Selection, operation and maintenance of film greenhouses in the home garden

Choosing film, its preparation, and extending service life

Polyethylene film is traditionally used for covering greenhouses, however, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer materials are gaining popularity. PVC film transmits only up to 10% of radiation in the infrared range and lasts significantly longer than standard polyethylene. When choosing a material, it is important to consider its thickness and specific area to accurately calculate the purchase volume.

• Service life of the film with proper care — 4–5 seasons
• IR radiation transmission by PVC film — up to 10%
• Edge protrusion when flame welding — 1–2 cm
• Protective paper layer when ironing seams — 2 layers

The film is easy to repair and weld at home, which allows for quickly assembling sheets of the required size. You can join pieces of material using high temperature. For this purpose, use an open flame, a household iron, a soldering iron, or a special thermal roller.

1. Press the edges of the sheets between wooden slats so that they protrude by 1–2 cm.
2. Carefully run an open flame along the protruding edges to melt them and create a strong bond.
3. When working with an iron or soldering iron, lay the edges of the film in an overlap on a flat, hard surface.
4. Cover the area of the future seam with two layers of paper so that the polymer does not stick to the metal.
5. Run the heated iron or soldering iron along the seam line, using a wooden slat as a guide.

Any film eventually shrinks due to the evaporation of plasticizing substances. In northern regions, this process occurs more intensely in winter due to frost, while in the south — in summer due to strong heating. To prevent the sheet from tearing due to tension, it is recommended to use a cellular frame cover.

After the end of the season, the cover requires mandatory maintenance. Remove the film from the frame, wash it thoroughly with water, and dry it in the air. Repair damaged areas by patching holes, then carefully fold the sheet and send it for storage in a dry, dark room.

Greenhouse structures and installation features

Choosing between a glass and a film greenhouse depends on the budget and readiness for annual installation work. Stationary glass structures are more expensive but do not require annual removal of the cover. They use frames made of durable steel T-bars or paired angles capable of withstanding winter loads. Glass in such greenhouses with an area of 15 m² is mounted using clips and putty, starting from the roof and then moving to the walls, two doors, and two sliding vents.

Factory-made film greenhouses are significantly easier to assemble and cheaper. The "Urozhay" model is assembled from aluminum tubes on brackets and is installed on 12 support points. The film is fixed on it with special shaped spring clips with rubber gaskets, tensioned around the perimeter, and the free lower edge is covered with soil. For rigidity and protection against sagging, wire ties are used, and ventilation is carried out through end curtain doors.

Another popular option is the "Metro" arch greenhouse. Its frame consists of 5 arches with longitudinal ties, which are fixed in the soil with pins through holes in the support brackets. The cover is pressed to the arches with wire, tightening it until the sheet fits the metal completely, and the bottom is also covered with soil. In winter, such greenhouses are dismantled, parts are cleaned of dirt, and stored in an enclosed room together with the dried film.

The drawing shows a greenhouse of this type, where ventilation is carried out through curtain end doors or by rolling up part of the side film enclosure.

Amateur greenhouse structures are characterized by great variety. These are mainly structures with covers made of film polymer materials, but greenhouses with glass covers are also found. Among amateur structures, three types of buildings can be distinguished: single-pitch lean-to greenhouses, double-pitch with continuous frame film cover, and arch structures.

A standard stationary greenhouse is placed on a level plot of land. Its most common size is 4x6 m. Holes are dug in the corners, into which wooden post-supports are installed. Before burying, the lower ends of the supports are treated with resin, and transverse and longitudinal battens are rigidly attached to the upper ends. After this, the holes are tamped down. Slopes, side and inner support battens are attached to the transverse battens.

Doors made of a frame covered with polyethylene film are provided at the ends of the greenhouse. If ventilation is necessary, the doors are partially or fully opened. For the side walls and roof, sheets measuring 6.1x8.4 m are welded. For reliable fastening, the edge of the film is wrapped around the batten 2-3 times and nailed down. The lower part of the film is covered with soil. For 1 m² of greenhouse area with a thickness of 0.15 m, 0.3 kg of film is consumed.

It is advisable to keep a barrel of water in such greenhouses, which heats up during the day and releases heat at night, protecting plants from cold snaps and light frosts.

The drawing shows a general view and the main structural components of a stationary film greenhouse.

