Cleaning my polytunnel

fitzcoff

Now that the spring has arrived, I need to get started on sorting out the polytunnel.

We have most of it cleaned out since the end of the year but I want to wash down the inside, do people normally do this. There is a fair bit of green on the plastic.

I was thinking of using hot water and washing up liquid or what would people recommend doing, thanks for any advice in advance

wexford12

That's what i used and a pressure washer on my greenhouse came up a treat

redser7

Havn't had to do it yet but was reading in the polytunnel book that citrox solution is recommended. Do the outside too. You mightn't realise how much dirt has built up. Soak a sheet or two tied together and throw it over the tunnel. With one person on each side pull back and forth and work you way along the length of the tunnel.

http://www.theorganiccentre.ie/node/752

fitzcoff

Thanks for that,

I'm heading to the garden centre tomorrow so I'll have a look for the citrox solution then.

Great idea about using the sheets to clean the outside, I wasn't planning on cleaning the outside as I couldn't work out how to clean it.

I'll let ye know how it goes.

Quick question, if any of ye know, do ye have shelves in the tunnel and if so how did you put them up. I saw pictures in a book and think it would be great to keep seedlings and strawberry plants up out of the way, but wondering how to out them up safely.

redser7

As it happens I just put in shelves at the weekend. Don't know what your layout is like but I have two long raised beds on either side but I left one gable end of the tunnel free and put an 8 foot long bench along it. I used the bottom half of an old walk-in greenhouse as the base and simply placed 3 x 8 foot long timbers on top. I've made it as a watering bench and it's working really well. Picked up 2 x 2 ft x 4 ft sheets of aeroboard (3.50 each) and laid these on top of the timbers. Laid a sheet of black plastic over that. Then rolled out the capillary matting (got it cheap in aldi last year). I got hold of cheap weed block type matrial, the woven plastic type and rolled that out on top of the capillary matting. It's actually the stuff you commonly see tacked to the bottom of sofas. The idea is that it stops water evaporating off the capillary matting, stops algae growth and also stops plants in modules rooting into capillary matting. But at the same same it allows water to wick up to the plants once you apply pressure. Joy of joys it works perfectly and cost almost nothing :-) The real microporous membrane costs a fortune.
I have a resevoir sitting on one end of the bench to feed the mat. Definately think of making one yourself, will take the hastle of watering out of the equation.
I also put in a 6 ft long floating shelf at about head height. Idea is to have strawberries and petunias trailing up there. Later in the summer the chillis in pots will go up (if they fit) to get max sunshine. I have timber crop bars running above one of the beds. I made the shelf out of 4 x 6 ft long 2 by 2 inch rough timber. These sit on 2 x 4 foot pieces, equally spaced. I then took the wire trays/shelves from the old walk-in greenhouse and sat them on top. The whole thing is suspended from the crop bars with washing line. Tested it out and it is strong and stable. Obviously you could modify it and make it longer/narrower as you see fit. My tunnel is made out of plastic pipe but if you have a proper metal frame you can hang shelves like this directly from the frame.

magicbastarder

we waited for a nice rainy day and cleaned the outside with a sponge mop. came up nice and clean, no solvents other than rainwater used.

fitzcoff

redser7 wrote: »

As it happens I just put in shelves at the weekend. Don't know what your layout is like but I have two long raised beds on either side but I left one gable end of the tunnel free and put an 8 foot long bench along it. I used the bottom half of an old walk-in greenhouse as the base and simply placed 3 x 8 foot long timbers on top. I've made it as a watering bench and it's working really well. Picked up 2 x 2 ft x 4 ft sheets of aeroboard (3.50 each) and laid these on top of the timbers. Laid a sheet of black plastic over that. Then rolled out the capillary matting (got it cheap in aldi last year). I got hold of cheap weed block type matrial, the woven plastic type and rolled that out on top of the capillary matting. It's actually the stuff you commonly see tacked to the bottom of sofas. The idea is that it stops water evaporating off the capillary matting, stops algae growth and also stops plants in modules rooting into capillary matting. But at the same same it allows water to wick up to the plants once you apply pressure. Joy of joys it works perfectly and cost almost nothing :-) The real microporous membrane costs a fortune.
I have a resevoir sitting on one end of the bench to feed the mat. Definately think of making one yourself, will take the hastle of watering out of the equation.
I also put in a 6 ft long floating shelf at about head height. Idea is to have strawberries and petunias trailing up there. Later in the summer the chillis in pots will go up (if they fit) to get max sunshine. I have timber crop bars running above one of the beds. I made the shelf out of 4 x 6 ft long 2 by 2 inch rough timber. These sit on 2 x 4 foot pieces, equally spaced. I then took the wire trays/shelves from the old walk-in greenhouse and sat them on top. The whole thing is suspended from the crop bars with washing line. Tested it out and it is strong and stable. Obviously you could modify it and make it longer/narrower as you see fit. My tunnel is made out of plastic pipe but if you have a proper metal frame you can hang shelves like this directly from the frame.

Our tunnel is a metal frame one and what we were thinking looking at the picture in the book I saw was to suspend the shelves using jubillee clips and washing line and making this a floating shelve. I want to try keep the strawberries up off the ground. We have too many plants as didn't realise that we should have snipped the feelers. I just left them over the winter so the plan is to dig these up this week and re plant them in single pots and keep them up out of the way.


After reading what you have above I have to rethink, would there be any chance of a photo?

fitzcoff

magicbastarder wrote: »

we waited for a nice rainy day and cleaned the outside with a sponge mop. came up nice and clean, no solvents other than rainwater used.

I went to the €2 shop early on and got some car cleaning sponges (for the mini helpers ) and I have one of the soft bristle brushes for cleaning the car so going to use those.

If they have the citrox solution in the garden centre tomorrow I'll use that and let ye know as it is fairly manky on the inside.

Macy0161

fitzcoff wrote: »

Our tunnel is a metal frame one and what we were thinking looking at the picture in the book I saw was to suspend the shelves using jubillee clips and washing line and making this a floating shelve. I want to try keep the strawberries up off the ground. We have too many plants as didn't realise that we should have snipped the feelers. I just left them over the winter so the plan is to dig these up this week and re plant them in single pots and keep them up out of the way.

If you have crop bars in your tunnel, you could put the strawberries in hanging baskets hung off them. They'll come into the €2 shops eventually (if not already), and mine are on their 3rd season, so they do last. I do 3 plants per basket. Maybe more hassle with watering than pots on shelves, but anything in containers is going to need watching in a tunnel during summer (not withstanding a watering system as outlined). And you can move them out once they've fruited/ when it gets warmer.

redser7

Some people grow strawberries in suspended lengths of guttering. Wouldn't take up much space

genie

The plastic on my polytunnel is pretty old so last year I used sponge scourers, which are just abrasive enough to clean thoroughly and not do any damage, and eco-friendly washing up liquid. The bits I could reach came up a treat!

Clare man

We washed our tunnel yesterday both inside and out, did a hand wash to remove grime using soapy water plus some disinfectant to kill some of the bugs, washed down outside and in with hose.

The difference before and after is huge, definitely worthwhile

fitzcoff

I started cleaning it on Friday, there isn't much dirt on the inside. It is a lot worse on the outside. Got some of it cleaned but my 2 small helpers were soaked so had to bring them in!!!

I washed it using hot water and washing up liquid then used the hose to wash off the bubbles.

I have nothing growing in there at the moment so it was easy enough to clean.