As a fruit grower, you are always looking for ways to protect your crops and optimise your harvest. Using tunnel foil can help. But what exactly is tunnel liner? How can tunnel foil be used and which crops can be protected with it? In this article, we discuss the applications of tunnel film in fruit growing and give some tips on where the best place to buy tunnel film is in the Netherlands.
With competitive price and timely delivery, YiTong sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
Tunnel film, also known as greenhouse film or agricultural film, is a thin polyethylene plastic. Polyethylene is a durable and flexible material that is resistant to Uv-radiation and weathering. Properties can be added to tunnel film to optimise its use for all kinds of different crops. For the development of the crop, it is very important which type of polyethylene tunnel film you choose. The following properties can be added to the tunnel film:
With EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), you can reduce heat loss at night in your tunnel or tunnel greenhouse.
To prevent disease in crops, and excess light reflection due to condensation, you can have Anti-Drip added as a feature. The Anti-Drip addition ensures that the drops stick to the tunnel film and are discharged as water.
When fogging occurs, fogging can lead to condensation. Anti-fog ensures that the fog is absorbed by the tunnel liner and drained downwards as water via the anti-fog layer.
This feature of the tunnel film reduces algae growth on the foil and allows sand and dust to slide off the tunnel film.
Excessive solar radiation can damage crops, causing fruit crops to burn. Therefore, add UV feature to the tunnel film that protects the crop, as well as the foil, from ultraviolet light.
Diffuse light reduces shadow and provides the plant with a better distributed light during the day. This allows the plant to get more light from the PAR range of the light spectrum, both for the upper leaves and the lower leaves. Thus, more photosynthesis takes place. Maximum PAR range transmittance of polyethylene film is therefore necessary.
If you want to read more about this, you can click here. That article has all kinds of information about the properties in tunnel films.
Tunnel film is used for growing various fruit crops, for example strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, redcurrants and grapes. Tunnel film is also used over bi-coloured roses, nectarines and red-leaved lettuce.
Polythene tunnel film protects crops from frost, wind, rain, hail and insect pests, reducing the risk of disease and damage. Tunnel film can also help accelerate crop growth and extend the growing season, resulting in higher yield and quality of harvest. For crop development, it is important to choose the right type of tunnel film. Different properties can be added to the tunnel film that improve its quality. Such as: thermality, anti-condensation, anti-fog, anti-dust, UV stability and light transmission.
Tunnel film can be ordered almost everywhere offline and online. Available from horticultural suppliers, agricultural shops, garden centres and fruit growing web shops. As described, tunnel foil is not just another piece of plastic you place above your crops. It is important to get high-quality tunnel film to ensure that it is durable and effective in protecting your crops. Therefore, when buying tunnel film, pay attention to the thickness, UV stability and dimensions suitable for your specific crops and growing conditions.
We have years of experience in protecting crops with tunnel film. We would like to help you make the right choice in buying tunnel film. Therefore, below are some companies that, like us, sell high-quality tunnel film:
Fruit Support Europe is a supplier of support materials and canopies in fruit growing. Fruit Support Europe can supply all kinds of different types, widths and lengths of high-quality tunnel sheeting. Widths possible from 1.8m to 14.5m. In the most common thicknesses: 100, 150, 180 and 200 microns. Lengths on request.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Tunnell Lliner. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Homma Kunststofverwerking processes many types of flexible plastics and fabrics for all kinds of applications. Homma Plastic Processing supplies various high-quality tunnel films from their web shop. Tunnel films for professional and hobby crops. Many different widths possible in the most commonly used thicknesses: 100, 180 and 200 microns. Lengths from 1.0m possible online.
Meteor Systems supplies tunnel film for outdoor cultivation of delicate crops. Meteor Systems aims for optimal utilisation of light, air and water and has extensive experience in soft fruit growing technology under plastic tunnel film. Tunnel film for professional crops in various types, widths and lengths.
Of course, there are other manufacturers and companies that can supply high-quality tunnel film. It is advisable to look for reliable suppliers with good reviews to ensure that you get the best tunnel film that improves the conditions of your crops. And compare different suppliers based on price, quality and service to make the best choice for your specific needs.
