Cleaning Poly tunnels

Polytunnels, cold frames, greenhouses, propagators & more. How to get the best out of yours...

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Spike
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I've a Solar Tunnel which is now about 4 years old. It stayed perfectly clean until last year and now has a pretty healthy growth of algae on the outer surface. Last year I cleaned it with soapy water/brush and sponge, but the algae is worse than ever this year. Any suggestions? Snow and frost would probably do it for me but no sign of any yet!
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Allan
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Wait until it rains then scrub it, it should come clean quite easily then.
Allan
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peter
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Allan wrote:Wait until it rains then scrub it, it should come clean quite easily then.
Allan


Allan, seriously, what should one use to scrub it?
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Tigger
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I clean my two tunnels, both inside and out, with a Disinfectant Solution. I do this once a year in January.
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Jenny Green
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I use a soft headed indoor broom to brush my greenhouse clean. I use warm water with a couple of tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda in there. I've no idea why. It seemed like a good idea at the time. :? It does work though. :D
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darrenc
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having twigged what nearly killed my chooks this year i need to know what is suitable to clean the inside of my polytunnel with SPECIAL EMPHASIS on red spider mite. I nuked the chicken shed with JEYES and BARRIER spider mite killer are any of these suitable?
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arthur e
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Get yourself a raincoat, a souwester and a pressure washer, did mine last year about this time and it was great all summer. It still looks OK at this time but I think I will give it another going over, just used straight tap water.
Arther E
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Allan
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Our tunnels came clean with just persistent rubbing once they were wet enough.
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peter
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Allan wrote:Our tunnels came clean with just persistent rubbing once they were wet enough.


What with?

Allan, I asked a serious, polite, on-topic question, it would be nice to have an answer.
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Tigger
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I use my backpack sprayer on the inside of the tunnels and the jet wash on the outside.
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Spike
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All these replies sound like hard work, and no guarantee they will last!

There must be some environmentally friendly chemical that will do the job properly?

Armillatox?

Gill
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Geoff
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I haven't got a polytunnel but I clean the greenhouse by putting warm Jeyes fluid in a sprayer and leaving that on for a few days then washing down with a window brush that has an extending handle and hose connection. I guess it would work just as well on poly as on glass.
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Tigger
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It doesn't take long Spike - just a couple of hours and I only do them once a year.
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Allan
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We used just water from the hosepipe but only after the rain had soaked the gunge. So we did the same as Arthur E.
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Mole
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I have recently used a product called ALGON for cleaning the green stuff from our polytunnel. http://www.algonorganics.co.uk/

You spray it on and leave it. Thats it. Soft brushing may be needed to spread evenly - i didn't bother . After a few days the algae is gone. Do need to have 100% coverage like any product. It does work - I've used it. and is environmentally friendly.

One bottle (about a fiver ) did over 3/4 of our tunnel which is 100 feet long by 20 wide. Used in a backpack sprayer with lance.

Mole
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