PVC Winter protection & green houses a link

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:42 am

Most PVC we find at stores are for plumbing use..which will work, but PVC connectors are limited. I just knew there was some place that made/sold a wider array of fittings better suited for building various structures and I found one I wanted to share.

Click on the "projects" link on their page and they have plans for green houses as well with a detailed materials list. The only downside is that I don't see fittings that will work for anything over 2 inches. Depending on protection height, extra measures would need to be taken to stabilize it when in stronger winds.

http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com/solutions/pvc/

For covering this link for clear reinforced plastic green house covering.(note: pic on website shows both CLEAR and Black plastic as a choices)

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.a ... assistance

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:08 am

What thickness poly were you going to use? 4 mil is much cheaper than 6 mil but 4 mil doesn't always make it through winter without ripping. Look into steel electrical conduit too. I use the steel and it's easy to bend

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:14 am

Not sure yet, but will probably go with max thickness for where this structure will be.

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:50 am

or you can go with 2 layers of 4 mil.......it still may be cheaper.

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:00 am

Yes that plastic is 6mil thick, but since comes in 100 ft rolls could just wrap it twice OR depending on height of enclosure just fold it over. Minimum width you can get is 8ft anyway.

As long as enclosure is vented or not made air tight it should breathe fine and not condense inside.

With my little enclosure I just had to slit the plastic in two places about 4 inches long and cured the condensation issue in that without sacrificing heat loss

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:05 am

A few years ago I saw a guy's palm tree pictured and he did exactly that Scott, connected PVC to build a winter palm house for his 10 foot tall palm.
Size of a phone booth.
The palm was in a raised brick/stone planter.

Can't even remember what country he was in, think it was France?

Anybody remember those photos/site?

The only thing I don't like about PVC is that it eventually degrades from UV exposure.
But that's years away.

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:13 am

PVC is at least inexpensive. a 2" 10ft long piece at Menards is under $8

That site that sells the connectors does sell PVC that is "harder" for lack of a better word but needless to say more expensive as well.

Black, PVC could be used as well, as it is stronger as well and easily available.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:45 am

"harder"

Called "schedule 40" etc here I think.

Black PVC? hmmm, that would warm up nicely.

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:13 am

Yes, Black PVC is more commonly used for home plumbing use. Harder to cut, less flexible.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:37 am

Here you go Barb

Lancaster Pa.

http://exoten.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/hardy. ... B6C0C73905

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:53 am

THAT'S IT JIM!!!!! THAT'S THE PICTURE!!!! Thanks

Looking for it was driving me crazy...(short trip)

Wasn't he the fellow with the stage-by-stage photos of building his thatch bar? that was cool.

I've bookmarked the photo ... wonder if H can build that PVC hut ... hmmmm... hunny, look at this cute picture....

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 9:00 am

What a GREAT example of what I want to do.

I wonder what he covers it with?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 9:10 am

Jim's memory is better than mine (obviously)

Wasn't this the guy who used pallet wrap?
That'd be quite the dance around the ladder(s)

Jim, any finished pics of his protection on that site?
I looked and didn't see one.

Barb
[/quote]

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 10:58 am

Re covering it, Scott.

This pic just shows it at the top...looks like the PVC is wrapped with wire, then plastic, then guy wires.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk22 ... G_2195.jpg

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:24 pm

Way cool, Lancaster PA is only an hour 15 mins from here. I'm gonna' check it out

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:10 pm

Let us know Mike...in pictures, maybe an intro too!

Found his summer pics:

Knocked my socks off!

http://members7.boardhost.com/PennHardy ... 78626.html

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:27 pm

STUNNING back yard!

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:35 pm

totally tropical looking, and a ttal stark contrast from what PA Deutsch Lancaster really looks like. I do not think he is Amish with that jammin' swimming pool!

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:48 pm

lucky1 wrote:Jim's memory is better than mine (obviously)

Wasn't this the guy who used pallet wrap?
That'd be quite the dance around the ladder(s)

Jim, any finished pics of his protection on that site?
I looked and didn't see one.

Barb

[/quote]

http://exoten.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/hardy. ... 71C66B65CF

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:57 pm

Nice to see videos like that to get idea of things to do. It's light, expandable, inexpensive.

seedscanada · Post by **seedscanada** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:13 pm

I use flexible 1 inch plastic electrical conduit slid over rebar hammered in the ground. I cover it with vapour barrier and make a vestibule or flap door. This covers a group of plants to prevent the ground from ever freezing and supplemental heat can be used on the end of a thermocube.

Darn! Those pics are on the other computer, so that there is our patio door lean-to with supplemental thermocube controlled lightbulb heat we keep the pindo and joshua tree a little dry and fairly warm. At least till they get to the height of the glass. We do have many more panes, I suppose we can stand them upright.

Adam

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:48 am

Re that Pa guy.

This page has a video about half-way down the page that shows him dismantling the entire protection.
The process is sped up which makes for a quick video.

http://members7.boardhost.com/PennHardy ... 67406.html

Adam, I love your trunking yucca!

Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:48 am

Best thing is to plan ahead and already have your base structure build in,
so you don't have to disturb the palms roots later...

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:52 am

Jim,

That is what I did with my small PVC structure. When flush with the ground it's easy to hide for the months it's not up.

seedscanada · Post by **seedscanada** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:36 am

Barb, thanks. That's a trunking Yucca glauca. So hardy.
The Electrical conduit hoophouse:

After, of course, we capped the ends and taped it all shut.
Last year, it was 11'w x 8'd x 6' h
Using all the same materials but new plastic, this year we made it taller (8h, 8d, 7w)
Adam

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:23 am

Nice idea, Adam, thanks for the pic.

Years ago when I was only growing vegetables

I built (yes...just me) the same structure using PVC pipe lengths.
At the ground, they nicely fit over some metal rods we had kicking around (no idea what they were for).
I pounded the metal rods into the ground with a sledge hammer and happily, the pvc pipes we just slightly larger than the rods and slid right over them to the ground.
Then lengths were duct-taped so they wouldn't "sproing" back up.

The toughest part was jumping up in the air to catch the loose PVC end when the other one had been attached to the metal rod.

But that method won't work for me now as the two areas with palms/yuccas are up against the house, there's no room for a hoop house in a four-foot wide bed.
Unless I want to kill 6 feet of lawn adjacent to it.

How old's that yucca glauca, Adam?

seedscanada · Post by **seedscanada** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:52 am

Barb, The glauca has been in the ground two years, but it was cut from a massive (12' x 10') colony of twisty, windy Y. glauca in a far too shay area. The colony had to be over 15 years old. Its growth snaked along the ground and must have rarely if ever flowered. There was a horizontal length eight or ten feet long on one section. They since have removed that planting. I am so glad to have taken my half dozen "samples" before they did.
Adam

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:28 pm

Adam, you were on your toes to be there at the right time!

I've never rooted a yucca.
Can you give an explanation/timeline of what you did?

...just in case a huge yucca tree falls across the hood of my car while I'm in town...

Thanks
Barb