12 Tricks to Heat Greenhouse in Winter Without Electricity
Winter!
Surely, not a blessing for our beloved greenhouses. It snatches the crucial inner temperature of the greenhouse and makes the plant growth rate slower and lower. So, the question is obvious, how can we retain the heat of a greenhouse even in the winter?
There are different ways to keep the heat intact. Using electric heating devices can be the simplest but costly solution. But, today, I will talk through the tips by which you can hold up the greenhouse heat in the cold without electricity.
It will surely save a few bucks.
How to Keep Your Greenhouse Warm Without Electricity in Winter
The following are the best tips to heat a greenhouse in winter without electricity.
1. Using black plastic mulch
laying a black plastic film on top of your greenhouse is what black plastic mulch covering is all about.
This is the one way of using black plastic mulch. However, in this method, there will be one caution for you! You must take off the mulch before sunrise unless it hinders the photosynthesis of plants.
Now, another mulching system is guarding the soil temperature with black plastic mulch.
Compared to bare ground, black plastic mulch raises soil temperatures by roughly 5 degrees Fahrenheit at a depth of 2 inches, making it ideal for autumn crops. On hot, sunny days, black mulch absorbs heat better than green foliage and colorful blooms, which is remarkable.
So, simply cover up the soil surface of the greenhouse with black plastic mulch and see the magic by yourself.
2. Use compost pile
This is a two-in-one method of generating heat as well as improving soil texture and fertility.
You can make it easily by layering your typical kitchen wastages. Any sort of organic wastage will work.
The heating up and breaking down the reason for compost piles is that they become the birthplace of microorganisms actively munching up on the stuff within them. The heat generated by the breakdown process is enormous. Until the compost is completely broken down into the soil, it will continue to generate heat.
Pay attention to four ingredients to keep a pile hot: nitrogen, carbon, water, and air. A healthy compost pile can generate 100 degrees Fahrenheit heat in your greenhouse.
This is the cheapest option that does not require the use of power. Avoid keeping heaters near a compost pile because they might quickly catch fire.
3. Install a portable humidifier
A portable humidifier helps to maintain the humidity without the help of electricity.
Photosynthesis slows, and your plants become more susceptible to disease as the humidity in your greenhouse drops. Unless your plants are designed to withstand dry conditions, you’ll need to invest in a humidifier to keep them healthy.
For starters, a portable humidifier allows you to maintain a high humidity level at the touch of a button. They also remove dust and pollutants from the air.
The majority of portable humidifiers use cool mist ultrasonic technology, which uses high-frequency sound vibrations to generate water particles. These bubbles are then ejected into the air, increasing the humidity level.
Every day from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., you should operate your humidifier for at least 4 to 5 hours. If you run it in the evening, you risk leaving too much moisture in the air overnight. As the plant won’t absorb it as well, increasing the danger of growing mold or fungus.
4. Use Power free heat beds.
Free heat bed preparation is another inexpensive and surprisingly effective way to keep your greenhouse warm in cold winter. It might be worth the labor and money we put into creating thermal mass, installing solar panels, or any electric appliances to generate heat in the green home.
You can make hotbeds in two ways.
Firstly, you can install solar water heating pipes in a closed loop to pump hot water through the garden beds.
Secondly, you can insert the pipe into the composite pile to keep the water in the pipe warm.
But, make sure that the pipe opens into your garden bed properly to supply your plant a warm touch in shivering winter.
5. Use heat-absorbing materials
Some heat-absorbing materials help lower the greenhouse’s temperature during the midday and early afternoon and raise it later in the afternoon and early evening.
A concrete slab floor is probably the most basic type of absorbent material. You can decorate your greenhouse with large stones, a pile of tiles, a brick stack, and a sand pile because these materials can absorb heat when they are exposed to heat and release the heat slowly when the atmospheric temperature goes down.
Keep this in mind while placing these materials to absorb heat in the winter and get shade in the summer.
In the winter, it can be placed near windows or other glass spaces where it will be exposed to direct sunshine. In general, the north side of the home is the best.
You can take advantage of thermal heat-absorbing materials to heat your greenhouse for free.
To absorb heat, it’s best to build raised beds with stone or brick walls. It’s also a smart option to have some black drums or water nearby.
