Topic: Bubble insulation all year round?

[andyh]

A while ago I posted a question about the time for taking down bubble insulation. Many answers were forthcoming including the idea that the the insulation could be kept up all year round to provide shading in the hotter months, as long as ventilation was appropriate. Has anybody tried this? Are there any issues I should be aware of as the lazy option of leaving it up is an interesting idea.

Thanks

Andy

[Doris_Pinks]

Andy, mine has come down, I would be concerned that it would block the natural light needed, and also would harbour nasty stuff as it would be nigh on impossible to clean!  Also surely by it's nature, wouldn't it make the greenhouse incredibly hot? Just some thoughts.DP

[Mrs Ava]

Mine has almost all come down now.  I wait and wait, but the greenhouse was getting like an oven, plus I worry about creepies and slimeys lurking in the bubble wrap and feasting on my plants.  At last I can see the kids playing in the garden now whilst working in the greenhouse!

[SEDUM]

I leave my bubblewrap in place until the threat of frosts has gone.  Admittedly, the piece on the door has fallen off - a cross between overuse of the door and the condensation building up inside so the parcel tape won't stick.  I haven't put it back.

I am worried about the build-up of heat and the obstacle the wrap provides to the ventilation - poor circulation of air can lead to horrible fungal disease...

When it's too light, I let the old IKEA split-bamboo blinds fitted to the outside of the greenhouse take the glare off the plants within  ;D

Art

[Deeds]

I tried an experiment this year, admittedly I'm in Cormwall and we don't usually get much in the way of frosts, but I decided not to insulate the greenhouse as I had a problem with botrytus last year, due to the lack of decent ventillation.

I left the door very slightly ajar all the time and even though we had our coldest winter for years, everything survived.  On the coldest nights I just draped some fleece over the really tender plants.  It worked a treat.

It also worked for a friend of mine who is experimenting on the cold tollerance of South African plants.  He tried this method on the fringes of Dartmoor, and even the strelitzias came through undamaged.

[kenkew]

I've never used bubble wrap on account of storage of the stuff out of season. I do leave green shading in place most of the time in the assumption that it might retain a little heat. This time of year we have cold nights but some very high temp's in the green house. Always a diffucult thing to get right this heat-v-cold.