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Will it hurt my plants to be near my central air outdoor unit?

 
master pollinator
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So our rental house has central air, which is amazing on those 90+ degree days!  The unit is outside on the south side of the house.  I'm still moving my pots around and experimenting with what goes where, as I don't have raised beds yet.  Will it hurt my plants to be set too close to that unit?  The only time we have it on all day is the afore mentioned 90+ degree days, other than that we only run it sparingly and for shorter periods of time so as to not be wasteful.
 
pollinator
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On a hot day, an external HVAC unit will pump a lot of hot air out of the building. If it blows on your plants they are in trouble; but usually it pushes hot air vertically. It will still be a warm zone though.
 
master pollinator
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If this is a heat pump that gets used in the winter, it will have the opposite effect and create a little mini-arctic zone around it. So keep that in mind when the time comes.
 
master gardener
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We have central AC, but have moved far enough north that we only use it a few days per year. In the past, I've lived places that ran the AC for months. I wasn't into plants at the time, but I can tell you that *stuff* grew up around the units enough that I had to specifically clear it to keep the air flowing.
 
steward
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I have always had perennial plants around the a/c so they handle it fine.

I have no idea about potted plants ...

 
Riona Abhainn
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Okay thanks all.  Douglas yes, mine spits out air vertically.
 
Anne Miller
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Be careful not to block the fresh air vent.
 
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