Re: Heavy Hitter Help-Soil Heating Cables
Chris,
I used a 12' cable for 3 square feet of area as recommended in the
instructions ( one stump area ). I direct planted.
Spacing between loops should be even. The instructions recommend a horse
shoe
shape pattern or similar when you lay the cable in the ground ( it's a
continuos loop ).
My spacing was about 4" apart. Make sure the cable does not cross or
touch each other.
Their is a built in thermostat that kicks on when the temp goes below 74
degrees. If the soil temp is unsatisfactory, move the in line thermostat
closer or
farther away from the rest of the cable until the desired temp is
achieved. The
soil should remain moist to keep an even temperature.
Recommended depth is about 3". I Initially buried it deeper but it
wasn't keeping the soil warm enough. I guess cool air was blowing across
the surface. The instructions say you can leave them in the ground all
summer, but I pulled mine out before the roots really got going.
I put my cable in the ground about two weeks before I planted my seed so
I
could make final adjustments. I would imagine you could cover it with
black plastic to retain heat even more.
Bob T.
Torrance. Ca.
Chris Andersen wrote:
> Ok here is a question I need help with! Living in California I have never
> had a need to use soil heating cables before. However with the cold spring
> and summers we have had the past two years and long term forecast
> predicting another cold one, I would like to try them this next season. I
> know where to buy them but:
> What is the proper spacing between cable loops?
> What is the proper depth they should be placed at?
> How many feet of cable is recommended for each plant?
> How far in advance do they need to be placed in the soil to pre-warm the
> ground?
> Thanks
> Chris
>
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