РЕ А РР И 56 А и Б 8 ^ И роВ ПЕ ПНИИ СЯ 1 А 1 | 12 —м—— а Л 11 (— + ю \ 7х Ч 13 ПА | 9 ^э =: 3 12 6 | | 18 н:——.. 9 117 | ПШ у | | хи ЕО РИАЯ 4 6 РЕААР Я АЕ = 5) General view and main structural components of a film greenhouse (start): 1 — anchor; 2 — outer guy wire; 3 — middle guy wire; 4 — base board; 5 — longitudinal strings; 6 — film sheet; 7 — soft padding; 8 — tension beam; 9 — corner batten; 10 — end rafter; 11 — end sheet; 12 — large support; 13 — door bracket; 14 — wire; 15 — rope with rings for fixing the tension beam; 16 — reel; 17 — batten for film fastening; 18 — small support; 19 — rubber cord; 20 — peg

А-А Рой Щи и 1 й м и |7 5 &7 ЗИ | 5 1 \и и ай < и [7 |? У | < 15. т. 6 \ Б-Б 14 р Ра ж. й | й 57; =; п! 16 >27. 17 7 \\ | АА 20 й | а. | М г}, Е т о А 1 и оли Я / х/

General view and main structural components of a film greenhouse

Side sheets can be secured in special reels, which are used to wind the film when ventilating the greenhouse.

A typical example for individual owners is a winter gable greenhouse with a roof made of hotbed frames. Such a greenhouse provides good thermal insulation and lighting in winter. The frame of a gable greenhouse can be: wooden, aluminum, or of a polygonal profile.

The most common is a gable greenhouse with a wooden frame.

Before starting to build the frame, the length of the frame beams for the same purpose is checked. Then, diagonal end cuts are made on the rafters and braces. The lines of these cuts are also marked on the beams. The method of laying them to find and mark the lines of diagonal cuts is shown in figure 3 Greenhouses, hotbeds... 65 ры 3 РА 2” | 5/2

РГ. ЕЯ а ЧА и ее

Winter gable greenhouse: 1 — wall; 2 — foundation; 3 — rafters; 4 — ridge beam; 5 — binding beam; 6 — groove for supporting the frames; 7 — drip edge; 8 — shelving; 9 — shelving support; 10 — gap between the wall and the shelving; 11 — chimney. The method of laying them to find and mark the lines of diagonal cuts is shown in the figure. When laying the beams, the corresponding edges of the end cuts are aligned (they are thickened in the figure), and the lines for performing the diagonal cuts are drawn on the side faces of the beams according to the position of the edges of the beams laid on top of them (indicated by a dashed line).

Construction of angles for diagonal cuts (see page 69). Their layout for performing diagonal cuts at the top of the rafter beams, angle B — at the bottom of these beams, angle y — for performing diagonal cuts at the top of the braces, and angle 6 — at the bottom of them.

All diagonal end cuts are made in advance, but the length of the braces is adjusted on-site after bringing the rafter trusses at the edges of the greenhouse into a vertical position.

To avoid ruining the beams with incorrectly marked and poorly made diagonal cuts, it is recommended to draw all lines for the diagonal cuts on the beams both on-site and using templates obtained by drawing construction. If everything is done correctly, the lines of the diagonal end cuts obtained on-site and by template will coincide exactly. Having checked the length of the rafters and braces once again, you can cut the beams along the drawn lines.

ПИЕ и Г Gable greenhouse: a — with a wooden frame; b — with a frame made of aluminum profiles; c — with a frame with polygonal profile slopes з* 67 4 4 5 2—5 1 5 5 х р _ 2 о — 200 ЕЕ 3 4 > РА ОЧ. ВЧ о 5 2 4 4 4 а 1 1

5 = < ДА } С 6 4 3

Laying beams for marking diagonal cuts: a — on rafters; 6 — on braces; 1 — shims for holding beams during laying; 2 — edges aligned during beam laying;

3 — points defining the lines of miter cuts; 4 — planes of miter cuts; 5 — cut-off parts of the timber

Next, stakes are prepared for marking the areas on the site where the greenhouse uprights are to be installed. It is necessary for the stakes to have the same cross-sectional profile as the upright timbers. It is advisable to cut the upright timbers 30 cm longer than required for the uprights. These excess 30 cm are cut off from the timbers, and stakes are made from them with the exact same cross-sectional profile as the uprights.

At one end, the stakes are carefully and symmetrically sharpened so that their pointed ends fall exactly on the intersection of the diagonals of the end cuts. Symmetrical cutting is necessary so that when the stakes are driven into the ground, they do not shift to the sides and do not alter the outline of the greenhouse in the layout.

Then, fastening brackets are prepared. Holes for the screws that attach the brackets to the frame timbers are drilled on all shoulders of the brackets. To ensure that when screwing the brackets to the timbers, the opposing screws do not hit each other or the nails driven into the timbers, and so that the ends of the timbers do not split, r „7“ and Pa ых 572 Ч» A _ „й И

Laying out angles for miter cuts requires offsetting adjacent holes slightly in different directions from the middle of the shoulder. Nails must pass through the centers of the end cuts.

