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Heat Mat Thermostat Questions

Discussion in 'Orchid Culture' started by Lil Duck, Mar 23, 2023.

  1. Mar 23, 2023 #1
    Lil Duck

    Lil Duck 4 Ducks in a Trenchcoat

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    Hello, all I am looking for a good thermostat for my heat mat that is able to have two set temperatures using only one heat mat. I believe that my hot-to-warm growers would like warmer nights than what they receive with my ambient home temperatures however I do not want to keep it on all night at the day temperatures as I want them to have a temperature difference between day and night. If anyone knows of any thermostats that are able to do this I would like to know.

    Thanks in advance everyone.
     
  2. Mar 23, 2023 #2
    Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    What temperatures are you trying to maintain day and night?. I've used heat mats over the years. But I only set the minimum night temperature and assume that on most days the daytime high will be higher than the heat mat setting.
     
  3. Mar 23, 2023 #3
    Lil Duck

    Lil Duck 4 Ducks in a Trenchcoat

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    The night temp will be around 70 and my day temp is set at 82. In my home the nights are at around 60 and the days are at around 67 on cloudy/rainy days or 71 on sunny days.
     
  4. Mar 23, 2023 #4
    Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    A couple of things come to mind. In the past I spent quite a bit of time testing the media temperature for potted plants as compared to the ambient temperature. Potted plants did not drop as much as I would have expected, unless/until watered with cold water. Just an inexpensive meat thermometer will give you a good idea of what is going on around the roots.

    I believe that what is happening around the roots is more critical than the ambient temperature. All of the thermostats I've used for heat mats have one probe that you put in the medium that maintains the minimum temperature. To have two alternating temperatures, you are going to need a more complicated system. But I'm sure it is possible to put something together that would do what you want. If you have mounted plants then the ambient temperature is critical and a heat mat doesn't do it. In some instances, an enclosure or grow tent would be necessary.

    Just out of curiosity, what plants do you have that need 70F night minimums.
     
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  5. Mar 23, 2023 #5
    Lil Duck

    Lil Duck 4 Ducks in a Trenchcoat

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    They don’t need it per say but they would certainly appreciate warmer conditions, the orchids are Phalaenopsis bellina and Phalaenopsis sanderiana which are the two who really want the warmer temperatures and Phalaenopsis modesta and Coelogyne incrassata which can handle slightly cooler temperatures but are also found in the same kind of habitats as the above two species. All are potted.
     
  6. Mar 25, 2023 #6
    Arne

    Arne Active Member

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    I have a timer connected to a heat mat that I set to a rather high day temp, e.g. 78 °F. The heat mat goes off at night and I allow the area to cool off to whatever low temperature I have, usually 58 - 62 °F but it can vary. I decided to forget all about the "ideal" night temperature and instead make sure there is a decent day/night variation. That works very well for my warm growers. By the way, I had a Phal bellina in my student window while I lived in Sweden and it bloomed constantly. I never thought about the temperature actually.
     
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  7. May 18, 2023 #7
    Russ

    Russ New Member

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    I heard that there is a new way of operating temperatures in commercial orchid greenhouses where the minimum is allowed to drop very low (4-6 degrees C as the very bottom in winter) as long as the difference between day and night is a set amount every day? Can anyone expand on this?

    Russ
     
  8. May 19, 2023 #8
    Ray

    Ray Orchid Iconoclast Supporting Member

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    There are many, many orchids simply cannot tolerate temperatures that low. It may be that whoever shared that info is confusing the technique used to force blooming in phalaenopsis at any time of the year.

    It has long been stated that it takes a day/night temperature drop of 6-10C to do so, but research has proven that it’s really a 6-10C reduction in the average growing temperature for 10-14 days that’s the key to reliable spike initiation, followed by the return to warmer conditions.
     
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