Natural solar heat gain v controlled heat gain?

[keith kent]

In my greenhouse (3 1/2 years) i have always relied on natural solar heat gain ,i kept the greenhouse heater set at approx 60 f and let the sun do the rest.Obviously there are times when there is no heat gain for a few days ,but havent seen a adverse affect with this ,although more careful watering/spraying is needed.I have had good flowering too,i am now keeping the greenhouse at 50f as i am now going cool so the temp difference should be easier to achieve.At this time of year in the UK on sunny clear days the temps rise to approx 60f in the greenhouse.All the books state the heaters need to be set for a daily temp difference and other growers i know do without fail .I havent had any problems to warrant me to unaturally set the daily temp higher. What do others do and what experiences have you had with either way of trying to achieve the temp diff. By the way my reason for not raising the temps other than solar is financial and it does`nt seem natural to raise temps if the sun light is not there. Any others with pro`s and con`s with first hand experience will be an interesting read ..

Thanks Keith

[Ray B]

Hi, Keith.

I follow the same regimen as you - set the thermostat for the minimum and let good old "Sol" do the rest of the heating.

Many years ago, I did have the thermostat set to raise the daytime temperature, and the result was plants that would get leggy and weak.

I know that warmer temperatures lead to faster growth, and that in winter, we don't have sufficient light intensity to go along with that growth, but I cannot claim to know the mechanism.