Re: rocks vs. wire pins

From: "Jan Clark" <janclarx@hotmail.com>

Christa wrote:
>I too was concerned about the effect of heat and cold being >transfered 
thru the wire to the rhizome.....  However I was more
>concerned about using rocks or bricks as I thought the larger surface
>might be more of a conductor of cold. 

Rocks will not 'conduct' cold. Only heat can be conducted. Cold is what 
you have when there is no heat present. Rocks are very efficient at 
conducting heat - absorbing during the day and releasing at night. They 
are also often used as a mulch, in very dry areas. Water is drawn to the 
surface of the soil by the sun, and evaporated. If there is a rock in 
the way, the area just below the rock will remain damp. This type of 
mulching has been used to establish trees in desert areas, without using 
irrigation. 
I find rocks more efficient than pins, for preventing uprooting of iris 
by my cats,and also, because they are readily visible, they stop me 
standing on or knocking new rz's. I do however often find colonies of 
ants establishing under the rocks, so I try and keep an eye on the 
plant, and as soon as it seems to have settled in I move the rock.
Jan Clark, Australia

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