You'll have to support it with upright posts to take a snow load. How does the poly stay attached to the mesh?

Cheers, Barrie.

Thanks Barrie.The archs will be connected across the middle,as in braced from one side to the other about a third of the way down from the top,this keeps it from flexing and allows tha arch to support a heavey load like an arch should.I will also have posts near the bottom of each corner to make sure they stay in the ground,although they are already anchored in the ground with"stakes.With the sides and center secured I think this design will be able to hold quite a bit of weight of snow and ice,more than could ever stay on it with how rounded the top is.
The plastic is the trick as you have noticed!My plan as of today 😆 is to bring the plastic on each side about half way up,then to cut 4"slits at each verticle part of the frame and tape down on the inside each piece and then put another long strip across,I will do this on both sides,then I will bring one large piece of plastic over the top,kind of like one long comb over,at the end of this will be a bar heavy enough to pull the plastic tight over the top,this will hang down on one side and can be rolled back like a retractable roof so I can open to let them get rain if I want to.I think basically everything should work and be stable in high winds!,the one thing I do not have worked out in my mind yet is the ends,right now I am thinking the top needs to overhang the ends by 4" so each end is inset and sealed,I think this side is kind of the tricky part,this part may not be attractive but as long as it works I will live with it!Any suggestions are definitely welcome!!

Barrie,good question about how to secure the plastic,I think I have a system worked out that will work but I tried using some tape and it did not stick,I am going to order some special plastic tarp tape,if tape does not hold well the back up plan is to lay chicken wire over the plastic on the whole outside so the wind can not lift it ,Thanks Jim 🙂

Your posts to reinforce for snowload/weight shift will be necessary.

Since you're extending the wire cage right to the sundeck, how about a 16 foot long 2x4 or 2x3 nailed to the sundeck railing that juts out and forms a "ridge cap" for the wire cage(s), eventually being nailed at the other end to an upright post.
Inside the frames you could brace the ridge cap with "crutches" (v-notch) so each upright is nailed and holds the ridge cap up.

Re tape for plastic/tarps, would Tuck Tape stick? (the red stuff, abt 3 inches wide, used to join vapor barriers in during house construction).

Great plants, great yard.

Barb

Thanks barb,I think you guys would be surprised at how strong this stuff is,its called cattle panel and when arched like this would support quite a heavy load,this structure also does not have much room center top for snow,if it is braced on each end and supported across in the middle I think it could hold a couple feet of heavy snow as long as in does not shift to either side,we shall see and thank you guys for bringing this up as it is definitely better to overbuild than underbuild 😯
As far as the tape goes I tried some thing like duct tape and some clear packing tape and it opened back up,it does not have the right stickyness to it,so I ordered some tape that is designed for greenhouse film and tarps that is supposed to be as strong as the film when taped together and the guy at farmtek said this stuff really holds!I think my main concern with this is making sure the plastic stays together from the start because as I am sure you guys know,the times your protection usually breaks down is when you really need it,I don't think any tape sticks in 0 degree weather 😥 I will post more pics as it comes togher,thanks for the feedback ❗

Hey, Jim.
Your cattle panel looks similar to what we call Page Wire, and you're correct in how strong it is (gauge-wise).
Since snowload can cave-in mall steel-span/concrete roofs, I think you're wise to focus on that.

A structure with a peak (versus dome-shaped) would likely shed snow more easily.

I've got some Tuck Tape in the shop; will try it out on plastic/tarps.
I can never get the bloody stuff OFF anything...

Please keep us informed on your progress.
Barb

I definitely plan on updateing this thread as I go along and that includes any cave ins this winter 😯 😛
I have found that the tape I planned on using stuck to everything!,untill I tried it on this plastic 👿 ,I think because this"greenhouse film is so much thicker than anything else I tried. I assumed this tape would work but this film has an almost waxey surface to it,so a special tape is needed.I will give this new tape a try and let you know how it works,one thing that is really nice is that these rolls(remnants) are 3"x200' and only cost $5.99 each,about $14.00 total with shipping but for 200' 😀

You'll have PREVENTED any cave-ins 😆 😆
Yes please update routinely.

That tape IS cheap, compared to TuckTape; TT sells for about $11.00 (but that's Canada! 😕 )
Will look forward to seeing it.

Barb

Yea,this tape is a great deal even with shipping,duct tape(or duck tape as some people call it)is expensive here too.I added another piece today and dug up the bananas,even though they are(green ones)basjoo, I want to keep their size,( just in case they do not overwinter for some reason) these should easily reach 12' from this size next year!and I don't want to start over with small ones again.
So here is a pic of the new piece-The more barren yard and the bananas inside 🙂 Can you guess which one is the dwarf?
<a href=" " target="_blank"><img src=" " border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href=" " target="_blank"><img src=" " border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href=" " target="_blank"><img src=" " border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Are you planning to protect the palms that are away from your winter cover?
Or are you digging them up?

Those basjoo are huge. 😯
Can understand why you want to keep their size rather than revert to smaller.

My musa basjoo suffers all winter in the cold building (only heated to 45 F).
It's almost mush when I plant it out next spring.
Summer winds shred the leaves...so it's not suitable for my location.

Good luck with your great specimens.
Barb

Next year the basjoos go out and stay out to come up from the roots,they are definitely at the max that I would be willing to carry to the 2nd floor and repot upstairs!
All the palms and the agave on the west side of house will be protected with a variety of methods from X-mas lights for washys,to leaf cages for needles and some of the sabals,to mini g/houses for 2 waggies,2 fortunei and one of the S.louisiana's I will also be trying some styrofoam"rose"covers for a few palms that I will expose to as much winter weather as seems reasonable but when the arctic weather hits these will be closed up and packed with leaves.
I am leaning toward over protecting a little even on some of the ones I want to test cold hardiness on because most of these palms have really just established or are approaching equiliberium.

You repot on the second floor? 😕 No wonder you're leaving them out next year.

Haven't seen those styrofoam rose covers.
We'll look forward to seeing all your pics, Jim.

over protecting a little

Good idea because palms generally become hardier as they age.
Several references I've seen suggest not planting a palm out until it's at least in a 3 gallon pot.

Barb

Yea I think a larger plant has more stored food and deeper roots to draw from.
There is no way to pot up banana plants this big and still get them upstairs,I plant in containers that are wider than they are deep to help lower the top a little, then I put a bag inside the pot and one outside so when I wheel them downstairs I can seal them so I don't lose all the soil.
The styrofoam covers provide some thermal barrier and also let in a good deal of light,I will need to see if there is any tempeture bump with the styrofoam though.
It will be interesting to see how much my trachys that are going to remain in sunlight all winter in the mini g/houses (with some heat)grow this winter compared to last winter when they were not established at all,I actually planted them Nov 1 just to see what I could learn overwintering with this technique and they made it! and are doing great- Heres theTrachy planted last Nov-
<a href=" " target="_blank"><img src=" " border="0" alt="Overwintered trachy"></a>

That's a very healthy looking Trachy.
Good for you for risking a November planting...you did everything right last Fall from the look of it.
That takes guts! 🙂
Barb