In article ,
JB writes:
|
| Thanks for the useful answer. What happens in the wild then? Does the
| soil provide enough insulation to keep daytime and nighttime soil
| temperatures much closer than I see in the greenhouse. At present I'm
| seeing my greenhouse potting bench swing between 18 degrees in the day
| (which seems quite good) and 10 - 12 degrees at night (which seems
| quite low and awfully expensive on heating).

No. As I posted, there is immense variation. The surface of soil
that is exposed to the sun will vary considerably in the UK and
immensely in many other countries. Deeper soil sheltered from the
sun will not. Some plants will shrivel and die if they get too
hot or too much sun; others need high temperatures, but don't mind
cold nights; and yet others require semi-constant temperatures.

| I have some seedling trays indoors which are racing away but the ones
| in the greenhouse seem to still be dormant. If the seeds are chilled
| will that matter as much as if the seedlings are chilled?

It depends what state they are at. If they have germinated but
the cotyledons have not yet emerged, then yes. If they are still
dormant, then no.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.