Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

[Kiwi Phil]

Turin.
I can't find good cultural notes on Basil.
It accounts for 50% of my sales for 9 months of the year.
I have always grown it outside, under plastic covered cloche frames.

Our winter temperatures drop to around 8c at night, and around 20c during the day.

Our winter days are clear blue sky with nil cloud (mostly), so i have good light levels then.
We never have a long dawn nor do we have a long twi-light.
In the morning, one minute it is dark, 10 minutes later daylight.
At night, one minute it is light, 10 minutes later it is dark.

In winter dawn is 0630-0700hrs approx, and in summer 0415-0445hrs
In winter dusk is 1730-1800hrs approx, and in summer 1830-1900hrs.

What I can't find factual information on is......is Basils growth determined by the amount of light, .......you know, if the days get shorter (winter) hours of light become less, and Basil stops growing.......or is it the temperature......as temp drops the plant sort of hibernates.

The new experimental grow tunnel is going well, but Basil is slowing, not at the same rate as outside though.
It is really hot in there during the day.

I am trying to work out how I can grow good Basil ALL year.....so what do I have to do......heat it at night, or extend the light time?

Cheers
Phillip

 

[JCF350]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

DANG!! I thought I was gonna chip in here but your way ahead of me and my garden row.

 

[Turin]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

In Holland we have really very different weather conditions most people who grow vegetables or other non flowers only heat at night.
The people who grow flowers and THE HERB use heating and extra light.

but in your case i suspect there is more to gain with keeping the temperature higher at night than there is to gain with temperature and light because the lights are really expensive and you have more than enough lumen/lux of light in the day time far more than we have here.
11 hours of light in winter would be a wonder here.

Our light in winter is more like 9:00 to 10:00 and sundown say 16:00 to !7:00.

big diffidences

You might get your temperature up to 20 degrees Celcius with a simple heater.

post one soon difficult to explain what i mean.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

In Holland we have really very different weather conditions most people who grow vegetables or other non flowers only heat at night.
The people who grow flowers and THE HERB use heating and extra light.

but in your case i suspect there is more to gain with keeping the temperature higher at night than there is to gain with temperature and light because the lights are really expensive and you have more than enough lumen/lux of light in the day time far more than we have here.
11 hours of light in winter would be a wonder here.

Our light in winter is more like 9:00 to 10:00 and sundown say 16:00 to !7:00.

big diffidences

You might get your temperature up to 20 degrees Celcius with a simple heater.

post one soon difficult to explain what i mean.

LOL I have had friends busted for growing THE HERB I hear that the good hern in the UK is called Skunk!

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

Yep............Heard all the herbs jokes before.............they are never ending....but we listen and agree (he..he..he..)

Turin....for heat, I have no problem heating water with solar during the day....I wouldn't know how to convert that hot water to heating my tunnel though.

I am asking all these questions as I supply a large national supermarket chain, but only in the State of Queensland, with just under 500doz per week.
The National buyer has asked if I would be capable of supplying the Southern States who can't grow well for 6 months of the year.
To do this, I need to be able to produce the product in large numbers, to a standard, within a time frame.

The money and mechanics of expanding and transporting is the easy bit.

I use to go to Hydroponic Conferences.
They were costly.
Unlike others, it was never an opportunity to have a tax deductible holiday. I wanted information to better my business.
But the workshops never covered issues I wanted so conferences were pretty much a waste of time for me.
I have also considered overseas conferences, but when they are marketed, they always include tours and sight-seeing holidays and I am not there for that.
I have approached Consultants in the past, and quite frankly not found their information and recommendations worth their costs.
The Suppliers of equipment are reasonable, but push their own products, and not all are what they say they are.

There are not a lot of large Herb growers...........it is a small market.
I have no formal horticulture training.
Holland is seen as the leader in Hydroponics and intensive Horticulture.
Are you familiar with any trade groups in your country that I could join....be approrpiate to my product.....that would give me advice and assistance.

I would have no hesitation in attending a workshop in a foreign country....if it was of definite benefit to me.

When I have problems, I need factual solutions.
What I really need to find is a Hydroponic Herb grower, bigger than me, in a colder climate (Holland or USA).

Cheers
Phillip

 

[Turin]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

Ill look out for you if I can find one.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

I have found that it stops growing fast when temperatures drop, reguardless of the light. I start growing in my garage in January, but nothing really takes off until the garage temp maintains at least 60 Farenheit, except the tomatos, peppers, and cabbage; they don't seem to mind the 40's and 50's. But even the lettuce won't really take off until it stays in the 60's.

PS - Don't get chickens. For some reason, they love to totally wipe out my basil. Have had to replant basil 3 times this year. They barely touch the rest of the garden though.

PPS - I do have a coop, they just like to escape, and I, for the life of me, haven't figured out how they've been getting out lately.

 

[Turin]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

It maybe an idea to build a heat buffer tank that you can fill with hot water during the day an use the hot water during the night ill post a picture of our buffer tank soon as possible, than you can use a simple fan heater to heat your crops.

We have one to we used fill it with hot water from the heaters who were only running to generate CO2 in the summer and than use the hot water at night.

Now the gas prices are so G^&*%*& high we have a liquid CO2 tank its cheaper and the CO2 is more pure to.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

Now I never thought of that idea Turin.
I can make hot water at no running cost.
If I leave a garden hose in the sun for 10 minutes, I can't put my hand under the flow until water from the underground pipe comes thru. And that is a green hose. Black irrigation pipes has to be buried.

I'll look forward to your photos.
My 1st thoughts are:
I guess a truck radiator sort of contraption would be similar....just reverse the flow.....hot water in the top, slowly, and when cold it drops to the bottom and out to another tank. Would just about work by gravity pull-come-syphone, and the Fan could be 12volt, on a deep cycle battery, topped up in the day by a simple solar charger.

Visited a hydroponic rose grower friend today.
He has started to re-cover his shed in a white plastic that has small (minute) air bubbles in it.
He has been told, although it introduces a degree of shading, the light that comes thru is diffused and much more ever over and around the crop. The when the temperature drops the air bubbles act as a form of insulation.
That is what the salesman told him.....have you ever heard of it.

Cheers
Phillip

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

Now I never thought of that idea Turin.
I can make hot water at no running cost.
If I leave a garden hose in the sun for 10 minutes, I can't put my hand under the flow until water from the underground pipe comes thru. And that is a green hose. Black irrigation pipes has to be buried.

I'll look forward to your photos.
My 1st thoughts are:
I guess a truck radiator sort of contraption would be similar....just reverse the flow.....hot water in the top, slowly, and when cold it drops to the bottom and out to another tank. Would just about work by gravity pull-come-syphone, and the Fan could be 12volt, on a deep cycle battery, topped up in the day by a simple solar charger.

Visited a hydroponic rose grower friend today.
He has started to re-cover his shed in a white plastic that has small (minute) air bubbles in it.
He has been told, although it introduces a degree of shading, the light that comes thru is diffused and much more ever over and around the crop. The when the temperature drops the air bubbles act as a form of insulation.
That is what the salesman told him.....have you ever heard of it.

Cheers
Phillip

I haven't heard of it, but if it has air bubbles in it, then it would have at least some insulating factor to it.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Turin....thoughts on growing Basil

KIWI PHIL have you thought about using an old water bed heater or an water pipe heater used to keep your pipes from freezing "depending on how you are growing your plants". We have used both with good results.