Infrared Heat Emitters

[Hotpepper]

It is my understanding that heat emitters put out infrared light which WE cannot see. I was considering using one of these heat emitters with either a herpstat or a rheostat during the dark periods when the lights aren't on. Temps drop sometimes below a comfortable level (below 60) even during the day when the lights are off. (I live in an older 5th wheel trailer that is quite drafty and poorly insulated) It is a cab grow by the way. My questions are:

1) Would this screw up the dark period? if its intended that it is to be dark will the infrared light counter act the dark-time the plant needs? During flowering for instance?

2) During Veg would this light cause the plant to prematurely flower? I have heard somewhere that infrared is good for the stems and flowering.

Any input on this would be most helpful to me and very appreciated.

 

[morgentaler]

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/articles/4576.html

Some handy info there, even though the topic is different.

Are you looking at direct heating, or can you do some indirect?

You can heat up a cabinet with a small heat panel like the ones sold here:
http://www.pro-products.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=59

I have the 16 inch models for my boa cages and they rock. They do a good job of creating ambient heat so you can direct them away from the plants, and should be able to avoid overwhelming them with IR.

You have to be really on top of humidity with the panels though. They dry out the air pretty quickly.

edit: I have my cages running on a dimmer switch, but with a drafty home you'll find that running a dimmer means having to tweak the damn thing all the time. Thermostats for the win.

 

[Hotpepper]

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/articles/4576.html

Some handy info there, even though the topic is different.

Are you looking at direct heating, or can you do some indirect?

You can heat up a cabinet with a small heat panel like the ones sold here:
http://www.pro-products.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=59

I have the 16 inch models for my boa cages and they rock. They do a good job of creating ambient heat so you can direct them away from the plants, and should be able to avoid overwhelming them with IR.

You have to be really on top of humidity with the panels though. They dry out the air pretty quickly.

edit: I have my cages running on a dimmer switch, but with a drafty home you'll find that running a dimmer means having to tweak the damn thing all the time. Thermostats for the win.

Okay I've been thinking about your option and I have to admit that the drying out of the humidity in the cab makes me hesitant. Same goes for my idea of the heat emitter although the infrared light/heat was a stumbling block to my intellect. So then panels for the near win, heat emitter fails. +rep to you!

The only other option I can think of would be your idea of a thermostat with heat rope wrapped around the bottom and maybe up the sides. Here is a link of what I'm talking about.

The heat rope:
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Flexible-Heat-Ropes#

The thermostat:
http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat#

The heat rope is waterproof and good for humid environments according to the description in the link. However I have no experience using this type of equipment. My immediate thought is that the air circulating in and out of my cabinet would negate any heat produced by the heat rope. So then this idea could also possibly be a bust.

Maybe soil/ground heat cables w/ a thermostat would be the best option? However this would only heat the soil and roots. The rest of the cab (ambient air temp) and plant would still be pretty cold. I wonder if that matters? I know that it works for other types of plants but I have little to no experience with cannabis. What do you think?

peace

 

[morgentaler]

What if you put a small box beside your cab and heated it from underneath with heat tape or a reptile heating mat. Put a large container of water on top of the heat so that it not only provides a warm mass, as the air gets pulled through it doesn't lose a ton of moisture?

This is just mental masturbation. I don't know if it's going to pull it off

 

[Jonus]

Tru infrared light will not hurt your plants light cycle too much. A lot of growers have cameras in their grow rooms that use near infrared as an illumination tool, I think that does hurt the plants.

The only thing I think infrared light triggers in plants is a notification that lights are on or off....sunsets etc and sunrises....plant sensors pick up the infrared before the actual sunlight itself.