When you are trying to buy a portable greenhouse you might have heard a term called polycarbonate greenhouse. In recent years polycarbonate greenhouses have become more popular than the normal greenhouse glasses since they protect your plant from weather and also offers new gardening opportunity to work nonstop in a garden at any time of the year.
This article covers some of the main benefits associated with polycarbonate greenhouses over buying a traditional greenhouse. While complete greenhouses can be very expensive and can take up large amounts of space, smaller models of polycarbonate greenhouses are becoming the new trend that comes at a low price and offers a very stable and reliable plant growth. Polycarbonate glasses give you the surety for your plants that they will be able to grow healthy in a natural way.
Polycarbonate glasses also require no maintenance compared to your traditional glasses in which case you have to hire a contractor to replace the houses. When it comes to winter gardening they are the perfect solution that you can choose for a greenhouse. It is one of the important decisions you have to make while buying a greenhouse and to do that you need to know the difference between normal glass and polycarbonate glass and its advantages which are covered by us in this post.
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[Top 5] Best Polycarbonate Greenhouse to buy in 2023
Green House |
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Dimension in Inch | Our Ratings | Price |
74.8 x 75.59 x 79.13 | |||
98.4 x 72.8 x 82.2 | |||
79.1 x 80.3 x 77.5 | |||
102.5 x 142.1 x 106.3 | |||
70.74 x 55.81 x 11.4 |
Best Polycarbonate Greenhouse Review
1. Outsunny 6′ x 6′ x 7′ Polycarbonate Portable Walk-in Garden Greenhouse
This miniature greenhouse set Outsunny made of polycarbonate is ideal for garden guests who wish to stay on the ground all year round. This provides all the protection your plants need to thrive without consuming a lot of greenery. The powder-coated aluminium frame and UV resistant polycarbonate sheet resist the elements.
This transparent layer lets natural light penetrate the entire structure. Roof vents provide excellent ventilation for your device. The comfortable individual sliding door design offers easy access from the inside. Our aluminium polycarbonate Outsunny greenhouse is easy to assemble and easy to move or remove. It is the perfect solution for keeping your plants happy and healthy all year round.
Pros
- Powder-coated aluminium alloy frame offers permanent retention
- UV resistant polycarbonate sheet protects your plants
- Convenient individual sliding door design for easy access from inside
- Roof vents provide excellent ventilation for your device
- The solid base provides stable support for the entire structure
- Rain gutters help collect natural rainwater
Cons
- Ventilation is not reachable for a short person.
2. Palram HG5508 Hybrid Hobby Greenhouse, 6′ x 8′ x 7′, Silver
Palram’s hybrid greenhouse gives you the best of both worlds the diffused sunlight for optimal plant growth and clear sidewalls for results. The opaque 4mm dual-wall covering allows up to 70% light transmission for healthy plant growth, and the clear sidewalls allow up to 90% light transmission so you can fully enjoy the beauty of your plants and flowers. Choose from a silver or powder-coated green aluminium frame and 4 to 14 feet long.
Pros
- Built-in Rain Gutters to collect rainwater.
- Manual Roof Vents that gives good airflow.
- Lockable Door Handle for child protection.
- Galvanized Steel Base which can last long.
- Light-weighted design with aluminium tubes.
Cons
- They only provide warranty to US customers.
3. Rion EcoGrow 2 Twin Wall Greenhouse, 6′ x 6′
For the first time, the EcoGrow 2 greenhouse is giving an economical choice for greenhouse growers. It has all the features and designs of a bigger model in a more compact size. It consists of 4mm double-walled polycarbonate roofing panels and 6mm double-walled sidewalls and offers excellent strength, safety, light diffusion, and thermal insulation.
The rugged resin frame is weather-resistant and easy to install with the Pin & Lock system, while the see-through roof panels are now easy to install. Hinged doors with latches and roof openings provided ensure proper ventilation. Attach to heavy concrete or wooden base. If desired, a base kit can be added for extra height and stability.
Pros
- 100% UV protected heavy-duty frame
- Easy pin installation and locking mechanism.
- The shape of the shed has a high opening for comfortable gardening.
- A double-walled 6mm polycarbonate sidewall offers added durability.
