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Category: Spring | Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:37 am

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plant starts and Christmas lights - heating the soil ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )

I divided some different varieties of hens and chicks and sedums for wreathe making. I treated myself to a couple of little shelving units that were just too good a deal to pass up.

I'd been searching the Web for some ideas on adding heat to help encourage root growth. Found lots of ideas, but most seemed a little scary (I kept visualizing electrical shock and fire hazards). The idea of using mini Christmas lights (100 lights to a string) to help heat the soil seemed pretty reasonable though. (I had hit an after Christmas sale a couple of years ago and picked up 100 light strings for only 25 cents a package so have lots).

One person had described using the mini Christmas lights under some kitty litter in the container and setting the pots on a tray on top of the litter. That particular setup wouldn't work for me, but it gave me some ideas. I decided to just lay the lights on the rack and place the plastic under-the-bed-storage containers on top. Although the temperatures had been around freezing outside the the soil for the pots in the covered racks is warm to the touch. The soil temperatures seem to be holding between 60-70 degrees F for the shelves with the lights.

Think I will add a third string of lights to the top shelf also. It is going to be a great starting set-up at minimal costs. Little mini Christmas lights....who would have thought?


light for heat? looks good in the dark also ( photo / image / picture from Jewell's Garden )






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Sjoerd wrote on Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:13 am:

Hello Jewell,
What a good solution to your heat heat-for-the-roots dilemma...and it looks cheerful as well! :)

I guess that you have found a number of ways to create warmth to stimulate germination and root development on the internet.
I have also used match heads in the past for this purpose as Phosphorus aids in root development...but I use heating pads underneith the trays. You know, the ones that are just big enough to put in the small of your back, if your back goes out on you.

Well, your work looks really good there and I
I'll bet that the system will work fine. Have you ever checked the soil and air temps with a thermometer? I like to moniter the heat on mine so that it doesn't get TOO warm.

Please keep us updated.
Well done!

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daisybeans wrote on Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:32 am:

That looks like a great set up. I like your shelf units too -- did you by any chance find those online?

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Kay wrote on Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:11 pm:

I think you are quite creative, and it looks very festive!! :)

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desertflower wrote on Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:53 pm:

Don't you just love it when you get ideas, out of the ordinary, that work out? Nice going.

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Jewell wrote on Fri Feb 26, 2010 5:05 am:

These shelving units were at Walmart (gasp..my son was not pleased at my choice of retailers) and pretty inexpensive (less than half the price anywhere else I had found including online and local nursey resources).

Our outside temps have risen to 40F and tonight the shelves with the lights were at about 60F with the themometer set on the bottom of the under-the-bed plastic containers (where the plant pots sit). The top shelf temp was 44F. The bottom of the unit is open. The mini lights should be enough warmth to encourage root growth which is all I want beside organization which I desperately need.

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daisybeans wrote on Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:14 am:

You're a creative thinker, for sure, Jewell.

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