One screen, the right climate around the clock
Climate screens shade and soften the sun by day, keep the heat in at night and help you steer humidity in between. For flowers, pot plants and every crop that needs a calm, even climate. Designed, built and installed by ALWECO.
Why flowers ask for a climate screen
Flowers are sold on looks. Too much direct sun means hot leaves and petals, faded colours, burnt edges and an uneven crop. Too little light means slow growth and weak stems. The margin between the two is small, and it changes with every cloud.
A climate screen is a movable cloth under the greenhouse roof that gives you control over that margin. Closed, it takes the peak off the radiation and scatters the light, so it reaches deeper into the crop without hot spots. Opened, it gives every bit of light back to the plants. At night, the same cloth becomes an insulating layer that keeps heat inside.
ALWECO has been designing and installing greenhouse screen systems for more than 35 years, for cut flowers, pot plants, vegetables and young plants, in glass and poly greenhouses all over the world.
A day under the climate screen
The real value of a climate screen is that it moves. Linked to your climate computer, it reacts to radiation, temperature and humidity all day long.
Open with care
After a cold night the screen opens gradually, in steps or with a gap, so cold air above the cloth does not drop onto the crop all at once.
Shade and spread
When radiation peaks, the screen closes. It cuts the strongest sun, scatters the light and keeps leaves and petals cooler.
Every bit of light
When a cloud passes, the screen retracts so the crop receives the maximum available light for growth.
Keep the heat
Closed at night, the cloth insulates the greenhouse and saves heating energy. A small gap lets moisture escape when needed.
Choosing the right cloth
There is no single best climate screen. The right cloth depends on your crop, your local sunlight, your greenhouse cover and the way you ventilate. We help you weigh the options.
Shading level
Cloths range from light shading of around 20% to well over 70%. Young plants and shade-loving pot plants need more, roses and gerbera in a moderate climate less. Two screens give you flexibility through the seasons.
Diffuse light
White, light-scattering cloths spread the sunlight evenly over the crop. Less burning of the top of the plant, more light lower down and a more uniform product.
Open or closed structure
An open cloth lets warm air escape through the screen, which suits naturally ventilated greenhouses in warm climates. A closed cloth insulates better and suits pad-and-fan cooling and colder regions.
Aluminium and flame retardant
Aluminium strips reflect sunlight for extra cooling by day and hold heat at night. Flame retardant (FR) cloths are increasingly required by insurers and authorities.
Screen cloth manufacturers specify energy savings of roughly 40% to over 60% for a closed screen, depending on the cloth. We select cloths from leading manufacturers and install them on a system built to keep them tight and running for years.
Climate screens for flowers and pot plants
Gerbera and cut flowers
Soft, even light protects petals from burning and helps keep colours bright, while a cooler crop gives longer stems and a steadier quality.
Roses
Diffuse light reaches deeper into the dense canopy, so the lower leaves contribute more and the plants are under less stress on bright days.
Pot plants and young plants
Crops with a high shading demand get the shade they need, without light stripes or uneven batches across the greenhouse.
One, two or three screens
A single climate screen already does a lot. But when one cloth has to shade, insulate and darken, you are always compromising. That is why many growers choose a second or third screen, each with its own job.
A common setup is a diffuse climate screen combined with a transparent energy screen, or with a blackout screen for short-day crops. ALWECO designs these combined installations as one system, with the screens on their own or a shared wire bed, so they work together instead of getting in each other's way.
More than climate
Sometimes the screen has a more specific task. We cover those too.
Blackout screens
Total darkness for flowering control of short-day crops such as chrysanthemum, kalanchoe and poinsettia.
blackout-screens.com →Light emission screens
Keep grow light inside the greenhouse at night and meet local light emission rules.
assimilation-screens.com →Insect netting
Keep pests out of the ventilation openings while keeping the air moving.
Insect control on alweco.nl →Renovation
Upgrade an existing screen system or replace worn cloths for more light and better savings.
Renovation on alweco.nl →We get it done
35+ years
Screen specialists from the Westland, the heart of Dutch greenhouse horticulture.
Worldwide
Design, installation and renovation for any greenhouse construction, in any climate.
Short lines
A small team of specialists, with a screen expert always on the line.
A deal is a deal
Clear quotations, deadlines met and service and maintenance after delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What is a climate screen?
A climate screen is a movable cloth installed under the greenhouse roof. Closed during the day it shades and diffuses sunlight; closed at night it keeps heat inside. Because it can be opened, closed or set to a gap at any moment, it is one of the main tools a grower has to steer light, temperature and humidity.
What is the difference between a climate screen and a shade screen?
A shade screen is chosen mainly to reduce sunlight. A climate screen is chosen to do several jobs with one cloth: shading and light diffusion by day, energy saving at night and help with humidity control. In practice many screens do both; the cloth choice decides where the balance lies.
Which shading percentage do flowers need?
That depends on the crop, the local radiation level and the greenhouse cover. Young plants and shade-loving pot plants need more shade than roses or gerbera in a moderate climate. Cloths range from light shading of around 20% to more than 70%, and two screens can be combined for flexibility. We advise on the right cloth for your crop and location.
Can a climate screen be combined with a blackout or energy screen?
Yes. We build double and triple installations, for example a diffuse climate screen with a blackout or transparent energy screen underneath, so each cloth can be used for what it does best.
Can climate screens be fitted in an existing greenhouse?
In most cases, yes. We design installations for new builds and renovate or replace screen systems and cloths in existing glass and poly greenhouses, anywhere in the world.
Looking for the right climate screen?
See our climate solutions and reference projects on the ALWECO website, or ask one of our specialists for advice and a clear quotation.
Go to alweco.nl