The slots of the screws should be checked — if they are too shallow, they should be deepened with a hacksaw so that they can be tightened firmly.

The prepared brackets 1—4 are screwed on in advance. When determining the position for the brackets, ensure they do not reach the end cuts of the timbers by 1 mm — this ensures a tighter connection of the timbers when assembling the frame. The brackets are placed against the timbers at the required locations, and the holes made in the brackets for the screws are traced with a pencil. The centers of these outlines on the timbers are pricked with an awl and drilled with a drill (using a bit smaller in diameter than the screw). The screws holding the brackets to the timbers are driven into them. The prepared timbers are painted with oil paint.

The site for the greenhouse is prepared 1 m wider and longer than the greenhouse itself. The soil on the site is dug up, leveled, and compacted. The surface of the site x7 must be horizontal. On the site prepared in this way, the outline of the area where the greenhouse will be placed is laid out using longitudinal and transverse binding timbers. ты

Subsequent work is performed in the sequence presented in the figure. | ный стержень; 2 — гнездо для стержня; 3 — устано- \

Ба | А и К та | а б, ее = ШИМ А В г 8 } 25 Рой \ | 7 РЕ (1 АЯ 7%. Д и И д е Connection of the frame timbers with brackets (beginning): a, b — view from inside the greenhouse; c, d — profile view; g — view from inside the greenhouse from below; e — view from outside from below; 1 — brackets on the upper binding timbers; 2 — brackets on the lower binding timbers; 3 — brackets on the uprights; 4 — brackets on the braces

йе., 22 1 = х я 1 - —\ 72 А В == ру = ры 10 чае в И

: №, \ еГ 9 ” } д 2 РЕ77897 10 Ре И -—У т) и

Connection of the frame timbers with brackets (conclusion): zh, z, i — view from outside; 5 — nails for fastening rafters on roof trusses; 6 — nails for fastening braces to the transverse binding timber; 7 — cut-off parts of the braces; 8 — nails for fastening ridge boards to the rafter timbers; 9 — screws for fastening false uprights and false rafters; 10 — tin brackets reinforcing the connection of the timbers

The sequence of the ten operations shown in the figure cannot be changed arbitrarily.

The roof trusses of the frame are nailed together on the ground. Once assembled, they are placed on the ends of the uprights and nailed to them with 150-200 mm nails. For the strength of the connection between the uprights and the trusses, they are fastened with strips of thin galvanized iron, nailed or screwed on from the outside.

The plates covering the bottom of the greenhouse are easiest to cut from slate using an ordinary carpenter's saw with medium-sized teeth. The height of the strips should be about 45 cm so that the plates

B Technological sequence of assembly of the greenhouse frame (thin lines indicate construction elements installed during the current operation, bold lines — elements installed in previous operations): a — marking the spots for installing the uprights with stakes on the site; b — installing the uprights (2) on the stakes; c — securing the lower binding timbers (3) to the uprights g 5—7 Го В гр

Technological sequence of assembly of the greenhouse frame (continuation): g — placing support posts (1) under the uprights; d — securing the rafter trusses made of timbers (4) and (5) to the uprights; e — securing the upper longitudinal binding timbers (6) to the transverse binding timbers;

Technological sequence of greenhouse frame assembly (continued): zh — install struts (7) for the outer roof trusses; z — nail the ridge boards (8) to the rafters; i — install posts (9) for doorways.

Technological sequence of greenhouse frame assembly (conclusion): k — install dummy posts (10), dummy rafters (11), and lower tie beam bars (12); the film, secured to the lower tie beam, extended 15 cm into the soil.

Plates made of asbestos-cement boards, which are thicker than slate, can be cut using an electric drill with a carbide-tipped bit (drill holes one next to another along the entire cutting line).

Asbestos-cement or slate cladding of the greenhouse bed can be replaced with cladding made of boards painted thoroughly with oil paint. The boards are placed vertically, tightly against each other, and their tops are nailed to the lower tie beams. The bottom of the boards is held in place by the soil, and to minimize the impact of moisture, the bottom of the boards is covered with roofing felt on both sides.

Locking devices are nailed or screwed onto the frame in the necessary places, and screws are driven into the roof frames and rafter beams to secure the frames to the roof.

In areas characterized by unfavorable atmospheric conditions (heavy and frequent precipitation, large temperature fluctuations during the summer), it is useful, in addition to covering the frames with a second layer of film on the back, to make drip edges out of roofing felt on the greenhouse. They will divert water away from the ridge boards and from the upper and lower tie beams of the posts, thereby extending the service life of the greenhouse and, in addition, reducing warm air leakage through gaps between the roof frames and the infiltration of cold water through them into the greenhouse.

