Glazing

Mostly all Vitavia Ida greenhouses can be supplied with either horticultural or toughened glazing. Although, for the 6 x 8 ft, 6 x 10 ft and 6 x 12 ft sizes, these boast a polycarbonate roof, with horticultural glazing only for the wall panels.

Here's a brief overview of the differences between horticultural, toughened and polycarbonate glazing.

Horticultural is the most common, traditional glazing type. Consisting of real glass panes that are provided in a 3mm thickness, in 2 ft by 2 ft panes. Each pane gets clipped onto the greenhouse’ frame during installation.

Toughened glass, is as the name suggests, glass which has been tempered in such a way that makes it a lot stronger than the horticultural alternative, but of course, comes at a higher cost. In the event of a pane breaking, the glass shatters into tiny pieces rather than dangerous shards - ideal if children and pets are around.

Polycarbonate glazing isn't actually glass, but a virtually unbreakable plastic sheeting. It's generally thicker than real glass and twin-walled, meaning that it does a great job at keeping the heat inside of your greenhouse as it can’t escape as easily as entering. It’s also the safest glazing option out of all three, being as it’s plastic, there are no safety concerns of it ever shattering. The only downside to polycarbonate is the fact that the glazing isn’t clear, but more of an opaque finish, although this is highly useful when used in the roof as it can help to repel harmful UV rays while still letting plenty of the sun's natural light and warmth inside.