Question for greenhouse owners?

[Becky Litterer]

We are changing our heating to the greenhouse with hotwater using an outdoor wood furnace. So with that we are changing my growing area. We want to use poly to make a curtain but with the hoops we have the brackets will not let the poly hang down. So how do we do it? I know all of you have done this, but just can't figure it out. Pictures would be good but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Becky from Becky's Greenhouse Iowa

[terry]

I have one grhouse that I divide in half in January for about a month. I just take a large piece of plastic (left over from covering the grhouse) and slide it under one of the hoops, at least 12 " so it doesn't slide off. I have a break in the shelves halfway down the grhouse (small aisle ) so thats where I do it, and it can easily hang down to the floor, where I put something heavy on the plastic where it is on the ground. For the sides, where the shelves are, I cut pieces of plastic the can either slide under the hoop and overlap on the shelf, and beneath, I staple the top part to the wood, and the side slides under the hoop. You have to make sure that your thermostat controls are in the heated part, and not in the unheated partition. Also, during the day, I can open up the aisles for the fan to cool down the heated part of the grhouse, by standing on a shelf and pulling down the plastic where it goes over the aisle, since it is just pulled over the hoop at the top. It works well for a temp. measure, and is pretty airtight. Hope I explained it well enough with out pictures!

[Becky Litterer]

Eric...thank you...Larry thought the pictures were very good and now he knows how he will do it. Thanks for much. Thanks for taking the time for the pictures and for posting them. Greatly appreciated. Till later...have a good fall...Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa

[Becky Litterer]

Thank you...this is great. I will let you know how it goes. Wood stove is coming and I am so excited about this new heat source. Till later..Becky Litterer

[Eric Rohloff]

I posted some pics of our poly walls on wires and 1" rollup pipe. For going over bows we use short pieces of lock about 6" long tek screwed to bow or pull a wire from under the gutter to over the top purlin and then back under the next gutter and so on. You can also pull you temp.poly between you bottom layer of roof poly and your bow, then fold it down and staple it to its self.
Hope this helps.

[Becky Litterer]

Thanks for the advise. Larry would like to see pictures of this and other ways that you have to attach temp walls to hoops or gutter line. He is up for suggestions. Thanks. Becky

[Eric Rohloff]

We use a number of technics to attach temp. walls to hoops or gutter line. The fastest is to pull electric fence or high tensile wire between the bows and the bottom layer of roof poly from one gable end to the to the other. You can use a tensioner to get it tighter. Then get a plier stapler and fold the plastic over the wire and staple away. The best thing about this is if you use one year poly just give the plastic a pull to take it down. You may want to consider putting up heavy frost protection blanket along with the poly. We do this on all of our exterior walls for great insulation. This technic can be used in any direction and around obstacles that other ways just don't work well.
If you need pics just let me know.

[Steve]

Whatever you attach at the bow remember that the roof plastic will bouce up and down with the wind so whatever you put up close to the bow needs smooth edges and no sharp objects that could potentially weaken the roof plastic by outside weather conditions.

s.

[Steve]

If you are going to use one sheet instead of 2 sheets separated by a curtain of air. I would split the sheet closest to a connection point... if that is the at the top of the house then split the sheet to the pipe that is in your way and once past the pipe use greenhouse patch tape to repair the split in the plastic. ( http://www.jaderloon.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Sto... ) While you are on this site they also have kwick clips for attaching plastic to the house. Be sure to order the clips for either single or double layer plastic and use the Mil thickness of the plastic you are using before buying your clips. At the top of the house across the bow of the house you may want to use a clamp that wraps around the bow and attachs to a board that you attach your kwick clips to. It is not wise to use tek screws to attach things to the bows because every hole you drill into the bow weakens the structure. Not a good thing in Iowa! I hope this helps.

By the way what brand and model Wood stove did you buy?

Best Wishes,

s.

[Becky Litterer]

Ok will share that with Larry. But do you know how to attach the poly if we want to just do that this year? You know how expensive the wood burner is, so that is where the investment is now? So need to decide how to do the poly or what you suggested? But still need to know how to attach the poly with the cross braces? Thanks and hope you can help. Thanks for sharing and giving us all this help...continue please. BECKY

[Steve]

First I would not use plastic. It is not energy efficient enough. I would use 8mm twin wall polycarbonate. Install it in two sections the section up high where all the pipes are in the way and a second section down low in the aisles and your production area. The high section I would install and leave permanent. It should not affect the operation of the house. (You should be able to piece your polycarbonate around any pipes that are running the length of the house that are in the way of the partition. Just silicone around them when you are finished for a tight seal) The section below your cross braces I would install permanent posts across the house where the partition is to be installed but keep them out of the aisles. You will have to install a set of louvers in the partition for air flow from your exhaust fans. In the partition section where the louvers are installed I would leave that one section installed permanently. That way when you are ready for winter you just have to slap up the polycarbonate from the floor to the cross braces in the house. And you are ready to go. Though the polycarbonate is more expensive it can be reused year after year and they are sheets just like plywood and are a lot easier to work with than two layers of plastic with air in between. Because of the rigidity of the polycarbonate it will make it possible for you to use your exhaust fans without sucking your plastic partition out of the greenhouse :) Oops! LOL! Any questions give me a holler!

Best wishes,

s.