- UV protected polycarbonate roof panel provides diffused light to the plants.
Cons
- The base is wooden.
4. Palram Four Season Chalet Hobby Greenhouse – 12 x 8 x 9 Charcoal Gray
The Riga design is inspired by Europe, which means that plants such as flowers, fresh vegetables, and herbs can be grown even in the dead of winter. With some of the best insulation and an onion-shaped design, it will stand up to even the toughest of winters. The design is inspired, which means it can grow plants like flowers, fresh vegetables, and herbs even in the dead of winter. With some of the best insulation and an onion-shaped design, it will stand up to even the toughest of winters.
Pros
- The 4 mm double-walled roof panels block up to 99.9% of UV rays.
- Unbreakable polycarbonate panels.
- includes an assembly kit, a ramp rocker, two roof openings, a galvanized steel base.
- lockable wide double doors system.
- It has a 5-year limited warranty.
Cons
- Very big and heavy in size.
5. Outsunny Stable Outdoor Walk-in Garden Greenhouse with Roof Vent and Rain Gutter for Plants, Herbs, and Vegetables, 6′ L x 6.25′ W
If you own a country property with a large plot of land or a private house with a larger garden and are looking for a reliable and spacious greenhouse that will meet your gardening needs year-round, you’ll love Palram Harmony.
This is a spacious greenhouse that can be compared to a complete model. Measuring 6’ L x 6.25′ W x 6.4′ H, this model offers a large planting area for its users. You can place the boxes on the shelves on several levels to grow more plants and plants.
Pros
- Practical door design for easy access from inside.
- Opening the roof opening ensures good ventilation.
- Ready-hose rain gutters help collect natural rainwater.
- The solid base provides stable support for the entire structure.
- 4 mm PC panel, polycarbonate sheet protects your plants.
- The lightweight aluminium base provides stable support for the entire structure.
Cons
- Professional assembly is required.
What is the best polycarbonate for a greenhouse?
To build a high-quality greenhouse in your backyard most gardeners prefer translucent polycarbonate glasses. The type of colour and width of polycarbonate one should choose will affect its protection from UV rays and it can also increase or decrease its temperature inside the greenhouse.
Polycarbonate glasses come in two divisions which are honeycomb and Monolithic glasses. Honeycomb is a transparent hollow material that is placed on the inner side of the glass and sandwiched between large walls of polycarbonate. It weighs very little and fifteen times lighter than the normal class which makes them easy to replace and they are very flexible for creating complex-shaped structures.
Monolithic has a light transmission of twenty-six percentage and they don’t have a cavity in between sheets. They look more like glass but only more durable and lightweight. They are known as profile glass because it can have a smoother bumpy surface at the same time and it is more aesthetic to watch. It provides more functionality and practicality but both are great for greenhouses so you can choose any single one of them.
How to install polycarbonate sheets on the greenhouse?
Polycarbonate sheets are used in two ways both for roofs and as walls. They are available in various sizes, colours, and profiles and you need to select whichever suits your greenhouse best. The most popular widely used polycarbonate sheets are roof sheets and the lifespan of polycarbonate sheets depends on the quality and the way they were fixed to the columns.
They can be cut with trimming scissors or with a cutting saw. The quality of the sheets are affected by the precision of the cut made, so try to make the cut smooth. All holes must be drill in the panel before installation and always check the manufacturing instructions about drilling the hole. Once you have cut the roof panels to the current frame you need to attach the polycarbonate sheets to the side of the frame by matching the angles of the wooden base and then seal it off with a silicone seal to make it waterproof and permanent.
Best Polycarbonate Greenhouse Buyers Guide
1. Insulation
The most important thing in a polycarbonate greenhouse glass is that it gives good insulation and doesn’t let sunlight out of the greenhouse. Polycarbonate for the greenhouse is better insulation than ordinary glass and it should provide good heat retention properties while normal glass shatters in eccentric condition. It is way cheaper than normal glass and generally has a higher average temperature than traditional greenhouses, this is due to its heat holding capacity which improves the efficiency and performance of your greenhouse and makes so you should be aware of these phenomenons in a polycarbonate glass before buying.
