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Ny

I was wondering if i need to put grow lights in my hoop house for heat at night. The temps drop into the low 40's at night.

5/13/2006 8:48:46 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

I put a 125 watt infrared heat lamp on each of mine, keeps em about 55-65.
Tom

5/13/2006 9:05:02 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I've been using a small heater with a thermostat and have it set at 53-55 for the nights. Seems to do a great job and cost me about $12.

5/13/2006 12:58:34 PM

Rhode Island

This year we did not go with the inground heating cables and black lights at night for warmth inside the shelter.

Instead, at nignt we covered the young plants with a cheepoe styrofoam cooler from wallmart. If the night was going into the thirties then we also throw a heavy blanket over the foam cooler.

Digital read out showed that during the night and early morning hrs temp inside under cooler was 57 degrees.
( the greenhouse will hold some heat most of the night then the foam box retains the remaining heat released from the soil )
Outside at its coldest it was 37.

Pap

5/14/2006 7:05:05 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

pap,
That sounds like a great idea to keep the heat in, for those of us without artificial heat sources in our cold frames. Thank you!
You're participation on this website is very valued and appreciated by me, and many others I'm sure.

5/14/2006 12:58:15 PM

North Smithfield, RI USA

Ditto !!!

5/14/2006 4:00:00 PM

Ny

thanks for the help!

5/14/2006 7:07:57 PM

Deer Park WA

I put 100 watt heat lamps inside my hoops, learned a hard on this last Friday night you see I set out my two competition plants on the tenth and plugged in the heat lamps (on timers) things were really going great until Friday night when one of the Red heat lamps burnt out and tripped the GFIC breaker, it hit a near record low 27 degrees I believe and dropped both plants like a bad habit. I will allways buy NEW bulbs every year from here on out.... Started replacement plants Saturday AM but still lost 12 days of time.

5/15/2006 12:42:09 AM

Deer Park WA

Cool PaP, I used "Space Helemets" befor and got complacent using heat lamps, think I will go back to that method after this last episode...

5/15/2006 12:46:30 AM

valparaiso, in

i have two hoop houses up, and they both have 125 watt heat lamps in them with a rectangle shaped piece of cardboard wrapped in tin foil to reflect the light back at the plant. the house on the left has nighttime temps around 85 degrees, the house on the right had temp around 105 degrees. the plant in that one is fried. just have to move the lamp back a foot or so. back up plant will be planted in two days.

5/15/2006 1:09:15 AM

Utah

I use 10-20 1 gallon milk jugs- full of water in a ring around the small plant. no electricity required... just a family that drinks a lot of milk.

5/15/2006 1:11:33 PM

I bought milkhouse heaters,750w/1500w settings with t-stat and fan only setting. I anticipate our annual "hard freeze" near the last week of the month so I wanted the extra protection. On warm days the fan running moving the air in the hoop is a bonus. I do have jugs of water for thermal mass stuffed in as well thinking it has to help on the utility bill,,lol.

5/15/2006 1:20:10 PM

[email protected]

Ditto the 1500 watt Milk House heaters. $18 from Home Depot.

5/15/2006 9:58:45 PM