PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I came up with this idea for the lateral braces using a hole saw with a drill press to cut out the ends for a good fit. Saves money on fitting cost if you build more than one. This way I can adjust the braces and it makes for easy storage.
Each 1 1/2 thin-wall PVC pipe is 10 feet tall. I used three to make a triangle.

For about the same price I could have gone 1 1/4 sch 40 but I think the 1 1/2 thin wall was just a bit stiffer although either should work fine.

After the first frost I will wrap the PVC pipe with stretch plastic like these use to wrap shipping pallets.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

Throw in some christmas lights and you have a dual purpose outdoor display and it should keep it warm enough not to freeze if they are not LED's. I like the way you think.. Outside the peel? lol :^)

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

Thanks for the compliments.

I already have the Christmas lights since I buy them up at a discount after the holidays. :)

The cost of a 2" hole saw is what makes building just one not cost effective but after that it is a good savings.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

So what kind you protecting like that?

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

That's a great idea for your zone. It should work well for you.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I use the same method to protect my citrus and pineapples last year. The only concern I have is will it blow over since it is so tall.

I used four feet for the lateral braces. I could have made it smaller but I wanted to have as much warmth from the ground as I could cover.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I've found that the pseudostems on my musa basjoos are hardy with light freezes down into the mid 20s without much damage, and if you are in zone 8b, you might not even have to wrap it with a greenhouse.

I use shrink wrap too, and one thing I would suggest is to first shrink wrap the pseudo-stem before wrapping up the entire thing because keeping the moisture inside helps the most. Bubble wrap might work too if you have it.


Being in zone 6a, I need to use barrels that are cut open on the bottom and stuffed with leaves to over winter mine.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

The three plants I am protecting are Apple Goldfinger and Ice cream. Sorry I missed that question earlier.

Steve I worry about these cooking on those hot days that spring up during the winter If I wrap the P-stem.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

a candle in a coffee can will help keep them warm,well not freeze..

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

Feed them some CO2 too. :^)

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

Looks nice and the plant looks awesome! Good luck with the project.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

You could also try wrapping the p-stem with attic insulation which doesn't really absorb heat, but insulates much better than shrink wrap.

Wouldn't a paraffin/ kerosene lamp be more cost effective, and give off more heat? I keep one of those in my greenhouse just in case we have extremely cold nights, and it works pretty well.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I will keep my eye out for small heaters and lights.

Steve where do you get your plastic wrap?

I thing though about electric, I have remote controls for them. One will be on a pipe heater thermostat this year to see how that works .

Depending on the winter of course, I may have the lights on for more than 10-20 nights and just a couple of whole days. Of course now that I have said that it will be the coldest winter on recorded.:08:

I will post a picture of the top laterals next week. It will be "T" shaped so no water can collect on the top.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I got my 4 rolls of 18 inch shrink wrap from eBay over the summer. The price has since gone up a lot now so it is available for about 42$ for 4 2500ft rolls.

Paraffin or Kerosene lamps work pretty well for a small setup as they can add 5-10F of temperature to my greenhouse, which would translate into even more for your small set up. As far as fuel, it cost around 10$ per gallon of high quality lamp oil, but the kerosene is much cheaper, and should cost no more than a dollar a night for operating a lamp.

You could also get one of these portable space heaters, but the risk with these is if you have an electrical outage, these things won't function.
220V 100W Mini Portable Personal Ceramic Space Heater Electric Air Fan Warmer | eBay


A cold winter is not that likely if we are expecting an El Nino along with the northern ice caps being at their lowest in recorded history.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I will check around. I had bought a 4 roll pack and seems like it came with a glove. It has been several years ago. I have enough for this year but I will look around for a good price. I had not thought about ebay.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

Just a couple of more points.
The top of these will stay open most of the time like my citrus do for the winter. Then on a cold night, I will use a pole and put a vinyl painter's drop cloth over the top. Pine straw will be around the bottom where it want quite fir next to the ground.
I did try a sample glue joint using the cut pipe. It worked but then you had a ridged frame so good but no real application unless it is permanent.
Have a cold wave coming through Monday.

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

It seems like it might make more sense to make a vent on the bottom because that will allow you to add in heating devices if that is necessary, and I don't think CO2 deficiency will be a problem if your banana is going to be mostly dormant through the winter.

Here's a blog on my solar greenhouse which has a solar vent, and a zip open door. It is insulated a lot more now along with a large compost pile in the middle, but this setup alone can raise it from a -5F night up to around 15F. It doesn't take much to keep it above freezing in there. I usually keep the door open when it exceeds 80F which can happen even when the outdoor temperature is 50F.
Steve's garden: Setting up the Solar greenhouse

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

I made the samething years ago pretty much,but mine is made out of wood,screws and bisqueen/painting plastic.

Steve - How much was your greenhouse and where did you get it? Size?

Re: PVC Banana Greenhouse
 

Outdoor 10'x6 6'x6 6' Green House Grow Hut w Shelves | eBay

Here's the link to the exact model that I purchased from eBay. The greenhouse itself costed only $85, but the accessories make it cost more. I have already tarped over most of it, but there are so many ways that I can insulate and heat it up.

I believe that good insulation along with a large thermal mass alone can create a +25 to +30F differential from outside temperatures. Even though my paraffin lamp is sufficient, I still bought a 400 watt metal halide light because I want to see if it can keep the plants growing through the winter.

So far the compost pile inside my greenhouse has been working strong for the last week so even with warmer temperatures, there has been around a +11F night time differential which is pretty big when lows have been lingering around 50F. The differentials tend to get bigger the colder it gets as long as the drums of water don't freeze over completely. They usually don't. I used to keep 2 55 gallon drums in there, but this year, I'm using 5 of them with even more insulation than ever.