2. Durable
An ideal polycarbonate greenhouse should be shattered resistance because plastic is more durable material than class due to its flexibility and its components match with plastics. The glass should easily handle any impact put on It like even if it through rock on it shouldn’t break and shouldn’t show any signs of damage on it.
3. UV rays protection
The basic functionality of a greenhouse is to provide UV rays protection so it should be equipped with better light diffuses then normal glasses to spread this light around the greenhouse equally and let the plants grow among safe sunlight. It should eliminate the need to move plants higher for the use of artificial lights because polycarbonate is a natural ultraviolet filter, meaning it protects the plants from excessive exposure of sunlight and harmful radiation
4. Easy Installation
You should always consider the option of easy installation. If you need a professional for a product then it might cost you a bit more to set it up. These greenhouses come with a major benefit of fast and easy installation that you can do by yourself. Generally, it takes a day or two but you can finish it in six hours if you dedicate yourself to it. Also if the size of the greenhouse is more it will require more time and effort to build it up and some big greenhouses require professional assembly because of their size and weight.
5. Long-Lasting
You will be using your greenhouse outdoors for many years which is why you should check its quality of the products, so it can survive with continuous heat and water pouring on it every day. Polycarbonate materials perform best in this way because the last long overtime and the materials are strong enough then glass which allows them to do more damage before they brakes.
Changing sheets of glass can be a hassle but polycarbonate materials are lighter due to which you just need to find the right side of the sheet and you can easily replace it. Glass is a complex compound and because creating glass made material requires a lot of skill and attention to it instead polycarbonate are easy to cut and repair so you don’t need to worry about broken windows and doors.
6. Ventilation
Many greenhouses suffer from overheating problems and cause them to damage the crops, so you should think about this factor before buying a greenhouse for yourself.
A greenhouse should also keep the air warm in winter but also release hot air in summer. When you try to go for a greenhouse look for its ventilation system and see if it’s well ventilated or not.
There must be enough airflow to enter and exit the structure and an option to close the ventilation for winter seasons. You can also look for automatic ventilation instead of manual ventilation because they run on solar power and they ensure that the structure always adjusts its temperature according to its surrounding. This means if you even leave the garden for summer days the plants won’t get too hot. Some greenhouses also come with fans to prevent overheating of plants but it is considered a good strategy to buy a ventilated window greenhouse.
General FAQ’s
Why do greenhouse polycarbonate block UV rays?
A glass greenhouse cover will block UV light, however, the more traditional glasses covers don’t always block UV. Some growers will choose a material that will allow UV light into the greenhouse because this way it acts like natural growing conditions. When you allow UV light to enter your greenhouse, you can benefit from the protected environment as well as the UV light similar to outside growing plants.
How to keep greenhouse polycarbonate panels clean?
To keep your polycarbonate greenhouse clean, wash the glass with soapy water and a soft sponge. Never use ammonia or alcohol-based cleaners as they can damage the polycarbonate and never use a dry cloth, as polycarbonate can scratch easily. Prevent future dirt, pests, and disease with low humidity to minimize condensation within the greenhouse.
How thick should polycarbonate be for a greenhouse?
Polycarbonate is much stronger than acrylic alternatives, so you can be sure that you won’t have to replace the polycarbonate sheet immediately after installation. When selecting your polycarbonate greenhouse panels we recommend a minimum size of 3 mm for sufficient hardness. This is because some customers have told us that polycarbonate 2mm thick can be “too flexible”, especially with the larger sheet sizes.
Conclusion
Many greenhouses use polycarbonate glasses because of their capacity to grow and provide the required heat and sunlight that the plant needs. They are flexible to use and don’t break when exposed to sunlight at a high temperature. Polycarbonate comes in many shapes and sizes and cutting at easier than cutting glass so it makes the user to easily cut the polycarbonate glass with scissors or cutting saw.
Although the style of the classic greenhouse is likely to stick around for some years it won’t be long before polycarbonate greenhouses will be built because they have better potential than normal greenhouses glasses. So by looking at this great demand of polycarbonate greenhouses we have made a list of 5 Best Polycarbonate Greenhouse to buy. We have also included all the information about Polycarbonate Greenhouse so it will make your job easy to choose one for your garden.
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