Greenhouse Coverings: Differences Discussed
You will find that when exploring the world of hobby greenhouses that there are many types of coverings to chose from.

Posted Wednesday, April 5, 2006

A covering on a greenhouse is meant to absorb the heat of the sun and allow certain sunrays in for plant growth, and allows you to control the environment inside the greenhouse.

The types of coverings that are most often used for greenhouses are glass, polycarbonate, and plastics. There are also greenhouse kits that are composed of film plastic and of acrylic, but the plastics often need replaced every few years and the acrylic can turn yellow with time. Let's compare glass and polycarbonate in more detail. When you have a glass greenhouse in your garden or yard, over just the period of ten years you will find that the glass has become brittle and is easily broken by hail, accidental bumping of the panes when the exterior is extremely cold, and when children or animals are running nearby. Over the period of ten years a polycarbonate covering on your greenhouse will not break unless you cut it with a sharp object or if you have more than ten inches of snow on the roof. Polycarbonate panels can absorb the hard hits from hail, and from many objects that are thrown at it. When you bump the polycarbonate panels in the middle of winter it is still very flexible and will not break. Over the period of ten to twenty years, the glass on your greenhouse can yellow which can be unsightly. Over the period of ten to twenty years, the polycarbonate panels, treated with UV protection, will not turn yellow. They will be the same clean color as the first day you received your greenhouse kit.

Both glass and polycarbonate panels that cover the hobby greenhouse do need washed a minimum of once a year to keep dirt and bacteria off and so that the amount of sunlight entering the greenhouse is not broken up because of filth.