It is necessary to prepare the greenhouse for winter before the onset of cold weather. The work is significant, since the service life of the structure, as well as the volume of the future harvest, depends on it. Preparation requires an integrated approach and you should not ignore any of the required work. But in the spring, both the building and the greenhouse soil will be ready for planting vegetable seedlings.

Why prepare for winter

Greenhouses are used to protect vegetable and ornamental plants from the cold. The design and materials from which greenhouses are made allow maintaining the technological temperature, optimal humidity, and protect plants from cold winds and frosts. These conditions are suitable for growing most vegetables and other crops.

Thus, preparatory work in the greenhouse on the eve of cold weather has the goal of removing all plant fragments and carrying out a disinfection procedure. Autumn greenhouse activities have three main goals:

• normalization of greenhouse soil;
• disinfection of the frame and covering material;
• preventive work to prevent the destruction of the greenhouse from snow in winter.

General cleaning after growing tomatoes

After the last harvest has been harvested, we must begin cleaning the greenhouse area. Having chosen a fine day, go to the greenhouse and remove all plant fragments of weeds and tomatoes from it. It is advisable to remove with roots. Therefore, tomato bushes are first dug up with a shovel, and then cut off from a horizontal trellis with a sharp knife. The fallen lashes, along with the rope with which they were tied to the trellis, are carefully placed in large polypropylene bags.

Then, a rake is used to collect fallen leaves from the soil surface, individual rotten tomato fruits, weeds, and this whole mass is also packed into bags.

Attention!

Even if during the growing season of tomatoes you do not notice symptoms indicating damage by diseases or pests, do not take the tops to the compost pit or leave them in the greenhouse.

Removal of tops

Tomato tops packed in bags, along with weedy perennial and annual plants, are taken out of the greenhouse, or even better beyond the boundaries of the site and set on fire there. It is also possible to bury these plant debris in the ground beyond the boundary of the site or send them to the tank of a garbage truck, which will take the load to a landfill.

Soil removal

When the greenhouse is free of plants, you need to proceed to the second stage - removing the soil layer. A 15 cm thick layer of soil must be removed and removed from the greenhouse. This work will require significant physical effort and some time. But they do it for the following reasons:

• it is in the upper layer that all harmful insects, their larvae, as well as harmful bacteria and fungi live;
• tomatoes, the plant residues of which you removed from the greenhouse, consumed certain nutrients from the soil for their growth, development and yield formation, significantly depleting the soil;
• During the growth process, tomatoes, like other plants, release their metabolic products into the soil through their roots, which are harmful for replanting the same crop.

The removed soil can also be taken outside the site and filled into ravines. And if it can be disinfected, then it can be used in the garden or garden.

How to treat a greenhouse frame

Disinfection of such a structure is carried out using various methods. The use of one method or another depends on the type of material from which the greenhouse is built. In all options, in addition to treating with sulfur, it is necessary to additionally disinfect the frame and covering of the greenhouse. Any covering, whether stationary or removable, must be disinfected.

Greenhouse frames are usually made in 3 options:

• wooden;
• metal;
• polyvinyl chloride.

Each type of frame is disinfected differently. Metal frames are washed with boiling water to which vinegar has been added. To achieve the desired effect, add 50 ml of concentrated vinegar to 1 liter of boiling water.

The polyvinyl chloride frame is also washed with an acetic solution of the same concentration. Only the temperature of the solution should not exceed 60 degrees.

It is best to treat wooden structures with a 10 percent solution of copper sulfate. The copper contained in the preparation has a detrimental effect on fungal organisms.

How to treat film, polycarbonate, glass

When disinfecting the roof of a greenhouse structure, the choice of preparation and treatment method also depends on the coating material.

Glass or film

If the roof of the greenhouse is glass or film, then the treatment is carried out with a hot solution of laundry soap. The temperature of the solution should not drop to more than 40 degrees.

How to prepare the solution:

• cut a piece of laundry soap, weighing 100 g, on a coarse grater;
• Place soap particles in boiling water;
• stir the composition until the soap is completely dissolved;
• Cool the solution to the desired temperature.

Use the prepared solution to treat glass and film coatings. You need to work with a brush, treating first the inner side, and then the outer surface.

Plycarbonate coating

It is not recommended to treat a greenhouse with such a roof with active alkali, as in the previous case. For this, a solution of potassium permanganate is used. He must be cool and hot too. Disinfection is carried out; it is not enough to simply spray the coating.

It must be washed with this solution, first the inside, and then the outer surface. When processing inside the greenhouse, all corners must be carefully processed. Pathogens and wasp nests can persist there.

