Winter Approaches!

[Andy P]

Hi. New to this forum so this is my first post.
Probably my first question of many .............. As winter is almost upon us i`m now starting to worry a tad about the Washie palm i planted out in the spring. I think it`s around 6 or 7 years old with about 10 inches of trunk. I have quite a few palms but i believe this is probably the most tender so i`ve been thinking about wrapping it with a rope light.Problem is i`ve been searching the net all night tonight to rope lights and can only find LED`s which give off no heat. Can anybody tell me where i can buy a cheap incandescent rope light which gives out a decent amount of heat???
Cheers
Andy.

[Ste]

Hi Andy and welcome. This rope light seems ok, IP44 rated for outdoor use, can be bright or dimmed to set the mood. And you can choose the length you want. From 1 metre to 90 metres. Starts off at £10 for 1 metre then goes up £2 per extra metre.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-Outdoor ... 6b1b428d38
Theres loads more to choose from, that was just the first one I seen.

[Andy P]

Hiya Ste. Cheers for the speedy reply. Took a peek at that and looks just the job but how do you know for sure if the bulbs in it are incandescent and not LED`s ? I couldn`t see anywhere in the description where it stated the bulb type.
Andy

[flounder]

Hi Andy B&Q will probably be getting their xmas stuff in soon or Wilkinsons if there is one near you, they normally have reasonably priced sets.........you have to be quick though, theres a lot of gardeners with the same idea!!!

[Andy P]

OK cool. There`s a B an Q near me. I`ll check it out. I was starting to think that you could only get LED lights now though. I know they are starting to phase out all the old style of light bulbs though. Worth checking out the plants at B An Q this time of year too i find. They start to mark a lot of their plants down around this time. Sometimes to half price. Bought a very nice Dicksonia there for half price this time last year. Will post some pics when i get time.
Andy

[Ste]

Hiya Ste. Cheers for the speedy reply. Took a peek at that and looks just the job but how do you know for sure if the bulbs in it are incandescent and not LED`s ? I couldn`t see anywhere in the description where it stated the bulb type.
Andy

I dont know what type the bulbs are, doesnt say in the description whereas most of the LED ones mention that they are LED. Best thing to do is click on ''ask a question'' and simply contact the seller. B&Q may have these in which is fair enough but I would still ask the question on ebay first, if this is the type you are looking for then you could measure all the trees you wish to cover and get one long length. For the sake of a couple of extra quid a metre it might be worth being safe and wrapping round all your palm trunks and still only having to use one plug socket oppose to buying 2 or 3 rope lights and plugging in individually.

[flounder]

not a great lover of having 240v trailing outside, make sure you use a circuit breaker.......you know health and safety blah blah blah

[Ste]

not a great lover of having 240v trailing outside, make sure you use a circuit breaker.......you know health and safety blah blah blah

As long as its rated IP44 then there will be no problems

[grub]

Welcome aboard Andy , these are incandescent http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/ ... index.html

[kata]

Hello Andy,

Welcome to Hardy Tropical forums. Pics if you have any please.

The palms are supposed to be fairly protected in the ground Andy. I believe frost gets only to the first couple of inches. I don't know your palm so really can't comment but its had all summer to down roots.

On Ebay you can register/sign in to ask seller a question.

[Andy P]

Cheers for all the replies guys. Have just ordered some lights from tlc direct. Going to buy some clear plastic this weekend too, to make a cover. Going to do something a bit similar to what Dave Brown`s done with his Washie to keep the worst of the rain off. Hopefully i`ll have a Washie as big as his in a few years time.
Was going to take a few pics tonight but the weather is so miserable will leave it for a nicer day. Will post them on the main board when i do.
Andy

[Dave Brown]

Hi Andy, and welcome to the forum

I see you have a Washie then. Being in Rhyll you might get away with it in many years, just not last year

The rope light on ebay, the first link, is incandescent as it is 16w per m. That is 160w per 10m same as mine.

I have 2 lengths joined giving a total of 320w. The main thing to beware of is... don't coil too tightly or kink it or it will break done it twice now. Also I wind around while switched on and warm. This avoid kinking. Same when you uncoil it.

I have to get some more plastic for the parasol, as the old stuff became brittle with UV light.

[Andy P]

Hiya Dave and thanks for the Welcome.
The rope light i ordered tonight says it`s 16 W per metre also so probably the same product. I lost a small Trachie and a Chamaerops to the big freeze last winter so am planning ahead for the worst this year. I had temps of minus 17 on a few occasions though so it`s hardly any wonder. Saying that, my 2 ft D.A. and a few Waggies flew through it unscathed with very little protection at all. The biggest problem i`ve had this year is from the wind. Everytime my Musa Basjoos put out a new leaf they get totally shredded so they look pretty awefull and have put on very little height.( though they`re pupping like crazy) Really at a loss as to what i can do about the wind!!
Would you say it`s a bad idea to wrap my Washies trunk??? Cause more harm than good???
Andy

[Dave Brown]

They don't like damp, so anything that keeps damp air trapped is not ideal.

-17C I thought Rhyll was on the coast.

[Andy P]

Yes Dave it IS on the coast! And supposedly warmed by the Gulf Stream. It appears the Gulf Stream took a gap year last year! I`m 45 years old and have never known temps anywhere near that before. I think the coldest i`ve experienced in Rhyl before that was minus 6 and that was the winter before, so i`m praying this isn`t the start of a trend. I`m going to take your advise this winter and just build a small polythene tent above my Washie, wrap some lights around it and will probably cover the ground around her with an old feather duvet to keep the soil temps a bit higher. To be honest, my washie is the only plant i`m worried about. I have Waggies, D.A`s and a couple of Chammys that sailed through last winter so they should be ok. I also have some other washies in pots, basjoo`s in pots,Cannas and a Phoenix canariensis_CIDP in a pot but they`ll all come inside. God my house seems to get more and more crammed with plants each winter!! haha
Andy
P.S. Oh i forgot. I have a fairly small T-rex outside. Should i protect? Cheers