Production of greenhouses from bottles, features of such buildings, site selection and design, technology for the construction of structures from different types of bottle containers. A bottle greenhouse is a versatile option for any plant. The material at hand, which is used in its construction, is practically worthless, since it is often simply thrown away. How to make a greenhouse from bottles on your own will be discussed in this article.
Features of bottle greenhouses
A technologically made greenhouse made from ordinary bottles is in no way inferior to other structures of this type. This is due to the following:
- Fencing structures built from this material retain heat well thanks to the air enclosed in a glass or plastic shell. By itself, it is an excellent thermal insulator.
- The ability of the bottle material to transmit light is slightly lower than that of ordinary glass. Therefore, in such a greenhouse, it is scattered, so that the plants do not come under the direct influence of sunlight, which has a beneficial effect on their growth.
- The cost of a bottle greenhouse cannot be high, since it is made from scrap material using ordinary household tools.
The amount of light entering the greenhouse can be adjusted by combining the arrangement of darkened and transparent containers in the wall structure. Such an assembly is an exciting activity that does not require a lot of experience and is within the power of even beginners in the construction of greenhouses.
In addition, the manufacture of such a structure is the secondary use of plastic or glass containers, that is, the task of the future, which today is very relevant for the preservation of the ecology of the entire planet.
Advantages and disadvantages of bottle greenhouses
These structures can be made from whole bottles or bottle sheets if it concerns plastic containers.
Compared to fragile greenhouse film and fragile glass, the greenhouse coating from bottles wins in many ways:
- A greenhouse made of bottles will not be destroyed by gusts of wind and snow load - it is resistant to external influences.
- Bottles are durable material. Therefore, a greenhouse of them can serve its owners for more than one year. If damaged, individual parts of such a structure can be easily replaced without a general dismantling of the structure.
- Warm air heated by the sun in bottles is able to maintain a comfortable temperature for a long time in a building made of this material.
- For the construction of plastic dishes, a capital foundation is not needed due to the low weight of the products.
If the walls of such a structure are made of glass bottles, the supporting structure for it should be more powerful. Indeed, at 1 m 2 enclosing structures in this case will require about 150 pieces of such a container. Therefore, the total weight of the glass greenhouse will be quite substantial. Hence the need to build a full-fledged foundation for it.
But in such a structure it will be warmer than in any other, due to the ability of glass containers to retain heated air in themselves. At the same time, a greenhouse heating system may not be required in the autumn-winter period - a positive temperature in it is guaranteed. And if multi-colored bottles in the walls are also laid out with ornaments, the greenhouse will come out not only beautiful, but also original.
The only drawback of a structure made of plastic or glass containers can be called a lot of time required for the collection and preparation of the material. For the manufacture of a medium-sized structure, you need to have 600-2000 bottles. And this is a lot, especially when the plastic container will have to be cut and sewn into panels.
Designing a bottle greenhouse
In the construction of a greenhouse from scrap materials, as in any other business, there are nuances, as well as the need for a phased work. The first step in this process should be choosing a location to build.
A bottle greenhouse is recommended to be located on the south side of the site in an open, illuminated place, but outside the zone of the prevailing winds. There should be no tall trees, fences or anything that can shade the greenhouse for a long time near the structure.
For its construction, you should choose a dry area. The aquifer of the soil in this place should lie at a depth of more than one and a half meters. Excess moisture is contraindicated for greenhouse plants.
After determining the location, you need to think over the dimensions of the structure and draw up its drawing. It is recommended to make a greenhouse made of bottles at least 1.5 m long with a width of 1.5-2 m. The height of the structure should be 2 m or more. The drawing should indicate the location of the supporting elements of the frame, roof, dimensions and installation locations of the doors. After making a visual diagram with dimensions, you can proceed to the next stage of work.
Greenhouse installation technology from plastic bottles
This container can be used in different ways. Some make greenhouses from whole bottles, while others - from products cut into blanks. We will consider both options for such a construction.
Preparatory work
Before making a greenhouse out of plastic bottles, the site for it should be thoroughly prepared: remove the vegetative layer of soil, level the area and make a breakdown of the perimeter of the structure on it using pegs, a cord, a hammer and a tape measure. In addition to them, you will need a bar and scissors, nails and an awl, nylon thread, wooden planks, screws, a screwdriver and a building level.
For the walls, you will need to collect the required number of plastic bottles with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters. It is desirable that their shape and volume are the same. Remove the stickers from all bottles, then rinse and dry the container.
When collecting plastic containers, keep in mind that transparent white items have ideal sunlight transmission. Therefore, they are more suitable for greenhouse walls. It is recommended to use a dark container to create ornaments or to assemble the corner elements of a structure.
Due to the fact that a plastic greenhouse does not differ in large weight, it does not need a massive foundation. As a basis, you can use a beam of 100x100 mm, impregnated with an antiseptic, or cinder blocks laid in a row, filled with cement mortar for strength.
