Gregory’s Greenhouse Productions

The Challenge

I had 60 electric heating mats and I wanted to upscale. That’s when I purchased my first BioTherm system, the Benchwarmer Kit, in 2020. Instead of heating one side of my bench, I have total control to heat the entire bench. Then when BioTherm came out with the Upstart unit, I immediately bought it.

The Solution

BioTherm Upstart Professional Rootzone Heating Kit!

By heating hydronically with a closed-loop system, I was able to have more dynamic control over the bottom heat temps.

I knew that bottom heat was great for plants but did not have the temperature flexibility with the electric mats. I decided to give hydronic heating a try. It’s softer and more stable heat than electric.

I’ve experienced much earlier cropping time. I’ve been able to do 2 extra crop turns per year with bottom heat vs. forced air heating. I’ve been turning around 4-5 crop rotations per year with the bottom heat. Previous years have been 3 crop turns max. My plants are also healthier! Cuttings are way more stable and even from the root zone heating. You can really get great things to grow by using root zone heating.

How It Works

The Upstart head unit is attached to your locally-sourced domestic water heater. Hot water is pumped through BioTherm’s Roll’N Grow Mat. Plants are placed directly on the mat. The media temperature sensor tells the head unit when to cycle on & off to maintain optimum media temperature. The Roll’N Grow mats are perfect for on-bench or on-floor growing applications.

Hydronic heating is incredibly more efficient than heating with electric mats and forced air. You’re able to give heat to the root, where the plants need heat the most.