden basis keeps within on the metal columns located on greenhouse corners is often applied. These columns are reliably concreted, platforms for fastening of the base are welded on them.
The design does not save from frosts, but basis life cycle considerably increases.
Care for the greenhouse from polycarbonate
Rules of care for the greenhouse from polycarbonate are simple and clear to everyone. On spring of wall of the greenhouse it is necessary to wipe with rag of the wetted in soapsuds. Connectors and joints of sheets of polycarbonate can become places of mold growth, remains of insects and so forth. It is the best of all to provide it at stage of construction and to close up such places sealant. Also it is better to shake surplus of snow specially in the winter from greenhouse roof that polycarbonate was not deformed.