After treatment, you should open all windows and doors, create a draft and dry the greenhouse in a short time.

Removable film covering

If the film is removed from the greenhouse roof for the winter, this does not mean that it does not require disinfection. It is also treated with potassium permanganate, then dried, folded, packed in a synthetic bag and sent for storage until spring.

Greenhouse coverings are cleaned on both sides. The glass roof is washed with soapy water and then rinsed with clean water.

Disinfection methods

There are many tools available to carry out this operation. But most often, greenhouse owners turn to urea treatment. The internal volume of the greenhouse is fumigated with sulfur. The second method is highly effective, since it disinfects both the soil layer and all internal structures.

Fumigation with sulfur

To do this, at a temperature of +10 to +15°C, in the greenhouse, along the path, place baking sheets or pallets with sulfur at the rate of 50 g per square meter. The sulfur is then set on fire. When burned, the substance releases sulfuric anhydride, a gas that kills all living organisms. Work should be carried out wearing gas masks or gas respirators.

The ignition starts from the pile furthest from the entrance and moves towards the door. After the last pan of sulfur lights up, the doors are closed tightly and the exposure is maintained for 2 days. Then, opening all the doors and windows, the greenhouse is well ventilated.

Use of urea

By dissolving 50 g of urea in a bucket of cold water, a working solution is obtained for disinfecting the greenhouse. This solution is thoroughly watered over the entire area of ​​the greenhouse, without missing paths or row spacing.

Bleaching powder

Disinfect the soil in the greenhouse with bleach. To do this, after harvesting plant fragments, lime is sprinkled on the soil at the rate of 100 g per m2, and then the substance is raked to a depth of 3 cm.

Sulfur checkers

Stores sell smoke bombs for fumigating greenhouses. Their efficiency compared to burning sulfur is much higher. In order for all unwanted living organisms to die, a 6-hour exposure is sufficient. The work must also be carried out wearing a gas mask, gloves and goggles.

Formalin solution

Greenhouse soil can be disinfected with a 2.5% aqueous solution of formaldehyde. When processing, use 1 liter of working solution per m2. The work is carried out in protective equipment, since formaldehyde fumes are very dangerous to health.

Copper sulfate

For treatment, prepare a 0.75% aqueous solution of copper sulfate. Using a spraying device, the drug is distributed over the soil surface. For every square meter, use 1 liter of solution.

Use of biological products

In terms of efficiency, they are slightly inferior to chemical disinfectants, but their advantages are associated with a beneficial effect on greenhouse soil:

• they bind heavy metals;
• fix nitrogen;
• promote the breakdown of pesticide residues in the soil;
• synthesize natural growth hormones;
• enhance the effect of purchased drugs.

After disinfection with biological products, after 2 days, the greenhouse soil is treated with Bordeaux mixture.

Laying new soil

This operation completes this list of preparatory work after the next harvest. The prepared soil, which is characterized by high fertility, is brought inside and evenly sprinkled in small piles throughout its entire territory. Then this soil composition should be leveled with a rake. The soil is lightly compacted to eliminate all voids.

In winter, as snow falls, move it to the greenhouse area. The thicker the snow cover, the less the soil will freeze. Covered with snow and straw, beneficial soil microorganisms will work all winter and ultimately increase fertility even more.

And in the spring, when the snow melts, the soil will be saturated with melt water and acquire optimal humidity for tomatoes.

Attention!

New soil for the greenhouse can be purchased from the seller or prepared from various components yourself.

What should be the soil for tomatoes in a greenhouse?

The following requirements apply to greenhouse soil:

1. Structure. It should be such that there is no need to loosen after the next watering. Soil particles should not be dusty and not excessively large, easily allowing water to pass through. It is better if the soil is structural and consists of lumps 2-3 mm in size.
2. Fertility. The soil must contain all the nutrients necessary for the normal development of tomatoes. The humus content in it should be at a high level.
3. Lack of mineral salts. Brought or self-made soil should not be filled with mineral fertilizers. They will be needed only next spring, after the seedlings are placed in a permanent place.
4. Moisture capacity. The soil must have the ability to absorb a certain amount of water and retain it. This property is of increased importance for heated greenhouses.
5. Neutral acidity. The reaction of the soil solution should tend to zero. A slightly acidic or slightly alkaline reaction of the soil solution is also allowed.
6. Disinfection. The soil must be disinfected and free of pathogens that can destroy young seedlings.

When preparing soil for a greenhouse yourself, you need to know what it should consist of. The classic soil composition is as follows:

• high peat;
• river sand;
• humus or compost.

