Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hello friends,

i'm from indonesia where we have only 2 seasons- hot drought (summer) and cool wet (rainy).
i have a small 720m2 land in the city and i use it to grow vegetables for own consumption and friends and relatives.

i'm planning to build a hoop house, and i have a few questions maybe somebody here can help me.

i'm still new in this agriculture, although this setup is not for commercial, its a hobby based . i like to see what are my options and min max.

currently in the market i'm being offered

6% and 14% uv grade- do these numbers matter?

clear transparent vs milky opaque- what are the differences using these 2?

80 micron and 200 micron- i know the std 6mil polyethelene is measured at 0.15 mm. 80 micron is measured about 0.08mm while the 200 micron is measured at 0.2mm . so obviously the thicker the better. but can i make do with 0.08mm or 3 mil as in industry std measurement?

lastly. my hoophouse will be 12 meter wide and 27 meter length. the max width of the plastic uv is 6 meter. how can i attach them together? obviously i cant sew them because it will puncture them. can i?

cheers.

sam

how come you want to use a "hothouse" in indonesia?

if anything i thought you would want to use shadecloth, not clear plastic, with the heat you guys get.

Well good question there. I'm not going to cover everything per se, probably leaving the sides open but covered with mosquito netting . So there will be ventilation .
Besides how can we combat unwanted rain water goingbinto the SyStem.

Currently I'm uaing shadecloth too..

you can get tape to join, though I would suggest joiing the sections somehow at the hoops. It a big hoop house - will you be using a metel frame?

have you considered several smaller hoop houses - would solve the joiing issue and be easier to restain against wind.

I use opaque in mine - my understanding is that it gives a more uniform diffused light whish is more even allround

rain water is probably more of an issue for you tropical guys, but i generally dont worry as here we wouldnt get enough to affect the system.

I'm still qt the srawing board, looking at options, I'm planning to use PVC pipes.. how thick would you recommend for ample stability and strength?

Your point for using opaque sounds logical...

Tape to join? To tape it prior to install it over the arch I assume?

Thanks for the feedback

I would think 3 mil is probably going to be too light. I had the neighbor's kids driving golf balls through my 6 mil. plastic at 100+ yards.

you may need to diffuse the light where you are but I found that here in Massachusetts the winter light was too weak for certain crops ... not sure what the sun is like during your rainy season but if you have long overcast periods the white may not work. Do you have a university extension service that assists growers? you may be able to get recommendations from them. Or go visit local greenhouses if you can.

I would not bother with the tape. Never really saw any that lasted. Maybe new formulations but...
There is a mechanical solution for joining sheets. I believe they are called wriggle wire. Basically a U-shaped channel in which you over lap the ends of the plastic. The wriggle wire is pressed down into the channel locking the plastic sheets in place joining them together.

Have fun!

Just for comparison ..im shopping for contractors to build the greenhouse.
How much does building a 10 x 20meter greenhouse would cost in australia?
Im talking about just frame, polyethelene, insect net on sides. 1 door .