Help heating small grow

[uffda]

Hi guys, I'm having some issues with cold temperatures while my lights are off. Cab is in my unheated basement and while the lights are off temps got as low as 66 inside the cab last night.

I've seen people mention reptile heaters, just wondering if anyone could suggest something specifically?

cab is only 11"x30"x31"

 

[HerbsThaWerd]

A seedling heat mat would probably do the trick. If you want extra control they make a thermostat you can attach to it. Hydrofarm makes both, the mat looks like it would fit your dimensions, its 10" x 20" 3/4. I'm sure there is a load of different brands out there though.

 

[aridbud]

Great advice, Herbs.

 

[hush]

66 is a nice nighttime temperature, actually. I don't think you should be having problems with that. Are you worried it's going to get colder or something?

 

[amanda88]

Add heat

it adds water to your cab, or it increases humidity that leads to mold

having enough soil around the roots is the game

as it acts as insulation

test with your roasting temp probe first

cheers/

 

[Buddah Watcha]

heat mat ftw... but careful cause does things get very hot, so a thermostat is advised!

 

[corky1968]

I grew once in a cold basement. I put all the pots on a wooden pallet to get them off the cold cement floor.

Cold floors will rob your pots of heat fast. So lift them off the ground if you can.

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

black paited old school light in front of the air intake, if youre on the cheaps

 

[uffda]

66 is a nice nighttime temperature, actually. I don't think you should be having problems with that. Are you worried it's going to get colder or something?

Yeah it'll definitely be getting colder. outdoor temps were probably ~55 overnight and the cabinet is wall mounted in my basement and hit 66 degrees, once winter hits it will drop lower than that I'm sure.

Will a seedling mat be enough? Once the heat in the house is running I imagine the basement won't be more than 10-20 degrees less than the rest of the house but I never exactly measured the overnight temps in the basement before this. It's definitely noticeably colder down there but I couldn't say how much.

 

[hush]

Traditional basements should never go down below the 50s, because they are insulated by earth. So yeah, seedling mats are probably good. Just keeping the root zone a little warmer would be sufficient, I would think. You could always make your garden nocturnal, so that the light is on during the coldest parts of the day.

 

[chronosync]

Hi guys, I'm having some issues with cold temperatures while my lights are off. Cab is in my unheated basement and while the lights are off temps got as low as 66 inside the cab last night.

I've seen people mention reptile heaters, just wondering if anyone could suggest something specifically?

cab is only 11"x30"x31"

Someone here, I saw was using some kind of bulb like you mentioned to help warm a cab of his, he had it plugged in in front of the intake to heat the incoming air....two of them he had plugged in, I guess to control the heat a bit.

A heat mat is a great idea because the biggest issue is with keeping the roots warm. Make sure you get a thermostat control. I need to start thinking about this too, my space gets coooold.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

You could always make your garden nocturnal, so that the light is on during the coldest parts of the day.

Hush has a good suggestion, plus 66 isnt bad i wouldn't even bother with heat if its stays around there.

 

[uffda]

I'll keep an eye on it, how cold would you say is too cold?

 

[chronosync]

60

 

[hush]

Just try not to let it dip into the 50s. That won't even harm the plant, to be honest, but it will slow the growth down at that point.

 

[DoubleTripleOG]

Block off the smallest section of basment you can with plastic. Then use an oil filled radiant heater. They take awhile to warm up, so maybe an hour before the lights go out have it come on. Plastic holds heat incredibly well, I know from experience.

 

[nksv]

same prob here. i had to reduce the size of my veg cab, increased the cfl wattage to create heat and add in a heat mat. lights on at night, off during the day. my friend put a reptile cable in a bed of sand for radiant heat and plant buried a bit in to keep roots warm. worked a treat.
problem i had was ventilation, the incoming air was freezing but that idea above of light/fan combo is def something i am going to try.

 

[Gnz]

I run my lights at night rather than during the day. I think doing the same would fix any temp issues you're having.

I ran a couple of halogen bulbs by the intake of my cab during lights on (night time) during the coldest nights of winter, next year I think I'll have my fans on a thermostat instead.

 

[Aggilator]

Seems like a job for grandma's heating pad. Surprisingly i couldn't find one at walmart

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/conair-moist-heating-pad/ID=prod6006639-product

Or maybe something involving calcium chloride