Now make sure it gets the right fertilizer

Good job, Steve. About how much heat do those CFL bulbs put out in those buckets? I've been tempted to rig up a bucket system myself lately. I picked up a grow bulb during the black friday deals to try.

Soon you'll have an army of NZL trees producing delicious fruits (this is the time of year they're most productive too!). Do they grow well on their own roots?

At 13 watts I probably get a 10F-20F temperature rise at the base of the bulb and maybe a degree or two at the soil level. These buckets work incredibly well for small tress like this one. I have trashcan size bucket lights and they only do a little good. I don't use them much anymore.

I will find out whether the NZL trees do well on their own roots and if rootstock trees produce better fruit.

Tom It is nice to see you are still around. I have done the buckets both ways. The aluminum gets messed up quickly in both tearing and dirty water spots. The plastic glows white and I think the plants grow better to the white glow. The plastic is easy to clean.

You might want to try spraying the inside with aluminum paint.

Looks  like too much fertilizer  and incect damage to be me

White reflects more light than aluminum.

You said: White reflects more light than aluminum.

I agree but wonder if that is true if some of the light is transmitted through the wall of the bucket, as it is in your case.

I still think so but I cant prove it to myself

I can understand the issue with foil! While aluminum will reflect nearly all light, it's definitely a pain in the rear end to keep unfettered. During the cold outbreak, I noticed the foil I put on a garage window doing something *VERY* odd! I'm sure it has to do with thermal contraction, but I've never seen it before!

When I was younger I noticed that highly polished aluminum benches were hotter than white benches when the sun was out. Aluminum reflects light in one direction. If it hits your tree great but if it misses, it over and into the soil. White glows

Graft one for me please! Or maybe I can pay shipping for some scion material in the spring? Maybe we can do a trade.