Flexible garden hoops for netting

I've never heard of flexible Aluminium...............what have you got against plastic & what is it you are building?

For flexible netting hoops alot of peeps use the blue water pipe (or black if you're worried about the aesthetics and have extra cash to splash)

Of course it's not easy to point you in the direction that meets your requirements if you haven't told s what your requirements are.

Why not plastic?

Hello, I don't like plastic much to be honest because of information online about it leaching. I do use plastic growing containers but in the shed, so they don't suffer extreme temperatures.

The other reason is I don't want to pay a premium for the plastic coating. To give an example here :

Flexible Garden Hoops Pack of 10 | eBay

these are expensive with a plastic coating I don't want or really see the need for.

I was thinking something like this:

5kg Coil - Galvanised Fencing Line Wire - 3.15mm (Approx 82 mtrs)

This is fencing wire on a coil which I'm thinking I may cut sections out off to form the hoops.

I am wanting to build a tunnel out of wire hoops and netting for beetroot/lettuce protection.

I use similar wire on my trellis - great in tension but useless in compression. The weight of the nett would probably flatten it.

I've also use similar looking supports to the other links but much prefer the blue water pipe. Please not it's a water pipe. If these things were leaching chemicals then it wouldn't be for water.

I know it's an essential trace element but is too much zinc good for you?

Zinc is at least an element that is utilised by the plant, plastic isn't. Is your experience of this stuff of a suitable diameter? Because this will make all the difference where compression is concerned. 3.15mm is the thickness I was thinking of, then there is 2.5mm or 1.6mm which would not be up to much. I think the 3.15mm would give enough rigidity to easily hold the netting. I feel plastic is a unecessary addition, even if the environmental drawbacks are over-exaggerated, it breaks down and degrades over time, eventually splitting and spalding off the metal underneath. So, really not an ideal situation. I noticed this last year with some pvc windows used as a cold frame roof, the white plastic powdered and rubbed up all over my gloves when I moved it.

On the subject of plastic pipe, as good as it is as safely carrying water, none of it has adequate UV protection, hence why there are different colours of guttering/downpipes. Some have protection from UV, others don't. Blue/white plastic pipe would not be fit for purpose externally. I know people use it but they are wrong to.

I suppose the answer is to trial it and report back here. Screwfix do a 2.5mm here :

Apollo 2.5mm 2.5mm Galvanised Garden Wire x 25m | Wire Mesh | Screwfix.com

the 2.5 stuff is relatively inexpensive and I think worth trialling so that's what I'm going to do. Failing this I will try the 3.15mm...

p.s. I'm conscious of posting a thread asking for advice and then countering all of it with my own. It's not intentional, it just allows me to problem solve, please don't feel I am disregarding advice given. Thanks.

Not cheap but these
https://www.gardening-naturally.com/high-top-hoops

Monty makes his own from 6mm steel rods
BBC Two - Gardeners' World, 2015, Episode 30, DIY plant supports

Use young willow, bamboo or hazel and bend it to shape.
You could even grow your own by planting willow at suitable spacing and bending the tips over.
Go really green and save the earth's resources

What will your netting be made from?

As I said, it's useless in compression - it just isn't stiff enough for a decent span - the net will weigh it down and any wind will have it rocking more than Bill Haley in an earthquake. It's fencing wire, as is the thinner one you added. This is meant to be pulled tight under tension. It may be OK for making smaller hoops with fleece but I wouldn't use it for a 7' length like the other garden hoops are.

I don't think aluminium would be springy in the way they are - they are bade from glass fibre lengths not metal and are quite springy. I used 2 of these crossed over 1m by 1m beds covered with fleece and they were fine. I still prefer the hoops made from the water pipe though.


You are right, the blue isn't UV stable but the black is. The reason people use the blue is because it's cheaper and for the length of time it gets used for it lasts well enough. But as you say other pipes are available for different uses and are different colours. Blue is water underground, yellow gas below ground and black is water above ground so is stabilised.

Why not build a cage from wood and cover with something?
Or make a tunnel from wire panels bent into shape?

Why are they "wrong to"? Just curious!

Have you tried Freecycle. I picked up a couple of damaged pop up tents (been used at a music festival) and use the flexible poles to support nets. Also to use as net hoops a set of chimney sweep rods (flexible bamboo) and a set of drain rods. All were otherwise destined for landfill.

I use bamboo canes for my brassica netting, if it stops raining I'll take a picture, they are held together with tie wraps, but you could use Jute string instead.

I agree with you VC. All of the cages I have built, including the most recent planed timber ones just don't 'cut the mustard' regarding visual appeal.

I was looking for a small business enterprise when I retired as I used to own a metalcraft
business. I was looking at manufacturing something similar to these pond covers, but for plants:-





The downside of the above is that they are still too contrived and un-natural looking. Maybe utilising natural materials for the main framwork, willow,hazel,oak, or other hardwood branches would soften the outlines and make them more visually pleasing?

Here's me getting all arty farty so I'l have to have a bit of experimentation!

As you were!

Sorry for tangetising thread!

Hi everyone sorry for not responding sooner!

Thinking about the viability of the frame, yes I would have to agree that anything below 6mm will not give a good enough span and carry the weight of the netting + wind loads, but I think 6mm will work. I intend on using UV treated polypropylene draped over the frame.

What I am doing at the moment for netting? I have been using bamboo sticks with old tennis balls stuck on the end with garden netting (the green stuff available at garden centres) draped on top and held down with brick. The benefit of this is that I can easily make variable sizes but the drawback is that the netting does not last more than a 1-2 years, and becomes brittle and tears easily especially if used outside during the winter, and if if I am constantly fiddling with it to maintain what is underneath.

I want to grow some compact beds of lettuce (cos, landcress, rocket, bijou, oak leaf) mix so I need a netting that can be lifted easily and routinely and will hold it's strength for a few years. The old systems are still good for protecting blocky beds of garlic, for example. I've got a 2mx2m bed of garlic meaning the centre is almost inaccessible, but this is generally fine as it's a one time harvest. Not true with lettuce.

I think a span of between 1-1.5m is achievable with a 6mm wire frame. I have found some here:

Flexible Garden Hoops 1.1m x 6mm | eBay

expensive and the photo is misleading because the description is not of one single hoop, it involves a break in the middle (joining ferrule). I would sooner have just one uninterrupted length of hoop, but I don't think it's sold anywhere. A blacksmith may be able to offer something though, I suppose. These appear to be plastic coated as well which I don't really want either, I'd be happier with stainless steel.