Garden and greenhouse fans told how to repair hoses

16:50 17th September 2009

Horticulture fans who often find their garden and greenhouse hose has kinks or splits in it may be interested in this handy tip.

In2Town magazine suggests there is no need to replace the pipe, or even to use expensive and "impractical" joiners.

Growers can get around splashing the cash on a new hose by taking steps to reinforce and repair weak points, it explains.

The article advises the same procedure be followed whether the damage is a split or a kink.

Either way, the weakness in the pipe will continue to cause problems until it is addressed, so garden and greenhouse lovers should create a sort of splint to keep it from reverting to its damaged state.

This can be achieved by using a spare piece of hose as a sort of bandage, the magazine says.

In order to do so, a three inch bit of hose should be cut down its length and left in hot water to make it more pliable.

Following this, it should be wrapped around the damaged part of the pipe, where it will help reinforce it.

While this should keep water in, bad splits can also be mended with a silicone sealant before the bandage is applied, the article explains.

Meanwhile, interested garden and greenhouse fans can read about how Piers Beeching transformed Lily Allen's outdoor space in the Telegraph.