Heaters and Heat for your plant propagation greenhouse
When you make the final decision to heat your seed germination glasshouse make sure the temperature controls are working properly on your heaters as this will pay you dividends in reducing your heat costs
Whether you have a cold frame, greenhouse or polytunnel you’ll need to provide some form of protection for your plants during the winter months. Insulation like polythene or bubble insulation will allow you to easily and cheaply provide protection to your plants from light frosts; you will still need a Heater to achieve higher temperatures to protect your more tender plants.
Glasshouse Heaters
Make sure you only buy a good quality gas heater from a known source that is designed for efficient and safe operation in the moist greenhouse environment, or you could have dead plants from the fumes if the heater is not properly maintained or has not been installed correctly. Your plants will benefit from the extra heat but will also grow better with the additional CO2 which is generated from the all gas heaters.
The Types of heaters that are suitable for heating greenhouses:
Propane Gas Heaters are very easy to install and run from the bottled gas. You should always read the instructions extra carefully.
Natural Gas Heaters, these run from your mains supply, providing a continuous and very reliable supply of heat. All natural gas heaters and appliances should be installed by a corgi registered fitter.
Electric greenhouse fan heaters are the easiest and most efficient way to heat your greenhouse, because they will raise the temperature very easily and efficiently and they are specially designed for safety in the damp greenhouse environment. They usually come ready to use, so all you have to do is to plug your heater directly into your electric plug. The heat from an electric fan heater is evenly distributed around the greenhouse by the fans. Other advantages are they reduce disease as the air is moved around in the greenhouse.
Paraffin Heaters are no longer as popular as they used to be, due to the carbon monoxide fumes they give off, these can be detrimental to plants unless there is enough ventilation while to heater is in operation. You should only use Blue Flame paraffin in a glasshouse and the heater must be well maintained, even then they will only give a variable output.
You should defiantly not use heaters designed for use in a domestic environment in a greenhouse, as these will not only have the extra insulation needed for models designed for use in a humid environment.
When electricity is installed in your seed germination and plant propagation greenhouse it should always be installed by a qualified electrician as it needs to have its own fuse board and trip switch. When you are bringing the electric cable from your house make sure that it will carry enough electric current to provide sufficient electricity for all the appliances you intend to use e.g. electric propagators and more.
