8th December 2011

What are the Benefits of Having a Greenhouse Heater?

People who buy greenhouse heaters generally come under 2 headings .

a) Gardeners who buy one in the Autumn so that they can grow their plants in a warmer environment that is at least frost free and sometimes at higher temperatures if they are growing exotic plants.

This enables them to create a temperature suitable for their plants which they can maintain throughout the year.

b) Gardeners who buy heaters for their greenhouses before the main growing Spring season are able to plant seeds earlier , by a few weeks , which gives their plants a much needed boost early in the year . This is especially advantageous to people who want to have the maximum growing season to produce Show Quality vegetables and flowers and by starting early they get the maximum yield of crops from their garden .

Even a small greenhouse can give a lot of pleasure to a lot of people . For retired or semi retired people you have an ever changing hobby which can absorb many hours of interest all year round especially if it is heated.

With any kind of gardening there is work to do but the rewards are difficult to quantify in terms of money. Freshly picked vegetables and flowers straight from your garden have an aroma and taste that cannot be produced by any other means. Peas picked and eaten straight off the plant have an intensity and explosion of taste and freshness that has to be experienced. Bite a tomato straight off the plant and you will be amazed at the difference in taste from any other tomato that you have ever tasted before.

What can be grown in your Greenhouse over Winter if you have a Heater?

Many house plants and patio plants die with the first touch of frost and many more die when the temperature reaches minus 15 centigrade as it did last Winter in the North. By maintaining a frost free Greenhouse you can over winter a wide range of plants which although they may not grow much , will still be alive and ready for warmer weather . For example Geraniums can live for many years if kept above frost levels and will grow 4 feet high or more with many blooms on each plant. You can grow new Geraniums each year but they wont grow more than about 15 inches high. Orchids are much more specialised and need higher temperatures but can flower all year round.

With all kinds of gardening knowledge is needed to get the best out of your Greenhouse and your garden but most good gardeners are only too pleased to pass on their knowledge and there is a lot of collective information in all the Gardening Magasines and on the internet.

What is your Best Selling greenhouse heater ?

This question is a bit like asking what is the best selling Greenhouse ?

We have a big range of Heaters at various price levels and in our catalogue we have a selection chart giving guidance for heater size against greenhouse size.See the web site www.kdev.co.uk.

Generally , the heaters follow the sizes of the greenhouse for example a 12 foot x 8 foot greenhouse would need a 3k Watt heater.

We have several 3k Watt heaters at different price levels, just like motor cars , so that the buyer can chose the price that they are comfortable with.

In addition , we have Natural Gas heaters which require a qualified plumber to instal but then you save the trouble of changing gas bottles.

We also have Electric heaters which need an electric supply , which is not always possible and our most sophisticated heaters are the Gold Heaters ,which require a gas and electric supply. By using a Gold heater you can introduce more complicated controls such as more accurate electronic thermometers and timers as some plants require different temperatures at day and night. It is best to select the heater which is nearest to the recommended size since they are nearly all thermostatically controlled and will turn down to pilot light once the selected temperature is reached.

Which is cheaper to run a Gas or Electric Heater ?

I dont think that there is a great deal of difference in the cost but it depends on the customer`s local tarrif and the local cost of gas. The gas that we recommend is Propane LPG. or Natural Gas. There are operational differences, gas heaters need ventillation on a permanent basis . When you burn gas you use up oxygen and if the oxygen level falls by even a small amount in the greenhouse the oxypilot will turn the heater off. Full instructions for use are given with every heater.Your plants will like the products of combustion .

The greenhouse gas CO2 is beneficial to plants and they grow quicker and stronger. With electric heaters you dont particularly need ventillation and you can add timers in the circuit to control the time that the heater is switched on .

Do you have any tips to keep your Green House warmer in the Winter?

Most people are concerned to keep costs down. To keep the heating bills down in your greenhouse you should aim to heat an area that is just big enough to contain the plants that you need to keep warm . For example if you have a 12 foot x 8 foot greenhouse and your plants will fit into half of that area curtain off half of the greenhouse using a double polythene curtain or bubble wrap. This will effectively mean that you are heating a 6 foot x 8 foot greenhouse.

You can further reduce your heating bill by lining the inside of the heated area of your greenhouse with bubble wrap. When doing this you will need to check that you still have adequate ventillation if using a gas heater. The other thing is to check the actual temperature that your plants will need. By reducing the operating temperature you will directly reduce you energy consumption .

How can gardeners benefit from using propagation panels?

Our propagation panels are made using an electrically heated cable sandwiched between two sheets of aluminium foil with a tough polythene covering.The panels will work independently when plugged in but are best controlled with a wired in thermostat.

The panels are laid out flat on a board or polystyrene blocks to ensure that all the heat travels upwards. A layer of polythene placed over the panel will reduce the wear and tear on the panel.

Various sizes are made to suit different sizes of staging , please see the catalogue or web site www.kdev.co.uk

Most seeds will benefit from increasing the temperature to around 12 degrees centigrade to assist propagation at cool times of the year.

Seeds are sown in to compost in a seed tray and the tray or trays placed on the panel.

The thermostat probe is inserted in to the compost and will control the temperature of the compost. Propagation panels are not suitable for heating plant pots full of compost. In a greenhouse using a propagation panel the temperature controller will heat the compost to assist germination but if the air temperature in the greenhouse is freezing you can still lose your plants as the tops can be nipped off by the frost. In other words the panel will not put much heat into the greenhouse.

Propagation panels will assist in ensuring that your seeds and small plants get an early start but you need to ensure that the ground outside is at the right temperature for planting out if they are going outside.

You may use the panels in a garden shed , garage or spare room or cellar . Once the plants are growing they will need light and you may consider using our Grow Lights for this purpose ,see web site www.kdev.co.uk.

When the panel is not in use it should be wiped clean and dry and can be gently rolled up about 12 inches diameter( 300mm.) and stored for another time.