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Hey all
I have luckily come into possession of some soil warming cable and a complementary thermometer that will work with it. Make of both is Parasene, see links below.
Soil Warming Cable : Two Wests and Elliott
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parasene-Soi...ene+thermostat
So my plan is to do the following with some materials I have lying around...
Cut four sides and make a box frame about 3ft by 3ft
Cut a base to match and attach to complete the box.
Line both the base and the sides with thin layer of insulation strips I have (perimeter insulation)
Cover over the insulation with polythene (stapled probably)
Place sand across base of box to depth of 5cm
Lay the warming cable spread out as per instructions.
Cover with another 5cm of sand.
Attach brackets/clips to the sides to allow me to attach pipe hoops that I can then use to drape fleece over for cold nights.
This box will then be left in my unheated garage on a bench directly beside a south facing window...
So, that’s the plan, so now some background:
I currently have two electric propagators, as well as a quite warm room where all house plumbing controls, tank etc is located, so germination of the usuals such as Peppers, Chillies, Tomatoes and Cucumbers etc is no problem for me. I will most likely continue to germinate these inside. Because the room where I then move germinated seedlings to is warm too, I usually remove from the heat straight away, and place on a window sill in that room. Then in late April/May I put them out in the greenhouse. Pretty standard really
My thoughts for further down the line though are that the spare room will eventually get done up and I may not have as many window sills as I do now
So my thoughts are that some germinated seedlings could be moved to the unheated garage and put sitting on this heated sandbox.
My thinking is that the thermostat will only kick in when the temperature of the sand drops below the level I set (say 18 degrees) and that it will prevent any damage to the seedlings on a frosty or cold days or nights. I also have the option of covering over the box with fleece at night if I use the hoops mentioned above.
So, in summary:
I am not really building this for Propagation purposes, although I recognise I can use it for this too.
I am more hoping it will allow me move established seedlings out to the unheated garage earlier, and then protect these seedlings before they go into the unheated greenhouse in late April or May.
All thoughts and advise welcome, as I am sure I am missing/misjudging something..... I have only made the 4 sides of the box at this stage, so any additional construction ideas are welcome too e.g. a lid instead of hoops etc. Also, if you think I would be better using the cable and thermostat for something else, let me know please
I have luckily come into possession of some soil warming cable and a complementary thermometer that will work with it. Make of both is Parasene, see links below.
Soil Warming Cable : Two Wests and Elliott
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parasene-Soi...ene+thermostat
So my plan is to do the following with some materials I have lying around...
Cut four sides and make a box frame about 3ft by 3ft
Cut a base to match and attach to complete the box.
Line both the base and the sides with thin layer of insulation strips I have (perimeter insulation)
Cover over the insulation with polythene (stapled probably)
Place sand across base of box to depth of 5cm
Lay the warming cable spread out as per instructions.
Cover with another 5cm of sand.
Attach brackets/clips to the sides to allow me to attach pipe hoops that I can then use to drape fleece over for cold nights.
This box will then be left in my unheated garage on a bench directly beside a south facing window...
So, that’s the plan, so now some background:
I currently have two electric propagators, as well as a quite warm room where all house plumbing controls, tank etc is located, so germination of the usuals such as Peppers, Chillies, Tomatoes and Cucumbers etc is no problem for me. I will most likely continue to germinate these inside. Because the room where I then move germinated seedlings to is warm too, I usually remove from the heat straight away, and place on a window sill in that room. Then in late April/May I put them out in the greenhouse. Pretty standard really
My thoughts for further down the line though are that the spare room will eventually get done up and I may not have as many window sills as I do now
So my thoughts are that some germinated seedlings could be moved to the unheated garage and put sitting on this heated sandbox.
My thinking is that the thermostat will only kick in when the temperature of the sand drops below the level I set (say 18 degrees) and that it will prevent any damage to the seedlings on a frosty or cold days or nights. I also have the option of covering over the box with fleece at night if I use the hoops mentioned above.
So, in summary:
I am not really building this for Propagation purposes, although I recognise I can use it for this too.
I am more hoping it will allow me move established seedlings out to the unheated garage earlier, and then protect these seedlings before they go into the unheated greenhouse in late April or May.
All thoughts and advise welcome, as I am sure I am missing/misjudging something..... I have only made the 4 sides of the box at this stage, so any additional construction ideas are welcome too e.g. a lid instead of hoops etc. Also, if you think I would be better using the cable and thermostat for something else, let me know please
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