Heat plays a vital role in your garden. Temperature is a major factor in
determining, among other things, transpiration rates. Transpiration involves the
use of about 90% of the water that enters the plants through the roots. It is
necessary for mineral transport from the soil, to move sugars and plant chemicals,
and for the maintenance of Turgor pressure. An increase in temperature or air
movement decreases relative humidity and causes the guard cells in the leafs to
shrink, opening the Stomata and increasing the rate of transpiration. With all of
these processes depending on us to keep up the heat- taking a closer look at the
root zone may be an excellent way to save some energy.
The majority of plants will do well if the soil temperature is kept above 73 degrees
Fahrenheit. While conventional grow lights are very hot, running from several
hundred degrees to over fourteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit at the bulbs
surface; when using LED grow lights, the heat has been eliminated from the
equation. To ensure adequate transpiration rates we often need to supplement
heat in order to maintain ideal growing conditions. The lack of heat also requires
additional attention to the root zone, check the optimal root zone temperatures for
the plant species you are growing.
The root zone temperature needs to remain consistent for ideal growth rates.
One of the common ways in which we can throw off this consistency is cold water.
Cold water can stress out plants and reduce water uptake. Studies point to the
idea that root temperature is more important than leaf temperature in achieving
plant growth. Heat mat anyone?
–AL