how long can you store greenhouse plastic?

[MattyB]

I'm going to need to replace the plastic on my greenhouse. It's lasted 7 years. I still have a good amount from the original roll of heavy duty 6 mil plastic that Dean gave me about 8 years ago. I bet he bought it at least 10 years prior to that. So we're talking about plastic that's about 20 years old. It's been sealed up in a box, in the basement, and it appears to be in good condition, but I'm still wondering if I might be wasting my time by using it. Does anyone know how long you can keep this stuff in storage? You know how some plastic just breaks down after a while? I don't want to spend time and money rebuilding the greenhouse only to have it fail prematurely. Any advice? Thanks.

[_Keith]

I don't know, but the damage is usually infrared, so from that perspective it should be good. for a while.

[Vari805]

Matty, I would bite the bullet and purchase new poly. I had some old leftovers too, a few years back. I spent all day re-plasticing the greenhouse. A week later, a windstorm came through and shredded the entire cover. It was so brittle, That it basically disinigrated. It took me a week to get all the pieces out of the yard. Never again will I use old, or leftover poly.

[DALION]

I would just use grocery store bags since environmentalists say it takes 100 years to disintegrate.

[kahili]

call the company that makes it and ask them. You should be able to tell if its brittle or not by feeling it. I would guess that since its been in a box in a basement and not exposed to the elements that it would be ok for at least a few years outside. This is treated plastic for greenhouses that we are talking about?

[MattyB]

Yes, 6 mil greenhouse plastic. It's lasted 7 years so far with only one tear.

[kahili]

They make greenhouse tape for repairing tears etc. Its a lot cheaper and easier to use then replacing the plastic if its just a tear here and there. The rolls come in various widths and is extremely strong and adheres really well. You may get a few more years out of it using the tape. Just make sure that the plastic surface is really clean and dry when you apply the tape

[edbrown_III]

I dont juse this too much but some of the old stuff I put down in places to kill weeds and it is around after 25 years so it takes a fair amount of photo radiation if it has been UV stabilized . I got some on a green hoouse I dont really use but I put it up in 97 or 98 and it iis torn and I used the tape to patch it and this worked -- I stopped doing this a few years back and I suspect that I could still use it if I wanted too but built a more spacious addition that I could drag plants in . thats about 13-15 years on this stuff by my reckoning .

Best regards

Ed