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greenhouse equipment

Grower 101:

Exploring Underbench
Heating Options

Root zone heat can benefit crops and help lower

energy costs, but it is important to first select the
right system components for your operation’s needs.

By John Bartok, Jr.

U
niform temperature in the root the greenhouse, it can probably be modified to
zone is difficult to achieve with a give the 100-130º F water needed for root zone
furnace heating system that circu- heat. The existing capacity should be adequate
lates heat over the top of the crop or as the heat is just being redirected from fins or
a boiler that pumps water through pipes to the root zone area.
fin radiation along the sidewalls. Locating the heat If you have a condensing boiler, one in which
on top or under the benches warms the containers the boiler can operate safely with a return water
first before it rises to heat the air, and for most temperature less than 140º F, then the high-limit
crops, soil temperature is more critical to good switch is set to the highest temperature water that
growth than air temperature. you want in the root zone piping. If the boiler will
An added benefit to root zone heating is the be used for both high temperature (180º F) and root
potential savings in fuel costs throughout the zone heat, then a bypass loop and mixing valve
heating season. Air temperature in the green- will be necessary to get low-temperature water.
house can be 5-10º F lower than soil temperature Most greenhouse boilers are the non-condens-
and still achieve excellent growth. This lower air ing type and require a bypass loop and mixing
temperature means the heat loss between inside valve to keep the water temperature in the boiler
and outside the greenhouse is less, which results above 140º F. A 3-way valve is commonly used
in a 10 percent or more reduction in fuel usage. to allow water from the boiler to be mixed with
Research by Bill Roberts and others at Rutgers return water from the root zone and directed
University has shown that about 20 Btus per sq.ft. back to the boiler or mixed with the return water
of bench area is adequate to provide root zone heat and fed into the root zone system.
without drying plants too much or killing tender With the current interest in alternative energy
roots. In Northern climates, this will provide about systems, wood and coal boilers are making a
25 percent of the total heat a greenhouse needs on comeback. Because fire control is more difficult
the coldest night. During spring and fall, it will with these systems and heat continues after the
probably provide all the necessary heat. damper is closed, a buffer tank is usually installed.
The components of a root zone heating sys- This tank, with a capacity of several hundred gal-
tem include a hot water heat source, distribu- lons, stores the excess hot water from the boiler.
tion piping, radiation and a control system. After mixing it with the return water from the root Top: A small boiler is a good source of hot water for the root zone
This article will examine these components to zone, the water is then distributed back to the root heating system. Different temperature zones are supplied water
from circulating pumps and controlled by remote bulb
see what the options are. zone at the desired temperature.
thermostats. Bottom: For small bench areas up to 2,000 sq.ft., a
For providing root zone heat to a single hoop domestic hot water heater works well. The thermostat on this oil-
Select A Hot Water Source house or small bench area, a domestic hot water fired heater is set to the desired 100-120º F water temperature.
If you presently have a boiler system heating heater will do an excellent job. These heaters fired  (Photos: John Bartok, Jr.)

54 GPN October 2006

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equipment Bonzi® tip of the month

