Heat Source for In Ground Tree... Your thoughts?

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Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398781396	Reply with quote #1

Good morning! I have a question or really, a request for your opinion.... When I first joined this forum, I had discussed "cold hardy" fig info for in the ground planting, to be put in a specific area of the garden in my apartment complex.. Yesterday I had an efigany (epiphany) lol... I have a decent sized patch of land about 10'x20' around the perimeter of my building with western exposure that I had planned on just putting a couple of elephant ears (alocasia) and some other annuals in. Here's the catch (or maybe the gift). Right at the base of the building on this plot of land, are the exhaust ducts for the building laundry room. This means that 365 days a year there is warm air being pushed through these ducts.... Do you think it's a good idea to utilize this space for an in ground planting, as extra winter warmth insurance, or do you feel the exhaust and it's fumes will be detrimental to the health of a fig tree? Thank you! Joe __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

bullet08

Registered:1284496248
Posts: 6,920

Posted 1398782030	Reply with quote #2

good question.. if the roots are warm, they might not go dormant on time.. if they wake up too early, they might get damaged by late frost. but i doubt the soil temp will get too high to fry the tree. you might need to protect the tree more. __________________ Pete Durham, NC Zone 7b "don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill "the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher *** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. * * and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...***

pino

Registered:1383190021
Posts: 2,118

Posted 1398782967	Reply with quote #3

Great topic and one that I am not having a lot of success with last year anyway. I am not familiar with your building codes but I would doubt that you would be allowed to restrict or hamper the airflow from the ducts. So I can't see a little warm air blowing on the covered figs as making a difference. However the wall would retain heat so if can grow the figs near the wall and utilize the wall for winter protection. __________________ Pino, zone 6, Niagara, JCJ Acres Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.

Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398783607	Reply with quote #4

If I weren't in my pajamas right now, working from home with my killer cat stalking me...I'd go downstairs ant take some photos. I will do it a little later for sure! __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

Ampersand

Registered:1389979527
Posts: 728

Posted 1398783958	Reply with quote #5

Be careful, drier/exhaust ducts often kill plants because the air is very dry.

Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398784600	Reply with quote #6

Quote: Originally Posted by Ampersand Be careful, drier/exhaust ducts often kill plants because the air is very dry. That's what I had originally thought, but then I was wondering... I would think the air is humid because of the condensation evaporating from the dryers? Who knows! Lol __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

HarveyC

Registered:1212433117
Posts: 3,294

Posted 1398787062	Reply with quote #7

I'm guessing it would help a little. Might help more if you could get folks to scheduled doing their laundry during the night! __________________ Harvey - Correia Farms Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14 http://www.figaholics.com https://www.facebook.com/Figaholics

Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398787190	Reply with quote #8

Quote: Originally Posted by HarveyC I'm guessing it would help a little. Might help more if you could get folks to scheduled doing their laundry during the night! Hah! I'm literally laughing out loud... I can see it now.. Every night at 7pm my alarm goes off... "Start dryers". __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

milehighgirl

Registered:1382109709
Posts: 284

Posted 1398791743	Reply with quote #9

The exhaust from the dryer is very humid as it is taking the water from the clothes and putting it into the air. Unless there was a way to even out the temperature by heating something that will absorb and reflect the heat at a constant level, the heat will be detrimental. You could place a weather station that records temperature and humidity there and get a better picture of how the exhaust is really affecting the area. __________________ USDA Zone 5b, Sunset 2b Looking for: Becane, Dalmatie, Doree, Florea, Hanc's EBT, Italian 258, LaRadek's EBT, Longue d'Aout, Marseilles White , Negronne, Nordland, Sal's EL, Strawberry Vert, ...anything cold hardy and short season. (Willing to pay for cuttings)

Chateauguay_Pino

Registered:1393477334
Posts: 134

Posted 1398799065	Reply with quote #10

I am quite confident that it would kill the plants during winter time. The air does start off being quite humid as previously stated but it ends off being very dry as more and more water gets pulled out from the clothing. By the end of the drying cycle the air is in fact quite dry not to mention hot. The reason why i would think the plants would die in winter is because the condensation released would then freeze onto the plant when the dryers are not working. I would also think that it would promote molding. __________________ Canada - Zone 5a Wish List - Anything Italian. Calabria or Abruzzo regions.

