Ok.. so a couple of my trees are starting to pout.. I'm sure this is due to the pot temps being lower.. I went to dig out my string of lights and they don't work.. I need to get replacements.. thankfully (annoyingly early) there are already Christmas decorations for sale..
I saw the rope lights and think those would better suit my needs than the String lights.. Last yr I'd go to water, remove the pots to the bath tub or sink and when I replaced them to their spot inevitably a bulb or two from the lights would get crushed.. with the rope lights they are more confined and won't "STRAY" and be less likely to get crushed under the pot..
the price is a bit more.. spending $3 for a string vs. $18 for a rope...
I'm wondering if they will put out the heat as good as the sting lights though??????? Any one tried the rope lights to know if they put out same heat?? or at least some what comparable???

Any advice/ input would be great..

Gina *BabyBlue*

If it is the same rope light that I saw at Wallmart I don't think that would be enough heat.
To test put your hand very close to them and feel if there are heat being felt. To me there is none.

Thanks for the input Ben!!!
I have never used the rope types before.. I'm not a big Holiday Decorator (my Citrus trees get more lights than house and Christmas tree combined.. Decorations is not the reason for the season.. etc..)
Though.. if I could find some ALL blue lights.. that would look kinda cool around my pond if it didn't work out for heating the citrus pots.. I'm trying to do a blue theme to my pond garden..
Anyway.. I trust your advice and I'll skip the lights for the citrus and pick them up for my pond when they go on sale..

Any other suggestions for using decorative lights for pot warmers with out breaking bulbs???
Maybe I'm just not experienced enough to tame those wild strings of lights?? LOL
I'm thinking taping them together would be kind of dangerous?? Like crushing bulbs under a pot that has been recently watered is safe?? LOL.. Hmmm..

Any ideas on CHEAP alternatives?? or other ideas??

Hubby is starting to growl about my plant budget.. need to keep it as cheep as possible so I can still splurge now and then.. buy grafting tape.. more bud wood.... a new knife.. Rescue poor defenseless Lime trees... etc.. need to get my FIX and stay with in budget!! LOL
I'm going to keep thinking about this.. all ideas welcome!! no matter how strange..
Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina:
The way I do it is to wrap the string of Christmas lights TIGHT around the pot OUTSIDE and TIGHT around the pot. They are out of the way when you water your plant. If you will move your plant just unplug that string. It's that simple. You can not crush those lights unless you put them under the pot which is a no-no. You can warm your soil just as good. Or if you put the lights on top of the soil, there is a chance that you will feel the tingle if they get wet and was on.
A string of 100 clear Christmas lights may cost $4 but after Christmas it is 75% off. That's when I buy a bunch including the next years' light all over my front yard.
The problem though is that my neighbors are questioning me why I still have Christmas lights on on the wee hours of February.
Sometimes I use a string for 3 7- gallon citrus pots and they are just happy and fruiting in their own merry way althoug the ambient tempts hovers on the low 40's and sometimes dip into high 30's.
Yes, I like to take care of my citrus the cheapest way as possible. I worry about the wattage I use. I criinge when someone says he uses two 1000 watts HPS lights. But to each its own.
Many of my citrus will be on its own for they are now 4 years old in my yard.

Benny,
you say put string of lights on top of the soil?? I was trying to get the lights as low as I could with the idea heat rises.. Maybe I could find short strings of 50 or so lights and put on top of soil and have one string per pot?? unplug the lights when I carry to the bath tub and wait a hour or two before plugging them in again??

Would 50 be enough?? my pots are only about 10" across..

I had put those push tacks in the top of a pot last yr and draped the lights over the tack.. I forgot about that.. That was for the tree I lost.. the one and only big tree last yr.. It wasn't until I changed pots that I started having real problems because I didn't put the push pins in again.. though they did slip off the top of the push pin once in a while.. maybe a cup hook in the side?? 4 or 5 around the top?? wonder if that would hold??
Thanks!!! got my brain working in the right direction!!!

As for neighbors.. well.. mine... hahahaha.. Hubby gets a chuckle.. I do something "strange" and the neighbors tell him.. LOL and yes I have been asked about my lights and "what are you growing in that back room???" ( there wasn't curtains in the back room so it was on display for any one driving by to see.. but not well enough to tell what was there.. I know any time cops have been to the house they eyeball that window.. LMAO!!
My hubby finds my eclectic / eccentric styles charming.. the neighbors just think I'm a nut.. LOL.. the crazy plant lady instead of the crazy cat lady..


any other ideas for the crazy plant lady??

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina:
I don't remember I ever said to put the CRISTMAS LIGHTS ON TOP of the soil. It is all against practical reasons because you water your plants and the wires and light bulbs will get wet.
Don't ever touch a wet wire and don't even go near them if it is raining without disconnecting.
You wrap the lights outside the pot around and around depending on how much high the tempt you want. You need a soil thermometer inserted deep into the root zone. You add or remove a few strings at a time until you get the right temperature- 70 degrees and less than 90.
If you touch a wet wire and it is drizzling believe me you'll feel it right through your bones.

Now I see where you get the idea that "You can not crush those lights unless you put them under the pot which is a no-no. .....Or if you put the lights on top of the soil, there is a chance that you will feel the tingle if they get wet and was on."
Those 2 things are no-nos. If you read it again. Two negatives. I tried to be easy on you but I tell you frankly, if you get the wires wet and touch it you will lit up like a Christmas tree if all sorroundings are wet .

Sorry.. That was part of the no- nos list..
Thanks!!!
I'm not fond of electricity + water = Zapped Blue...

