Covering material for beds | TOP 14 main types: their general characteristics, how to choose? | (Photo & Video) +Reviews

Polyethylene is one of the most popular polymers today. Various light, heat and moisture insulating coatings are made from it, so this material simply could not help but fall into agriculture, both private and industrial. From the point of view of chemistry, this is the simplest polymer formed by a standard hydrocarbon group.

However, it is chemically resistant, and has the following advantages:

The popularity of polyethylene has not lost its significance for almost a hundred years since its invention. Moreover, for the needs of private or industrial cultivation of various crops, in some respects, this polymer is literally indispensable. The main applications of coatings made from this polymer are discussed below. They are distinguished not only by the thickness and color of the film, but also by other parameters (elasticity, thermal conductivity, resistance to ultraviolet radiation, etc.)

The service life of a polyethylene film is from 3 to 5 years. Over time, it loses its properties and needs to be replaced.

Traditionally, plastic film is used by summer residents to cover greenhouses and greenhouses for growing vegetables. (cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc.) in the garden. Usually, in such cases, the greenhouse is not stationary, but is a temporary frame structure, which is covered with a plastic film.

You can generally cover the beds in the summer cottage with a simple design, consisting of steel arcs with simple fasteners, on which the film will be stretched. This installation method is very convenient, because it is relatively simple, cheap and fast. Such a shelter will not last long, but the speed of its manufacture and low cost justifies a short service life.

Depending on various parameters, one or another type of shelter is selected. These options include:

The disadvantages of polyethylene film include its fragility and vulnerability to strong physical influences. (for example, gusts of wind or hail). In this case, to create garden shelters, it is recommended to choose and buy a different type of covering material.

Ordinary polyethylene does not stretch too well under the influence of external factors and weather conditions (wind, precipitation, etc.), so greenhouses often become unusable due to breaks or sagging covering material.

In order to solve this problem, elastic films made of ethyl vinyl acetate are used. By their properties, they repeat polyethylene, but they have greater elasticity and the ability to restore their original shape, like rubber, which prolongs the service life. greenhouses.

Best of all, such shelters for greenhouses have proven themselves in open areas with strong winds.

By adding special substances to polyethylene, materials with good heat-insulating properties are obtained. Outwardly, they resemble ordinary polyethylene, but, as a rule, its color due to additives will be slightly different (most often greenish or matte). Due to their chemical composition, such shelters are able to keep the temperature inside the shelter several degrees higher than outside.

The greenhouse effect created by such materials is more pronounced, which can have its downsides in hot weather. To avoid overheating of crops in the heat, it is recommended to regularly ventilate the greenhouse with a covering heat-insulating film.

Condensation accumulates on ordinary polyethylene film from evaporation, which then drips down onto the plants, which is not always a good thing. A special film of a bluish or greenish tint can cope with this problem.

The main feature of this material is that water does not drip from it, and flows down along the bend lines, which prevents it from falling on plants, which contributes to fewer plant diseases. In addition, due to their composition, such materials protect crops well from ultraviolet radiation.

Such a film can be of different colors: yellow, pink, orange, etc. And the point here is not in aesthetics, but in the special polarization properties of the material. Thanks to special additives, such a material is able to transmit only part of the radiation, blocking those parts of the spectrum that will be harmful to the culture.

Depending on the color, such covering materials are skipped, for example, only infrared radiation, completely blocking ultraviolet. Or, only let through visible light from red to yellow, etc.

It is mainly used as a replacement for mulching material. It is laid on the ground, so that almost all the moisture under the plants does not evaporate, but remains in the ground. This reduces the amount of watering.

In addition, dense dark polyethylene retains the heat of the sun and prevents pests from getting close to the root system of plants.

Polyethylene or polyacetate film, which is applied to a strong nylon frame or a thicker layer of polyethylene. It is practically not elastic, but this is not necessary. The strength and durability of such a material is significantly higher than that of any other film type.

If you cover the greenhouse with such material, the plants in it will not only be isolated from rain and cold, but will also receive protection from hail. Also, this film is ideal for protecting the crop from the wind.

Most often, it is a three-layer structure in which the reinforcing frame is located between two layers of polyethylene. At the same time, various additional components can be added to it, and it can repeat the functionality of all previously considered films.

Reinforced film with holes, dark color, with different polarization coefficients, etc. is also produced. The range of such covering material is huge and can be considered almost universal. But at the same time, it should be understood that the cost of such a material will be 2-3 times higher than the cost of a conventional film, but its operation time will also be longer.

Its structure is similar to the previously considered reinforced one, but at the same time, not a frame is located in the intermediate layer, but foamed air bubbles. Due to the presence of this layer, the heat-insulating properties of such a film increase significantly while maintaining lightness.

At the same time, its structure will be no less durable than that of the reinforced one - the function of the framework is taken over by the numerous walls of the bubbles. It can also have different colors.

