How Plastic Greenhouse Coverings Can Extend Your Growing Season and Crop Yield

Those involved in any kind of agricultural business know how important it is to protect your crops from the elements. This is especially true in areas that experience harsh weather conditions. Plastic greenhouse films are essential if you’re looking to extend your growing season and get better yields on the crops you harvested. In this post, we will go over how an agricultural plastic covering can do this as well as go over what options will work best for you depending on the goals you’re trying to accomplish with your harvest.

How Agricultural Plastic Coverings Enhance Your Grow and Yield

A plastic film offers a protective layer above your greenhouse crops and can serve a variety of functions. Its main benefit is that it protects your crops from the elements like the sun, rain, or snow. However, these plastic film coverings come in a variety of different types— each serving its own specific function.

Even the most standard 6 mil polyethylene greenhouse film can have the ability to protect your crops from excessive sun exposure and moisture that can lead to mold and rot. However, the only drawback of this covering is that it tends to be less durable than other options. The truth is that farmers and hobbyist growers actually have a lot more plastic coverings to choose from than they think.

Thermax Condensation Control Greenhouse Film

This anti-condensation greenhouse film is ideal for growers looking to eliminate excessive condensation in their harvest. While it doesn’t prevent condensation from forming on the plastic film itself, it directs the water away from the film before it condenses into droplets on the film’s surface. Regular polyethylene sheets tend to collect water that eventually condenses into droplets.

Not only can these droplets produce excess moisture, but they can also create a lens that UV light reflects through, which can lead to burn spots on your crops and reduce the overall quality of your yield.Thermax condensation control greenhouse film operates differently in that it repels the water in a way that allows it to form a thin layer across the entire film’s surface.

This prevents the water from forming droplets that can damage your crops. With condensation control plastic, water drains more evenly and is dispersed to the lowest point of the film's surface. Because of the way water is repelled from the film, light can be distributed more evenly, making this an excellent option for climates that get a lot of rain.

Luminance Light Diffusion Plastic Coverings

Now that you know that certain plastic coverings are specifically designed to handle condensation, we’d like to take this opportunity to discuss another type of greenhouse plastic film that is made specifically to distribute light evenly. This is Pro-Tect’s luminance light diffusion plastic film. This type of plastic covering is specifically designed to distribute light evenly throughout your greenhouse.

Standard plastic greenhouse films tend to expose your crops to high amounts of direct sunlight, which can lead to lower yield and inferior quality crops. Light diffusion plastic, on the other hand, can spread the UV energy evenly throughout your greenhouse, ensuring that your plants are receiving a steady exposure to sunlight that can enhance the photosynthetic process leading to higher yields and higher quality. It can also extend the length of your growing season because it maintains your greenhouse’s temperature more efficiently at night, keeping the temperature warmer throughout the year.

Black and White Reinforced Light Deprivation Plastic

Another type of plastic film made specifically for flowering plants is black and white reinforced light deprivation plastic. This type of plastic covering allows you to control the amount of darkness that your plants are exposed to. Flowering plants tend to flower in the dark, believe it or not, and if they get too much sunlight, they will not develop as intended. This is a great example of how plastic greenhouse coverings can be used for a variety of purposes and are an essential and versatile tool to increase the quality of your yield.

Clear Reinforced Plastic

If you’re looking for protection against harsh weather conditions, then a standard polyethylene plastic cover will not be enough. You need a clear reinforced greenhouse plastic film that was built with durability in mind. Clear reinforced plastic coverings are much stronger than standard plastic coverings and are much more resistant to powerful UV rays. They’re also extremely weather-proof and can control the condensation levels of your greenhouse, allowing for optimal growing conditions.

Summary

Now that you know all the different types of plastic coverings and the functions they serve, it has become clear that having a plastic covering over your greenhouse is crucial if you’re looking to get the most out of your harvest. Growing crops, whether for business or pleasure, is always challenging. Don’t make it harder on yourself by not having the proper protection that can enhance the quality and yield of your crops grow. By choosing the right plastic covering, you will be able to extend your growing season and get much better results than you would without the right protection from the elements.

Sources:

https://shrinkwrapcontainments.com/p-92-thermax-condensation-control-greenhouse-plastic.aspx