Assembling the frame
To assemble the frame of the greenhouse, 1-2 assistants will be required, since its wooden parts will have to be maintained periodically during installation, connecting them in a "paw" or overlapping with screws and metal corners.
In general, the process looks like this:
- To the base of a 100x100 mm bar, laid instead of the foundation, you need to attach vertical posts, and then perform two straps along them - the upper and the lower. The step of the racks should be taken at least 1 m.
- Frame racks need to be covered with nylon thread in several rows with a pitch of 30-40 cm between them so that these distances are enough to accommodate bottle posts.
- Make a roof frame from a bar.
After completing these works, you can proceed to the formation of walls from bottles.
Construction of walls
To make walls from whole plastic bottles, you first need to cut off the bottom from them at the level of the lower belt so that the two blanks can be connected vertically to each other. The plugs need to be removed, and the finished cylinders must be strung on a thread so that the end result is a pipe of the required height in accordance with the size of the frame. In this case, it is important to tightly press the strips of the bottles to eliminate gaps between them.
To ensure the strength of the structure, the wall parts can be wrapped with transparent tape. The outer rows should be fastened with screws to the frame posts. The finished wall must be reinforced horizontally with slats in several places at once.
The wall can be assembled directly on the frame or in a separate place by stringing the blanks onto a strong plastic rod.
The arrangement of the rows in the wall of the frame is most often vertical, but they can also be laid out in a horizontal direction. The doors of such a greenhouse from plastic bottles are made in the same way.
You can also use cut plates made from plastic bottles for sheathing. This kind of work takes much longer and requires a lot of material. To cover a small greenhouse, you may need about 5,000 blanks, but it is believed that such a structure is lighter and stronger. You need to make its cladding like this:
- Cut off the bottoms and necks from two-liter bottles.
- Cut the resulting cylinder lengthwise to obtain a rectangular blank. In order for it to become flat, the plastic must be ironed or placed unfolded under a press.
- Using an awl, make holes in each formed rectangle, and then sew the details through them with a fishing line, overlapping them. The result of the work should be a plastic sheet with a size corresponding to the dimensions of the wall of the structure.
- Attach its edge to the beams of the upper frame strapping and fasten with nails using a thin strip. After that, stretch the canvas and fix the remaining three edges of it on the greenhouse wall. All other sides of the structure and the roof frame are sheathed in the same way.
For strength, the walls of the greenhouse can be trimmed crosswise with slats in several places.
Roof installation
For her, columns from blanks must be assembled in advance. It will be better if the parts are strung on a rigid rod or rail. It is important that the roof is strong, since it is exposed to snow load more than other structures. The work should be done in the following order:
- From plastic blanks, make rows of 30-40 cm long, planting them on rods or slats;
- Fasten the resulting posts with nails on the wooden parts of the roof;
- Wrap the finished parts of the structure with tape for strength.
To reduce the humidity in the greenhouse, its roof can be covered with polyethylene, fixing it to the bars with staples.
Glass bottle greenhouse installation technology
A beautiful greenhouse is also easy to make from glass bottles. Such a structure can serve for many years. Its construction will go slowly, but its result is worth the time and effort spent - it is very warm in such a greenhouse.
Before making this bottle greenhouse with your own hands, you will have to collect a considerable amount of glass containers. It is desirable that all products have the same shape and length. Remove the labels from the bottles, wash the container from the glue and dry it. During work, the necks of the bottles must be closed with corks to prevent dirt from getting into them.
The shape and dimensions of the greenhouse roof must be decided in advance. If it is sloping and not hipped, one wall of the structure should be higher than the rest.
There are no particular difficulties in construction, but it is important to carry out the work in the established sequence. Due to the fact that a glass structure will have a solid weight, one cannot do without a powerful foundation. For its device, you need to install the formwork, lower the reinforcement into it, pour M400 concrete and level its surface with the rule in the horizontal plane. After the concrete has hardened, a greenhouse frame can be installed on the foundation.
It is made from metal shaped pipes, wood or building bricks. The supporting pillars of the frame are required to be positioned with a step of 1 m in relation to each other. In this case, it is important to designate in advance the location of the door, window openings and shower enclosures.
After finishing work on the frame, its walls can be filled with glass containers. Bottles in the masonry must be placed with the neck inward and in a checkerboard pattern. A cement-lime mixture can be used as a binder. After laying out each row, you should wait a little - the solution should grab a little.
As the bottle rows are laid, the surface of the glass products must be cleaned of the cement composition. If it adheres well, it will be very difficult to clean the bottoms, the transparency of which determines the amount of light and a comfortable temperature in the greenhouse.
After finishing the masonry of the walls, you need to wait for the final polymerization of the building mixture and only then engage in the manufacture of doors, windows and a roof, for which polycarbonate will be the best material in this case.
How to make a greenhouse from bottles - watch the video:
Summing up, we can draw the following conclusion: making a greenhouse from bottles will require little money and quite a lot of packaging. Both glass and plastic are the best suited for greenhouse facilities. Plants in such conditions feel quite comfortable and therefore will certainly delight their owners with lush growth and a good harvest.
