What Is Horticultural Glass?
and The Benefits Horticultural Glass Provides To The Greenhouse Gardener
Horticultural Glass is the lowest grade of glass produced and as such is the lowest price glass available. As a consequence, unlike float glass, you may find marks or blemishes in horticultural glass, which won’t affect its main use as glazing within greenhouses.
Only available in 3mm thick panels, horticultural glass is cheaper than toughened glass, but will break more easily – and when horticultural glass breaks it breaks into sharp shards of glass. However you are able to cut horticultural glass to size – unlike toughened glass which cannot be cut and must be bought in exact size panels to suit what you are glazing.
Horticultural Glass – also known as Greenhouse Glass – has its main use as greenhouse glazing. Horticultural Glass is favoured as a greenhouse glazing as it lets through more light into a greenhouse than polycarbonate would. And, unlike polycarbonate or other plastics which may become more translucent or scratched over time, reducing the amount of light reaching your plants, glass remains clear all its life – as long as you keep it clean.
The amount of light entering your greenhouse is important as it affects the growth of your plants – the more light getting into the greenhouse the better it is for your plants and the higher the yields from greenhouse crops.
Horticultural Glass also conducts heat and allows the ultraviolet rays through to your greenhouse. In this way glass helps to heat up the greenhouse during the summer months to almost tropical conditions. To help the greenhouse retain heat ensure that there are no gaps between the greenhouse frame and the edge of the glass panels – this is why it is important in autumn to give your greenhouse a quick maintenance check – ensuring panes of glass aren’t broken and any missing glazing clips are replaced to ensure the panes are held in place securely.