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Marion,IN

My 2 plants have been uncovered during the past 3 days but starting tonight we will see 5 straight nights of middle 40's. If they thrive in heat does it make sense to turn the heat on at night and still uncover them during the day?
They are three weeks old and both have 3 true leaves.

5/23/2005 8:42:29 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

AGs don't like to much temperature flux. 15 degrees seems about right. So while our greenhouse ventilator kicks on at 85*F, I keep the heaters set in an attempt to prevent the nightime low from dipping below 70*F.

5/23/2005 10:25:24 PM

Montoursville, PA

It does indeed help but you need to be absolutely sure the heat source does not heat the air or the plant by being to close. 80 degrees is a safe air temperature. This is a major improvement with about ten degrees of safety built in.

Coupled with this can be the use of blankets tossed over the tops of the frames.

A 4' X 4' X 4' cold frame box with two or three blankets over all will show a ten degree rise, in air temperature, from a one hundred watt bulb, when the outside temperature is fourty degrees. You must absolutely test and baby sit your heating, to be sure, it is not going, to over heat your box. To error, on the cool side, is better than, to fry the tender seedlings.

The smaller the cold frame the more difficult it is to regulate. Larger areas have more forgiveness.

5/23/2005 10:33:08 PM

Marion,IN

ok. I have a 4x4x4 house that I have removed during the day. The past 2 weeks on cold nights the temp has stayed between 55 and 65 inside at night. The heater is several feet away. So if I keep the temps close to daytime temps when the house is off, it is ok to use the heater this week at night.

5/23/2005 11:06:05 PM

Follansbee, Wv

A few months ago I asked my pumpkin mentor about hoop house heat. His answer surprised me. To quote: "Yes indeed, heating a hothouse can be a headache. My solution: dont bother."

He goes on to say that no matter what the spring is like, all of his plants end up looking the same come pollination time.

My own personal theory is that AG's are like any other plant. If the weather is too cool, they'll slow down. But, like tomatoes, once it warms up for good they will make up for it. We'll see when summer gets here.

5/24/2005 9:03:38 AM

Marion,IN

Thanks all!

5/24/2005 12:01:06 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Hey Monty J.....your mentor is a wise man, he works "smart". I adhere to the same philosophy. It's been mid-40's each evening here for several weeks now and I began acclimating my seedlings to it 2 weeks ago, moved them to the cloches a few days ago, and they're doing fine. During the day when it warms, they grow...at night, they're suffering no ill effects. When the temps do rise to a consistent warmth both day *and* night, they'll take off like gangbusters.

5/24/2005 10:07:52 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

BTW...I forgot to mention but I'm obviously using no heat at night. In fact, they're actually getting a cool breeze as I'm allowing air flow around them.

5/24/2005 10:10:10 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

At 4am Wednesday morning I may be sitting here eating last nights words and all the others I've made about folks starting too early ....it's now 35.8 degrees outside and that may just be it for Mr. Late-start-I'm-smarter-than-you-or-Mother-Nature-I-acclimated-my-plants-I'm-not-gonna-bother-heating-my-cloches-everybody-planted-too-early-Southern this year.
If these plants pull through this and grow like gangbusters, I'm a lucky and blessed guy.
Time to start a very late #2 batch of seeds and forget about any significant amount of weight coming out of Southern's patch this year...geez!

5/25/2005 3:54:27 AM

Follansbee, Wv

As I said in another thread, I don't think cool temps will hurt a plant as long as it doesn't freeze. Sure, it may slow growth some, but a plant that has been hardened off properly should have no trouble making a comeback once temps stabilize. I have to wonder what kind of a shock those papmered plants must go through after being babied at a constant 82° day and night, then are forced to endure "normal" temps when they out grow their hoops. That sounds like an interesting experiment for next year. Maybe I'll heat one hoop and see what happens.

5/25/2005 6:38:33 AM

Montoursville, PA

Where the heck were the backup plants??? Maybe only we here, in the Northeast, get that coaching.

5/25/2005 12:03:28 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Backups? I've already got 2 of mine in use, and it's too late to start anymore and reasonably expect a serious competitor...

5/26/2005 5:56:00 AM

Long Island,New York

Monty...forget about the experiment. You'll see it all here this weekend on plants in the northeast. After a week plus of clouds,rain and wind, the sun will come out and fry all those plants that grew in leaps and bounds with heat and imitation light during the week. Leaves that grew with lesser light will fry in the sun....

5/26/2005 5:13:32 PM

Follansbee, Wv

The sun came out big time here today, according to the wife. I opened the hoops before I left for Washington, early this morning. My plants may not be as big as others, but they are definatley dark green and very stocky.

5/26/2005 9:58:12 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Temps here are still pretty cool at night but now very tolerable (low 50's). However, day temps have picked right up and my plants, with the help of solid sunlight, warmth, and a bit of kelp and fish, have shot out of the gates in the last 2 days with several inches of quick, dark green growth....they now look very healthy and are thriving on the "real" sunlight.
It appears I panicked a bit but everything is fine...so I take it all back :0)

5/27/2005 11:46:47 PM