Tree shelters: why the UV additive decides their working life
Tree shelters have to withstand sun, wind and rain for the years it takes the plant to grow strong. What decides whether they manage is invisible to the naked eye: the additive that protects them against ultraviolet radiation.
Aerix Packaging · Technical team
Sunlight breaks the polyethylene chains and makes the plastic brittle. According to BASF, an unstabilised plastic film can become fragile and dull within a few weeks. A UV stabiliser such as HALS slows that process down and lets the material last for years outdoors.
- Without UV stabiliser
- weeks
- until the plastic turns brittle in the sun
- With UV stabiliser
- years
- of working life outdoors; at Aerix, a minimum 2-year guarantee
In a shelter, that lifespan is no minor detail. If the tube cracks early, the plant is exposed to rabbits and hares just when it needs protection most, and the investment in planting is lost. Replacing broken tubes also means going back to the site, with the labour cost that entails. Degraded plastic, moreover, fragments and ends up scattered across the land.
That is why Aerix Packaging backs its tree shelter range with a guarantee of at least 2 years. In Spain, with higher radiation in the south and the east, UV stabilisation matters even more. Ideally the shelter lasts as long as the plant needs it and is then removed and recycled.
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