Attention!

Whatever crops you cultivate in the greenhouse, every 5 years the soil in it must be completely changed to a depth of 35 cm. You can also dismantle the greenhouse after 5 years of operation and move it to another location.

Strengthening the frame

If you are engaged in greenhouse vegetable growing in a region where there are snowy winters, then after disinfection you need to strengthen the frame of the greenhouse.

To perform this work, supports and arcs are used, which are placed inside the greenhouse. They are prepared independently or purchased from trade organizations.

The ridge of the structure is supported from the inside. To prevent a six-meter greenhouse from collapsing under the weight of snow in winter, it is enough to use 4 T-shaped supports.

The supports are placed on a solid base so that they are not pressed into the ground under the weight of snow. As a base, you can use scraps of boards, plywood, or sheet metal.

Attention!

If the area where the greenhouse is located is blown by the wind, and the height of the snow cover reaches critical values, then it would be reasonable to double the number of supports.

In winter, it is necessary to promptly push snow masses off the roof, since any covering material is designed for a certain snow load, if exceeded, the greenhouse may collapse. Here are the loads that are permissible for different coatings:

• polycarbonate coating - 70 cm of dry or 30 cm of wet snow;
• glass roof - 35 cm of dry and 15 cm of wet snow;
• dense film covering - 20 cm of dry snow.

It is not necessary to strengthen the frame for the winter in greenhouses where the roof is removed in late autumn. On such roofs, snow will not linger and the frame will not experience increased load.

By spending a total of several days preparing the greenhouse, you will free up precious spring time. With the onset of favorable weather, you can immediately move on to planting vegetables. In addition, these autumn activities will protect the greenhouse structure from collapse and damage. Thanks to this, the greenhouse will last a long time and will delight the owners with abundant harvests.

Greenhouses and hotbeds reliably shelter crops from adverse weather conditions, and with adequate maintenance, significantly reduce the risk of pests or diseases. Preparing a greenhouse for winter is one of the most important maintenance procedures.

The main purpose of the greenhouse is to protect the crops grown from cold, drafts and heavy rainfall. The design provides constant optimal conditions for plant growth and fruiting. However, conditions are favorable not only for plants, but also for some types of pests. Also, a warm and humid environment promotes the development of weeds, which draw nutrients necessary for planted crops from the soil. It is also possible that some fungal spores may enter, which can easily survive the winter and destroy the seedlings in the spring.

One of these factors may be sufficient to destroy a crop. Therefore, the foundation for a successful future harvest is laid in the fall through general cleaning and final processing of all parts of the greenhouse. Work on preparing the greenhouse is carried out in two main directions: preparing the soil in the beds for the next season and disinfecting the structural parts (frame, covering material).

Video “Preparing the greenhouse for winter”

spring-cleaning

After harvesting, the beds must be cleared of remnants of annual crops. The remaining above-ground and underground parts of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage are removed. Fruit residues are also removed. It is best to burn them or bury them outside the site. With perennial crops the situation is more complicated. They must be carefully checked and damaged, dried or rotten parts removed.

If most of the plant is damaged, it is removed by the roots. And next season new ones are planted in their place. It is important to remove not only the remains of cultivated plants, but also weeds. Most of them are perennial, so you need to carefully check the ground for their presence.

Land works

When growing annual crops (vegetables, berries, flowers), the top layer of soil must be removed annually. Replacing the soil and its further processing is the most difficult task, on the correct implementation of which the result of the future harvest depends. Usually, at least 15 cm of the top layer is removed, which after disinfection can be poured onto open beds, flower beds, and the garden. Instead of the removed layer of soil, fresh fertile soil is filled in. You can purchase fresh fertile soil or prepare it yourself. Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Buying ready-made soil is faster and easier, but you cannot be completely sure that it contains all the necessary useful components. There are cases when soil taken from another greenhouse is sold as new soil. This option is completely unprofitable: the soil is not only completely depleted, but may be infected with pests or fungal spores.

The second option is to prepare the soil yourself. It is more labor-intensive and will take longer, since the soil must meet certain criteria: correct structure, high nutritional value, absence of mineral salts, neutral pH level, moisture capacity level. The classic composition of soil for a greenhouse consists of high-moor peat, river or lake sand, compost or humus.

Disinfection

Pests and fungal spores survive winter well in the heifer. Not only the soil, but also structural details can become their place of refuge. That is why disinfection must be carried out comprehensively.

