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When a stationary greenhouse does not fit in a small summer cottage, the owner tries to build a small greenhouse. A common option is a covering material stretched over arcs driven into the ground. If you approach this issue creatively, then such a simple design as a butterfly greenhouse will greatly facilitate the care of plants. The product can be bought in a store or made by yourself. To help summer residents, we have prepared blueprints for a greenhouse, and user reviews will help you figure out if a butterfly is suitable for your site.
What is the butterfly design
The appearance of a butterfly greenhouse with closed flaps resembles a chest with an arched top. The side doors open upwards. Depending on the length of the greenhouse, one or two flaps are installed on one side. When fully open, the doors resemble wings. From here the greenhouse acquired its name - the butterfly.
The scheme of factory-made products from different manufacturers is almost the same, but the size of the butterfly may vary. Greenhouses with a height of 1.1 m, a width of 1.5 m, and a length of 4 m are considered to be the most popular. The weight of the assembled butterfly is approximately 26 kg.
The butterfly frame is made from a profile. The most reliable frame is considered to be made of metal-plastic elements. Polymer coating prevents rapid metal corrosion. A good option is a galvanized profile frame. However, zinc plating is less durable than polymer. The frame made of plastic profile is completely non-corrosive. The design is lightweight, but inferior in strength to its metal counterparts.
With regards to the covering material, a butterfly greenhouse is usually made of polycarbonate, although in rare cases a film or non-woven canvas. It is best to attach polycarbonate sheets to the frame. This material is durable, it is well fixed with hardware to the profile, it allows you to provide an optimal microclimate inside the greenhouse. In addition, polycarbonate gives additional rigidity to the structure.
A butterfly sheathed with polycarbonate is the same greenhouse, only smaller in size. Naturally, it will not work to grow tall plants in a greenhouse due to the limitation of its height. The butterfly holds a large amount of soil, so it is ideal for growing seedlings. Under polycarbonate, the soil warms up quickly, which accelerates plant growth.
A greenhouse of a similar design is suitable for growing early watermelons, melons, root vegetables and all undersized vegetables. Sometimes housewives adapt the butterfly for growing flowers.
In summer, in hot weather, the greenhouse flaps are kept open. They begin to close in late autumn with the appearance of frost. This allows you to extend the fruiting time of vegetable crops. In early spring, the shutters are covered at night to provide the seedlings with a comfortable environment and protect them from night frosts.
If desired, the butterfly greenhouse sheathed with polycarbonate can be equipped with heating using a heating cable. Such a greenhouse is ideal even for growing early cabbage and low-growing tomatoes.
Pros and cons of butterfly greenhouse
Studying numerous user reviews, we tried to collect the main disadvantages and advantages of a greenhouse. In recent years, a small greenhouse butterfly has settled on many summer cottages, and first, let's touch on its advantages:
- The manufacturer and vegetable growers, who have had a butterfly on the farm for a long time, assure that the product will last at least 10 years. Naturally, this figure is achievable provided that the frame is sheathed with polycarbonate.
- Opening butterfly flaps on both sides allow you to maintain a garden bed. This approach allows you to expand your homemade greenhouse for more plant capacity.
- The greenhouse is lightweight and compact. It can be placed anywhere in the yard, disassembled for transportation and quickly assembled if necessary.
- Ideally, when such a small greenhouse is installed permanently on the foundation. Durable polycarbonate on the arched roof will not fail in heavy snow and gusts of wind. In summer, with fully open doors, long cucumber lashes can be released from the greenhouse. That is, the butterfly can be used all year round, without disassembling and rearranging it from place to place.
With regards to the shortcomings of the butterfly, user reviews are often directed specifically at factory-made designs. Greenhouses from different manufacturers differ in size, quality and material. Here's what vegetable growers don't like about such products:
- On sale there is a greenhouse, the frame of which is made of ordinary metal profilecovered with paint. Over time, it peels off, and immediately peels off at the bolt attachment points. Users say the paint quality is always poor. The frame begins to rust if it is not periodically tinted.
- Bolt holes often contain large burrs. You have to remove them yourself with a file.
