Anti Frost Polythene Plant Protection - the Hot Chilli Hoodie

Intro: Anti Frost Polythene Plant Protection - the Hot Chilli Hoodie

Will Jack Frost destroy your favourite pot plants this Winter? Will you be crying tears of despair as you watch the tender leaves wither up before your eyes? Will he create utter misery within the glasshouse? No, says Tecwyn Twmffat - we can protect our plants against the ravages of this cruel man with the 'The Hot Chilli Hoodie', fabricated with little more than a piece of polythene sheet, some scissors and an office stapler.

The Super Hot Chillies fight back against the ravages of the Northern Winter. They will survive. They will be protected against the icy clouds of Jack Frost's breathe. The battle begins!

If you have any valuable plants, not just chillies, that you want to protect against the frost then this simple polythene shroud could be of great help.

STEP 1: Equipment and Materials

• Heavy gauge polythene sheet (300gm-2)
• Scissors
• 4" or larger office stapler
• Marker pen
• Tape measure / ruler

STEP 2: Drawing Out the Pattern

Measure the overall dimensions of the plant and pot. Mine came to d1=5" and h1=7".

The hoodie needs to be bigger than the plant with enough head room to allow the plant to 'breathe' a little and prevent condensation.

My hoodie worked out as:

h2= 10 x 7" divided by 7 = 10" and

d2= 6 x 5" divided by 5 = 6" and

t2= 1"

STEP 3: Cutting and Fastening the Polythene

1. Mark out the pattern on the polythene and cut away the unwanted material.
2. Fold the polythene along the fold lines and put one staple in the bottom corners.
3. Starting from the top, work down the folded tabs stapling as you go. It could also be stitched with thread, but I'm too lazy so I use staples. If the stapler is too short to reach to the top, just fold the polythene as in the photo to enable it to reach.
4. Re-staple the bottom corners if necessary.
5. Trim off any bits sticking out.
6. Make some small vent holes by snipping off the top corners as shown in the photos. This will allow some ventilation and prevent condensation and mould.

STEP 4: Check It Fits!

Make sure that the hoodie fits before the onset of severe temperatures.

Use the hoodie during periods of severe cold and take it off again when it is warmer as it is important to keep the humidity low during the plant's dormant period or it may go mouldy. Do not over water the soil, for the same reason.

More Chilli related Instructables:

Comments

[bobski_horner]

Try using cut off pop bottles to insulate plants ,you can also use water bottles as cloches as well

[Tecwyn Twmffat]

I really do not want to support the evil fizzy drinks companies.

[bobski_horner]

I do see where you are coming from on your reply especially if it`s on the subject of the lethal amounts of sugar in these drinks which has led to devastating effects on the human body (diabeties ,rotten teeth and in lots of cases death) My way is simple think outside the box ,all sorts of liquids are now put into plastic bottles which are either recycled or dumped by the wayside as litter,Making use of discarded bottles them keeps them out of landfill ,and also cuts down the use of oil in their production and other toxic ingredients .They can be re-used many times more than plastic bags ,on a personal level the saving may be small but if we all used them how many tonnes of plastic would not go into landfill to contaminate the earth.
On many sites you will see people with good intentions say use plastic bags or ziploc bags, but how many add re-use the bags ? none that I have come across ,at least with my methods you can not only re-use the bottles,you can control humidity (unscrew cap) and sterilise the unit as well for next time.
I have this year as an experiment used one bottle with the base as a pot and the top 3/4 as a cloushe for growing tree saplings,when I plant the saplings next year I don`t need to buy pots or any plastic bags .saving a fortune in the long run and also helping the planet in my small way.

[Tecwyn Twmffat]

Nice one! However, there is an argument that by recycling a product that is fundamentally evil you are actually adding 'desirability' to that product and increasing the amount of evil in the world?

[bobski_horner]

MMM. Never heard that arguement before ,bit of mindless psyhcology to me but never mind:> I`ll play the game to a point. Desirability could be an evil in itself but it depends what you desire .a world with no war,no poverty,hoping a loved one near death will survive .All desirable so is having lots of money and a comfortable retirement ,children who are able bodied.. The list could go on for both sides.

All I want on the side of recycling is to leave a miniscule legacy for generations to come in the hope that someday we will stop raping our planet of it`s resources, but untill then I try to save some of them from polluting the earth.

[Tecwyn Twmffat]

The argument is well known within the recycling industry. A better example is the use of waste vegetable oil from palm oil. Originally the palm oil has a commercial value of x dollars. But now that people want the waste oil, the value has increased to x + 20%, which means the market value is greater and the original product more desirable in the market place. Hope this explains it?

[bobski_horner]

I think we would both agree the human race is just plain greedy, and, whither we like it or not, at this moment in time the market rules perpetuating greed or the pc word for it "desirability"

[Tecwyn Twmffat]

Well said Bobski! ?

[diy_bloke]

I see some point in both your arguments. In this case hoever it isnt he evil fizzy drink compant that is supported but the (equally evil?) PET bottle industry.

The recycled palmoil is a good example in its own right, but somehow i feel the reuse of a PET bottle... that otherwise wil go to the dum or will be returned for the return money, will not really add to the value of the PET bottle or the fizzy drink in a way vegetable oil does as the pet bottle in the recycle circuit may easily be replaced by something els (as this instructable shows). Altoid mints might be a good example where it does work. I can imagine I would be willing to pay a bit extra for altoid mints than for regular mints as the tin has an intrinsic value.

I full hartedly agree with the last rgument brought forward in the previous discussion

[bobski_horner]

Thinking about it all,no one is a winner when it comes to recycling plastic we are just putting back the date of poisoning everything ,ourselves ,other species the entire planet. Mother Nature will win in the end as we are a species hell bent on destruction ,some say the sooner the better for the entire planet to regenerate itself.

[diy_bloke]

very true. supposedly PET is less of a problem. Dont know if that is true though

[phuckoff]

You're Awesome!

This will save my little garden tonight from freezing.

Thank You!!!

[Tecwyn Twmffat]

Great!

[crystalheart]

clever idea, I could use it...just wanted to know unto what temperatures will the hoodie protect plants?We are in USDA zone 7 ...do you think chilli plants will make thru with only a hoodie protect thru the winter?, if yes I will be so glad.

[Tecwyn Twmffat]

Hello Crystal! I think that you might struggle in zone 7 - we are in zone 9. However, our winters are very unpredictable and one year we had -10 degrees C. Last year it hardly touched -1 (zero is freezing point of water). It also depends on humidity so if it's dry then that is better. In any case, as the hoodies are so easy to make, then why not just try it?