What is it?
Unique to Acorn, Shelterguard™ is manufactured by co-extruding a laminate of 12mm square netting with a thin, translucent Polyethylene film lining bonded to the inside, which is designed to degrade more quickly than the net.
How does it work?
When Shelterguard™ is formed into tree or shrub shelters it provides benefits such as herbicide protection and the enhanced micro-climate offered by a 'solid' shelter, both of which are desirable in the early years. However, after a controlled period of time the thin polyethylene film degrades, allowing the tree/shrub to gradually acclimate from a 'greenhouse' type environment to an open and natural environment, in which the tree/shrub can harden and stabilise. Browsing protection is assured throughout and trees/shrubs grown in Acorn Shelterguard™ have proven to establish
reliably and healthily.
The Standard film is green tinted and designed to last a minimum of 5 years before starting to degrade. Note, degradation usually starts at the top of the tube and on the southern aspect, due to increased light
intensity.
The Material
The square netting is either made from recycled, photodegradable HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), or from recycled oxo-biodegradable
HDPE. Both options are available.
Which version should I use?
Shelterguard™ is perfect for use where young trees need protection from accidental herbicide drift and the benefits of an enhanced micro-climate to help establishment. Most broadleaves thrive in Shelterguard™ however, when planting Beech some customers report that the ventilated film produces better results than solid film.
Standard film, with its green tint, reduces light intensity and will protect the tree to the point where it has emerged from the shelter. Standard film Shelterguard™ is popular on shrubshelters and shorter treeshelters and is our best selling version for lowland planting.
High Exposure film is used most often in more exposed situations, where there is a danger of 'drawing' the tree up too quickly. Any solid shelter will do this, so Acorn's high exposure Shelterguard™ was created to give all the benefits of solid shelters in the first 2-3 years, after which the film quickly degrades. By years 4-5 there may be some film left around the base of the tree, where it gets less light due to shading, but the top of the shelter should be pure net, creating less of a wind barrier and reducing the trees inclination to 'bolt'. Trees grown in high exposure Shelterguard™ on windy or exposed sites tend to grow a little slower than in solid shelters, but also tend to be more stable and less likely topple over or to suffer wind damage when they emerge from the shelter.
How long will Shelterguard™ take to break down?
Predicting and controlling degradation of plastic in a natural environment is, at best, an imprecise science. However, one benefit of being the oldest shelter manufacturers in the UK is that Acorn has been able to refine, over many years, the optimum level of Ultra Violet stabilizer included in our shelters in order to give enough time for the tree to establish before the shelter begins to break down – approximately 7 years. This time-frame is the same for Oxo-degradable Bio-shelters and the moulded top lip will become brittle around year 4 allowing the tree to expand without restriction.
Why choose Acorn Shelterguard™?
If you're planting trees or shrubs that need to be established quickly and reliably; if you are planting in an area where there's any likelihood of animal damage through browsing (rabbit, mice, voles, deer etc.); or if you're intending to spray herbicide around the young plants, then Acorn Shelterguard™ will help to establish young trees quickly, safely and healthily. In addition, if you're looking for the most environmentally friendly shelter on the US market then Acorn Shelterguard™ is perfect, being the only solid walled shelter made from recycled materials. Acorn is also the only manufacturer to offer solid walled shelters in an oxo-degradable variant. If visual impact is an issue, and you'd prefer to have attention drawn tothe trees you've just planted rather than the plastic protecting them, then Acorn Shelterguard™ is the preferred choice, being designed to merge 'quietly' into the background.
- ShelterguardTM has a polyethylene lining bonded to the net.
- Intermittent stitched weld down the length of the shelter, designed to allow water to drain away and to 'pop open' should the tree out-grow the shelter.
- The moulded top lip is designed to minimise wind abrasion as the tree exits the shelter. The top lip also becomes brittle around year 4-5, allowing the tree to easily avoid constriction and break free of the top lip.
- Nested in fours, diameters range from the smallest at 3 inches to the largest at 4 inches.
- ShelterguardTM comes pre-fitted with releasable, easy to use, zip tie.
- All ShelterguardTM is packed in polythene bags to ensure ease of handling and to keep shelters together in bundles.
- ShelterguardTM can be manufactured in recycled HDPE or in Oxo-degradable HDPE.
- Dark color and broken surface of ShelterguardTM is designed to blend into the background. This puts the focus on the trees, not the plastic protecting them.