Tillage

According to the advice of experienced gardeners, soil disinfection should be carried out in three proven ways: treated with bleach, fumigated with sulfur, sprayed with a special solution. The bleach is scattered over the bed and spread over the soil using a deep rake. For fumigation, sulfur is mixed with kerosene and set on fire in the far corner towards the exit. After this, the greenhouse is closed for several days.

You can also use sulfur bombs. Fumigation with sulfur is only suitable for tall structures with non-metallic frames, since the fumes released can cause corrosion of the metal. Diluted copper sulfate, aqueous formaldehyde, lime (4%) and creolin (2%) are suitable as a solution for spraying.

Basic Rules

To ensure comfortable conditions for plants and not damage the structure, you must:

• strengthen the frame;
• insulate all parts of the greenhouse (foundation, vestibule or door area, and the entire structure as a whole);
• use the best option for your type of greenhouse (heating, air gap, insulation with foamed polystyrene);
• take care to disinfect the materials used for disinfection.

Materials

Greenhouses are insulated using various methods and materials. For glass and polycarbonate greenhouses, heating systems are used whenever possible. A more economical option is insulation with foamed polystyrene, another layer of film or polycarbonate with an air gap. In the off-season, you can use plastic water bottles lined up in rows, which, thanks to the sun's rays, will absorb heat during the day and release it at night.

Take the time to prepare the greenhouse for winter in the fall according to all the rules, and you are guaranteed an excellent harvest!

Having harvested the harvest, it is too early for greenhouse owners to think about rest; a lot of important things await them. In order to be able to plant seedlings in a healthy, clean “home” next year, before the onset of cold weather, you need to clean, fertilize and disinfect the soil, repair the frame and wash the transparent coating from dirt. None of the events can be missed. Not only the safety of the structure, but also the yield depends on how thoroughly the greenhouse was prepared for winter.

Why clean the greenhouse in the fall?

Some vegetable growers consider comprehensive pre-winter preparation of the greenhouse impractical. They motivate their opinion by the fact that since in the spring it will still be necessary to prepare the structure for planting vegetables, then there is no point in doing the same work twice. Therefore, in the fall it is quite enough to pull out and take away the plant remains and close the doors of the structure more tightly.

Greenhouse in winter

The need for regular cleaning

However, such a theory is fundamentally wrong. Cultivating vegetables in a greenhouse, like the moon, has its light and dark sides. The white – positive component of this method is that the plants, being in especially comfortable greenhouse conditions, protected from bad weather and feathered pests, develop well, spores and bear fruit abundantly.

At the same time, such isolation of the greenhouse space from the unfavorable external environment, coupled with the high humidity and temperature reigning inside, contributes to the proliferation of phytopathogenic microflora. The spread of virulent bacteria and mold fungi is aggravated by the thick planting of vegetables characteristic of greenhouses.

Due to the above circumstances, by the end of the season a fair amount of pathogenic microorganisms accumulate in the greenhouse soil. If you leave things to chance and do not take any measures to destroy them in the fall, then by spring they will multiply to such an extent that standard pre-planting disinfection of ridges with potassium permanganate will no longer be able to correct the situation, and all hopes for a rich harvest will be buried.

Perfect cleanliness in autumn is the key to harvest

The importance of soil preparation

The next argument for pre-winter preparation of the greenhouse is the urgent need to improve the qualitative composition of the soil contained in it. Due to very intensive exploitation throughout the summer, the greenhouse soil is significantly depleted and loses fertility by autumn. To ensure that the depleted soil has time to fully recover before planting the seedlings, it is better to begin its reclamation activities immediately after harvesting.

The last, rather weighty argument in favor of pre-winter cleaning of the greenhouse is the time factor. In the spring, every gardener has a lot of work to do - planting seeds and growing seedlings is an endless hassle. Knowing how to prepare a greenhouse in the fall, but not doing it at the right time due to laziness, and then spending precious April days on disinfection and garbage collection is extremely unwise.

The beds need to be prepared in the fall

A set of measures to prepare a greenhouse for winter

Many inexperienced summer residents believe that the essence of preparing a greenhouse structure for winter is to remove the withered tops outside the structure. On various gardening forums people often ask how to properly clean up after tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers. However, if you approach the matter from such a position, nothing worthwhile will come of it in the end. Autumn cleaning of a greenhouse is a complex undertaking. You need to think about how to prepare the greenhouse for winter, how to treat and disinfect the soil and the structure itself.

