Construction Specifications  Construction of Germinator  Germinator Installation   Growth Pictures

ALTERNATIVE HEATING SYSTEMS is pleased to introduce their latest product for the commercial greenhouse operator, the “Germinator”.  This energy saving, heating system promise to put your hard earned heating dollars to best use, at the “Root” of your problem.

Most greenhouses operate on the concept of heating the entire air mass of the building.  While this does provide optimum comfort for employees and consumers during periods of little or no sunlight (ie. Cloudy days or night time), it is not an efficient way to best serve the needs of your valuable crops.  AHSI has developed a product that puts your money where it is needed most…at the root system of your plants. 

“Root zone” heating has been utilised for years by many growers.  AHSI takes the concept a step further by offering a system that has significantly more flexibility than the “traditional” root zone heating products.  With the “Germinator”, the grower has the ability to start hard to root plant stock under optimum root zone temperature conditions, while significantly decreasing the air temperature of the greenhouse.

Providing heat to the roots at the early stages of development can be the difference between an average crop and an outstanding one.

Once established, these plants can then be taken off the heating system and replaced with another crop that is newly potted.  In this manner, the grower can plan the most efficient use of valuable space. 

Alternatively, the grower may elect to keep the crop on the heating system and thus reduce the duration of the cropping cycle, and consequently the energy use of the crop in question. 

The flexible nature of this product comes in the form of its portability.  The grower can move this system to any part of the facility that has a 120V, 15 amp circuit.  The system consists of individual heating pads measuring two feet by four feet.  The units are used with remote temperature sensing controls.  Most temperature controller can accommodate up to eight individual heating pads. 

 To verify their claims, AHSI teamed up with The University of Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro and a commercial greenhouse operator.  A research study conducted in the winter of 2002 showed that it is possible to grow crops at significantly reduced air temperatures.  With the use of the heating system, the researchers were able to show that geraniums could be grown at an average night temperature more than Ten Degrees Celsius cooler than the control. 

This study suggested that two new strategies are available to the grower.   First, plants grown on the heating system under conventional air temperature can be brought to market earlier.  Second, the air temperature can be significantly reduced without loss of marketability.   In the second scenario, the crop would be market ready in approximately the same time as the crop grown under so-called “traditional” temperatures.  Both of these strategies would result in energy savings to the grower.