Hobbytunnels | Page 2 of 3

Frost Protection

If you have plants inside your Polytunnel or Glasshouse in the winter months there are accessories available to help keep the cold at bay and protect from frost damage. The crop protection fleece will work as a duvet for plants and we have a range of thermostatically controlled heaters that can be used. The heaters will have the advantage of making snow melt before it can build up, helping to protect your Greenhouse or Polytunnel against structural damage.

On milder days it would do no harm to open the doors for a few hours to ventilate your Polytunnel . Frost occurs when air stands still. In Q gardens last year the plants inside unheated Polytunnels with open doors were affected less by frost than in the unheated Polytunnels with closed doors.

Snow on Polytunnels

Weather conditions over the winter period can vary from mild to extremely cold. If we are fortunate enough we may get a White Christmas it would be very wise to clear the snow from your Polytunnel or Glasshouse. Snow is very heavy and can cause structural damage if it builds up. You can remove it using a soft brush, a bed sheet or a rope (but if using a rope on a Polytunnel do be careful not to scratch your polythene as this reduces light transmission).

Many of our competitors Polytunnels were damaged by snow last year, luckily very few of our customers had any issues. Crop support bars are particularly helpful in Polytunnels to strengthen and protect against snow damage. A frost protection heater (which we supply a range of) can have the advantage of making snow melt before it can build up, helping to protect your Polydome Greenhouse or Polytunnel against structural damage.

The Perfect Gift

Its that time of year again, if your anything like me, then its safe to say that you have at least, another 4 days before you even consider starting the christmas shop. However if you are planning ahead, why not cosider one of our Christmas gift cards as an option. It can used on Accessories, Polytunnels, Glasshouses or any stock item. Gift cards are valued for 12 months.

So why not put the spring in someone step this christmas and give them a Polydome Greenhouse Giftcard.

Livestock Tunnels and More.

Gone are the days when people only associate polytunnels with gardening. They now have many more benefits and uses. For example in the agricultural setting, as livestock tunnels, or the landscaping sector as canopies for cover machinery or to during outdoor events in bad weather.

As tunnels are very versatile and quick to construct, It makes them the perfect option. The added extra is there are relatively cost effective in comparison to more permanent structures. The unique climate of a tunnel also has many benefits, bright, warm and with lots of room to move around. With some tunnels up to 9m in width, this give lots of options to set the inside of a tunnel up in many different fashions.

So the next time you wish to cover something, be it sheep, cows, chickens, machinery or even just the clothes line, then why not consider a tunnel.

Please call us we would be happy to offer any advised we would have.

Wind and Greenhouses

I just heard that it has been the windiest May on record since they started taking records. And even yet as i look out my office window i can see that the weather still has not really settled as much as one would expect for this time of year.

Never the less, listening to the weather forecast this morning it appears that things might be looking up coming into next week.

So why do i need to worry about my greenhouse if its windy outside. Well hear is a prime example.

Before looking into getting a greenhouse remember to think carefully about its location, its use, and its strength. If you take glasshouses as an example to highlight the importance of this. Say a 6′ x 8′ aluminium finish with horticultural glass. It may cost between €500 and €650 depending on the brand. Sounds like a bargin, but normally glasshouses in this price range are designed for very sheltered gardens. If its located in a windy garden, then it may end up like the glasshouse in the photo. Although it was a cheap buy, its an expensive loss.

So shop around, view the products where possible and remember a cheap bargain is not always the best buy.

Carrot Fly

The carrot fly is a pest for all gardens, and mainly affects carrots, but can also attack parsnips, parsley and celery. Around early may the flies lay their eggs around the developing carrots; the larvae, once hatched, burrow into the root.

To help prevent against the carrot fly one can erect a barrier around the crop at least 60cm high, as female carrot flies are very low flying this will prevent them from landing on the carrots and laying eggs.

Alternatively horticultural fleece or crop protection fleece may be used as a floating mulch to cover the crop. We have different type of fleece at our base in birr and can send it via post or courier if people require it. You can view more details about it on our website.

How To Measure A Replacement Sheet of Polythene To Recover A Tunnel.

If you need some help in measuring up a replacement polythene sheet to recover you polytunnel, then try the example below. If you want to enlarge the image, double click on it once, when it gos into a knew screen then click on it again and it will become a full image. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Competition Winner

I would like to say congrats to Gareth Grehan on being the lucky winner of the Polydome Greenhouse 2011 spring competition. Gareth’s name was randomly selected from the hundreds of entries for the competition.

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to enter, and wish you all better luck next time. Please keep a look out on our website for further details of special offers that we will be running over the coming months to celebrate our 25^th year in business.

Offaly County Enterprise Awards 2011

Polydome Greenhouses of Birr are the ‘Overall Winner’ of the Offaly County Enterprise Awards. Sean Gallagher of Dragon’s Den presented the award to Jonathan Pyle, Director of Polydome.

The award recognises excellence in business generally and specifically the criteria judged included the business plan, marketing strength, financial strength, use of technology and innovation in the business as well as the entrepreneurial skills of the promoter.

Polydome supply Glasshouses and Polytunnels in the 32 Counties and were first established in 1985. Their range includes Timber as well as Aluminium Glasshouses and they are one of the leading manufacturers of Polytunnels for Gardening Enthusiasts as well as Commercial Growers.

Snow On My Greenhouse

Hi all just a quick reminder in this cold weather. You might not be in mood for entering into the garden, however if you’re the proud owner of a greenhouse i would recommend it, Why? you might ask.

Well certainly for those in the east who are encountering the most snow fall at present they will find that a certain amount is building up on the roof of your greenhouse. At first glance it may seem harmless; however it might be worth noting that potentially it could do more damage than you might think.
For example, the weight of freshly fallen snow is approximately 100 – 150 kg / cubic meters. And once it has fallen on a solid surface the effect of compaction due to its own weight the wind and other additional factors rapidly increases the weight of the snow.

View from the inside of a snow covered glasshouse

To put it in context if the roof of your greenhouse had a surface area of 16m squared, and we received 50mm of snow which is about two inches, you would have .9 of a cubic meter of snow on your roof. This equates to approximately 80 – 100kgs. If this snow freezes the weight on the roof increases. Depending on the model of greenhouse that you own, it’s worth noting this may affect the structure of the greenhouse.

To avoid any damage or the possibility of a complete collapse of the greenhouse I would recommend that you clear it of snow as it builds up. Please note that this is perfect excuse for going out to throw snow balls, so thankfully it’s not all bad news.

Happy gardening.