Kryptonite Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) Hello everyone, Apologies if i am posting this in the wrong place. My grow house is quite small and gets a lot of direct sun for almost the whole day and i don't want the pots to overheat. [un]fortunately, they are all black plastic. Is there a way i can keep the pots and the substrate cool over the summer? Would putting the pot inside and empty pot of the same type (so the outer one heats up and the inner one is a bit cooler) be any help? Any thoughts or advise would be much appreciated. Regards Edited April 4, 2011 by Kryptonite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amar Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Hi there...I really don't think heat should be a too big of a problem as long as you keep them wet (the Cobraplant of course being an exception), or have you had problems in the past? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryptonite Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 No not really--it's my first year of growing them in the growhouse. Last year i grew them indoors. It was just something someone mentioned to me got me thinking. Am still very much a beginner and thought it best to check! Thank you for the reply Amar :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchasselblad74 Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) One trick I learned is to generously cover the top with perlite to reflect the suns heat inducing rays. The only problem is that, as we all know it, perlite floats away when watered, so maybe a fine mesh nylon can be placed on top to hold perlite. In Japan, they designed a special planter box for Darlingtonia where it's a pot inside a box that looks a lot like a tissue(Kleenex) holder. The idea is that the planted Cobra plant is inside this white(reflective) box that has a hole on top for the plant to grow out of, in turn cooling the roots. here is a rough drawing I made of it since I can't find a photo of it, pardon the drawing cause I'm not James Edited April 4, 2011 by dchasselblad74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 If you can, then repot into clay pots, it will keep the roots a lot cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myself Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Sink the pots into sand .Top of sand same level as your compost . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesredtraps Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 You can clad the outside of the pots with Mylar and then for a topping use white aquarium gravel,this is what I do for my D Regia and my Darlingtonias-works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchasselblad74 Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 You can clad the outside of the pots with Mylar and then for a topping use white aquarium gravel,this is what I do for my D Regia and my Darlingtonias-works well. Mylar!!!! Yes...That is actually a brilliant idea...I will try this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesredtraps Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Mylar!!!! Yes...That is actually a brilliant idea...I will try this Yes, just wrap it round and tack it with some shiny duct tape. Mylar is easy to get hold of, not dear, you can get it on Ebay easily. In fact if you want to really pamper Darlingtonia, you can line the pot with Mylar aswell, thus when you use cold water ,it'll stay cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 In Japan, they designed a special planter box for Darlingtonia where it's a pot inside a box that looks a lot like a tissue(Kleenex) holder. The idea is that the planted Cobra plant is inside this white(reflective) box that has a hole on top for the plant to grow out of, in turn cooling the roots. here is a rough drawing I made of it since I can't find a photo of it, pardon the drawing cause I'm not James There is a plan for one here: http://bit.ly/fltayy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) I'd noticed for years how the plants in the pots at the edges- where the sides are exposed to the sun, always do less well than the others. So last year I cut up a piece of that white plastic cardboard like material- that they use for election posters and for sale signs- and used that to shade the sides of the pots at the edge. It worked well so I'm using it again this year. Edited April 4, 2011 by Trev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesredtraps Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 I'd noticed for years how the plants in the pots at the edges- where the sides are exposed to the sun, always do less well than the others. So last year I cut up a piece of that white plastic cardboard like material- that they use for election posters and for sale signs- and used that to shade the sides of the pots at the edge. It worked well so I'm using it again this year. Trev, are you saying then that VFTs prefer cooler roots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchasselblad74 Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 There is a plan for one here: http://bit.ly/fltayy Yup...that's the one I saw months ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchasselblad74 Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Yes, just wrap it round and tack it with some shiny duct tape. Mylar is easy to get hold of, not dear, you can get it on Ebay easily. In fact if you want to really pamper Darlingtonia, you can line the pot with Mylar aswell, thus when you use cold water ,it'll stay cool. I always throw away mylar balloons after my kids get tired of them. Now I will reuse them;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesredtraps Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I always throw away mylar balloons after my kids get tired of them. Now I will reuse them;) How resourceful . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchasselblad74 Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 How resourceful . More like Frugal than resourceful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_muscipula Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Why don't you just order some white pots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenofeden Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I use light blue pots for Heliamphora, Darlingtonia and Drosera regia. I feel it really helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manders Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Don't people feel clay pots work? If you want to drop below ambient temps at the roots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numpty Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Don't people feel clay pots work? If you want to drop below ambient temps at the roots? I wonder if there's just an instinctive resistance by some CP growers against clay pots, on account of perceived mineral buildup in the clay, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Trev, are you saying then that VFTs prefer cooler roots? It figures if you think about it, VFT's roots in the wild wouldn't ever get as hot as they do in a black plastic pot in the sun in a greenhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I use light blue pots for Heliamphora, Darlingtonia and Drosera regia. I feel it really helps. I think I still have the blue one that you sent one of my Heliamphora in. This plant is now so big that it's in a large white ceramic pot on my kitchen windowsill. Don't people feel clay pots work? If you want to drop below ambient temps at the roots? I currently have a H. pulchella in a tall clay pot on my windowsill and it seems to be doing ok. I would imagine that a bit of evaporative cooling takes place. It figures if you think about it, VFT's roots in the wild wouldn't ever get as hot as they do in a black plastic pot in the sun in a greenhouse. Typically sub-surface will be cooler than above ground in nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billynomates666 Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 If you really need to keep your pots cool, put the pot with the plant in, inside a larger pot with either sphagnum, cotton wool, or similar wicking material in the gap between the two pots. Stand the pots in water and the evaporative cooling effect will keep the inner pot lovely and cool. Works well with Darlingtonia. Cheers Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryptonite Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Hello everyone--thanks for the replies. Will try a few of these and see which i have best results with. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.