Canadian grower rolls out bottom heat like a carpet

Les Serres Frank Zyromski, one of Canada’s premier cutting producers, has been able to decrease production time by using a new carpet-like system to provide root zone heating. Even in the extreme cold, they are able to maintain soil temperatures and thus, plant quality.

The system, called Roll’N Grow, comes in carpet-like rolls, which Owner Frank Zyromski says make it very easy to install – just roll out, put on headers and connect plumbing. Root zone heating has been proven to provide many benefits for plant production, including more compact plants with fewer diseases, lower fuel costs and shorter production times.

Snow and cold temperatures are huge factors for greenhouse production in Rivière-Rouge, Quebec, where Zyromski is based. Even when outside temperatures dip as low as -24° F, he is able to keep soil temperatures steady at 72° F – critical for the eight to 10 million cuttings the greenhouse produces each year.

The system layout and installation instructions come from BioTherm, who manufactures the product on a specially designed machine. It bonds heating tubes to weed barrier or open mesh, making it applicable for both bench and floor applications – both of which Zyromski utilizes in his operation. Actually, he says, all of their greenhouses run on BioTherm product, with Roll’N Grow in particular making a significant impact, allowing him to shorten production time by two weeks.

For more information on Roll’N Grow, visit BioThermsolutions.com or call 1-800-GET-HEAT. The mats comes in 10-foot master rolls that can be customized to any floor or bench growing space size.