Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Bringing the tropicals in for the season....., 1 by joegee

joegee wrote:
With m. Itinerans, what I will be doing is planting it with reptile heat cable lining the hole I dig and probably threaded carefully through the root ball. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/heat-pa... . I read about this technique somewhere online. The idea is radiant heat from the cable will keep the ground warm enough to preserve the roots. With a foot and a half of leaves on top I'm thinking it should overwinter well.

Of course if it shorts out I'll electrify the lawn and fry anyone who leaves the sidewalk. It adds a whole new imperative to KEEP OF THE GRASS, doesn't it? :) But reptile cable is meant to be very durable, and it's water proof. I am not particularly concerned, especially if I only plug it in during the coldest weather, to a ground fault interrupt plug.

Here's a pic of the basjoo, but it's a few weeks old so they're missing a foot and a half. Their leaves now reach the top of the roof. :)))

-Joe