There are a large number of materials made prior to this technology. From the point of view of the gardener, they are all almost the same, and have a similar purpose.

Very often, the term "spunbond" is used to name this category of materials. This word does not mean the material itself, but the technology of its production. Regardless of the type of raw material used, the covering fabric is obtained from a molten polymer using a spunbond method (material threads are obtained by forcing a molten polymer through small holes). The covering material itself, depending on the manufacturing technology or country of origin, can be called differently: lutrasil, agril, novagril, agrin, agrotex, etc.

As polymers used in the production of spunbond, for example, polyethylene, PVC or polypropylene can be used. Depending on the density, spunbond can be used as a heat insulator (up to 100 g per 1 sq. m) or as agrofibre (density 200-300 g per sq. m). Spunbond is non-toxic and chemically neutral.

Due to its membrane properties, it can be used as a “breathable” material that allows moisture to pass through in one direction. Also, depending on the production technology, it can be used as a heat insulator, or as a covering material that does not let water through, but carries out air exchange.

There are many manufacturers of this material on the market, so gardeners always have a choice. You can even say more: choosing a covering material is quite problematic, since the production technology is approximately the same and there is not much difference depending on the country of origin.

Well-known foreign manufacturers of covering materials:

Russian manufacturers:

As a standard, spunbond is sold to customers in rolls. Their width can vary widely (from 4 to 600 cm). At the same time, the material is easily cut with any tools.

There are several density standards for such materials. Usually, the density of light (or white) spunbond webs is relatively low. Ini are mainly used for short-term shelters or as thermal insulation.

White spunbond is produced with the following density:

Each of them is used for its own tasks. So, the first, lightest material is used to protect against short return frosts, cold snaps, and temperature extremes. These agromaterials are also intended for sheltering low-growing horticultural crops and seedlings in the open field and for wrapping trees and bushes.

A denser material is used for the construction of greenhouses, for wrapping heat-loving crops and for their protection from frost.

The densest material is used to create stationary greenhouses, which are planned to be operated for several seasons. Naturally, when designing them, one should keep in mind the low transparency of the material; mainly, it is used in the lower sections of the walls.

The white color of the material allows it to reflect most solar radiation and is used for:

Unlike white, which is traditionally located above the plants, this type of material is laid under them - on the ground. In fact, this is a kind of substitute for mulch. It has a low permeability to moisture, as it is designed to keep it in the ground and prevent it from evaporating. In some ways, its functions are similar to the black plastic film discussed earlier.

The soil under such material remains wet for a long time, in addition, it creates an insurmountable obstacle for most pests and weeds. At the same time, unlike a polyethylene film, a non-woven covering material perfectly passes air.

In fact, crop care using such material is greatly simplified - the gardener does not need to weed and loosen the soil. In addition, it is much more durable than any type of mulch. This material does not absorb moisture (some species even repel it), so crops mulched with such coatings should be watered exclusively under a bush.

There are many varieties of multilayer covering materials. Since they consist of several layers, as a result, they combine the same number of functions.

So, for example, a three-layer “pie” made of white material on top, black on the bottom and a heat-insulating layer between them allows us to solve several problems at once:

In fact, they are fabrics made of polymers. In terms of their functions, they repeat non-woven covering materials, but are stronger and more durable. They also come in different colors and can consist of several layers.

In addition, high-density spunbond can be sold under this name, which, although it is a non-woven material, is close in its properties to agricultural fabrics. Usually, the term "agrotextile" is used for it. It is definitely difficult to say which covering material should be used, since they are very similar. Spunbond, although less durable, is lighter, with an approximate similarity of other characteristics.

These materials allow you to cover the ground and act as an artificial mulch. Their advantages over natural methods of mulching are better isolation of the soil from the penetration of pests. They almost completely stop the growth of weeds.

In addition, agricultural fabrics create an optimal microclimate in the near-surface layer, which increases the moisture retention in the upper soil layer. An additional effect of the use of agricultural fabrics is that the soil surface is reliably protected from temperature changes while maintaining air exchange.

There is another important advantage of this material, which significantly increases the yield of some crops. (for example, berries - strawberries, strawberries, etc.).e.) Ripe berries, if they fall on the ground, will not come into contact with the ground, but with a chemically neutral agrofibre. Thanks to this, the crop will be protected from decay.

A hard and durable material used for the construction of greenhouses. Unlike glass, it is lighter, but much less fragile. It can be easily processed with tools, which allows you to build greenhouses of any complexity on your own.

Cellular polycarbonate has a high degree of transparency. Thanks to various additives, like polyethylene film, it can be used to polarize light, which allows it to protect plants from ultraviolet radiation.

May vary in thickness as well as a porous or corrugated structure, which achieves its excellent heat-insulating properties. A polycarbonate greenhouse can be easily dismantled at the end of the season for winter storage and re-installed in the spring.