GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Wind just destroyed months of time and effort

27-07-2003, 09:42 AM

In article says...
Absolutely no room whatsoever. Garage is full of crap that I need to
get cleared out. And we're talking about moving several hundred pound
sized containers. Don't have anyone around her to help. The things
weigh so much, it's hard to believe they can get blown over. I never
would have imagined anything like this. But I guess it's all about
leverage, sunflower leaves act like sails, throw enough of them up on
strong staked stems high enough, and it takes less power to tip the
container. The foundation blocks coupled to the base of the pot will
widen the base and will hopefully triple to quadruple the weight of
the container.

Downtown they have trees planted in containers. I wonder how those
stay up... probably bolted down.

I'm on the other side of the lake in Chicago and we've been experiencing
wind too. I have my pots just sitting on the top of the wall and so far
(knock on wood), no wind has been able to knock them over. Pots with
soil have a pretty low center of gravity. That said, you might want to
see if there is some sort of (I don't know how to describe this) tunnel
effect causing the wind to be directed at your plants. What I mean is
like downtown Chicago, the wind blowing between two skyscrapers or
buildings will be at a much higher velocity than the actual wind because
of the way pressure works in enclosed spaces. Sometimes this can cause
very severe gusts.

Although it could be just the weather. There are some parks in Chicago
where hundred year old trees were just flattened everywhere just due to
the recent wind (I.e. no tornado). Other parts not far away, like where
I live, didn't experience a tenth of that force. It has been a very
strange month weather-wise.