This may be silly. Without knowing anything at all about your pot, perhaps a second cheapo pot as a liner if you can get one that fits just so? That's airspace as insulation.

It's a square ceramic pot about 2 ft high and 15 inches wide.

Great idea on the cheapo liner.

I was thinking maybe cover the inside of the ceramic pot with burlap material or a white fabric that used to cover the plant in the winter. Now, I'm afraid how that is going to affect the drainage.

Any other ideas?

This post was edited by May888 on Fri, May 2, 14 at 2:03

Crumpled aluminum foil?

Or you could simply paint the pot white, of course....

;o)

Are you suggesting putting aluminum foil inside the pot along the pot wall? I might have to test that out and compare the temperature. Thank you.

if you are trying to keep the look of the black pot one solution would be to put the plant in a smaller pot then put coarse mulch between the inner pot and the ceramic. That would add an air barrier and keep the inner pot supported.

That's what I do Mike!!! ;-)

During the triple digit temps here in Virginia even without black containers,I use pot in pot and use mulch as a barrier.

Works great!!!

Laura

thanks for everyone's suggestion.

Yes, I would like keep the look of the exterior. I'll probably go with the idea of getting a bigger pot that fits the main ceramic pot and mulch the exterior.

yesterday, it was about 95 degree and I pointed a temperature gun at the pot and it was reading at 127 degree :(.

If you have an instant read thermometer like those used in cooking, try taking the temperature of the soil in the center of the pot. I grow vegetables in a couple 25-gallon cast iron pots and find that the mix doesn't get as hot in the center as you would think. Heat lovers like eggplants, peppers, okra and even cucumbers have grown well in those containers without any special effort to shade them. In a very large container, soil temperatures are moderated more than they are in smaller ones.

Outside, not inside. Whatever you do has to be done on the outside of the pot.

Don't put aluminum foil in the pot. The acid environment of the potting medium with react with the aluminum. Now I don't know how much it will raise the aluminum in the medium but I would think aluminum toxicity could present itself.

Also, alum foil would not do any good unless there is an air gap between the foil and pot to reflect the radiant heat from the pot. Otherwise it becomes one of the best conductors of heat if it's in contact with the pot and soil.