General cleaning inside and outside

Preparing a greenhouse for winter in the fall really starts with a lot of cleaning:

1. On a fine, windless day, all doors and windows are opened.
2. While the greenhouse is being ventilated, the first thing to do is remove watering cans, pruning shears, hoes, pitchforks, shovels, sprayers and other garden tools.
3. Having cleared the room of small gardening equipment, they begin to remove large-sized equipment - wind up the irrigation hoses, dismantle trellises and supports, remove non-woven agricultural fabrics and temporary electrical wiring.
4. In an empty greenhouse, weeds and outdated tops are pulled out of the ground by the roots, pegs are pulled out of the soil, and at the same time, fruits and garter twines that were accidentally lying on them are picked up from the beds.
5. Next, thin stems and withered leaves are raked from the rows and passages between them with a wire rake. All this garbage is first collected in small piles, then transferred to bulky plastic bags and taken outside the garden and burned there along with the contents.

Cleaning polycarbonate

Often, recommendations on how to prepare a greenhouse for winter include advice to store organic waste in compost pits. This can only be done if you are one hundred percent sure that all the plants that became its basis were absolutely healthy.

Since it is impossible to guarantee that not a single greenhouse bush has been affected by late blight or bacteriosis (the pathogens of which successfully overwinter in rotting compost), it is better not to tempt fate, but to immediately destroy all the collected plant material.

In the case when a greenhouse is used for growing perennial crops, for example, garden strawberries, the berry bushes growing in it are not uprooted, but only those that are clearly diseased or severely damaged by insects are removed. On all other rosettes, only cut off the old leaves.

At the end of the harvesting, the ridges are dug deeply, large lumps of earth are broken up with a rake and the roots remaining in it are removed from the soil.

Autumn digging

Methods for soil disinfection

Preparing a greenhouse for the winter is not limited to just removing garbage and unnecessary garden tools. It is necessary to clean the building, as it is the key to health, but the soil plays a decisive role in the success of greenhouse vegetable growing. The quality and quantity of grown products primarily depends on the condition of the soil. Therefore, preparing a greenhouse for winter mainly consists of reclamation or disinfection of the soil contained in it.

According to science, the top thirty-centimeter layer of greenhouse soil should be removed annually, and a specially prepared sterile substrate should be laid in its place. But, since this process is very labor-intensive and costly, it is almost impossible to produce it every season in a home structure.

Boiling water for soil disinfection

To minimize costs, the soil in private greenhouses is usually changed every 2-3 years, and even then not completely, but only to a depth of 10-15 cm. The main preparation of the soil in a greenhouse for winter comes down to sterilizing it using any of the following methods:

• Thermal disinfection. The greenhouse beds are poured with boiling water and immediately covered with a thick black film, the edges of which are pressed to the ground with pebbles along the entire perimeter. After a day, the covering is removed, the soil is dug up again and harrowed with a rake. This process is repeated twice more, with intervals of three days between scaldings.
• Disinfection with copper-containing preparations. If outbreaks of late blight, peronosporosis or bacteriosis have been observed in the greenhouse, the soil (no more than once every five years) is treated with a 0.1% solution of copper sulfate, pouring 8-10 liters of this product per square meter of bed. Instead of vitriol, Bordeaux mixture, which has a similar effect, is sometimes used.
• Disinfection with bleach. Treatment with bleach is effective against almost all types of phytopathogenic organisms. Dry lime is scattered on the ground at the rate of one glass per square meter. meter of soil and cover it with a rake.
• Disinfection with potassium permanganate. For the purpose of general disinfection, the greenhouse soil is spilled once, without skimping, with a bright purple permanganate solution.

Disinfection with bleach

Total disinfection

Spilling boiling water or potassium permanganate into beds in a large greenhouse is not an easy task, so in large structures they usually carry out general gas disinfection with sulfur-based fungicides.

Such preparations, produced in the form of smoke bombs (“Climate”, “FAS”, “Peshka”), during the smoldering process emit toxic sulfuric anhydride, which fills the entire room, seeps into the most secluded crevices, where many pests and pathogens usually accumulate, and destroys them all indiscriminately.

The gas emitted by checkers is so toxic that it kills not only pathogenic fungi and bacteria, but also the harmful spider mite, against which all other pesticides are ineffective.

Sulfur checker

Combining with drops of moisture present on the surface of the soil and polycarbonate, toxic smoke forms unstable sulfurous acid, which additionally disinfects not only the soil, but also all parts of the structure.