What do you think of my idea of putting cup hooks around the top of the pot and just drape the string of lights over them??
About once a week (give or take) my plants are all moved to the bathtub or kitchen sink.. so what ever setup I come up with needs to be mobile.. when I just had the lights wrapped around the pot they kept slipping down any time they were slightly moved.. and if I had to remove them and put them back on every time I watered It would take forever.. I usualy water with gallon jugs So they won't be getting wet when watered in the bath or sink..

Again.. sorry for my miss read..
Thanks so much for your input on this topic!!

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina, good golly girl! Benny is right. Never put those lites on top of soil. Like he said (if you need these lites), wrap them around pots - one string to @ pot.
Why do you have to bring them to bathtub to water? Sounds like too much work. Just put them on those big 25-50 cent liners at Hd with a few pebbles under plants! In winter, they don't need the big soakings as in summer.
Your hubby has been growling over your plant budget for at least 6 months now LOL. Figure which is cheaper...let a little extra heat in room VS the cost of electricity for all thos lites. Could you just open a vent during day? Maybe a large heating pad set on low at night only, for the small plants? (Set underneath of course). I have fruits ripening & the sunroom gets very cool at night - will be colder in winter, but it heats up in day. I can also open door a little to let house heat in if necessary.
BTW, the rope lites will NOT produce heat, and they will not highlite your pond at night. If you put them around pond, you won't see pond - just lites. You'd be better off investing underwater lites. I paid about $60.00 for one about 7-8 yrs ago (low watts) & it has 3 diff color lenses. Really cool looking, 'cept I didn't have a chance to use them these last 2 summers
Be resourcefull! - I know U can do it! I read you want to buy a $100.00 palm tree - I THINK it's a palm. Whew, that's way over my budget, & I'm not really budgeting LOL.
Where do you keep your plants BTW, & what are the ave temps in room?
Last winter was first yr my plants were in sunroom. I let temps get down to 40's at night & up to 50's - 60's or so in day & they were all fine. My problem before that was over watering which I didn't do last yr.
I hope I do as good this winter.
I wish us all luck

I like to keep my roots at temps between 70 and 90.. My trees are all in South Facing windows.. I supplement light on cloudy days and from sundown till around 10 pm.. I want to keep my trees in Grow mode..
I have a meat thermometer that I have been checking root temp with and root temps have been between 66 and 72 right now.. Thus pouting trees..
I have another Idea.. how about Plumbing heating tape?? I could get this AT COST as my brother is a plumber and could order any length in for me.. The tape could be wrapped around the pots and plugged in.. and they come with an auto shutoff should an accident happen and they get wet..

I haven't asked my brother yet.. But if this is a good idea and cost effective I will.. I'm sure he could probably order to what ever specs I request and still get it at a good price for me.. maybe these would last longer as well?? I've had same tape on my plumbing under the house for 10 yrs now..


Anyway.. Thanks for any feedback!!!

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina:
I am not familiar with them. It sounds like a good idea and much safer. Can you post a picture how it looks like? and how much it costs?
And in Christmas lights scenario, I would recommend (no, it is mandatory and in electrical code) to put a GFI (ground fault indicator) to the plug or outlet to protect you from ground . This will cut off the electricity if you touch the wet wire automatically in milliseconds and I doubt if you ever feel the jolt. It can be bought at Home Depot in portable kind ready to use.

here's reasonable prices for these kinds of items:
http://www.doityourself.com/icat/heattape

Another alternative would be soil heating cables. These are designed to be waterproof and can be buried in the soil or wrapped around pots.

My experiences so far is that they indeed work to keep temperature above freezing, depending on thermostat setting, but the amount of growth is not that great for me.

I computed that based on the price of electricity I spent, especially nowadays, it costed more compared to replacing the plant in case it died. It would be a different matter entirely if your cultivar is rare, like some of Benny's citruses. So protecting it makes more sense.

Of course, if you become attached to the plant, as I also do, then that is priceless, and if it is a matter of survival, then these tapes work to enhance survival in a freezing event. But to achieve good growth, I wouldn't count on these.

The plumbing heat tape will not give sufficient heat to the pots. This tape is designed to keep water lines above freezing, not to keep it warm. Above freezing is in the 40°F range and too low for root activity. I personally use the low wattage lights and keep the pots around 80° F. I search yard sales all summer for lights and even visit the dollar store and get them for a buck. The ones for a buck are the 20 light strings but these are great for the smaller pots that don't need those 35ft long strings. I also use 1 string per pot. I have never had one to burn out or to crush as they are taped tightly to the sides of the pot. I place the lights in the bath tub to water but they get watered from the top. I keep the plugs out of harms way by taping it on the side of the wall or the tub itself. I am also on a plant budget but my money comes from the money I would have spent on cigarettes. Since I quit I now have more money. Hubby does not complain this way.
Andi

Thanks Joe and Andi for excellent info.
I am learning a lot here. New stuff, good stuff.
Thanks guys.

Most soil heating cables have a built-in thermostat set at 74 deg F.

If anyone is interested, I have quite a couple soil heating cables extra after cleaning my garage.

They normally retail for $12-$36 depending on length. I guess I could sell mine for $5 per heating cable (unopened) that I can find. And for the used one I sell them for $2 each (will make sure it works) plus shipping and handling. They all have thermostat set at 64-74 deg F, and these are fixed. They are all between 6 ft to 18 ft long.

If no one wants it here, it will be gone to garage sale next week.

Just PM me if interested.