Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Do-it-yourself projects such as greenhouse or shadehouse builds and related topics.
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rtb1980
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Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by rtb1980 »

Hello,

I've recently started growing cacti and have a couple bakers racks that I use to grow them all on.

These past few days have been very rainy, we had 2 days straight of non-stop hard rain.

Luckily I was able to keep a lot of the rain off of my cacti by pulling the plastic cover from another shelf and laying it over the top of my current shelves.

The plastic cover came from one of those cheap greenhouses you can buy at most home improvement stores, I have an example linked below:
https://www.atgstores.com/greenhouses/a ... 05123643:s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The shelves on this unit aren't very great, IMO, which is why I don't use it. However the plastic cover came in very handy.

I'm wondering what plastic I should use to build a cover for my bakers racks? Hopefully the same type of plastic that the greenhouse shelf unit uses.

I've searched the local stores and think I have 3 options for building materials.
1. Cheap heavy weight clear plastic shower curtain.
2. Cheap medium weight clear plastic table cloth cover.
3. Heavy weight clear plastic that is sold by the yard at wal-mart.

I'm not sure which one I should use or if one will hold up better outside than the other.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions.
-Rich
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cactushobbyman
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by cactushobbyman »

Google, Greenhouse Clear Plastic Film Polyethylene, some were listed at 12 x 25 feet @ 6 mil for $57.00. UV protected and more. :)
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rtb1980
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by rtb1980 »

cactushobbyman wrote:Google, Greenhouse Clear Plastic Film Polyethylene, some were listed at 12 x 25 feet @ 6 mil for $57.00. UV protected and more. :)
Would that be better than something like this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Magic-Cover-S ... s/23554850" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The one above is 100% vinyl. It's crystal clear and seems very durable, (I went to the store and checked it out). I can also buy it by the yard which is nice because I won't need a full 12x25 roll.
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rtb1980
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by rtb1980 »

Here is a picture of my setup. I threw the plastic cover on just as it started to rain heavy for 2 days straight.

I'm in central Missouri by the way.
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rtb1980
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by rtb1980 »

I just took a quick pic, it got up to 92F today so that's helped them start to dry out.
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rtb1980
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by rtb1980 »

I still haven't decided which material to go with but I've read some articles. I do need to hurry up and get it done though, we had some more storms roll through today which brought hail with them briefly. Luckily, nothing looks like it was damaged!! :)
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CactusMad
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by CactusMad »

Hi,unless you get U.V stabilised sheeting it will degrade quite quickly over time.The U.V stabilised sheeting will last a few years.If you need something quick and cannot afford the U.V stuff at this time just get some cheap to manage until you can.Or the other option is to keep buying it when it degrades but that will cost much more in the long run.It will last longer if you are only going to use it when it rains mind you.Which would be better as they need good airflow.

:)
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WayneByerly
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by WayneByerly »

cactushobbyman wrote:Google, Greenhouse Clear Plastic Film Polyethylene, some were listed at 12 x 25 feet @ 6 mil for $57.00. UV protected and more. :)
I bought a piece of this Coated 4 year 6 mil Greenhouse Plastic (DO NOT BUY PLASTIC SHEETING FROM THE LOCAL HARDWARE STORE ... IT IS NOT COATED AND WILL NOT LAST A SINGLE SEASON!!!!), 16' x 55' for $65. If ANYONE responds to this note, I will go to the effort of finding out who the manufacturer/distributor was and post THAT info here.
Make the moral choice & always do what's right. Be a good example. Be part of the solution & make a contribution to society, or be part of the problem & end your life with nothing but regrets. Live a life you can be proud of! Zone 7a
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rtb1980
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by rtb1980 »

WayneByerly wrote:
cactushobbyman wrote:Google, Greenhouse Clear Plastic Film Polyethylene, some were listed at 12 x 25 feet @ 6 mil for $57.00. UV protected and more. :)
I bought a piece of this Coated 4 year 6 mil Greenhouse Plastic (DO NOT BUY PLASTIC SHEETING FROM THE LOCAL HARDWARE STORE ... IT IS NOT COATED AND WILL NOT LAST A SINGLE SEASON!!!!), 16' x 55' for $65. If ANYONE responds to this note, I will go to the effort of finding out who the manufacturer/distributor was and post THAT info here.
Yes please let me know. Sorry, I haven't been on the forum in a while.
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sundanz
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Re: Clear vinyl plastic for greenhouse shelf unit.

Post by sundanz »

Ok, I had a plastic greenhouse from Lowes 8x12 that I bought in 2012 when I started buying cacti and couldnt stop. We set it up with stakes in the ground etc. Im in east Texas and we get strong storms, wind and rain. It held up really well and never moved an inch! It had zippered windows and 2 zippered doors. Everything held up well til 2015 when the zippers broke on the outer doors but not the screen. To close the doors during cold and rainy days I bought plastic from walmart, the heavier painters plastic, cut it to size and taped it to the doors. It worked. :-) then the UV coated roof got holes in it and I bought clear UV greenhouse plastic from Amazon which I laid over the holey roof, fastened with bungee cords. Worked great! At one time I bought a heavy silver tarp from the hardware store to cover the roof and doors but it was too dark. I also have a freestanding tub with cacti that are not protected in the summer, but during winter they are covered under frost cloth and a heavier clear.plastic cover over that. In the Greenhouse I have a floor fan, going day and night during summer, and a small heater during winter, turned on low so it wont get hot in there.
2 days ago I moved all of my 200 plus cacti out of the greenhouse. They are.now on bakers racks and tables.on my back.patio, waiting for their new greenhouse. The old one has had it, after 5 years! The new one is wood and corrugated clear panels, wood floor, shelves, regular windows and doors!! There are even hooks to hang plants!Hubby finally caved.in, bless his sweet heart!' It will be my little heaven on earth, and I cant wait!! Pictures will follow when it's set up! :-)
Life's a Cactus in the Great State of Texas!!!
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