Fumigation with sulfur: procedure:

1. Sulfur disinfection is carried out only after general cleaning, but no later than mid-October, before the temperature in the greenhouse drops below +10 degrees.
2. Before “smoking” the saber, the room is sealed - holes are sealed and cracks in the joints of polycarbonate, film or glass are sealed, rubber seals on doors and windows are renewed.
3. Unpainted metal parts of the frame are coated with grease, and scratches and chips of enamel on painted parts are painted over.
4. Based on the cubic capacity of the greenhouse being treated, the dosage of the drug is calculated according to the instructions.
5. Before disinfection, put on protective clothing, a hat, a carbon respirator, plastic goggles and long rubberized gloves.
6. To activate the formation of sulfurous acid, immediately before fumigation, the greenhouse cover and soil are sprayed with a pneumatic spray gun.
7. The checker is placed vertically on a heat-resistant base, its wick is set on fire, making sure that it has begun to smolder, they quickly leave the structure and tightly close the doors behind them.
8. After 72 hours, the greenhouse is “unsealed” and ventilated until the characteristic “hellish” smell completely disappears.

Cleaning the greenhouse cover

Unfortunately, pathogenic microflora nest not only in the soil - pathogenic bacteria, fungal spores and pest eggs are also present on the internal surfaces of the greenhouse pavilion.

Therefore, the walls and frame of the structure must be thoroughly washed and disinfected, and this must be done before replacing or disinfecting the soil. Otherwise, dirty water flowing from the greenhouse panels will contaminate the sterilized soil, and it will have to be re-treated with antiseptics.

Important rules:

• Painted metal frames are washed with water and baking soda and treated with Bordeaux mixture. Unpainted or galvanized parts of the frame are washed with very hot water and wiped with a sponge soaked in 9% table vinegar.
• Greenhouse frames made of PVC pipes are washed with warm water with the addition of “Whiteness”.
• Wooden posts and crossbars are washed with bleach, after drying they are impregnated with a 7.5% solution of copper sulfate and, if desired, additionally whitened with a thick suspension of freshly slaked lime.
• Film coverings are removed in the fall, washed with a hot concentrated solution of gray laundry soap, rinsed, wiped with a sponge soaked in a 5% vitriol solution, dried, rolled up, packaged in sealed bags and stored in a garden house for the winter.
• Non-removable glass structures are washed from the outside and inside with a special window mop and a large foam sponge; stubborn dirt is scrubbed off with a nylon brush or a hard sponge. The joints and gaps between the glass and the frame are cleaned with a wooden wedge wrapped in a piece of cotton rag. For work, use a solution of the same laundry soap or degreaser for cleaning dishes. After washing, the glass is rinsed and disinfected with a 4% bleach solution.
• It is undesirable to treat polycarbonate panels with chlorine-containing and alkaline agents, so they are cleaned with a powerful stream of water and disinfected with a bright purple solution of potassium permanganate.

How to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter

Strengthening the building frame

Due to the fact that plastic panels are relatively light in weight, manufacturers of polycarbonate greenhouses do not bother making particularly strong frames and often directly in the instructions for their kits recommend installing additional supports in them in the fall.

The use of such a preventive safety measure is justified even in regions with little snowy winters, since most greenhouses can withstand a pressure of 300, maximum 400 g/m2. If the specified load is exceeded, the frame bends and the building collapses. Therefore, preparing polycarbonate greenhouses for winter necessarily includes strengthening the frame.

Greenhouse collapsed from snow

To prevent the pavilion from collapsing under the weight of snow attacking it, tubular struts or T-shaped wooden posts are installed in it, which take on part of the weight and prevent the frame from breaking from excessive pressure.

Strengthening the frame of a polycarbonate greenhouse with posts and spacers

The supports are placed at intervals of 1.2-1.6 m. To prevent the lower ends of the posts from sinking into the ground, they are installed on small metal plates or short sections of thick and wide boards. The upper crossbars of the supports are placed under the longitudinal greenhouse beam and secured to it with steel clamps.

Attaching the support crossbar to the beam

Having completed the work with the supports, they remove the doors and vents from their hinges and bring them into the barn. If these parts are not removable, then they are thrown wide open and very firmly fixed in this position (so as not to be broken by the wind).

Features of preparing a polycarbonate greenhouse

It is equally important to clean and disinfect polycarbonate greenhouses. Recommendations on this topic are very contradictory. To avoid inadvertently damaging the structure, before processing it makes sense to watch a video with advice from summer residents, which clearly explains how to properly prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter.

Video: Tips from an experienced gardener

How to prepare a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter

Preparing a polycarbonate greenhouse for winter is carried out in the same order as the autumn treatment of a glass greenhouse. The only difference in technology is the method of washing and disinfecting transparent elements.

