Hi. I currently have a very large balcony - more a roof garden - in the Pacific Northwest which has no covering over it. I've been growing trees, shrubs and perennials there for some years. The garden has a northwest exposure, with hot sun throughout the summer when the sun has reached its zenith. We're having renovations done to fix a leaky building exterior and there is a proposal to cover my balcony with a glass roof. I'm concerned about this because I seem to remember learning at one point that sun beating down through glass is harder on plants than when the sun is shining directly on them. Is this true? If it is, could someone please explain in some detail so I have a good argument when I put forward a counter-proposal to the glass roof idea. Thanks so much!
Thanks, Ann. I take it you're saying that it's true that glass does indeed magnify the sun's heat - is that right? Can someone point me at some reference material, please, so I can put forward a sound argument against the glass cover? I should add that this balcony is the size of good-sized room, so putting up shade cloth would be a major deal.
The problem I can see ie that the glass roof would increase the property value, effectively adding another room to the space. Unless you own it, you'll be fighting a lost battle with the owner, trying to keep the space suitable to just your own use. And the added heat retained will also save money on utilities. So perhaps a different approach? Find all the negatives you can about glass roofs - maintainance, repair, possibly increased property tax, etc., and use those to argue your point.
