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Re: Random Thoughts on Insulation

Message from Mike coastal CT

Agree…without an interior heat source, it seems logical that a portion of the plant wrapped should be the same as an unwrappend portion.

What I do that “might” (?) make the difference (more of my micro-climate staddigies – lol) was that I warp a plant early in the morning. Then place one of my dark ceramic pots over it. My hope was that not only would the sun heat up the pot itself, but also (as the temp rose inside the pot) the stone mulch on the ground. I was certain about it was working when the sun was out – as even after a few hrs of midday sun, if you lifted the pot the stone that had been on the inside was warmer to the touch than the stone on the outside. What I was less sure about, was how fast is the warmth of the stone inside the pot (and the pot itself) lost at night? I never did, but I wanted to do some experiments with plants side by side with temp sensors and see what the results were.

I made many mistakes over the years. I once tried to fill plastic bottles with boiling water just before a serious cold snap. Then I would surround a plant with there hot water bottles and cover it with burlap and a pot on top. It seemed to work for SHORT cold snaps. However, a few times, the cold snap lasted so long, that the middle of the next day when I uncovered them, the water had frozen, burst the plastic bottle, and froze some of the plant as well. I often pulled off part of the plant when I tried to remove this frozen mess.

I guess it's time to move south - LOL.


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