Re: CULT: plant bed covers

I've never used the lightest weight, but suspect it would be hard to
keep from shredding in wind.  Plus your adult grasshoppers would be able
to chew right through it.  It's designed mostly to keep out things like
flea beetles & lightweight flying bugs (egg-laying moths & cucumber
beetles).

Although the directions say to use support for the heavier weights of
covers, I never have for "adult" iris.  Their foliage is plenty strong
enough to support the covers.  Any freeze damage they suffer will only
be to the parts of the leaves that are touching the bed cover.

When stalks/flower buds are still down in the rhizome/very base of the
fans, a little damage to the foliage doesn't worry me much.  A different
situation than the usual use of these covers for protecting frost tender
plants like summer squash and bedding plants, or blooms on strawberries.

I have successfully used double or even quadruple thicknesses to protect
a clump or two of fall rebloomers in full bloom from freezes down in the
low 20s, but now just dig and bring some indoors until they finish
blooming.

<I don't suppose you have ever used one of those ultra light weight
types that protect against insects, have you?  I wouldn't mind one that
cut a bit more light out, but heavier material  requires more support.
None would be fun in my wind, but I'm seeing tiny, tiny grasshoppers
already.   Donald>


--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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