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Elmira, N,Y,

do any of you guys or gals have any suggestions i getting the ones for 6 squar feet, i was hopeing that it would be enough to heat my min-greenhouse 6'x8'x5' or should i put halogen lights in there as well. i would like to have the house going by febuary.

1/17/2009 12:50:40 AM

Fairport,NY

Great question Jess. I've heard different responses to this same question. Some say yes, enough to keep everything warm ,some say no? Some say you need to cover the outside at night with a heavy blanket,some say you need to lay plastic on top of soil to keep the heat in.
I guess I have the same concern? Obviously the smaller the hoop the greater amount the heat that it can hold.
Anyone ever use just a soil warming cable in their hoops in the spring with temps in the very lowest of say 30 degrees?

1/18/2009 11:09:35 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Jess,
Feb seems a bit early, but I usually use 36-48 ft cables, they have to be coiled in a way that they don't touch each other (the wire), the bigger the warm area the more the roots will grow into it.
I use red -infrared heat lamps (125 watt) on each plant to keep them warm above ground, red so that they don't have a bright light on them 24/7, I still believe that they need a period were they can be dormant, the plants do most of their growing over night.

1/18/2009 1:24:37 PM