Tunnel film is very valuable in fruit growing to protect crops and increase yields. It creates an ideal microclimate under the tunnel foil, providing optimal growing conditions for fruit crops.
When buying tunnel film, it is very important to choose the right supplier. Invest in high-quality tunnel foil and enjoy its benefits to take your fruit growing to the next level.
Hopefully, this article has helped you understand what tunnel foil is, how it is used in fruit growing and where to buy it. By using tunnel foil correctly, you can protect your fruit crops from weather conditions, pests and promote a healthy harvest. Enjoy the benefits of high-quality tunnel liner!
Need more advice on buying high-quality tunnel liner? About which tunnel film is best for your crops? Can't figure it out yourself? Call +31 318 30 17 31 or fill in the form below.
Just like for ponds, there are many different types of materials that get used to make tunnels watertight. Everything from inexpensive dampproofing materials that are meant to keep MOST of the water out, all the way up to full waterproof membranes that are designed to keep ALL water out of the tunnel. Depending on what's inside the tunnel will determine how much waterproofing protection will be desired. For example, for a pedestrian walkway under a road, it would likely be best to prevent water from entering the tunnel and dripping on pedestrians. However, if a little water did get through, it's not a mission critical failure. In contrast, if the tunnel contained some expensive electronics or other equipment that MUST remain dry at all costs, then it becomes much more important to choose a tunnel liner that is 100% waterproof.
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear from people looking for a tunnel liner is they might not need a liner because they’re using high quality concrete that is supposed to be waterproof. While it’s true that PERFECT concrete should be fairly waterproof, in our experience, we’ve never seen concrete that doesn’t crack over time, even if it’s just a tiny bit. Water loves imperfections in concrete and will find and seep through even the smallest cracks. Another place for water transmission is concrete pour joints, which are the seams between an already hardened concrete section, and a new pour of concrete. An example of a pour joint would be the floor to wall transition. If you ever walk through an underground parking structure, you will often see moisture coming out of the floor to wall concrete pour joint for this very reason.
One of the main factors that will determine what kind of tunnel liner will be best is the location of the tunnel. Is the tunnel above ground or below ground? What kinds of water sources need to be protected against? For example, for an above ground tunnel that may go under a road, or another application where the tunnel is going ‘through’ something rather than ‘below’ something, you may only have to deal with rainwater that seeps through from above. However, if there is a ‘green roof’ or other types of irrigated vegetation above the tunnel, then perhaps a more robust waterproofing system might be required to prevent irrigation water from entering the tunnel. Similarly, if a tunnel is below ground, then groundwater may become an issue. Depending on the location, If the tunnel is deep enough, the structure may actually end up below the water table. This means that the tunnel will be subjected to very wet conditions most, if not all, of the time. If the structure is far enough down, hydrostatic conditions might become apparent, which means that water is being forced at the structure under pressure. In these situations, a very robust waterproofing system is required to prevent leaks. A tunnel under hydrostatic pressure could be likened to it being built through a lake or pond, where the pressure of the water is pushing down on the tunnel, trying to force it’s way through every crack or weakness in the structure.
Although there are a few options out there for liners, our favorite tunnel liner option is Premium RPE, which stands for reinforced polyethylene. It is strong, lightweight and can be MADE IN A SINGLE PIECE in any dimensions you like up to about 60,000 square feet. That means that if you have a tunnel that is 50 feet long and a 10 foot diameter, we could make a single piece of RPE liner to wrap the tunnel from end to end. All the seaming will done by us at our facility and as such , there is no welding or assembly on site required. This is in contrast to something like PVC, which is often sold in rolls, and then heat welded together on site. This requires full crews of skilled workers, which can increase the cost of the liner tremendously. Although RPE is commonly used as a lake or pond liner, it is also used in many different industrial applications to either contain water, or keep water out of a structure like a tunnel. We have millions of square feet of RPE in use in North America..
If you have a tunnel liner application you’d like to hear our recommendations on, please contact us. We provide free design assistance with no obligation to buy.
Click here to return from tunnel liner to pond liners, or click here to return to our homepage.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Corrugated Steel Pipe.