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Does Foil Insulation Roll Work for Plastic Greenhouse Protection?

pinkskyinthecitypinkskyinthecity Posts: 109
in Problem solving
As the temps. are lowering again this week, I'm wondering if I should protect my seedlings with this? This will save me from moving the seedlings indoors at night. Is this a good idea? I plan to use sheets of this clipped together with bulldog clips for each side of the greenhouse and line it over the top of the plants. Will this be effective from temps reaching lower than 6C? 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Plastic greenhouses are pretty useless in terms of insulation. They only keep rough weather off plants, and get hideously hot as soon as there's any warmth.
    I can't see foil making a huge difference. 
    What are you growing that needs temps of over 6 degrees?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • young codgeryoung codger Posts: 543
    edited April 2022
    I would have thought that bubble wrap material would be a better insulator than foil. Reusable too, and different sizes available in terms of 'bubble size. Air is a good insulator. More light will penetrate than foil too.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Foil insulation works by reflecting heat (or cold). It only really works when completely airtight as a cold draught can drop the temperature inside quite rapidly. In theory, if you can make it airtight then it would be the most efficient way to conserve the heat inside but you'd also be risking moulds which could kill seedlings as rapidly as the cold. You'd also have to remove it all to allow light in every day. Bubblewrap is used commonly because it lets light through but it's a pretty terrible insulator.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • pinkskyinthecitypinkskyinthecity Posts: 109
    I have my tomatoes in there in order to catch the sunny days we've been getting. Right now, the temps are probably around 4C with the wind we have here in Nottingham. I'll bin the idea of using any form of insulation then if it isn't going to that effective. 
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    When I was using plastic ones I put a reflective car window shield across the floor and back ( cheep from Aldi or similar..), they had the advantage of reflecting back any heat and also being backed with white cotton which isolated against droughts.. bubble wrap gently over the plants or attach to the roof helps but take it away as soon as you can. 
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
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