The Weather, It is a Changing...........

The warmth was nice, but winter is returning, and I must say I am glad.   It is very hot and miserable here during the late spring and summer.   When the lower temperatures come in, it is very pleasant, even the the 3o's and 40's.   We can go outside without coming in drenched in sweat.
    Tonight our temps are dropping down again after several nights of the 60's.  Our low's tonight are predicted for the middle 40's.   I can open the window over my bed tonight and let the cool air flow in and all around my head.   It is soooo wonderful to sleep that way.
        But it does present a problem for the tropical bonsai.   They don't handle the cold or the shock.  Therefore........
I keep a small greenhouse with 2 lightbulbs inside, all night.  The bulbs throw off enough heat that the plants stay nice and cozy all night long.  Todays Blip is the greenhouse closed up, with all the tropical plants inside.   For good measure, I drap the front, back, and sides with a commercial grade frost cloth.  It works like a buffer.....   the cold doesn't go through and the heat doesn't come out.  During the day it will let all the light in for photosynthesis.
      If the day is cold enough, I will leave the lights on all day, the cloth covering and letting  the light in.   If it warms up, I will open the front, fold the cloth back and let nature do it's thing.  It's easy and only takes a few minutes each day.   Because most of the plants are dormant or slowed their growth way down, I only water a minimal amount every 4 or 5 days.
The greenhouse now is 6 or 7 years old.   It has been a very handy utility house for me to have with my bonsai.