Query about plastic bottles as cloches....

[kalimna]

Greetings all,
Hope this isnt too daft a newbie question, but I have been saving up squash and pop plastic bottles to use as small cloches (cutting the base off first) on the allotment for seedlings etc.
What I am wondering is whether a problem will arise using them when any leaves touch the plastic, particularly when there is a bit of condensation. Are the leaves likely to get scorched/damaged doing this, and is it better to wait till the 'summer' gets a little warmer?

Cheers,
Adam S

[tamsin]

I haven't had a problem, I leave the tops off though which gives a bit of ventilation (I don't know if that's the recommended way or not). When the leaves are more that just touching the sides at the tips they've probably outgrown the bottle

[kalimna]

Hi Tamsin,
Yep, that about confirms what I thought
Cheers,
Adam

[starloc]

I regularly use them to root cuttings, i cut the top off to get the plant in and then selotape the bits together, the whole lot mists up quite well but i have never had a problem with scorching from the water on the leaves, i leave the cap off the bottle every now and then to dry it out to remove the chance of mould ( even though i have small holes in the bottle )

[chris]

Never had a problem here either - also helps keeps the slugs off them until they're a bit more established!

[Two_Sheds]

you only need cloches when the weather is still variable, ie when nights are cold and unexpected frosts may occur.

I don't use a cap on my bottle cloches, so condensation isn't a huge problem

[kalimna]

OK, that all sounds like sensible advice/info - I realise it's a bit of a basic question, but it always plans to try and do things well from the start....
Maybe my use of the word cloche wasn't quite accurate either - perhaps 'mini greenhouse' might have been better.

Cheers,
Adam S