GOING DOME
The plants in this type of greenhouse
will receive more direct sunlight
throughout the day, which means
more consistent heat input. A rectangular greenhouse will have less
sun in the morning and evening, and
the most at midday. A dome receives
consistent sun and heat throughout
the day because the sun follows the
shape of the dome. Your plants will
appreciate this, and the added light
and heat will be a benefit during the
dark winter months.
Thirty to 40 per cent less surface area
also means 30-40 per cent fewer materials used in construction. Geodesic
dome greenhouses are relatively inexpensive to construct, depending on the
design you use. You can buy prefab
kits that you put together yourself,
which are significantly more expensive, or you can do it yourself for only a
few hundred dollars. There are online
calculators to assist you in finding the
precise measurements you need to
create the perfect sized dome for your
plants. The do-it-yourself version may
require more brain power and physical
labor from you, and won’t have all the
bells and whistles that a prefab kit has,
but it will do the job just fine.
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Maximum Yield USA | December 2016
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If you design your own dome,
you will want to consult a
good dome calculator to get
the proper measurements.
Design Your Dome
If you design your own dome, you will
want to consult a good dome calculator to get the proper measurements.
You can find multiple dome calculators
online. Two that come recommended
are desertdomes.com and acidome.ru.
The second calculator is in Russian, but
it can be translated using an Internet
translator. Enter your basic requirements for the dome and the calculator will generate the dimensions and
angles needed for the struts, and give
you a diagram to work from.