Soil temps?

[MindSoup]

@inceywinceyspider I guess neighbours ambients are high enough and his ppfd low enough that he's getting away with it. Plus like you say he's a ways off from a canopy, hopefully he doesn't come a cropper. 

Edited February 28 by MindSoup

[Amnesialocal]

Sorry again,

 

I will definitely give a try when back ( no thermostat available actually...but I will figure it out something).

 

What about those scenarios where you lift up few plants to have a same high canopy....those pots won't touch the tray....

Would mat works fine as well?

[inceywinceyspider]

@MindSoup it may be ok if the intake air temperature is high enough and most importantly feeding them with warm solution, 25c is good its not good if it's too warm so worth using a thermometer but never feeding cold solution.

I used a  heated prop tray with a cheap temperature controller when I started.

 

@Amnesialocal if the air temperature is high enough the pot should be warm enough, I've raised pots up before without a problem but its good to check with a thermometer to make sure.

One of the ways roots get cold is by having cold intake air coming in from the bottom of the tent and the plants nearest the intake show it first.

Making sure the intake air comes in above the pot top level can help to avoid it, or running the extraction from the bottom and intake from the top, where it can be heated by the light.

[MindSoup]

@inceywinceyspider I'll keep that in mind if he starts having struggles. He knows to let his water warm up before feeding and he pulls air from the interior of his house so he'll probably be alright. 

[Clubs]

5 hours ago, Amnesialocal said:

What about those scenarios where you lift up few plants to have a same high canopy....those pots won't touch the tray....

Would mat works fine as well?

The mat needs to be in contact with a flat surface, and the bottom of most plastic pots are suitable. However, there's an issue with your 'raising the pot' idea. And that is because the heat is going nowhere.

If you want to do this effectively, you'll need to sit the pot on an enclosed box of some kind, something that convects heat, such as aluminium or copper. The heat mat will warm this material and in turn heat the air space above it.

You could use a suitably sized upside down plant pot with a thin sheet of metal as a base if it's easier.

Just to prove my point. Switch on a heat mat and hold your hand close to it. You won't feel any heat, or very very little at most.

[Clubs]

17 hours ago, Military Grade said:

I'd worry about heat contamination on the rest of the cable doing it from the bottom, from the top it would be uneffected.

 

¾ down from the top for good balance across the whole pot.

I'm not sure how you're getting to this. If you were to lay the cable under the pot so that there was a slight gap between the mat and the pot then that would render the mat partially ineffective anyway. From the bottom of the pot I'd be looking to insert the probe through one of the raised holes, or drill one if necessary. 

Besides, the Inkbird probe cable has a rubber sheath, which not only protects it from moisture but insulates it too.

 

There's also the situation whereby the plant with the probe finishes a few weeks before other ones and you need to transfer the probe to another pot. I can guarantee that you'll do less damage to the roots by pulling it an inch or two from the bottom than from having to tear up a number of roots on its way to the surface.

[Military Grade]

@Clubs You're probably right about the cable, I'd still put the cable in the top tho more practical for me.

 

3 minutes ago, Clubs said:

can guarantee that you'll do less damage to the roots by pulling it an inch or two from the bottom than from having to tear up a number of roots on its way to the surface.

When i pull mine out it has it's own cavity and comes out easy, so definitely no issue there.

[MindSoup]

Meh, just keep the probe in its own little pot, keep it damp and it'll be more or less in line with the temps in the bigger pots. Then you can leave it in for the whole run, even longer in fact I had one in a pot in my veg cab for nearly a year. 

 

1 hour ago, Clubs said:

The mat needs to be in contact with a flat surface

 

I think your possibly over thinking this a bit, what your saying makes sense and  most likely theoretically true, but IME the pot that's been raised stays basically just as warm as the others even when raise by 10 inches or so. As has been said previously, if your air temps are good and your tent is insulated from the floor you don't even really need a heat matt at all, I imagine that's why the raised pot stays warm. 

Edited February 28 by MindSoup

[Clubs]

1 minute ago, MindSoup said:

Meh, just keep the probe in its own little pot, keep it damp and it'll be more or less in line with the temps in the bigger pots. Then you can leave it in for the whole run, even longer in fact I had one in a pot in my veg cab for nearly a year. 

 

 

I think your possibly over thinking this a bit, what your saying makes sense and it most like theoretically true, but IME the pot that's been raised stays basically just as warm as the others even when raise by 10 inches or so. As has been said previously, if your air temps are good and your tent is insulated from the floor you don't even really need a heat matt at all, I imagine that's why the raised pot stays warm. 

Yes, I'm a habitual overthinker. I even use ceramic plates on my heat mats for a slow and even effect.

I'm wondering if what you're saying about the raised pots staying as warm as the others is down to those pots being slightly higher in the environment, and closer to the warmth of the light.

We could think this over for hours and probably get nowhere 

[Military Grade]

TBH i only really use the one in the little tent, my tube heaters prevent my heat mat from turning on in the bigger tent, As you will see in my last grow pics of the big tent there is no prob in the pot, Didn't even bother having it plugged in

 

[Military Grade]

1 minute ago, Clubs said:

Yes, I'm a habitual overthinker. I even use ceramic plates on my heat mats for a slow and even effect.

Have you tried thermal paste yet

[Clubs]

Just now, Military Grade said:

Have you tried thermal paste yet

No, but stop giving me more to think about ffs 

[MindSoup]

4 minutes ago, Clubs said:

I'm wondering if what you're saying about the raised pots staying as warm as the others is down to those pots being slightly higher in the environment, and closer to the warmth of the light.

That's what I was getting at yeah. 

[MindSoup]

4 minutes ago, Military Grade said:

tube heaters prevent my heat mat from turning on in the bigger tent

 

Yeah my heat matt hasn't come on all winter . I'd get rid of it but it's under 50L of soil. 

[Flamedodger]

I’ve got one of these ordered for my sensor to go in. I’ll let ya know how it works. They come in a range of sizes