Temporary Plant Safety Structure
by Nadav Hakak in Living > Gardening
56 Views, 1 Favorites, 0 Comments
Temporary Plant Safety Structure

Plants everywhere face round-the-clock challenges from extreme weather and volatile environmental conditions. Torrential downpours, months-long droughts, coupled with heat waves, can destroy even the toughest crops. Gardeners and farmers are too often forced to take these devastating losses. Fortunately, there is a solution: the Temporary Plant Safety Structure. This innovative, easy-to-assemble and storeable shelter is specifically designed to give your plants a chance to survive against the harshest outdoor conditions. In this tutorial, you will be guided through a step-by-step process to build this temporary shelter that not only shields your crops but also adapts to the specific needs of your environment.
Supplies
To create the temporary plant safety structure, you will need:
- Steel framing
- Insulating rubber
- Solar pannels
- Hinges
- Heating/Cooling unit
- Greenhouse glass
- Drill
- Rubber piping
- Water Pump
The Frame



At the core of this design is its pyramid structure, created by four steel frames. Each side is an equilateral triangle with 4-foot sides using a 1-inch-thick frame joined as illustrated in the figure above. This optimal pyramidal structure has a wide range of benefits when it comes to helping protect the plant. The shape, first and foremost, ensures better load distribution for stability and is less prone to external forces such as collisional debris. This triangular configuration distributes lateral forces randomly by deflecting and spreading them down the broad base. Additionally, the load distribution and the triangular corners mean that the structure can withstand strong winds. Further, the inherent triangular shape of the design allows for the structure to be simply folded, thus being very portable and convenient to deploy whenever required.
The Glass Exterior

Beyond providing physical protection to the plant, this structure can also function as a greenhouse to offer a more hospitable growing environment. Using greenhouse glass has many benefits: Greenhouse glass is typically composed of soda-lime glass, which can be tempered or made stronger by the use of low-iron formulations. Not only is it strong, but it has great light transmission due to its composition of high-quality soda-lime glass, occasionally tempered or made stronger by the use of low-iron formulations to enhance strength, while transmitting up to 90–95% of sunlight to the plant. In addition to this, its endurance is resistant to harsh weather conditions without sacrificing the indoor temperature, making it perfect for protecting the plant.
Watering System

Water is the lifeblood of every plant, so this system is purposefully designed to shield the plant from the harsh external elements while still ensuring it receives the hydration it needs. The plant’s roots remain in the soil while it is being protected by the structure, allowing for natural water absorption. However, when extreme weather conditions prevent this process (such as droughts or dry spells), the structure provides a backup: three durable rubber hoses mounted along its walls. These hoses, outfitted with precisely spaced holes, act as integrated sprinklers that evenly distribute water around the plant. The water is sourced from an internal reservoir that the user can easily refill, guaranteeing that even during adverse conditions, the plant remains hydrated.
Automatic Water Collecting Systems


Depending on the weather, there can be some days when it is impossible or not practical to refill the water manually. Fortunately, the safety structure has a self-sustaining water collection and uses two new methods to supply a constant source of water. The initial process is founded on condensation. Just like the way greenhouses are prone to accumulate condensation naturally, the pyramid-shaped safety structure takes advantage of the same process. During temperature changes, water vapor settles into droplets, primarily at the tip of the pyramid and on its walls. Over time, the droplets collect into streams that become heavy enough to slide along the walls and eventually end up in the reservoir, refilling the initially poured water. The second method uses the morning dew. During cold morning conditions, dew forms on the outer surfaces of the structure. Through positionally placing dew catchers—pieces of cloth that gather even slight moisture—the safety structure can harvest the dew efficiently. As the dew accumulates and is heavy enough, it runs along the sides and falls into the exterior troughs, which channel into the storage reservoir. Both of these water harvesting system supplies the plant with additional watering even when manual intervention is hard, making the safety structure turns into a solid, independent solution.
Ventalation and Tempature


Some plants require very specific temperature regimes to survive, and this safety system is designed to provide that. Traditional greenhouses can sometimes retain too much heat on a hot day, which may harm our sensitive plants. In response to that, the system features 3 well-placed vents at the top of the pyramid where natural convection allows for easy release of hot air. At lower temperatures, these vents can be closed to maintain the heat internally. An independent heating/cooling unit is also installed on an interior wall, good and safe distance from the reservoir water, to offer exact climate control through pre-sets or Bluetooth. These features guarantee that the safety structure provides the perfect microclimate for even the most temperature-sensitive plants.
Power

Even in hostile environments where power may be scarce, all aspects of the safety system are designed with self-containment in mind. The system consists of six small solar panels—two on each exterior surface—that take advantage of the sunlight for power. In total, the six three-inch-wide by 2.5-foot-long panels can generate up to 52 watts of power per hour in direct sunlight. Assuming the panels get an average of 8 to 10 hours of sunlight per day, the panels as a whole produce between 124 to 156 watts of energy per day, powering every system in the safety structure directly. Providing not only constant operation but also the possibility for temporary safety structure shielding plants for long periods of time without continuous human intervention, this stand-alone power system is an ideal means of harnessing and utilizing sunlight to protect the plant.
Rooting System

Violent winds generated by storms—tornadoes, hurricanes, or twisters—pose a risk to the safety of the plant. Resisting such forces is an essential anchoring device in the safety system that prevents the pyramid from being toppled over. The structure is equipped with five-inch stakes that can be attached to any of the three corners of the pyramid rapidly and safely. These strategic installations, which are at the outer ends of the center, allow the stakes to exert maximum torque on the structure. This is a design that ensures the counteracting force created by the stakes can overcome even the most powerful winds. Although they may appear to be a straightforward feature, these stakes have a very important function of stabilizing the safety structure and protecting the plant from harmful winds.
Conclusion

In summary, the temporary plant safety structure is an easy-to-use, self-sustaining way of protecting delicate plants from harsh conditions. Its shape not only affords maximum load support and lateral pressure resistance, but also efficient water collection, taking advantage of condensation as well as dew, to provide consistent hydration. Paired with advanced climate control systems like programmable ventilation and integrated heating/cooling units, the building creates and sustains the ideal microclimate that many plants require. In addition, with six solar panels giving plenty of power and robust anchoring stakes to lock the unit in place during high winds, the design is a long-lasting, self-sustaining shelter that minimizes human involvement while maximizing plant safety and longevity. With all these features and the ease of use, the temporary plant safety structure could play a pivotal role in protecting people's plants, no matter the environment.