Bubble wrap?

[iant]

Anyone used bubble wrap around the outside of pots (esp black plastic ones) for reflective insulation from summer heat? My plants are doing well now but every summer there's a handful of days that get into high 90's and our back patio area has off white stone floor that's reflective so the combination leads to a super hot dry and bright area and pots can really heat up.... I'm thinking ahead now to protect things better this year in case we get a heat wave...
Any other suggestions? I have one table now with a 40% shade cloth umbrella which I think will help.
Ian

 

[yenling83]

hmmm... never used it but I think shade cloth is the best way to protect anything important.

 

[jkd2572]

I would think the bubble wrap would make them hotter as the suns heats the air inside with no where to go. Kind of like you car with the windows rolled up..

 

[Stan Kengai]

I've never seen any problems, or know anyone else that has, with root burn with ceramic pots, so I wouldn't worry about them. Black plastic nursery cans, on the other hand, are always trouble in my climate. I've seen people use cardboard that hangs over the edge of the pot a bit, and I would think that's probably the best solution, even better than shade cloth. Granted, it would make watering more of a chore, but it probably cuts down on watering, too. I have a few nursery cans that I'm considering cutting cardboard shades to go on the outside rim of them, leaving the soil surface open.

 

[PaulH]

I cut covers out of shade cloth to put on my pots. Works really well and also keeps the birds from digging in them. A friend uses the foil backed bubble insulation that you can buy in rolls at Home Depot to cut pot covers and swears by them. The foil reflects sun off of the pots and back up into the tree.

 

[rockm]

Wet white t-shirts, or some light colored cotton cloth, over the pot are better than bubble wrap. They breathe and evaporation cools.

I drape them over pots that are in direct sun from July through August. I have had issues with heated pots and roots. Growth can start yellowing prematurely on some plants.

 

[jkd2572]

We had over 30 days last year in a row over 100degrees. Everything lived. Only watered once a day, but nothing I have gets more than half a day full sun. Too hot here in Texas. I think if I left anything in full sun last summer it would have evaporated.

 

[Poink88]

We had over 30 days last year in a row over 100degrees. Everything lived. Only watered once a day, but nothing I have gets more than half a day full sun. Too hot here in Texas. I think if I left anything in full sun last summer it would have evaporated.

You are scaring me now . About half of my trees will be in full sun. A fourth will be in partial shade, the rest are well shaded. We also got a lot of weeks of straight 100+ temps last year and the year before...but I am new to bonsai (just started late last year) so I don't really know much about this. I guess I need to plan for it now.

I guess thank to the OP (Ian) for the heads up!

 

[iant]

Yeah I spent last summer moving my trees further and further into a corner of the yard with shade! When fall and winter hit I bought some shade cloth and an umbrella frame and over the winter had the cloth sewn to fit the umbrella... So at least I have one table now that has a shade cloth umbrella set-up. It worked pretty well and was inexpensive. I'll post picks of that and links to where I got the stuff in another thread tomorrow perhaps.
Thanks to everyone for advice. I think I may try the tee shirt fabric around the outside of the black ones. I have 4 JBP, 2 cedars, 2 small oaks, and a pomegranate that I think can handle the full sun but it would be nice to shield those pots from getting too hot. The deciduous will either be shade cloth protected or in the corner where it's morning sun only.
Ian

 

[jkd2572]

When it gets over 100. I would try to figure out a way they only getting morning sun. P