Cellular polycarbonate is a very durable polymer that can withstand impacts that would shatter tempered glass. But compared to the latter, it has significantly lower hardness and resistance to aggressive chemicals.

Polycarbonate greenhouse in winter

The polycarbonate coating is easily scratched and becomes cloudy from contact with alkalis. It should not be washed with wire wool, a piece of burlap, a stiff brush, washing powder, abrasive cleaners, or dishwashing or glass washing liquids.

Polycarbonate sheets are cleaned with a stream of clean water supplied from a mini-high-pressure washer, and stubborn stains are wiped off with a flannel rag or a soft sponge soaked in thick soap suds. Such elements are disinfected with a rich pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Polycarbonate greenhouse repair

Video: preparing greenhouses for winter

Cultivating vegetable crops indoors significantly shortens the harvest time, and in the northern regions it is the only way to grow most types of garden products. In order for the money spent on the construction of a greenhouse to be justified, it must function properly for many years.

Ensuring the integrity and “operability” of the greenhouse is possible only through careful and constant care. Annual pre-winter treatment of the greenhouse structure guarantees its long-term safety and successful operation in the next season.

Video: what to do with a greenhouse for the winter

All preparatory operations of the greenhouse and greenhouse for the new planting season should begin after harvesting, in the fall. However, intensive preparation begins in early spring, in March or April, depending on the region. The main spring stages include cleaning the greenhouse and preparing the soil for planting vegetables or ornamental plants. Soil preparation is the most important point, since not only a successful harvest, but also the composition of the grown fruits depends on its composition. The ideal soil composition is selected by trial and error and requires more than one season of experimentation. The optimal solution is the golden mean, since an excess of various fertilizers can cause intoxication, and as a result, the death of the plant, or the accumulation of negative substances. After sowing the seedlings, care and due attention should also be given.

After the snow has melted and freed the greenhouse, it is necessary to completely or partially dismantle the greenhouse. Namely, check the structure for defects, connecting parts, frame and covering material. After winter, if there is a lot of snow, even the most reliable greenhouse structure can become deformed.

If the greenhouse has a wooden frame, then it is necessary to check for loose elements, guides and beams.

All loose wooden guides and supports must be securely secured with nails and bolted joints. If the paint on the wooden frame is cracked or worn off, then it needs to be covered with a new paint and varnish material. If the greenhouse has a metal frame, then you need to check for the strength of the connecting elements - whether there are any breaks in the welding, whether the bolts are tightly tightened. In places where corrosion appears, treat with paint and varnish material.

The main thing in these actions is the safety of being in the greenhouse, as well as ensuring safety for the crop. Plants need to be grown safely.

Preparing the greenhouse for spring

After checking the structural strength of the greenhouse, the next step is to remove all plant debris and dry leaves from the soil. The remains of last year's plants may contain larvae and pests that will awaken under favorable conditions. They can also contain pathogens of many diseases for seedlings.

Using a rake, it is necessary to remove all remnants of last year's withered leaves, branches and dry plants.

If plant roots remain in the soil, then they need to be pulled out, dug up, that is, completely removed without any residue. Next, you need to dig up the soil and leave it to dry. The next step is to treat the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse.

To do this, you first need to wash the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse from dirt and dust, then you need to treat and disinfect it from pests. Disinfection is carried out with a soap solution; for this, take a piece of laundry soap and grate it in a ratio of 100 grams per bucket of hot water.

The prepared solution is foamed and wiped with a rag inside and outside the greenhouse. The solution should be applied with a generously dampened rag to the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse, then wiped dry with a clean, dry cloth. Pests do not like alkaline solutions and begin to run out of the cracks, and their larvae die. You should not resort to glass cleaners and various chemicals, as this can have a detrimental effect on the seedlings, and therefore on human health.

Greens in the greenhouse in spring: sowing

As soon as the climate in the greenhouse has returned to normal, which means above-zero temperatures day and night, you need to prepare the soil for seedlings. Preparing the soil for sowing begins with the formation of beds and loosening the soil, removing plant debris, roots and stones. Before planting seedlings, you need to determine the acidity of the soil, which is determined by several methods, including both free and the purchase of a special device.

Methods:

1. Put a little earth on a spoon and pour vinegar over it; if the reaction is similar to quenching soda in vinegar (boils), then the acidity is normal. If nothing happens to the soil, then the soil is acidic.
2. Three leaves of black currant are placed in a glass and poured with boiling water, filtered and a spoonful of soil is placed in the solution, if the solution turns red, then the soil is very acidic, if it turns pink, it is of medium acidity, turns green, then it is neutral, and if it is blue, then it is alkaline.
3. A special device is an acid meter. In stores, both conventional acid meters and those with a combination of various functions are available (measurement of soil acidity + measurement of soil moisture + measurement of light level).

