Re: CULT: non-woven fabric plant bed covers

<Will you please explain about these bed covers, where you buy them, I
believe
 they could be just the ticket for our northern zones, what is your
feeling on this.  Dorothy Hartman Zone 5b  Pentwater, MI -western
Michigan shore>

Dorothy - these are also called floating bed covers & are available from
nursery supply houses.  I get mine at the local Farmer's CoOp where they
are sold to cover tobacco seedling beds.  These are not very heavy and
are not labeled as suitable for much frost protection, but I've seen
different covers for sale online that will give protection from frost
when air temperatures drop well below freezing.

For maximum protection, they need to have the edges anchored down well
enough to make a reasonably good seal with the ground.  I use rocks,
boards, metal fence posts, whatever junk is handy to anchor the covers.
With the irises, I usually am not worried about maximum protection,
since they can handle 'normal' fluctuations in temperatures.  For late
spring frost protection, the covers need to be removed here between
freezes because they will build up some heat, promoting lush growth,
which then becomes even more sensitive to late spring freezes.

I use the covers mostly to dampen extremes in temperatures as well as to
give those late planted cultivars in the fall some extra time to get
established before it gets really cold.

In the past, I have used a double layer combined with water filled
plastic cola bottles outdoors to get as much as a two month headstart on
tomato plants.

I don't know how they would do in a Michigan winter.  Maybe someone else
can help you with that question.

-
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>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index