Dependence on climatic conditions is that factor with which owners of greenhouses do not wish to put up. To get an early harvest, summer residents are constantly looking for new opportunities, ideas for improving greenhouses, their living conditions. Do-it-yourself soil heating in a greenhouse using a heating cable is an innovative technology that has been successfully applied in the agronomic field.
The heating cable allows you to adjust the temperature and maintain it within the required limits. Thus, the heating system provides an individual temperature for each period of plant vegetation. The heating of the electric wire is regulated and allows you to create an optimal level of microclimate in the greenhouse, and also provides protection against sudden frosts.
Heating cables are divided into self-regulating and resistive. A resistive heating cable for heating a greenhouse is an electrical wire with an active heating core, which consists of one or more heating conductors. Heat is generated by the passage of electricity through them.
The semiconductor matrix that surrounds the conductive elements is responsible for heating the self-regulating wire. This type of cable is reliable, it will not burn out and will not overheat, even if there is an accidental overlap of its fragments.
Cable greenhouse heating - benefits
The ability to control the temperature of the soil and maintaining it at a given level speeds up the germination time of the sprouts and shortens the time interval from seedling to fruiting. This factor also significantly increases productivity.
Ground heating provides these benefits:
- the possibility of planting plants in the early stages;
- elimination of the risk of freezing soil;
- accelerating the growth and development of plants;
- providing an ideal microclimate even in adverse weather conditions;
- extension of fruiting;
- the possibility of growing heat-loving varieties of vegetables in any climate zone;
- the possibility of accelerated germination of seeds.
The optimum temperature for plant vegetation varies from +17 to + 25ºC, the temperature regulator with which this heating system is equipped is responsible for the accuracy of the indicators.
Different plants with individual temperature requirements can be grown in the greenhouse, so there should be several such regulators. Thus, for each species and variety, its own section of the greenhouse will be determined with the corresponding soil temperature. In order to avoid overdrying the roots of seedlings, it is necessary to correctly calculate the cable power - it should not exceed 18-20 W / m.
Greenhouse heating with heating cable - installation
It is not difficult to make soil heating in a greenhouse with your own hands, especially if you have basic skills in handling electricity.
Installation steps:
- With a bayonet spade we remove the soil layer (about 30-40 cm).
- We level the bottom of the niche, cover it with sand (a layer of about 5 cm) and tamp.
- We put a heat-insulating layer on the sand (so that the heat does not go into the soil), polystyrene foam is optimal for these purposes.
- Again we lay a layer of sand (5 cm).
- On top of the sand we put a stainless mesh (5-10 cm cells).
- We lay the heating cable ("snake", a step of about 15 cm) and fasten it to the grid using plastic clamps. The layout of the cable starts from the thermostat.
- Again, lay a layer of sand soaked with water (5 cm) on top.
- We put a plastic or stainless mesh on the sand, it will protect the cable from possible damage.
- In conclusion, we lay on top a layer of fertile soil (or an removed layer of land mixed with fertilizers) of about 30-40 cm.
- We hide the temperature control sensor in a special corrugated tube. The temperature regulator itself is installed 1 meter from the ground level and also placed in a moisture-proof box.
A simplified scheme of laying a heating cable looks like this:
Soil heating in the greenhouse - operating features
After the temperature set by the regulator rises to the desired value, the system will automatically turn off, when it drops to the set limit, it will turn on. This nuance allows you to save 30% on electricity.
The most active heating lasts from March to May, in May the system is used periodically to protect it from frost. In autumn, the soil is heated in the greenhouse using a heating cable to extend the harvest period. With the onset of sustainable heat, the system can be turned off - this is an example of the standard use of a greenhouse. If your greenhouse functions year-round, then the soil will be heated in the greenhouse according to an individual plan.
A well-equipped cable heating system for the soil has a lot of advantages, among which full automation and uniformity of heating stand out. Doing it yourself in the greenhouse with your own hands annually finds more and more fans. Reasonable price and significant energy savings allow the use of soil heating in a greenhouse on a small plot or on a serious industrial scale.
Watch a short video on how to install a heating cable in a greenhouse to heat the soil.