Thanks David. This question of temperature in pots is interesting as I often wonder if different soil mixes are warmer than others and if such should be taken into account when preparing soil mixes. I do not know if anything has been written about this subject. It might have a bearing on adaptation of mixes for colder climates a subject that is perhaps worth thinking about, as would the best containers to use, terra-cotta, versus plastic etc. Cheers, John E. Bryan David Victor wrote: > > >John Bryan wrote > > > >It would be interesting to know the temperature in the pots after a cold > >night, any way you can find out just how cold the soil mix was in the > >pots? Cheers, John E. Bryan > > I can't add much more than I wrote before, as I don't put probes into pots, > I merely record highs/lows over 24 hour periods. Over the last week or so > I have recorded minus three on two nights and minus four on one - external > temperatures were down to minus seven for five or six hours on one night, > with winds of 10-15 mph (I live on a hill and the greenhouse is reasonably > exposed. The greenhouse itself is a 10m long structure, with metre high > benching. As I said before, most of the bulbs I grow in it are in one > litre pots, which sit on the plunge. Composts are soil based, with added > grit. There are a mixture of summer, winter and evergreen bulbs, nearly > all in it are from South Africa and South America. Many of them do sit in > areas that have a second covering of horticultural fleece, but many are in > the open on metal staging. > > I do not water at all during cold periods, but try to give them a good > soaking as soon as a mild period arises. Its starting to warm up again > tomorrow, so it will be watering day. > > Hope that helps. > > Best regards, > David Victor > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php