Winter is just around the corner, a rich harvest has long been harvested, and jars of pickles are placed on the shelves and delight the master's eye. So it's time to take care of the greenhouse as well. A few simple tips will help you avoid unpleasant surprises in winter and make your greenhouse work easier in spring.
First, let's prepare the ground. We will remove all plant residues and remove 5-7 cm of soil, where the most harmful insects live. Of course, we'll dig everything up properly, fertilize it with humus, manure, peat (1/2 bucket per 1 sq. M), sand, ash (1 liter per 1 sq. M) and cover it with straw. Do not forget that in winter it is simply necessary to throw snow into the greenhouse so that it protects the ground from freezing, and when the sun comes out, it will saturate the earth with moisture.
Then let's get down to cleaning and maintenance. Until severe frosts begin, we thoroughly clean the greenhouse from dried dirt, dust, earth and plant debris so that nothing interferes with the natural melting of snow. Now let's take care of the future of the framework. Although, if the greenhouse is made of high-quality galvanized steel, for example, the "Tenfi" greenhouse, then it practically does not need to be processed. It is only necessary to lubricate or touch up non-galvanized fittings (latches, door handles). Painted and even more unpainted greenhouses require much more attention: they require special treatment and painting to prevent corrosion.
And in the end, we will take care of safety and durability. Precautions against collapsing greenhouses in the snow is an optional and, in fact, a must-have way to keep your greenhouse safe for years to come. The fact is that no matter how much greenhouse manufacturers want, unfortunately, today there are no such models that would guaranteed could withstand the unpredictable winters of our middle zone, without additional strengthening.
Heavy snowfalls often lead to the fact that snow loads exceed the allowable norm for greenhouse frames, the maximum of which is 200kg / m3. In the design of an arched greenhouse, a ridge falls under this maximum load - the very top of the greenhouse with a width of about half a meter. Just imagine, a 6m long greenhouse has about 3m of maximum load, and this is no more and no less - 600 kg! At the same time, so that the weight does not exceed its maximum, the thickness of the snow should be no more than 30 cm of wet or 70 cm of fluffy snow. As you can see, these figures in our winters can often be exceeded, which means that greenhouses can not withstand the loads and "fold" under the weight of the snow.
So how do you protect your greenhouse from destruction? First, we will strengthen it with internal props at the rate of 3-4 props for a 6m greenhouse. The number of supports may be higher if your greenhouse is located where there is a danger of snow caps - near a fence or in a leeward location. To prevent your props from dropping and sinking into the ground, use a little trick - secure the props to the top bar of the greenhouse and place something solid underneath. Secondly, in order for your greenhouse to withstand all the surprises of winter, try not to allow maximum snow loads, clearing the greenhouse of snow. It is especially dangerous when a lot of snow lies on one slope of the greenhouse. Clearing the snow from the greenhouse is not difficult, usually it is enough just to knock on the polycarbonate with your fist from the inside. High-quality cellular polycarbonate, such as OKTECOLINE, Aktual or Polygal, will not be harmful even at a temperature of -30 ?. Try not to scrape off snow or ice on the outside with hard objects, as this can damage the polycarbonate, reducing its light transmission and UV protection.
If you follow these simple recommendations, the greenhouse will delight you for a long time, bringing comfort to your life and giving you a lot of pleasant minutes when looking at a surprisingly rich harvest.
Tenfi's specialists will be happy to answer all your questions related to greenhouses. For more information, contact the manager in your region.
