do plants need solar radiation and uv rays??
Printer-friendly versionhi,
i'm looking at buying a greenhouse..they manufacturer states that the clear single layer polycarbonate panels block out 99.9% solar radiation and 100% 'harmful' uv rays...now if i were using the panels on say a conservatory that would be great for me and my skin, but do plants benefit from being 'protected' from these sunbeams?.or are they needed for the plants to make 'good produce' full of nutrients for me to eat??...thankyou...this is what i was looking at http://www.psp.co.nz/Products/Horticultural-Supplies/Suntuf-Hobby-Greenh...
Thank you for the question. I have the same one and have been looking for a solid answer. I just purchased a greenhouse with uv protection. Not sure I am going to keep it. I didn't realize the detriment until it was delivered. There doesn't seem to be anything else out there for the "hobbyist". I too want full nutritious food from my greenhouse. I was told that uv protection inhibits the rays that are important for the plant to have proper nutrition. I will be starting my plants in the greenhouse and them putting them in the ground in the warmer weather. Wikepedia will give you some answers.
Finding a greenhouse with a covering that does not have UV inhibitors is basically going to be impossible. And if you do find one, then that covering is not going to last very long because plastic will break down under UV exposure.
This should not make much of a difference though when it comes to growing plants, since they are photosynthetically active only in a narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum that basically corresponds to the visible light spectrum. UV is of course invisible to humans and therefore is of very minimal use to plants as well, at least as far as photosynthesis goes.
Polycarbonate blocks basically all of the UV rays of the sun. The wording is a little misleading, implying that there are good UV rays that the panels won't block. In fact UV as a whole is pretty harmful and the panels block it so as to protect anyone working in the greenhouse and to protect the panels themselves from UV breakdown.
The panels will not block solar radiation, at least not all of it, because that's just another word for light. You would not want panels that blocked 100% of solar radiation because you would have a dark greenhouse on your hands! The panels will transmit between 93%-80% of the light from the sun into your greenhouse, which is ample for any plants you will be growing.
In short, blocking the UV rays will not harm your plants but will protect you while you work in the building.