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Author Topic: Trough making  (Read 32350 times)

John85

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Trough making
« on: February 29, 2012, 08:01:38 AM »
In his bulbblog n° 38 / 2008 Ian showed us how to make a trough with a fish box.Four years later I wonder how they are.Was the"making holes in the polystyrene" method as good as the"wrapping with wire mesh" method in withstanding hard frost?
Do you wrap only the outside of the box with the mesh or also the inside?
Where there any problems or things that could be improved?

mark smyth

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2012, 09:23:27 AM »
John I never wrap my polystyrene boxes in mesh. I have 42 and all are perfect except one. Half the front fell off after the thaw in December 2010. It would be the one that most people can see
Antrim, Northern Ireland Z8
www.snowdropinfo.com / www.marksgardenplants.com / www.saveourswifts.co.uk

When the swifts arrive empty the green house

All photos taken with a Canon 900T and 230

Ian Y

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2012, 10:29:06 AM »
John - they are doing very well indeed standing up to some of the worst winters we have had without any harm at all.

I have shown updates in various bulb logs through the years showing how the cement has aged and looks more like real stone as time passes.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2009Nov181258556803BULB_LOG__46_comp.pdf

I would never use the wire mesh way of wrapping polystyrene boxes - keying the cement through holes in the box as I demonstrated and have trialed is a much better method.
Ian Young, Aberdeen North East Scotland   - 
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Ian Y

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #3 on: February 29, 2012, 12:57:15 PM »
A picture is worth a 1000 words so I have just taken a few pictures showing a range of troughs made using that method some from 2008 and some made last year.

Ian Young, Aberdeen North East Scotland   - 
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https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=bulb

mark smyth

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #4 on: February 29, 2012, 04:42:27 PM »
Ian at what stage do you make the stone effect?
Antrim, Northern Ireland Z8
www.snowdropinfo.com / www.marksgardenplants.com / www.saveourswifts.co.uk

When the swifts arrive empty the green house

All photos taken with a Canon 900T and 230

Ian Y

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #5 on: February 29, 2012, 05:07:19 PM »
Mark
Check out this thread along with the original bulb log link and if that does not answer your question come back to me.


http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2463.0
Ian Young, Aberdeen North East Scotland   - 
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https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=bulb

mark smyth

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #6 on: February 29, 2012, 06:06:30 PM »
Ian, what mix do you use?
Antrim, Northern Ireland Z8
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When the swifts arrive empty the green house

All photos taken with a Canon 900T and 230

Ian Y

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #7 on: February 29, 2012, 06:17:28 PM »
All the info is in the links I've given---


http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2008/170908/log.html BULB LOG 38 --- 17th September 08 gives all the construction details

http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2008/081008/log.html ---- more pix


Ian Young, Aberdeen North East Scotland   - 
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https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=bulb

mark smyth

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #8 on: February 29, 2012, 06:47:52 PM »
och aye - ready mixed
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When the swifts arrive empty the green house

All photos taken with a Canon 900T and 230

John85

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #9 on: March 01, 2012, 08:00:41 AM »
Special thanks for the pictures Ian
The main reason that I was not so keen on making holes through the polystyrene is that it makes thermal bridges reducing the isolation.

Anthony Darby

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2016, 09:17:52 AM »
I don't think the polystyrene is used for its insulating(?) properties. Just for a convenient cheap, light weight trough.
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Rick R.

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2016, 02:26:00 PM »
Perhaps not in less extreme climates, but we in Minnesota (zones 3+4) find that plants do tend to survive better in styrofoam troughs better than hypertufa.  Although the difference, for me at least, would not make me change over from hypertufa completely.  (I use both.)  If the hardiness or finickiness of selected plants is in question, then choosing between them would be a factor.

Take into consideration too, that the insulative quality could be advantageous in excessive heat as well.  Also, the softening of quick temperature changes in our increasingly fluctuating climate can only be a good thing.
Rick Rodich
just west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
USDA zone 4, annual precipitation ~24in/61cm

Jupiter

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2016, 10:16:31 AM »
Here are my efforts from today. A block of limestone from a local supplier and a few hours plus a couple of bruised knuckles.

Jamus Stonor, in the hills behind Adelaide, South Australia.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jstonor/

Michael J Campbell

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2016, 10:48:57 AM »
WOW!   :)

Maggi Young

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Re: Trough making
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2016, 11:25:52 AM »
VERY nice, Jamus!
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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