HarveyC

Registered:1212433117
Posts: 3,294

Posted 1398810753	Reply with quote #11

I seriously doubt any of the harmful effects being predicted will be realized in an open area (perimeter of building) of 10' x 20'. I have citrus near my clothes dryer outlet and then have never suffered. I have a lychee near my home heating unit (burns natural gas) and it has done well. The slight boost in air temperature for short periods may help heat up the soil some as well as the plants and air. It might be nice if you could route the ducts through underground tubing to let the soil absorb more of the heat instead of letting it quickly dissipate into the air. How many units are there in your apartment complex? How many dryers? __________________ Harvey - Correia Farms Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14 http://www.figaholics.com https://www.facebook.com/Figaholics

Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398820338	Reply with quote #12

112 apartments 10 dryers that lead to one massive exhaust duct. __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

Chateauguay_Pino

Registered:1393477334
Posts: 134

Posted 1398822784	Reply with quote #13

Sometimes you just never know until you try something. You may end up having the best spot to grow in. The dryer sheet smell from the exhaust may even act as an insect repellent. Harvey might be on to something if you can get the heat deflected towards the ground or run through tubing. I would be very interested in knowing how this goes for you Joe. Keep us updated. __________________ Canada - Zone 5a Wish List - Anything Italian. Calabria or Abruzzo regions.

hoosierbanana

Registered:1287901146
Posts: 2,186

Posted 1398823489	Reply with quote #14

I would say it is a bad idea because the fabric softener perfumes and lint will ruin the figs. But maybe I am imagining the whole thing wrong. I am curious to see that massive exhaust duct anyway ; ) __________________ 7a, DE

Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398825709	Reply with quote #15

Maybe I can start my own hybrid of fig... "Joes Downy Fresh" __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

jdsfrance

Registered:1376988473
Posts: 2,591

Posted 1398862223	Reply with quote #16

Hi Joeturbo26, It all depends on where is the exit of the air. Is the air conducted to the roof level or is the air released straight out of the wall ? To make a long story short, if the air goes through the tree, you will desiccate the tree even in the summer as the air released is quite hot - imagine at noon the summer heat plus the heat from the driers ... If the tree is near the tube but the air is released to the roof level, then it is up to you to plant the trees not too close to the tube to not get burned, and you should be fine. The easiest, now, being to do a real test . Do you have trees for that cause ? To be honest I would risk it ! __________________ ------------------------ Climate from -25°C to + 35°C Only cold hardy figtrees can make it here

GeneDaniels

Registered:1384021772
Posts: 1,014

Posted 1398874540	Reply with quote #17

Can you plant 4-5 feet from the ducts, near the wall? You would probably get one or two micro-zone improvement with the radiant heat from the wall. Or at least it is worth a try. __________________ Zone 7b (Central Arkansas) Seven trees in the ground: Hardy Chicago, Celeste(?), LSU gold, Italian Black, Southern Brown Turkey(?), Strawberry Verte, and Unk yellow. Trees in pots: VdB, CdD, and Sicilian?

Rob

Registered:1320245426
Posts: 550

Posted 1398887166	Reply with quote #18

I know you're in NY, the city that doesn't sleep. But it seems to me that there would be very little clothes drying going on at night after a certain time. That would likely coincide with the overnight low. Therefore it seems to me it would give you very little benefit in the winter as far as how much it would raise the overnight low. If you could somehow store the heat during the day and then release it during the night, that would be ideal. That's the principal with a south facing wall, particularly when it's brick or stone. Maybe if the exhaust blew directly on a bucket of water or a large stone? Really this would probably just create a lot of freeze/thaw cycles which might be worse than just cold temps by themselves. I would think you would not want the exhaust to blow directly on the tree. That would tend to dry out the plant, as others have said. On the other hand, if you have an extra tree, what's the harm in trying it? __________________ Rob Maryland Zone 7 http://rbfigs.webs.com/

Joeturbo26

Registered:1398466224
Posts: 73

Posted 1398887650	Reply with quote #19

I still haven't gotten a chance to take some photos of the area... I promise everyone I will asap :) I don't have an extra tree, in fact I don't have any trees LOL... This was purely a thought I had, that I am glad I brought up! __________________ -Joe- Queens NY Zone 6b-7a depends on who you ask!

RichinNJ

Registered:1374784282
Posts: 1,687

Posted 1398992170	Reply with quote #20

South facing brick or concrete wall is best. During the winter the heat from the soil needs to be trapped to keep the tree warm

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