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The directions say to place the cables on wire mesh or fencing. Is this a good idea, will the mesh damage the roots in any way or should I just put them right in the soil?

THANKS!

3/24/2005 10:26:50 PM

Phoenix, AZ

I just put mine right in the soil. Don't let them touch as they may burn through the insulation from the heat of 2 cables touching (doubtful but you never know). To keep mine from touching, I put an inch layer of soil over any other cable I was crossing.

Mostly they are used for greenhouse setups is why I think they call for the wire mesh.

3/24/2005 10:41:05 PM

Joliet, IL

hey mike, i have a 48 footer in the ground already for
my early plant. the easiest way i found was to stake out
each corner of each turn in your pattern with the cables
still unplugged. with enough stakes, my pattern looked
similar to the outline of a fork with 4 to 6 inches
between each loops. i played with the stakes and the tension
until the pattern was in place. at that point i tested the
cable to make sure it was working properly. to do this i
plugged it in and placed 2 inches of soil over the
thermostat and placed a frozen bottle of water on top of
that thermostat area. i then monitored the temp increase
by coiling part of the cable around my thermometer.
once working fine i then carefully placed
a little soil over each line of wire to prevent them
from touching while burying. after all lines covered,
i filled back in dirt and carefully removed the stakes.

i placed mine 14 inches below patch level to work
consistently and stay on 75 all the time. this 8'x 6'
area now has a 6'x10' greenhouse covering it. the
deepsoil gets warmed continuously without getting shut
off when the greenhouse effect warms up my upper layer
near the surface. this is my first year trying them so
i am no expert, but it sounds good in theory and i will
see the effects soon when my plant goes in the ground
about april 6th. i will be testing my space heaters
this week to get my night temps controlled at 70 or better
utilizing 3 space heaters if necessary during cold spells.

3/25/2005 12:54:46 AM

Lloydminster/AB

I zip tie mine to a piece of mesh. Keeps the wires evenly spaced and makes installation and removal a breeze.

3/25/2005 1:35:17 AM

Brillion Wisconsin

I used two sets of soil heating cables last year for the firsr time. I just ran them right in the soil and buried them as I layed them down. I then covered the entire area with rich soil mixed with some super secret soil additives. I then proceeded to have my worst season ever....nothing to do with the cables though.

One tip you might find useful is to plug the cables into a outlet strip, the kind with lighted on/off swith. This strip can lay inside your hoop house. That way you can be sure the cables are on everytime you check your seedling. My extension cord going to the garage accidentley was unplugged and I did not catch it until a few days later. Thats when I started using the lighted outlet strip.

I like the idea of zip tieing to a piece of mesh, it sounds a lot easier. Dean o

3/25/2005 8:42:52 AM