>On 29 Oct 04 at 9:49, Rogan Roth wrote: > >> More often than not I have found that plants grown in pots tend >> to appreciate slightly shaded conditions rather than full, >> blazing sunshine which tends to heat the potting medium up too >> much resulting in stunted roots. > >A plunge bed is the answer to this problem. Highly recommended, >as it also alleviates watering difficulties, esp. if you use >terra cotta pots. > >BTW, I suspect that overheating the soil causes much of the >difficulty gardeners experience with pot culture of all kinds of >plants, not just bulbs. Even if you can't manage a plunge bed, >at least put your potted bulbs in a high wooden surround to keep >direct sun off the pots. **or put a layer of bubble wrap inside the pot before you fill it with potting soil. Not at the bottom, just the sides. Seems to really help insulate. I do that with all my big terra cotta pots now. Helps to conserve water in the summer, too. -- susan, who is..... owned by Jasper & Schubert the Standard Poodles, Gracie the Rhodesian, Pup-Quiz the Basenji and their Basenji brother, Jones.... on the North Coast of CA, USA susanann@sbcglobal.net, copyright 2004