PolytunnelsRus

  A simple garden polytunnel sheet can look close enough to a professional film when it is still on the roll. It is clear, flexible and keeps rain out. For a small domestic frame, that may be fine. For commercial polytunnels, the cover has a harder working life. Wind load, crop value, light levels, condensation and frame length all matter. So yes, you can physically put basic polythene on a commercial tunnel. But for commercial polytunnels that earn money, it may be a false economy. Why the cover matters at a commercial scale Once the bay gets longer and wider, the sheet starts taking a fair bit of punishment. Commercial polytunnels tend to sit higher, run further and catch more weather than a back garden frame. Thin polythene film soon shows its weak spots around doors, crop wires, hoops and fixings, because that is where movement keeps nagging at it. The growing environment matters too. Good polytunnel covers are not only a waterproof skin. They affect light transmission,...

  Put animals in a standard crop tunnel, and the weak points show quickly. From the field, it might have the same curve, yet the daily punishment is nothing like the same. Cattle lean, sheep crowd, bedding builds up, machinery scrapes past corners and doors get used hard. That is why PolytunnelsRus looks at how the tunnel will be used first. Livestock polytunnels are planned around stock movement, airflow, feed areas, bedding, mucking out and side protection. Commercial tunnels are planned around crops, storage, staff access, irrigation, light levels and seasonal working space. Good quality means the structure suits the job, especially with livestock polytunnels. Are the polytunnel covers the same? Sometimes they are. Polytunnel covers for livestock and commercial tunnels can be made from the same polythene grades, and polytunnel covers may match where the brief is simple weather protection. A good sheet needs UV resistance, tear resistance and a tight fit over the frame. B...