Growing plants means providing them with light, water and a pleasant temperature. On the plus side, the plants do not need heating all year round, just when the nights are a little cooler and the plants need protection from the chill and frost. Leaving young plants out in the frost with often kill them off and at least damage their growth.
Despite the sun warming your greenhouse to a temperature significantly warmer than the outside – due to the 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight the greenhouse will get every day – the plants can still suffer at night without heating in place.
Do you need a heater in a greenhouse?
One of the advantages of owning a greenhouse is that it allows you to utilise a structured and dependable environment irrespective of the season. If you own a greenhouse and care for your plants, then you definitely need a heater to help protect them from the freezing temperatures we get during the winter months.
While the sensible option for warming up your greenhouse will be to choose one of the heaters below, alternative ways to heat your greenhouse will be to lift all plants off the cold floor and line the internal walls with thermal lining to reduce heat loss.
Now let’s take a look at some of the best rated heaters that can be used in your greenhouse.
Bio Green PAL 2.0/GB 2KW Palma Heater
This is a floor standing heater which is great for greenhouse floors because, since hot air will rise, the heat will warm up the plants above. It offers varied modes depending on what temperature your plants need, as well as a handy thermostat to save you the trouble of going outside when it is frosty to turn the heater on!
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Bio Green PAL 2.0/GB 2KW Palma Heater is an energy efficient way of heating your greenhouse with a 9 Amp maximum power consumption. This helps save money as well as the environment.
The compact design also incorporates rubber feet for an anti-slip effect.
The Bio Green PAL 2.0/GB 2KW Palma Heater is 1PX4 splash-proofing, meaning you do not have to be overly cautious when you are watering your plants.
Lots of different modes! This heater has a 1500 Watts to 2000 Watts heating output making it powerful enough to heat your plants all night. Warm air can be circulated in the heating setting evenly throughout your greenhouse. There is also a ventilation setting that will help to remove any cold air pockets. The fan ventilation mode also helps to remove mod on plants.
The digital thermostat that comes with the Bio Green PAL 2.0/GB 2KW Palma Heater helps give you the ability to control the temperature depending on the timing of the nights and the outside temperature. The digital thermostat that can help to produce temperatures from -50 °C to 99 °C.
The thermostat is easily controllable with an adjustable dial from minimum to maximum temperature. Palma Digital also supplied with an additional electronical digital remote thermostat for instant switching and changing of temperature.
One thing to note is that the greenhouse heater does need a socket for its corded electric power source, so you need to have one of these nearby in your greenhouse for it to work.
The heater measures 28 cm in length, by 19.9 cm in width by 31.5 cm in height making it a suitably small enough size not to get in the way during your gardening activities, but big enough to heat your whole greenhouse no matter the size of it. The handle also makes it light and easy to move, so you can move the Bio Green PAL 2.0/GB 2KW Palma Heater as and when you need it when the weather cools.
Its robust housing is constructed largely from stainless steel. With its timeless design, this floor-standing heater looks good in any situation.
The one downside to the Bio Green PAL 2.0/GB 2KW Palma Heater is that it can seem a little overly complicated with all the different timings settings and heating modes.
2KW Electric Greenhouse Heater
This strong industrial-looking greenhouse heater can power at 1 Kilowatt or 2 Kilowatts, making it very powerful and able to keep your seedlings warm even on the chilliest of nights. This heater is robust, reliable and easy to use.
- Dimensions: 230 x 198 x 320mm (l x w x h)
- Heating Area: 20m²
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The 2KW Electric Greenhouse Heater has the ability to heat an area of 20 metres squared. This makes it suitable for most medium sized greenhouses. The heater does not come with a remote thermostat which means you will need to go and manually change the thermostat temperature when required.
The dimensions of the 2KW Electric Greenhouse Heater are 23 cm length by 19.8 cm in width and 32 cm in height. This is not a large greenhouse heater which means you will not be tripping over it when you are watering your plants.
The 2KW Electric Greenhouse Heater is controlled by a thermostat, helping you to set the temperature to something steady and constant that will be growth inducing for your plants. As well as this, a thermostat would ensure you are using less electricity than constantly reheating the greenhouse after it cools down!
The inbuilt fan has 3 different speed settings causing an air output of 186 metres cubed per hour. This fan helps aid the greenhouse airing and frost prevention as well as extending the life of the heating element.
The downside to this greenhouse heater is that the power lead is 1.3 metres long, which should be fine for most greenhouse users but be sure to check you have a socket close enough to where you want to position the heater!
Biogreen WM-P5 Warmax Power5 Paraffin Heater
This heater is slightly different from the ones above. Rather than needing a plug and socket to get it powered up, this heater has a wick that draws up kerosene from the tank, which, once lit, burns the kerosene from a liquid into a gas. The gas is then burnt which heats the air nearby via convection and spreads the warm air through your greenhouse.
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This Biogreen WM-P5 Warmax Power5 Paraffin Heater has a 40% longer burning time in comparison to a gas burner, meaning you have to change the fuel tank less and can be confident in knowing that your plants will not get cold overnight.
Paraffin is arguable energy saving and using this heater will certainly help you to reduce your energy bills whilst still growing your seedlings!
This heater is very, very easy to use! All the Biogreen WM-P5 Warmax Power5 Paraffin Heater needs is you to light the wick and the technology within will do the work for you.
Paraffin heaters are known to emit a number of pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide – which may be good for plant growth however they are not ideal for humans to breathe in… so leave a window open when in use in your greenhouse.
Shutting all the greenhouse windows whilst leaving this heater running overnight can lead to the build-up of these gases which can be harmful to your health.
Eden Gas Greenhouse Heater
This heater uses an oxygen depletion system which means it is designed to shut off the fuel if the oxygen level in the room drops from 21% (normal oxygen percentage in the air) to 18.5% or below. This shows that safety was high on the cards for the manufacturer of this product!
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This heater is controlled by a thermostat helping you control the temperature easily, burn less gas and save money on heating your greenhouse.
The Oxygen Depletion System is a significant advantage to this product, because it means that it will keep you safe, as well as your plants, unlike the paraffin heaters which can produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases to humans.
This gas heater is 48 cm tall, 30 cm wide and 13 cm deep, therefore it is probably most suitable for ‘on the floor’ use.
The Eden Gas Greenhouse Heater 2kW’s ability to produce heat at 2 kW shows that it will help you keep your plants warm even in the coldest of winter nights.
The measurements on this heater mean that it may be hard to keep this product in the corner and out the way. It is larger than other recommended heaters so you may want to measure the space you have for a heater before purchasing this heater.
Biogreen Warmax Antifrost Paraffin Heater
Like the Biogreen WM-P5 Warmax Power5 Paraffin Heater, this heater burns paraffin meaning it has a 40% longer burning time than gas burning heaters. This means that you will be saving energy, at the same time as (debatably) saving the planet and (definitely) saving money from your purse.
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This heater measures at 21 cm by 21 cm at the base and is only 13 cm high. This means that you can easily place this heater anywhere because of its small size!
The manufacturers also claim that the Biogreen Warmax Antifrost Paraffin Heater can help heat those places that are the most difficult to reach – keeping any plants on the back shelf warm too and protecting them from frost.
The single burner design allows easy ignition as well as easy refilling of the container.
As previously explained, a paraffin heater can emit a number of pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide, which can affect your breathing. Therefore, handle this product with care and sensibly!
