AG Heating and Lighting
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: AG Heating and Lighting
- From: H* E* P*
- Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 11:01:33 -0700
- References:
pumpkins@mallorn.com wrote:
>
> Harold,
> I'll be the first to admit I am not a horticulture student from
> Purdue. My degree was in aviation technology. I am an air traffic
> controller. Growing pumpkins is just one of my ways of getting away from it
> all. I know the idea of using the a waterbed heater sounds a little radcial
> but I've found it actually maintains a very steady temp + or - five degrees.
> I've used a digital thermometer in the past to monitor this. There
> is one thing I would like to know concerning lighting. Do the
> fluorescent grow bulbs or the standard blue colored grow bulbs
> provide better light for my young plants?
Greenhouse professionals and university people all agree that Cool
white fluorescent lights are entirely satisfactory. In large operations,
we use HPS (high Pressure Sodium Vapor) lamps for more growth per unit
of electricity consumed. I have used HPS alone in window-less room but
the plants were kinda pale. I now use HPS and cool white fluorescent in
large operations in windowless rooms.
I used a waterbed heater to heat 4 x 6 water bed where I grow sweet
potatoes. My brother uses two of these flat mat water bed heaters per 6'
by 18' water bed. His water beds contain water 4 inches deep and the
syrofoam trays of plants float on the surface. No other heat is used and
I have been there when the temperature was down to 5C and the water and
plants were >25C inside the plastic film house. Most tobacco growers use
this set up.
In one sweetpotato bed, I have 2 inch blue foam board on bottom and
walls. Black plastic makes the bed water tight. Inverted plant trays
provide 2" space for water and air at bottom. Trays are covered by
landscape fabric which keeps sand out of that bottom space. Pure sand is
6 inches deep above the fabric. At one end of the bed, a 1/4 HP sump
pump sits in the inch or so of water (no sand here) and the pump
transmits water to the distant corner of the bed. I have a water bed
heater below the black plastic. I also use a 5 gallon electric water
heater with its own circulating pump to supplement the heat in cold
weather. The temperature of the water has gotten to 40C with no apparent
harmful effect on the sweetpotatoes. The sweet potato vine cuttings are
set directly in the sand. Since the water is completely accessible, I
can assay for pH, N, P, K but rarely do so. If I were younger I would
build an entire greenhouse set up this way. When the sun begins to dim
at 4 or 6 pm, I cover the plants with 2 to 4 layers of floating row
cover (Remay, spun bonded polyester) to hold in the heat. This
greenhouse is not heated.
My original post was poorly worded, I intended to say "I have no AG
experience, but I lean toward planting in soil rather than handling the
plants in baggies, etc".
I like Barb Kincaid's idea of germinating in pots and planting in the
garden at age one day or so, so roots are free to grow straight in soil.
I have had some sad experiences with planting potted blackberries and
trees. Whole plantations of pine trees in New Zealand have fallen over
at age 10 - 20 years due to circling roots in pots before they were
planted.
Today, the 26 seeds of 133 Rivard 1998 (selfed) arrived. Thanks Rock.
Six are soaking in 28C water. Rock sent these for several purposes.
Since they are selfed, the seedlings may show monohybrid recessive
traits (3 : 1) and dihybrid recessive traits (15 : 1) and trihybrid (63
: 1).
The seeds are floating. Should they sink? How long should I soak them?
I will then plant them in peatmoss/sand in pots and incubate in a
styrofoam box heated with 2 each gallon jugs of water which I will
microwave to about 40-50C, as needed, to keep the box warm. These plants
are for lab observation not garden cropping.
--
Harold Eddleman Ph.D. Microbiology and Genetics
i*@disknet.com
Location: Palmyra IN USA; 36 kilometers west of Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/pk.htm
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