GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES

By
Fazal-i-wahid
 GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES
 The short growing season limits year-round outdoor
production of many floriculture crops.
 Therefore, greenhouse production is an essential part of
many commercial floricultural operations.
 The greenhouse structure that a grower selects will be
influenced by the initial capital available and the cultural
requirements of the crops to be grown.
 Structural components of greenhouses are described below
and pictured in Figure l.
A. Ridge:

The Ridge refers to the peak of the greenhouse where

the two sides of the roof meet. Round roofs would not
have a distinct Ridge.

B. Rafters:
 It provide vertical support and can be part of a triangular
truss or they can be arched as in quonset-type greenhouses.
 Spacing of the rafters influences the strength of the
structure.
 Rafters are generally spaced on two- to four-foot centers.
 Very wide greenhouses require reinforced rafter and truss
construction.
C. End Walls:
 End Walls on the north side of a greenhouse may be of solid,
non-transparent construction for added strength and energy
conservation.

D. Side Posts and Columns:

 Side posts and columns establish the height of the
greenhouse and provide vertical support.
 Older greenhouses had eight- to nine-foot sidewalls, while
newer greenhouses are frequently 10 to 12 feet or more tall.
 Taller greenhouses allow for a layer of hanging baskets that
are high enough above the crop below to avoid excessive
shading of that crop.
E. Side Walls:
 Side walls may be constructed with vents at the eave.
 To provide additional air exchange, the side walls may
be constructed of inflatable poly tubes with an inflation
fan connected to a thermostat that will inflate the tubes,
or deflate and collapse the tubes to let in fresh outside
air depending upon the temperature.
Basic structure components of a green house
A: Ridge
B: Rafter
C: End wall
D: Side post
E: Side wall
F: Purlin
G: Eave/Gutter
F. Purlins:
 Purlins run horizontally from rafter to rafter and provide
additional support.
 These may be especially important in high wind and
heavy snow load areas.

G. Eave:
 The Eave of a greenhouse is where the sidewall meets
the roof.
 When the Eave of one greenhouse is common with an
adjacent greenhouse, the Eave area is referred to as the
Gutter.
 Greenhouses are built with a slight drop from one end
wall to the opposite end wall to allow gravity to
facilitate the runoff of water down the Gutters.
 This water can be collected in underground storage
tanks and used for irrigation or on the cooling pads.