Additional covering and drip edges are made as follows. The back side of the frames is covered with film in the same way as the front. The roof ridge is covered along its entire length with a strip of roofing felt, extending 3 cm below the boards forming it on both sides. To divert water from the upper tie beams, strips of roofing felt about 7 cm wide are nailed to the downward-facing edges of the lower frame rails. Protruding 5 cm below the frames, they not only reliably protect the upper tie beams from atmospheric precipitation but also enhance the sealing of the greenhouse. To divert water from the lower tie beams, strips of roofing felt are nailed to the tie beams themselves. To protect the rafter beams from water, strips of roofing felt 4 cm wide are nailed to the side rails of the frames resting on the roof. On the left and middle frames of each section, strips are nailed only to the left side rails; on the right frame of each section, strips are nailed to both side rails. The left frame is placed on the roof first, then the middle one, and finally the right one.

A important warning must be made here. In hot weather, the roofing felt on the roof melts slightly and sticks to it quite firmly over the summer. This can be avoided by covering the inner side of the roofing felt with thin paper and smoothing it with a slightly heated iron.

For convenience of work in the greenhouse, a walkway should be provided. It should be made according to the width of the doorways.

The walls of the walkway are clad, just like the outside of the greenhouse, with slate plates extending 15 cm into the ground and rising above the ground to the level of the lower tie beams of the posts. In the walkway, flush against the plates where they overlap, pipe scraps are driven into the ground, protruding 5-7 cm above the plates 1, and tied with wire 3, the end of which is secured to a nail 4, specifically driven for this purpose into the lower beam of the longitudinal post tie. Above the walkway cladding plates, handrails 5 are equipped. For this purpose, wooden plugs 6 are driven into the ends of the pipes 2, with their end faces positioned at the same level. Handrail strips with rounded upper edges are nailed to the plugs.

Then so-called "aprons" 7 are installed. They are rectangular pieces of film approximately

Drip edges made of roofing felt: A — location of drip edges on the greenhouse; B — securing drip edges to the frame and frames; 1 — drip edges; 2 — section planes; 3 — indices of front sides of sections; 4 — profiles of drip edges; 5 — small nails for securing drip edges to frames and beams; 6 — locations for frame rails; a, b, v, g, d, e, zh, z — profile indices

Н ---№ 6 о Не 2-52 | И 4 | 7 9 2 № | УСС | И ИЖ СС 181 НРА У АЗИИ ими | МА УИ Иа 2) педириредиииги Е ЕЕ ЕЕННИЫ ЕН ИЕ -

Passageway in the greenhouse: a — general view of the passageway; 6 — profile of the passageway on the cross-section plane A-A; 1 — passageway walls; 2 — wall supports made of pipe scraps; 3 — wire guy wires; 4 — nails; 5 — handrails; 6 — plugs; 7 — aprons; 8 — slats for tightening the apron film; 9 — layer of biofuel measuring 1.5x2 m. Their long side is secured with thumbtacks with nails to the lower rim beams of the posts, stretched over the bed, thrown over the handrails, and the free side is lowered into the greenhouse passageway. To prevent the film from sagging, slats 8 are attached to the hanging edges of the aprons.

During the day, when it is warm, the aprons are rolled onto their slats and laid along the greenhouse walls, and as soon as the plants grow and begin to touch the film, the aprons are removed entirely and stored until the following year. That is, the aprons essentially create hotbeds inside the greenhouse.

И 7А Ш И < Rack for temporarily removed frames For frames removed for ventilation of the greenhouse (hotbed), a rack is equipped, consisting of two pairs of stakes driven into the ground and connected at the bottom and top in pairs by slats. It should be noted that greenhouses covered with polymer film materials generally have a cross-sectional roof profile in the form of a broken line (polygonal profile). | An example of such a design is a greenhouse with flexible frame joints.

д” Г ы АА М 7\ ИТ и \ |1 \ й | \ 7 \\ ое 29 3

Е 555555 СВ 2. 1 РРР СВ

Greenhouse with flexible frame joints: 1 — flexible strip; 2 — wooden block; 3 — longitudinal rib; 4 — base; 5 — tie beam

The frame of the greenhouse with flexible frame joints is assembled from whips positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the covering with a spacing of 100 mm. Each whip is made of uniform wooden blocks 370 mm long, with semicircular cutouts made in their ends.

When joining the blocks 2, longitudinal wooden ribs 3 or ribs cut from metal pipes are inserted into the resulting circular holes. The blocks are connected at the top and bottom with flexible strips 1, which are cut from old conveyor belts or inner tubes. Then the middle of the frame is raised, connected at the support points with tie beams 5 (wooden rods) to provide rigidity, and covered with polyethylene film. The structure is reliable and convenient to operate. It is easy to disassemble and store in a folded state for the winter. The dimensions of the greenhouse can be various.