- Some manufacturers recommend sheathe the butterfly with foil in the absence of polycarbonate. This is very bad advice as it reduces the rigidity of the structure. In addition, the rigid edge of the polycarbonate is able to provide additional support for the closed sashes in the lower trim.
- Butterflies serially produced in production often have large gaps between the closed flaps and the body. Sometimes there are weak loops that unbend when the valves are opened.
- Lack of collapsible butterflies in permanent sealing of joints. Each season, when assembling a greenhouse, you need to spend money on buying silicone.
You can avoid the shortcomings of the factory design by making a greenhouse yourself.
Assembling a factory-made butterfly
At home, a factory-made butterfly greenhouse is assembled according to the manufacturer's instructions. The attached diagram indicates the sequence of connection of all elements of the frame.
The assembly instructions look something like this:
- Assemble the frame of the greenhouse according to the attached drawing using hardware. Each element must be connected with a T-shaped or corner fastener.
- Reinforce supporting elements longer than 2 m with a cruciform fastening.
- Cover the assembled greenhouse frame with polycarbonate or polyethylene.
The instructions for each manufacturer may be different, but in general terms, all the points for assembling the frame are the same.
Self-made butterfly greenhouse
Making a butterfly greenhouse with your own hands is not so difficult. To make sure of this, we will now look at the main stages of this process.
Preparatory work
To make a neat greenhouse with an aesthetic look, you need to draw its diagram. It is important to indicate on it all the elements of the frame, their dimensions and bolting points. Immediately you need to decide on the shape of the valves. They can be made semicircular or even.
With the self-production of a drawing, a similar problem will arise.For review, we provide a photo with the image of different patterns of butterflies.
Choosing a place for installing a greenhouse on the site
Any greenhouse or greenhouse is located from north to south. It is better to choose an area that is not shaded or at least well illuminated by the sun until lunchtime. The butterfly will fit in any corner of the yard, but you need to provide free access to the shutters from both sides. It is important to consider that there will be shadows from tall trees and buildings, but a dense green hedge will protect the greenhouse from the cold wind.
Foundation laying
Collapsible greenhouses are rarely installed on the foundation. If the butterfly trimmed with polycarbonate will be used as a stationary greenhouse, it is optimal to put it on the base. A powerful foundation is not needed for a lightweight structure. It is enough to bury it into the ground by 500 mm. You can put together a wooden box as a base, but it will quickly rot in the ground. It is optimal to lay out the base of red brick, hollow blocks, or, in extreme cases, knock the formwork around the trench and pour concrete.
Making a wooden frame
At home, the simplest version of a butterfly can be made from wooden slats and old windows:
- From the prepared drawing, the dimensions are transferred to wooden slats with a section of 30x40 or 40x50 mm. Saw off all marked elements with a hacksaw.
- Guided by the scheme, the frame of the greenhouse is assembled. The roof will turn out to be triangular and flat. It will not be possible to bend arcs made of wood, so it is better to stop at straight doors.
- From above, the sash frames are fixed to the finished frame with the help of hinges. From above they are covered with a film. If the farm has old window frames, they will play the role of ready-made sashes. Window glass will remain as a cladding.
- The sides of the frame can be sheathed with a board, but they will be opaque. Reinforced polyethylene, plexiglass or polycarbonate is a good choice here.
If desired, the wooden frame of the butterfly can be upholstered with a non-woven covering material.
Manufacturing of a frame from a metal profile
The principle of assembling a frame from a metal profile is the same as for a wooden structure. The only difference is the semicircular sash. For them, you will have to bend the arcs at a specialized enterprise.
The greenhouse will be stationary, so it is better to weld all the frame elements. First, according to the drawing, a common frame is made with a central jumper for attaching the sashes. It is better to bolt the hinges to the lintel and doors. The finished frame, after installation on the foundation, is sheathed with polycarbonate. The cut fragments are fastened with special hardware with sealing washers. Film and agrofibre are poorly suited for a metal frame.
The video shows the assembly of the butterfly:
Testimonials
Reviews of many summer residents say that a butterfly greenhouse is the best solution for growing seedlings and early vegetables. Let's read what vegetable growers think about it.
