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Ohio

I use a 100 watt light bulb in my hoops at night. What does everyone eles use? Anyone go cowboy style and use no heat in their hoops at night?

5/8/2007 8:43:14 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

used to use 100 watt bulbs, now use milk house style heaters.
Glenn

5/8/2007 9:02:42 AM

Georgia

I dont use any heat in the hoop houses but are temps at night only hit low 50s usually for the next couple days. I have twelve plants six in fully enclosed hoop houses and the rest just protected against wind and critters.

5/8/2007 9:11:00 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Do any of you use reflectors around the bulbs to disapate heat? A steel coffee can? Just a Wiz wonderin....

5/8/2007 9:37:05 AM

West By God Virginia

Cowboy style here. Night before last hard freeze warning, last night frost and all my plants are happy and healthy.

5/8/2007 10:43:03 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

wiz you can use the cheap clamp-on work light reflectors that you get a the hardware store.

Glenn

5/8/2007 11:52:54 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

Cowboy style here.

5/8/2007 11:56:05 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Good Idea, thanks!

5/8/2007 12:01:54 PM

southwest MO

Ive got 30% shade cloth up already... I'll struggle this whole year trying to keep the plants from frying...BTW the 763 is up Brooks!

5/8/2007 3:48:29 PM

Georgia

Question about hoop houses???? Usually in the past Ive always just directly planted my seeds later in may but this year I want to try the whole hoop house thing. The problem is my plants are ready to get in the ground and our day time temps are at about 83 and the lowest night time temps are at 50 degrees max. I really dont want to cook my plants so is it neccesary to use them and should I cut preety big vents in them for the daytime???

5/8/2007 3:49:50 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

My thoughts too Jason, what was cool this morning (33) now should be quite warm temps especially in a hoop house. Last year the hoop was 104 inside with 83 outside with all kinds of ventilation.....since our temps here sound very similar to yours now, Im thinking I dont want to fry it either as the young roots are not developed for this yet.....its one extreme to the other.....So its a wind shelter for me and if I have to Ill cover the whole thing with a blankey.....

5/8/2007 3:57:08 PM

Ohio

I'm at work at 530am and don't get home until 2;30pm, but lucky for me, my wife will go out and open the hoop houses up in the morning so my plants wont fry when temps are going to be high.(Although it wasnt so lucky the year she uncovered my 1068 Wallace and smashed it)

I use the regular 4ml or 6 ml plastic on some of my hoops, once the are up I will run a piece of duct tape on the plastic from the top to the bottom of the hoop house , then I will cut the duct tape that is taped to the plastic with a razor knife. (keeps it from tearing and easer to close up with clips). So one long slit makes a perfect window that opens and closes easy,it also saves a bunch of time uncovering your entire hoop house for ventilation. Try it Wiz,I think you will like it once done.

5/8/2007 4:24:06 PM

Coventry R.I.

sounds good brooks , will try it,
frank

5/8/2007 5:06:19 PM

Eugene, OR

One 1500 watt heater per 12'x14' hoop house here. It gets COLD here at night! Last frost is normally the first or second week of June.

5/8/2007 5:13:25 PM

southwest MO

Jason, sounds like you have a pretty big swing in temps... You could put shade cloth under the plastic on the same frame and remove the plastic all together during the day. With the intensity of the sun here, and getting started this early my leaves will not last as long as they do farther north. Its a trde off, but I think shading is key to longer lived plants in long hot summers.

5/8/2007 5:21:06 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

Cowboy here Brooks. No losses yet.

5/8/2007 8:25:12 PM

Bristol, ME ([email protected])

1500 Watt heaters, 400 watt metal hailide lights and ground cables inside hoop covered at night with greenhouse insulated blanket.
Sorry, no cowboy's in Maine.

5/8/2007 9:24:43 PM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

Cowboy style here unless it goes below 45 at night. Then a small oscillating electric heater in the hoops. Heat cannot be aimed directly at a seedling though.I usually end up using a heater only a few nights in May every year. But last year a week long+ cold snap hit the day after I transplanted, so the heaters were a regular fixture there for a while.
Frank

5/9/2007 7:05:20 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Tonight my plants go out, overnight temps to be 50, I decided I will leave off the hoop house right now as I have no one to open it up, and temps on Friday will fry it- Mid 80's predicted. Damn Colorado weather, we look to be frost free from here on out but I dont trust it till it says June on the calender......but the hoops are sitting close by.

5/9/2007 9:04:48 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

You will definitely want a metal or plastic shround around the lightbulb. If not, well, what happens is that you can actually create your own rain in the hoophouse. Condensation forms on the inside of your plastic. Then if a drop of this relatively cool water falls and lands on a lit bulb it will shatter.

Then your light goes out and the plant freezes. Been there, done that!

Actually, if it's going to freeze, you need blankets, etc. If you're just trying to keep it warm, the light bulbs might be good for a few degrees, more if the bulb is very near the plant.

5/9/2007 3:34:10 PM

New Salisbury IN

not good to force tops when ground is cold need to keep balance i grow in greenhouse and then out into cold world

5/9/2007 4:12:08 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Yes, but the most important purpose of the HH is to warm the ground. In my case it's also critical against the wind.

5/10/2007 12:59:18 AM

Ohio

A five gallon bucket works good also,lol

5/10/2007 9:57:52 PM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Don't take this out of context. . . Cowboy style. The morning after The Great Sequim Windstorm of '07 there was ice on the windshield, so was glad I had a little hoop up. Plants did fine.

5/11/2007 10:52:44 AM