5 Reasons Why You Should Use a Greenhouse Heater

In store here at The Greenhouse Effect you will often hear us say that when it comes to growing plants indoors, whether in a grow room or greenhouse, your environment is of paramount importance.

Your Environment is Everything!

Temperature plays a crucial role in creating the ideal environment for your plants to thrive.

Correctly regulating the temperature of your grow room is important for your plants overall health, growth, and productivity. So whether you are running a small grow room or a large greenhouse, maintaining a stable temperature plays a key role in plant development. During the colder months, this becomes even more prevalent.

Using greenhouse heaters is an effective way to ensure your plants stay warm and healthy. 

In this article we are going to look at some of the main reasons why we recommend using greenhouse heaters, with some links to the ones we stock at The Greenhouse Effect.

1.) Regulating Temperature for Optimal Growth

While different species of plants have varying temperature ranges in which they grow best, most plants will thrive in a temperature range of 18°C to 26°C in the day and slightly cooler at night.

Outside of this temperature range, plant metabolism in most plants can drastically slow down or in some cases cease altogether. Low temperatures below 10°C can result in a variety of issues such as stress, nutrient deficiencies, stunted growth and decreased flowering/fruiting. This is why it is important to maintain a stable temperature, especially during the colder seasons, to ensure your plants’ growth cycles are not affected by the lower temperatures.

2.) Controlling Humidity Levels

Temperature and humidity levels are both integral to your environment and are closely linked. 

When the temperature in your growing environment drops, your humidity levels will often rise, especially in a closed room. High humidity levels can result in mold, powdery mildew and fungal diseases that are harmful to your plants and can ruin your crop. 

Using a grow room heater is an effective way to stabilise your room temperature and also a way of controlling the relative humidity in the room. Higher temperatures will give a greater capacity for moisture in the air, which will help to prevent moisture related diseases when the temperature drops and the moisture in the air turns to dew and collects on your plants and grow room surfaces. Without adequate ventilation this can encourage the growth of mold.

We also recommend using a thermostat and a thermohygrometer to control and monitor temperature and humidity levels in your grow room, which we will explain more in another blog.

3.) Prevent Frost Damage

Frost is more of a problem for greenhouse gardeners during the winter months, even a light frost can damage tender plants, leading to leaf curl, stunted growth and can even kill your plants. 

Similarly, in an indoor grow room, temperatures can sometimes dip too low, especially if it’s located in a basement or an area that’s not well insulated.

Using heaters will prevent frost damage by maintaining the temperature above freezing. In greenhouses, heaters are often used in conjunction with frost alarms or automatic temperature control systems that activate the heater when temperatures approach dangerous levels.

4.) Improve Photosynthesis and Plant Productivity

In many climates, winter or cool weather can slow down plant growth due to reduced sunlight. When plants are exposed to cooler temperatures, they often can’t photosynthesize efficiently, leading to stunted growth. By using heaters, you create an environment where plants can maintain their metabolic activity, even during overcast or colder months. This allows plants to take full advantage of any available light and continue growing, flowering, or fruiting.

Stable temperatures also reduce the energy expenditure plants would otherwise use to regulate their internal processes, meaning they can allocate more resources to growth. The result is higher productivity and healthier plants in your grow room or greenhouse.

The increased warmth encourages faster enzymatic activity, root development, and nutrient uptake, which are critical for young plants as they establish themselves.

5.) Controlling Plant Stretching

Concerning indoor plants, one side effect of low temperatures during the dark period is that many plants can stretch more than normal. This can be reduced by keeping the difference in temperature between light and dark periods to within 4°C or less. 

The GAS Day & Night Heater Controller allows you to set different day and night temperatures and has a light sensor so that it knows whether the lights are on or off.

In Conclusion

Using heaters in your grow room or greenhouse is necessary to maintain the ideal environment for your plants. By using heaters effectively in colder periods, you’ll ensure a healthier and more productive growing area.