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[APD] substrates

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:59:32 -0500, Thomas Barr <tcbiii at earthlink_net> wrote:

"But then why do many Europeans and some
Americans love them? Can the explanation simply be that
those who have found them worthwhile live in colder climates
(colder rooms)? Cable heating would keep the roots growing
and working."

(bits cut out here) 

"Without them would not a temperature difference
between the water coloumn and the root zone negatively
effect the growth of tropical plants? Has anyone tried
seeing how temperature differences between water coloumn and
rootzones effect growth? I know many horticulturist who
vouch that heating mats (bottom heat) are excellent for
terrestrial plant growth. There is no appreciable redox
involved and no nutrient flow, but plant roots 'love' the
warmth, and so the whole plant grows well."

(more cut) 

Regards,
Tom Barr

Would simply insulating the bottom of a tank, therefore bringing the temperature of the roots towards the temperature of the water column, work then? Is it the absolute, rather than the relative temperature that is important? There are plenty of cases stated where the substrate is colder than the water column, but if the water column is at a plants preferred temperature of 70F, then it's not going to be happy if its roots are only at 60F (my knowledge of the Farenheit scale is limited if this sounds unrealistic), and would therefore be much happier if they were at 75F? How many biochemical processes occur in the roots anyway, and would a small temperature difference make a lot of difference?

(I am also not suggesting that plants get 'happy')
--
Andrew McLeod
thefish at theabyssalplain_freeserve.co.uk
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