Depending on the type of plants being planted, soil preparation is carried out. For tomato seedlings, dig up the soil, sprinkle with sawdust, and cover with lime and manure. Next, fill the resulting “sandwich” with a fresh layer of soil and sprinkle it over the area. The ash fraction corresponds to flour, boil water at a temperature of 60 o C, water the soil and cover with film, after two weeks you can plant tomato seedlings.

A month before planting cucumbers, the soil is dug up and beds are formed with a height of 30 cm to 50 cm and a width of 80 cm to 100 cm. The formed beds are fertilized with a solution of potassium sulfate, tree resin and urea. After this, the beds are dug up and watered with a solution of bird droppings and covered with film. After a week you can sow cucumbers.

Work in the greenhouse in spring: installation and processing

After removing the remains of last year's plants and cleaning the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse from dirt, you should begin processing the upper layers of the soil. One method is to use sulfur balls to prevent fungal infections. Sulfur balls should be in proportions of 1m 3 per 50 grams of sulfur.

A metal bucket is placed in the middle of the greenhouse, into which a sulfur ball is placed with a couple of sheets of newspaper or paper and set on fire, and fumigation is carried out in a tightly closed greenhouse.

At this moment, being inside the greenhouse is prohibited, as this can cause poisoning and dizziness. You can open the greenhouse after it has been closed for about a day. To increase soil fertility, you can replace the top layer of soil by removing from 10 cm to 25 cm. Next, add purchased soil or prepare the soil mixture yourself.

To independently prepare the soil mixture, mix turf soil with river sand (fine fraction without stones), humus and peat in a ratio of 1:1:3:5. Also, to normalize the acidity of the resulting soil, add lime per 1 m 3 per 3 kg.

Hanging beds for seedlings also need to be prepared and then installed. All last year's soil is replaced with new one. The boxes are checked for rot and deformation and replaced or repaired. Before sowing the main plants, you can plant cold-resistant seeds of mustard, radish, lettuce and onions.

Ordinary preparation of a polycarbonate greenhouse for spring

After wintering, polycarbonate covering material may develop sagging, deformed and cracked channels, and darkened areas that need to be replaced. The main element in a polycarbonate greenhouse is the transparency of the roof. If darkened areas are found in places, this indicates damage to the air channels in the polycarbonate; in this place, it may burst over time.

If no deformations are detected or have been eliminated, the next step is disinfection of the entire structure.

To disinfect and wash polycarbonate, you need to prepare a soap or vinegar solution. In order to make a vinegar solution, you will need clean warm water and vinegar in the ratio of a bucket of water per 100 grams of vinegar. Next, apply the solution to the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse using a generously moistened rag. This work should be done with rubber gloves to avoid skin burns from the vinegar solution.

Preparing the greenhouse for spring (video)

To plant and grow healthy and tasty vegetables, you need to start preparing the greenhouse for the new season in the fall and plan all operations step by step until spring. This includes proper storage of covering material, its dismantling, and repair of the greenhouse.

As the daylight hours get shorter and colder, it is time to think about how to prepare the greenhouse for the winter months so that you can begin the first sowing of flowers, vegetables and fruits in early spring. The point of preparing a greenhouse for winter in the fall is so that in the spring you can do what the greenhouse is intended for, and not repair it.

Mandatory events

Disinfection of greenhouses and other greenhouse devices is carried out immediately after the removal of vegetation. Crushed sulfur is mixed with potassium permanganate on metal bases and, evenly distributed in several places, ignites. For safety, throwing sulfur onto coals should be carried out wearing a gas mask. After burning, the object should be well ventilated after approximately 24 hours.

Using a greenhouse during cold weather

Many gardeners do not want to give up fresh vegetables on the table and therefore use their greenhouses in the winter. Farming in the winter comes with operating costs, but at the end of the day, you only need to visit your neighborhood store once to see the price difference in out-of-season vegetables. Of course, the most important issue in preparing a greenhouse for winter in this case is heating, which can be done in different ways, it all depends on the location and the availability of technical solutions.

When heating a greenhouse in winter, there is a problem with the supply of hot water, but electric heating can be provided. It is advisable to calculate the economic component to see whether a particular type of heating is suitable in each particular case.

A small amount of heat can be used in a greenhouse. Many vegetables can withstand low temperatures and even short-term freezing.