how to observe plants/equipment without disrupting photoperiod

The temps have been dropping down into the 20s at night, but the daytime highs are still consistently in the 70s and so my room has only been dropping to about 60-62 the last few nights without running any heat. The question is: now that daytime highs will be topping out in the 50s, I will have to execute my heating solution, however I am only running electrical heaters w thermostat knobs on them that have no actual heat measurements on them, so for the first couple of nights I will need to check on them until I figure out the correct heat settings...How do I go in my room at night without interrupting the light-dark cycle?

Green bulbs/work lights,invisible to cannabis.You can buy thermometers that usually have a daily high and low also.Heater usually have a red led and the elements are bright enough to keep plants in veg so turn the elements away.

So when you say green, is there a specific green or are we talking like a Green Party bulb I can purchase at Home Depot?
Also good point on the LED and the elements, I would have never thought of that. I planned on running a baseboard heater in my little outbuilding but we didn't get there in time this year...this winter will be a big test. I live in a place where it is sub zero for a few weeks at a time for a few months so I have three heaters that will all be on 20 min/hr timers so as to have constant heat without having to run one heater non-stop and risk over working it.

Get a thermometer that records highs and lows.

I have a thermometer that records highs and lows, however it will do me no good if my heater gets my room up to 90 tonight but I don't realize it until tomorrow afternoon when I check it. Therefore, until I figure out how my heaters will need to be ran, I will need to go into the room a couple times nightly, at least for a night or two.

What does disrupting the plants do?

Well if I needed to go into the room to check my thermometers and heater settings I would need to have some sort of light, which would then possibly disrupt the plants during their dark period, which is the whole conundrum that started this thread in the first place

Invest in a heater with a built in thermostat they aren't to expensive and last years (x2) as you won't use them in the summer. Green light falls in 495-570 nm range you can most likely find these specifically for your purpose online. I am a firm believer in a true dark period, no light of ANY kind. It's 2015 dial that shit in man.. Your return on investment will pay for itself shortly and you can focus on other endeavors.


Or..


Any excuse to get these things really..

PVS 7 all damned day my dude...don't forget batteries, it gets dark in the desert lol

Yes I will be implementing a whole work over of the building next spring, however right now I am running my LED in the flower room, my T5 on my veg table, the heaters, fans, a humidifier, etc all on a 15A breaker and a 12AWG run to the main panel so I will not be adding any amperage to the room until next spring when the ground thaws and I can bury heavier conductors to supply the room w adequate power.

An environmental controller mounted outside your room with the heater plugged into that. It has a temp probe, you can at your desired temp and it will turn the heater on and off. I use a oil filled radiator with mine and it works good. Here is a link to the cheapest on you will find is $119 or you can get the digital version for $179. I have the digital one and it's worked food for me for about a year now. For a couple hundred more you can get one with a co2 sniffer built in those use a timer. It's worth the investment if you can afford the one with the sniffer if not it's still a good investment for the other one too. I know your probably looking for an easy fix but imo i wouldn't go in my room lights out green light or not. the kind of heater in talking about with has a temp setting on it that would work alone but like i said the controller is worth the investment and could be used with what you have plus run all your other stuff to. Those heaters are good because they don't have an open filament like a space heater so it a lot safer and the only kind i would leave in my grow room, no red glow either

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-GrowOp-ATMOS-B1

An external probe sort of thing was something I had considered but had no idea what to call it on google haha...thanks for the info, it sounds like something I would be interested in

Aeroknow said:

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I've got 2 and the batteries last forever. For new users - there is a blinking setting. It's there for a purpose. Use this to keep the plant from getting extended light stimulus.

Giddy up said:

Well if I needed to go into the room to check my thermometers and heater settings I would need to have some sort of light, which would then possibly disrupt the plants during their dark period, which is the whole conundrum that started this thread in the first place

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Any green light will work...it's about the spectrum....green is in between white and red

Hey guys and gals, I can't figure out how to 'like' comments but all this feedback is greatly appreciated. I seem to have gathered solutions to two problems here so thanks again for all the knowledge everyone!

hotrodharley said:

I've got 2 and the batteries last forever. For new users - there is a blinking setting. It's there for a purpose. Use this to keep the plant from getting extended light stimulus.

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We have a bunch of them
I have a green led bulb in the ceiling of my growrooms also, for those times i need to be in there longer. I've never experienced any problems from green led light.
Back in the day, we would cut out a few green lenses from sprite or 7up 2liter bottles, and put those on the end of a flashlight. Only for emergencies of course. But it worked, and it sure wasn't as safe(supposedy) as led green.

Giddy up said:

I have a thermometer that records highs and lows, however it will do me no good if my heater gets my room up to 90 tonight but I don't realize it until tomorrow afternoon when I check it. Therefore, until I figure out how my heaters will need to be ran, I will need to go into the room a couple times nightly, at least for a night or two.

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You had better sleep with them then.

Checked them twice last night, the heater kept the room at 74-77 all night, only had to adjust the control knob the first trip out, but it only got down to 24 last night. Hopefully that external temp controller w the probe that was suggested earlier gets here before it gets too insanely cold