Why Is Plastic Good for a Greenhouse?

What plastics are best for greenhouses?

Polyethylene plastic is an affordable cover for greenhouse structures. It is easy to install and much cheaper than glass panels or hard plastic sheets. It is the most popular choice for small commercial and home growers. When properly installed, quality polyethylene greenhouse plastic should last at least four years, even in high UV environments.

Greenhouse Panda Black and White Poly Film - Light Deprivation Greenhouse Cover 100% Blackout.

Greenhouse Panda film for growing areas is a waterproof polyethylene film that is black on one side and white on the other.  The Greenhouse Panda black and white film - or light deprivation greenhouse cover - works well as a reflective film (reflecting 90% of the light back into the growing area) or as a room partition.

Greenhouse Panda Black and White Poly Film

100% film opacity rating provides maximum control. Reflects heat and cools better than shade cloth. If you want to know more information about the best black film on white plastic, welcome to contact us today or request a quote.  

How do you attach greenhouse plastic?

There are a few different ways to install greenhouse plastic on your DIY greenhouse. Our favorite method of installing greenhouse plastic film is locking grooves and twisted wire. Other popular methods of installation include staples and screws.

Installing greenhouse plastic using staples or screws is the cheapest method; however, it has many disadvantages. Before placing each staple or screw, you will spend a lot of time trying to stretch the greenhouse plastic to ensure that the polyethylene plastic stays tight. Staples and screws will also leave small holes in your plastic sheeting. If you need to re-stretch the plastic after tightening or binding, you will need to repair all these holes. Wiggle Wire is less likely to tear greenhouse plastic in areas of strong winds.

If installing conservatory plastic over a PVC hoop house, please be aware that venting of the PVC pipe will cause premature deterioration of any polyethylene plastic in direct contact. If you are connecting to PVC pipes, to protect your conservatory plastic you have several options.

 White Plastic Cover

Paint the PVC pipe with white acrylic emulsion paint. In addition, avoid using paints that contain mildew and fungicide additives

Apply polyethylene tape to the area where the PVC meets the greenhouse plastic. White tape is preferable (the top layer of pipe tape is polyethylene)

Wrap a piece of the old greenhouse plastic around the PVC before installing the new plastic.

Greenhouse Wiggle wire and lock channel is a quick and safe way to install polyethylene plastic into a greenhouse. Due to the continuous connection of the polyethylene plastic to the greenhouse structure, the wiggle wire and lock channels allow the polyethylene plastic to be fixed more securely to the greenhouse. Compared to staples or screws, the wiggle wire will be fastened tightly to the greenhouse over its entire length at 1 to 2-foot intervals.

The locking channel can be easily fitted to the greenhouse structure as long as you pre-drill the holes or use self-tapping screws. Once the locking channel has been installed, drape the polyethylene plastic over the greenhouse. Next, stretch the plastic and 'wiggle' the wires up and down to lock the plastic into the U-channel. If you need to re-stretch the polyethylene plastic for any reason, it is easy to remove. To remove the wiggle wire, simply 'wiggle' the spring wire up and down in the reverse manner of how it was installed.

If you are interested in learning more about how to build a greenhouse, welcome to contact us today or request a quote.