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I'm trying to think of economical/natural ways I can keep my tropicals warm in the GH this winter without wiring it up to look like the inside of my CPU, and I was thinking -- I have four of those metro shelving units on wheels for my GH -- each is about 4' L x 1.5' W x 3.5' H, and consists of 3 shelves. I wonder if it would help the plants to retain their own heat if I were to put clear "blankets" (e.g., clear shower curtain) over each shelf unit and put the plants on the two lower shelves, using the top shelf to drape the curtain over. Then, the heat could stay immediately surrounding each group of plants, and they'd still get light. I could also cover them with a real blanket (I have NO shortage of those in the house) in the later afternoon to help retain the heat overnight. Or would that be too much "greenhouse effect"?
Another idea I had was to fill 6 to 8 dark rubbermaid rough tote bins with potting soil. If I put these around the GH on the bottom shelf of each set of shelves, I'd think they'd warm up during the day, then help keep heat in the GH overnight, much like the barrels/jugs filled with water. And since they're on the bottom, the heat would rise up to the plants on the upper shelves. But would I be able to use the potting soil in the spring if it was kept in that type of container?
My GH is on the deck, so I have 1"-thick rubber padding on the floor to help keep from losing heat through the floor as well.
This is my first winter with the GH, which I bought to help shelter the tropicals during the cold season. Any suggestions/tips for ways I can do this naturally would be most appreciated! If anyone has a link to other threads of similiar content, I'd be most appreciative.
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