Please post photos and details of your favorite PVC trellises here! The one in the photo is a Dura-Trel trellis in mocha.

As soon as I get mine put together and set into the garden (and when it dries out enough from all the rain!), I will be adding my picture of a similar version, thanks to your great selection on your site!

Love pictures! Calif_Sue have you got a picture of your trellis? Gee, I never saw this forum before, so much to see.

Not right now as I have moved since then (end of March) and am now working hard to plant my 600+ plants I brought with me. Trellis is leaning against the fence until I decide where it goes.

Oh wow, you are going to be busy for a long time. 600+ plants is way too many for me.

LOL, yeah, me too!

Pegi, all of these threads were part of the Clematis Cubit. When Sue and I moved it over here, it was split into Clematis, Garden Structures, and Garden Tours.

Does anyone know how to bend small PVC pipe permanently?

I want to make some very low hoop tunnels with some ribs running the long way, rigid and light enough that I can flip them off a bed for a sunny day.

I assume some kind of heat, like a heat gun or blow torch. I don't necessarily need gradual bends, I would be OK with "corners" if I could make them the same way on each rib.

One application is a sun-warmed seed bed and early potting-up-and-out bed (or rather, one that doesn't cool off as fast at night.

Another application is getting tomato seedlings into the ground 6-8 weeks early, while spring is deciding whether to EVER keep nights above 50 degrees.

If PVC is not suitable for permanent bending, has anyone worked with
"Electrical metallic tubing (EMT)' or conduit?

Google is the master!!

http://www.pvcworkshop.com/ben...
http://www.ehow.com/how_479608...

Most common PVC 10' or 20" will easily bend. We use 18" or 24" rebar diven into the ground to anchor each piece of PVC. We've done 8' wide beds with 10' sticks of 3/4" PVC for low tunnel hoophouses (covered with 6-mil clear sheet plastic) the last two winters, with very good success. We will use 13' wide walk-in hoophouses this fall. We live in NW GA and had two 4-8" wet snows. I almost cried when the hoophouses creaked and bent under the weight. The next day, they stood back up, much to our delight! We will make a smaller version for our cats, who love to play on them, and get into them to nap in the warmth. So... PVC will bend with a little tension.
David

Those were helpful links.

Applying heat gun to the side was advised (I was thinking of trying to blow the hot air THROUGH the pipe).

I like the idea of packing it with sand to prevent kinks. I think I would try to confine the sand to the 'bend area' with some kind of tampers with loose-fitting plugs.

I thought I might have to build a box of bricks around it to hold the heat in - guess not!