Seasonal frost protection isn’t just standard maintenance – it’s crop insurance. A single severe overnight freeze or an unexpected frost can wipe out thousands of dollars in young propagation stock, tender root systems and new landscape plantings.
Our range of frost fabrics act like a warm blanket for your plants, trapping rising ground heat overnight, and allowing sunlight, air and water to pass through.
Frost cloth is far more than a home gardening product. Commercial horticulture customers use it to protect everything from vegetable crops and nursery seedlings to strawberries, kiwifruit and young orchard plants. By creating a warmer microclimate around the crop you can minimise weather damage, encourage healthy growth and protect valuable yields.
Buyers Guide to Frost Protection Fabrics:
| Fabric Type | Highlight | Best For |
|---|---|---|
Multiclima Frost Protection |
High-density 38gsm HDPE | Commercial growers, large field crops and extreme South Island cold snaps. |
The Gardener Twin Pack Frost Cloth Zip Bag |
30gsm thicker fabric with reusable zip bag | Ideal for potted plants and young trees. Simply slip the bag over the plant, zip it closed and secure the drawstring for quick frost protection. |
The Gardener Frost Cloth (1.8m × 10m) |
Upgraded 30gsm non-fraying material | General everyday frost protection. Lightweight, UV-stabilised spun-bound fabric can be laid directly over crops or draped across frames to protect plants from frost, wind and rain. |
How-to Apply: Direct Drape VS. Framework Suspension
How you apply your fabric changes the level of protection it gives.
The Direct Drape Method:
Lightweight fabrics (like the 1.8m x 10m roll) can be laid directly over hardy seedlings and flexible crop rows, pinning the edges down with soil or pins. Because the material is highly breathable, it doesn’t smother the plants.
The Framework / Hoop Suspension:
For delicate nursery stock, soft foliage, or when using heavier blankets that get heavy when wet, suspending the fabric over tunnel hoops or wire frames is highly recommended. This prevents wet fabric from physically touching the leaf tissue, ensuring frost cannot transfer directly to the plant cells.
Securing your Investment: Fasteners & Accessories
A frost cloth setup is only as reliable as its anchoring system, especially during a winter storm. To ensure your fabrics stay put through heavy winds, match your purchase with our supporting fasteners:
| Fastener Type | Highlight | Best For |
|---|---|---|
The Gardener Shade & Windbreak Clips |
Sharp pins for quick penetration through fabric. UV stabilised and made in New Zealand. | Securing Multiclima fabrics to overhead support wires or framework without damaging the material. |
The Gardener Steel Pins |
200 galvanised steel pins per box. Also suitable for securing irrigation pipe and garden hoses. | Anchoring loose edges around garden beds to help prevent wind lifting frost cloth and other ground covers. |
Plastic Gripper Pins |
Durable UV-resistant plastic construction that won’t bend during installation. | Steep slopes, soft soils and erosion-prone sites where maximum holding strength is required. |
Biodegradable Pins |
Made in New Zealand from Polymaize, a fully biodegradable material derived mainly from corn. | Securing weedmat, mulch matting, seeding mesh and turf where the pins naturally break down over time. |
We are happy to help you with the right frost cloth for your crops, seedlings and plants, get in touch with us today.
FAQs to frost cloth
For advice on the best frost protection for your plants, get in touch today.