Subirrigation Delivery
Of Bonzi
Bonzi is very effective when delivered to the
media as a substrate drench. The drench treat-
ments provide better and longer lasting control of
vigorous crops and have little effect on flower size
and timing compared to sprays.
Bonzi is approved for application via irrigation
systems (chemigation), including drip tubes, irriga-
tion booms, hand-held wand with an injector and
subirrigation (ebb and flow benches, flood floors
and water collecting saucers). Users should consult
the Bonzi label for specific requirements of systems
used for chemigation.
Pots are warmed from the bottom on this small-diameter EPDM rubber tubing system. Applying Bonzi via subirrigation is a relatively
new procedure and different from other, tradition-
by gas, oil or electricity are available in capaci- perature and large-diameter pipes that carry al drench techniques. It is common, at first, for
ties from 30,000 to 40,000 Btus per hr. and will large volumes of water to save energy. users to be a little apprehensive about this
heat up to 2,000 sq.ft. of bench area. Larger com- method. While users do need to be very aware of
mercial water heaters and instantaneous water Select Your System the details involved with using Bonzi in subirriga-
heaters have also been used with good success. There are several systems that are used to
provide heat in the bench area. Containers in tion, this method offers significant advantages,
Select Appropriate Piping contact with the heat source will get conductive such as treating a large number of plants with min-
The distribution pipe that carries hot water and convective heat. Where there is no contact, imal labor and providing an easy method for
from the boiler to the root zone system needs to the heat is transmitted mostly by radiation. achieving uniform treatment of all plants. Also,
be selected carefully. For the bypass loop and Bench mats or EPDM tubing spaced 2-3 distribution within the media is more uniform,
piping near the boiler, metal pipe — either cop- inches apart works well for propagation and
which is important where there are multiple plants
per or iron — should be used, as the water tem- containers. The water flows through the
perature is hot. If the water temperature that pipes from the warm-water manifold or pipe per container. Subirrigation allows “drenching” of
will be distributed in the root zone is less than and loops back to the cold-water manifold or smaller pots or packs where a traditional drench is
130º F, PVC is a good choice because it softens pipe. The tubing and mats should withstand difficult or impossible.
and sags at temperatures above 140º F. UV light, fertilizers and high temperatures. Bonzi is also more active when applied in subir-
The system should be designed so the pipe Some growers have attached PEX (cross- rigation than it is in a traditional drench to the sur-
loops are as short as possible to reduce friction linked polyethylene) tubing to the under-
face of the media because there may be more
and heat loss. Locating the boiler near the cen- side of wire mesh benches. Besides being
ter of the bench area to be heated will accom- resistant to abrasion and chemicals, PEX roots near the bottom of the container where
plished this. Using a 3-pipe, reverse return stops oxygen diffusion, which can cause Bonzi is concentrated when applied by subirriga-
system will provide the same temperature corrosion in boilers, tanks and plumbing. tion. Therefore, the optimum Bonzi rates for a
water to all the loops. The system can be It is also possible to suspend bare iron pipe one-time application in subirrigation should be
zoned so individual benches or areas in the or low-output fin pipe about 18 inches evaluated starting at 50-75 percent of the opti-
greenhouse can be heated to different temper- beneath the bench. Usually the pipe is hung
mum rates used in a traditional drench.
atures. Each zone requires a separate circulat- by a chain or hooks to the bench support
ing pump and piping. Insulate the high-tem- frames. Filled with 120º F water temperature,  Another emerging strategy in subirrigation is to
use continuous or multiple applications. For this, the
optimum Bonzi rates are 10-30 percent of the tradi-
tional drench rates. This allows more flexibility, as
the Bonzi can be metered out more uniformly over
the crop during periods of rapid growth, thereby
controlling and delivering Bonzi at several stages in
the development and growth of the plants.

Maximize Profitability.
Right-size Your Plants.

Rubber tubing and PVC pipe are used to supply this flat-top root zone heat mat. PVC pipe can handle up to 130º F water
without sagging.
©2006 Syngenta. Syngenta Professional Products, Greensboro, NC 27419.
Bonzi® is a trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.

Write in 703
October 2006 GPN 57
*54_Grower101.qxd 9/14/06 3:52 PM Page 58

equipment

Left: Low-output fin radiation is easy to install and out of the way of plant handling. Rubber tubing connects the separate runs of aluminum pipe. Right: A plastic weed mat material attached to the bench
sides contains the heat underneath the bench and allows the air temperature to remain cooler.

an 11⁄2-inch bare steel pipe will give off about 50 to the root zone radiation should be placed in a uniform temperature control than a heating sys-
Btus per linear foot. A three-fourth-inch-diameter representative pot or flat in the middle of one of tem used to maintain air temperature in a
aluminum pipe with two 1-inch fins will give off the benches. The simplest control is a thermostat greenhouse. This results in better germination
the same number of Btus and hold only one-third with a remote sensor bulb. The root zone system of seed, faster rooting of cuttings and better
the volume of water. This reduces the water can also be connected as the primary heat zone to plant growth and disease control in potted
needed in the system and the overshoot in tem- many controllers and computers. plants. The system will pay back quickly in fuel
perature once the system shuts off. Under a 6-ft.- savings due to the lower air temperature that
wide bench, a loop of either the bare pipe or fin Operating Hints can be maintained. GPN
will provide the needed 20 Btus per sq.ft. If you install the radiation under the bench,
attaching an 18-inch skirt to the sides of the bench John Bartok, Jr. is an agricultural engineer and
Circulating Pump And Control will trap the heat and keep it from escaping and extension professor emeritus in the Natural
A heating system circulating pump is typically heating the air in the greenhouse. Weed barrier Resource Management and Engineering
used to move heated water through the radiation. mats or plastic sheets work well for this. Department at the University of Connecticut,
In a system with multiple zones, either one pump To prevent a chimney effect from losing the Storrs, Conn. He may be reached at
per zone or a single larger pump with zone under-bench heat, keep the bench full of plants, [email protected].
valves is used. The pump needs to be sized lay a weed barrier mat on the bench top before
depending on the number of loops and the fric- placing the pots down or cover any sections
tion loss in the piping. Being a closed system, where plants have been removed with plastic LearnMore
For more information related to this article,
there is no head loss due to pipe elevation. sheeting or other material. go to www.gpnmag.com/lm.cfm/gp100606
The sensor that controls the flow of hot water Root zone heat on benches can provide more

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58 GPN October 2006