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Plastic Sheeting for cover

P. Dreadie

P. Dreadie

Hello All ,

I hope someone's up early today. LOL ..... We may be getting hail again today. Last time
it really hurt my peppers. I want to get something to cover my pepper garden. I have chain
link fencing on each side that I can drape something over.

So my question is ...... Are the rolls of plastic , it comes in black or clear , strong enough
to withstand a fairly bad hail storm ? There's enough in a roll I could easily double it. Or
should I go a head and buy the heavy reinforced plastic trap stuff ?

Thanks & Peace ,
P. Dreadie
 
You know what they say... Everything is Bigger in Texas..."-)

I'd go with the tarp, tuff, reusable and easier to manage...
 
I don't know whether the visquene (plastic sheeting) will be heavy enough to withstand medium sized hail...I would go with the tarp...
 
Just got back from Casa Depot . Spent 115 bucks for a tarp !! Guess you guys know I'm telling
wifey that ya'll said that was what I needed !! LOL You're pretty safe though , she doesn't have
an address or phone number.

You guys where right all joking aside. This is much better than visquene and should last for
years. And it's big enough I can set it lower on the side the wind is blowing from.

I think I may try to find some clear stuff that's tuff to do a cold frame type of thing next year
to get a jump on things.

Again ....... Thanks and Peace ,
P. Dreadie
 
I put the tarp over my peppers. No easy task either. Then we got lucky and the storms didn't hit us.
The tarp is so big I had it doubled. No hail would have got my peppers for sure.

I'm going to run some rope across the top of the fence in four places next time. That should make
it a lot easier to pull the tarp over the plants for cover.

Peace ,
P. Dreadie
 
P. Dreadie said:
I put the tarp over my peppers. No easy task either. Then we got lucky and the storms didn't hit us.
The tarp is so big I had it doubled. No hail would have got my peppers for sure.

I'm going to run some rope across the top of the fence in four places next time. That should make
it a lot easier to pull the tarp over the plants for cover.

Peace ,
P. Dreadie
Click to expand...

Could always put some sort of runners on and a draw string if you need to use it often. probably not, but I like to over-do things. :cool:
 
not just a plastic tarp...but a plastic tarp to cover chili plants to keep the hail off of them...
 
AlabamaJack said:
not just a plastic tarp...but a plastic tarp to cover chili plants to keep the hail off of them...
Click to expand...

If someone asks for seeds "for gardening" you will move them to the seed exchange. Then, tarps for "covering chili plants" stays!
Why isn't this being moved to the growing tech forum? Are the guild lines for this website just made up as it goes along?
 
I suppose you have a point Joe...thread moved...
 
It's the threat of hail (though we rarely get anything bigger than a dime) that is inspiring me to cover my GH with 1/4" or 1/2" wire. I also wonder if shade cloth is strong enough?

Mike
 
wordwiz ,

Wish I tell you something about the strength of shade cloth . I can talk a little about hail , if it's ok
with Joe that is . Dime sized hail would still whack your plants. Maybe not super bad , but they can
do better without it. The hail I got the first time was quarter sized. It jacked up my plants , trees ,
and everything but my truck. It was in the garage !! ......

You might be able to test how strong the shade cloth is by taking some marbles or small stones
and throwing them at the shade cloth like you lost your mind. You should be able to see if they
bounce or go thru it. Stupid but simple way to test.

I hope you work it out .

Peace ,
P. Dreadie
 
P,

I found a site that is selling coverings and am trying to order a sample from them (I don't want a 10'x12' piece if it doesn't work) but the guy suggests setting up a test where one throws ice or small rocks at the material to see how it holds up.

My main concern is light transmission. I have a roll of plastic that will withstand golf ball size hail if it is tight but it only allows about 50% transmission. That dog may not hunt. The thing is that from mid-September to mid-March, the sun is low enough in the horizon that overhead light is not imperative, just helpful, so 50 percent transmission may be enough.

TBO, I don't know. This will be a learn as I go project. Try to produce 100 pounds of tomatoes a week with an investment of $500 in the GH, $200 in long-term use materials and no more than $100/mo. in utilities.

One of two things will happen: I will fail or I will succeed. I can live with either scenario!

Mike
 
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