This arch plastic film greenhouse is laid out for orchid growers, who need floor space more than anything else. The arch span keeps the interior clear of columns, so benches, hanging beds and trolleys can be arranged without working around supports. Span runs 8 m to 12 m with gutter height 3 m to 4.5 m. The cover is multi layer polyethylene from 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm, chosen against the winter the house has to hold, and it passes 85 to 90 per cent of daylight in diffused form, which is why orchid foliage is far less likely to scorch under it than under a clear film.
Orchids are unforgiving about two things: light that is too strong and air that stands still. Under a clear cover the foliage scorches at the edges long before the flower suffers, and in a house crowded with benches the humidity sits in layers. This arch plastic film greenhouse is specified around both problems, and around the third requirement a nursery always has: floor space that is not chopped up by columns.
The arch carries the cover as one clear bay, so there is no internal line of posts. Benches, hanging beds, trolleys and watering booms can be laid out to suit the crop and the workflow rather than to suit the structure, and a trolley can run the full length of the house. Span runs 8 m to 12 m with gutter height of 3 m to 4.5 m, which gives enough headroom for a two tier bench system and for the air movement orchids need above and below the foliage.
The cover is multi layer polyethylene from 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm, chosen against the winter the house has to hold: a northern site is usually specified heavier than a subtropical one. The important property for orchid foliage is not thickness but diffusion. The film passes 85 to 90 per cent of daylight in diffused form, which spreads the light across the leaf instead of concentrating it, so a crop that would scorch under clear film keeps clean foliage under this one. UV stabilising and anti drip treatment are built into the sheet, so it holds its transmission and does not drip onto the plants below.
| Structure material | Galvanized steel arch frame |
| Covering material | Multi layer polyethylene film, 0.08mm to 0.2mm |
| Roof shape | Arch roof, clear span |
| Span | 8m to 12m |
| Gutter height | 3m to 4.5m |
| Light transmission | 85% to 90%, diffused |
| Film treatment | UV stabilised, anti drip |
| Layout | No internal columns, full length trolley runs |
| Service life | 15 to 20 years for the frame under normal growing conditions |
Orchids want high humidity without still air, and a film house can deliver both if it is vented properly. Openings along the flanks bring air in low down, roof or ridge openings let it leave at the top, and the resulting movement carries the humid layer away from the foliage instead of letting it sit. Because the film is diffusing rather than clear, the humid air below it does not become a scorching canopy in the middle of the day. Standards from ASTM International cover the film and structural test methods a project specification should be checked against.
The house ships as a kit of galvanized arches, purlins and fittings, with the film in rolls. Work follows a fixed order: set the foundation, raise the arches and tie the purlins, then the benches and services, then tension the film and fit the vents and doors. Our engineers can travel to site to guide installation when required.
Routine work is limited. Check film tension at the start of each season and look for any split at the fixings, wash the cover so the diffusing effect is not lost to dust or algae, service vent drives, and check the bench frames. Film is the consumable part of the house and is replaced on a three to five year cycle.
The house suits orchid nurseries and commercial flower production, as well as foliage plants and young plant raising where diffuse light and high humidity are wanted. Agricultural market reporting on Agriwatch follows how commercial flower production is planned and traded. Browse the full product range, or look at the flower film greenhouse and the greenhouse for flowers for other options in the same family.
Diffused light spreads across the leaf instead of concentrating in one spot, so the foliage is far less likely to scorch. Under a clear film the same light level can burn leaf edges.
Multi layer polyethylene from 0.08 mm to 0.2 mm. The choice follows the winter the house has to hold: colder sites are usually specified heavier, subtropical sites lighter.
The galvanized steel frame is rated for 15 to 20 years under normal growing conditions. The film cover is replaced on a three to five year cycle.
We provide a 10 year structural warranty and a 5 year anti-corrosion warranty on the galvanized frame. Details are set out in the contract for each project.
Send your site dimensions, the crops and bench layout you plan to use, your winter design temperature and your local wind and snow loads. We reply with a layout drawing and a full quotation.