6. Install a catalytic gas heater
It is a flameless heat source that produces heat through a catalytic reaction or combustion process.
Carbon dioxide, water, and heat are produced when liquid propane or natural gas is burned in a catalyst.
Don’t forget to buy a heater that is made for greenhouses as well as thermostatically regulated. It will ignite when the temperature of a sensor falls below a predetermined range.
The warm air of the catalytic heater is 99% efficient and enriched with CO2 that helps plants grow.
As a catalytic gas heater, propane heaters are a suitable choice.
Catalytic heaters outperform gas or propane heaters in terms of efficiency and cost savings. These are both environmentally friendly and efficient in terms of fuel use.
7. Increase the number of windows
More windows allow more sunlight into a greenhouse. And more sunlight gets trapped and keeps the greenhouse warm at night.
Greenhouses require the most amount of light possible, especially in the morning.
Sufficient ventilation, heat, and humidity are mandatory components for a plant’s healthy growth. Therefore, more windows arrange the entrance of getting them into the greenhouse.
8. Use bubble wrap
Bubble wrap is one of the most inexpensive insulation materials for keeping the greenhouse warm.
Larger bubbles are preferable since they let more light in a while also providing better insulation. The heat created by the sun is stored in bubbles during the day and released in the evening when it is cold.
The bubbles in specially produced horticultural bubble wrap are huge and UV-stabilized. So, it should survive longer than the bubble wrap used to package your latest gadgets.
9. Use water-filled black plastic bucket
If your area is experiencing freezing temperatures, a black plastic bucket can be used as a temporary heating source.
UV radiation is absorbed by black or dark brown colors, which causes the structure to heat up faster. The temperature of the water will rise as a result of this. Water, on the other hand, is a heat-absorbing substance that releases heat at night.
The first step is to paint the plastic bucket black with water. Then put it where it will get the maximum sunshine. Next, we can put a few black plastic gallons around the greenhouse.
Keep in mind that to absorb heat, the barrels must be in direct sunlight.
Another recommendation for you is to adopt a different heating method if the winters are cloudy.
10. Paraffin heaters
Paraffin heaters are the simplest way to heat a greenhouse up to roughly an 8-foot length in the winter. It is the safest and most cost-effective approach to keep your greenhouse warm.
This paraffin heater will keep your greenhouse frost-free if your heating demand is not too great throughout the winter and the outside temperature does not drop below – 6 ⁰C, and the desired greenhouse temperature is not more than +5 ⁰C.
The low fuel usage of a paraffin heater is one of its key advantages. Qlima Premium Quality Fuel is used to power the heaters. One liter of fuel is enough to heat your room for up to five hours. And one filling can serve you up to 14 days.
Regardless of safeguards, paraffin heaters are a serious fire hazard. In addition, gasoline and improper maintenance can cause serious fire accidents and burn your greenhouse down.
11. Solar panels
Solar panels take the energy from the sun and use this energy as electricity.
You can make a fusion of thermal mass and solar panels. The solar panel absorbs heat and transmits it into a thermal mass or heat-absorbing materials in this fusion. Later, they radiate heat to keep the greenhouse warm.
Apart from the initial investment, solar heating systems for greenhouses have virtually no operating costs and will begin to save you money on your electricity bills almost immediately. In addition, solar incentives from the government can reduce the cost to near-zero levels.
Solar panels have a few drawbacks: they’re expensive to install and only useful if they have direct sunlight.
12. Build a mini Greenhouse inside a greenhouse
A mini greenhouse is very handy and helps to build heat and high levels of humidity rapidly. Simply, it’s a small greenhouse inside a large greenhouse to provide maximum exposure to heat in the winter season.
A mini greenhouse is 10 square feet (3 square meters) of ground or floor space.
The materials of small commercial greenhouses are metal or plastic tubing and have one to three shelves placed on top of each other.
Mini greenhouses created at home can be as basic as a greenhouse plain with an improvised hinged lid stuffed into a turkey bag and carefully sealed. These plants mustn’t be subjected to other stresses, such as inundation.
Final Thoughts
Keeping the intact heat in the greenhouse in winter is crucial. I hope these tricks will help you to keep the greenhouse warm and plants healthy in freezing cold temperatures.