Span
The Span of a greenhouse is the width, or distance from
one Eave to the next Eave, both being under one Ridge.
 VENTILATION
 Some structural modifications exist to enhance
greenhouse ventilation.
 Ventilation is the exchanging of inside air with outside air
and is essential to control temperature and humidity
within the greenhouse.
 Historically, ridge vents and side vents have been used
for this purpose.
 Growers have increasingly been adopting the use of
inflatable sidewalls and roof designs that completely
open the roof in order to allow for better ventilation and
air exchange.
 TYPES OF GREENHOUSES
 There are many greenhouse designs, and there are
advantages and disadvantages of each.
 Lean-to greenhouses are seldom used commercially due
to difficulty in integrating automation.
 They also have limited space and they have problems
with proper environmental control.
 The three most common types of commercial
greenhouses are described below:
 Single Quonset or Hoop House
 Free-standing Gable Greenhouse
 Gutter Connected or Ridge and Furrow
 SINGLE QUONSET OR HOOP HOUSE
 Quonset or hoop houses are frequently constructed of
aluminum framing and are one of the most economical and
long lasting greenhouse structures (Figure 2).
 However, they have limited vertical headroom, especially
along the side walls, which can limit growing space, and
reduce space utilization efficiency.
 When covered with a double layer of poly, they have good
energy efficiency, in part due to the lack of seams in the
poly covering.
 This creates a tight greenhouse that traps humidity, which
condenses on the inside of the roof.
 Condensation dripping from the roof onto plants below can
cause favorable condition for the development of diseases.
 To prevent this dripping, anti-condensation products can be
sprayed to the inside of the covering.
 The roof design can be changed to create more of a peak
that is not as flat as the top of an arch, which will cause
condensation droplets to roll down the side walls.
 FREE-STANDING GABLE GREENHOUSE
 Free-standing Gable greenhouses are framed using steel,
aluminum or wood.
 Steel provides the strongest support and wood the
weakest support.
 Any wood used should be treated to prevent decay under
the expected humid conditions.
 Gabled greenhouses can be covered with almost any
type of covering as described below.
 A series of free-standing greenhouses allows a grower to
run different environmental conditions in each house
and, therefore, grow a wide variety of crops that require
different growing conditions.
 Separate houses also allow for isolation of crops for
insect and disease management.
 Connecting the greenhouses to a common work area or
Head-house can facilitate their use in cold climates
(Figure 3).
 GUTTER CONNECTED OR RIDGE AND FURROW
 Gutter connected or ridge and furrow greenhouses are
two or more Gable greenhouses placed side by side
(Figure 4).
 This arrangement can provide very efficient growing
spaces as automation of equipment is easily
accommodated in the large open spaces inside.
 There are a limited number of side walls exposed to the
outside which reduces total energy loss.
 Temporary inside walls can be created by attaching poly
to the inside of the gutter and dropping it to the floor.
 This accommodates growing crops with different cultural
requirements.
 GREENHOUSE COVERINGS OR GLAZING
 Glazing or covering materials for greenhouses vary in light
transmission, heat retention, longevity and cost.
 A grower needs to consider cultural requirements of a crop
when selecting a glazing material to use.
 High light requiring crops like Roses and Geraniums may
perform better under a glazing that lets in high light levels.
 Bedding plants tolerate a wider range of light intensities.
 A greenhouse with numerous structural support pieces will
also have lower light levels due to shading, compared to a
greenhouse with fewer support structures.
 Commonly used greenhouse coverings are described
below.
Glass
 Glass transmits high levels of light, but the number of
sash bars needed to support the panes cause shadows,
thereby reducing the overall light transmission.
 Heat loss is also relatively high due to the high
conductance of heat through the glass, as well as the
seepage of heat around the sash bars.
 Glass houses are expensive compared to alternatives,
but they do have the advantage that they can last for
over 30 years.
Polyethylene Film
 Polyethylene film is almost always used as two layers
with 0.5 to 4.0 inches of air space between the layers
to serve as an insulating dead air space.
 A small squirrel-cage fan is mounted inside the
greenhouse to inflate the space between the two
plastic layers.
 The outer layer should be the stronger layer of six mil
polyethylene, while the inner layer only needs to be
four-mil polyethylene.
 Ultra-violet (UV) light can break down the polyethylene
causing it to yellow and turn cloudy, which reduces its
 Therefore, all polyethylene used for covering year-
around production greenhouses, has a UV inhibitor
incorporated into it.
 Without this inhibitor, the polyethylene film would last
for only one heating season, rather than four years.
 The latest technology in polyethylene production uses
the co-extrusion process.
 Three liquid resins are extruded simultaneously creating
a single layer of film with three different chemistries
across it.
 In the present tri-extruded films, the inner core may
contain an anti-fog surfactant, a UV-inhibitor or an infra-
 These additions are designed to add extra properties to
the film.
 The anti-fog should reduce condensation build-up on the
interior of the film.
 UV-inhibitors slow down the rate of UV break-down of
the film, while the IR blocking agents help to keep heat
in the greenhouse by trapping in infrared radiation.
Fiberglass-reinforced Plastic (FRP)
 Fiberglass-reinforced Plastic is not as popular today as it
once was due to its susceptibility to breakdown by UV
light, resulting in a ten-year maximum life span.
 The stronger corrugated sheets are used on the roof and
the weaker flat sheets are used on the side walls.
 Light transmission is about equal to that of glass, but the
light is more diffused resulting in less shadows.
 Heat retention is only slightly better than glass. The bi-
wall products discussed below have become good
replacements for fiberglass products.
Double Layer Rigid Acrylic Panels
 Double Layer Rigid Acrylic Panels are known for their
high light transmission, long life of over 30 years, and
60% energy savings compared to glass.
 It is flammable which does deter some growers from
installing it.
 Anti-condensate coatings are available for this product.
Double Layer Rigid Polycarbonate Panels
 Double Layer Rigid Polycarbonate Panels have the same
60% energy savings as the Acrylic Panels.
 However, the Polycarbonate product has been more
popular for commercial greenhouses due to its lower
price, flame resistance, and greater resistance to hail
damage.
 Polycarbonate does turn yellow due to UV breakdown,
therefore, it has a shorter life expectancy of
approximately ten years.
 Polycarbonate is available in flat and corrugated single
layer sheets although energy conscious growers have
preferred the double layer panels.