How to Provide a Warm Environment

The TT Inc. Headquarters basement, where the Hydroponic experiments take place, has a summer time ambient temperature around 65 F.  This, in turn, causes the water (equivalent to soil) temperature to remain at about this same temperature.  This is ideal for many plants, and ok for most others.  However, some plants, like tomatoes and peppers, need a warmer environment.

To meet this need, the small 20 pot hydroponic unit and it's 600 watt Metal Halide light was enclosed in a "space blanket" "tent".  This material is a very thin highly reflective Mylar material.

When the "space blanket" tent was placed over the small unit, the nutrient solution measured temperature increased from about 65 F to 72 F within two hours and basically stabilized.  The temperature within the tent is adjusted by adjusting the ventilation to the tent.  At one point the measured temperature within the tent was 85 F.

The ability to easily and inexpensively raise the environmental and water (soil) temperature proved crucial to being able to germinate the tomato and pepper seeds planted in this unit.

This is a view of the small 20 pot unit along with it's 600 watt Metal Halide light inside the "space blanket" tent.
The device setting atop the nutrient solution reservoir is a digital thermometer with a remote sensor which is placed inside the nutrient solution. It is indicating that the solution temperature is 72 F, ideal for the tomatoes and peppers planted in this unit's pots.

This page was produced by Ron Darby.