How many run a fan on your indoor plants

gregory · February 8, 2015

And is it necessary? Or better question advantageous

Again I ran across this in other posts, articles and etc. so I want to know if it will really make the plant stem thicker and stronger.

I read the I believe Cornell study about running your hand over the tops of the plant
A few times a day

KarenO · February 8, 2015

I don't use a fan. It would dry them out quickly I think in my low humidity centrally heated house. I do "pet" (run my hand over them) whenever I am checking on them. Love the scent of tomato foliage and I do think it helps make sturdier plants. My late grandmother, who taught me much about seed starting taught me to do that years ago. 4"11 in shoes She said in her sweet Flemish accent "Zey tink it's vind and zey get strong" <3
Karen

luigiwu · February 8, 2015

I ran a fan for each of my shelves last year. I was afraid of dampening off and wanted to do everything in my power to ward it off. I've read they help make a plant stalk stronger and I want to say, I think my plants were all super strong! I am never home during the day time so the fan was on a timer, couple hours on, couple hours off.

crazyoldgooseman · February 8, 2015

Some days I run a ceiling fan on the babies. I also brush them lightly daily. I think it helps and it makes me feel good.

jmsieglaff · February 8, 2015

I pretty much follow Karen's methods exactly, for similar reasons. Even my 60F basement has 20-30% RH this time of year.

**carolyn137** · February 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregory

And is it necessary? Or better question advantageous

Again I ran across this in other posts, articles and etc. so I want to know if it will really make the plant stem thicker and stronger.

I read the I believe Cornell study about running your hand over the tops of the plant
A few times a day

It had been noticed that in greenhouses with narrow ailes that the plants nearest the ailes were stronger and better than those nearer the back from workers brushing against the plants in front.

So the Cornell Cooperative extension advised all commercial growers to take a broom handle or similar to brush the tops of the seedlings.

At the time I was growing my seedlings at Charlie Brizzells greenhouses and I did the same and it worked well. Charlie was a commercial grower and I was assigned space in greenhouse #18, that I remember well.

My space was right in front of a large blower fan which did dry out my seedlings rather than his but he and his helpers did water well.

Carolyn

AlittleSalt · February 8, 2015

I do use a fan. I'm trying to mimic nature without extremes. Today it was in the 70s with a ten mph breeze. The seedlings seem to have enjoyed their 6 hours of outside fun in the partial sun. Tomorrow, if it's not too windy, I plan on giving them more.

We have winter type weather that will continue soon, I'm sure. When that happens, I'll be using the fan again, but not continuously. Again, I'm trying to mimic nature without the extremes.

I had forgotten about what Karen wrote about. I guess my tomatoes have a few weeks worth of petting deficiency? Thanks for reminding me. I remember a post from Carolyn about the broomstick and all in a past thread...I wish I could remember the thread. Lol, I guess I'm becoming a forgetful Tomatoville resident

Worth1 · February 8, 2015

Wouldn't running a fan on the plants chop them up?

Worth

Cole_Robbie · February 9, 2015

I always use a fan on indoor plants. The plants in the greenhouse get a lot of wind from keeping the doors open on windy days. Getting bent over from wind creates tiny spots of damage on the stem, which make the plant stop growing upward until it has grown laterally to repair the damage. I like all my young plants to do some swaying in the breeze. The ones that get planted outside are going to get hit with 40 mph winds on every windy spring day, so I don't see any point in coddling them now.

shelleybean · February 9, 2015

I use a fan but not full time because it does dry them out. I, too, am trying to mimic what happens outside and wind ins't constant either, so I run mine for a few hours and then turn it off.

peppero · February 9, 2015

I am presently using a fan but have not formed an opinion other than to say that everything is doing well.

jon

drew51 · February 9, 2015

I use a fan but it is mostly to keep plants cool. My best light is a VHO (not HO) t5 and it is bright and hot. At 2 feet away it's 105F. It also is an energy hog! I would stick with HO t5 if I knew it was this expensive to run, and because so hot. Plants do not have to be that close though, it is like sun in a bottle, hard even to look at!

Jwb4707 · February 10, 2015

I'm also thinking of using a fan this year. I did the petting thing, and had my 3 year old daughter blow on them, lol, I definitely think the stems were stronger, and less leggy.

Farmette · February 10, 2015

How old are your seedlings when you start running a fan on them?

Cole_Robbie · February 10, 2015

I start when they are just sprouts.

February 8, 2015	#3
luigiwu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: ny Posts: 1,219	I ran a fan for each of my shelves last year. I was afraid of dampening off and wanted to do everything in my power to ward it off. I've read they help make a plant stalk stronger and I want to say, I think my plants were all super strong! I am never home during the day time so the fan was on a timer, couple hours on, couple hours off. __________________ Subirrigated Container gardening (RGGS) in NY, Zone 7!

February 8, 2015	#4
crazyoldgooseman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Maryland 7a Posts: 200	Some days I run a ceiling fan on the babies. I also brush them lightly daily. I think it helps and it makes me feel good. __________________ Anybody see where I sat my beer? -crazyoldgooseman

February 9, 2015	#10
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I use a fan but not full time because it does dry them out. I, too, am trying to mimic what happens outside and wind ins't constant either, so I run mine for a few hours and then turn it off. __________________ Michele

February 8, 2015	#1
gregory Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mobile zone 8 Posts: 83	How many run a fan on your indoor plants And is it necessary? Or better question advantageous Again I ran across this in other posts, articles and etc. so I want to know if it will really make the plant stem thicker and stronger. I read the I believe Cornell study about running your hand over the tops of the plant A few times a day __________________ Zone 8 Mobile AL

February 8, 2015	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,927	I don't use a fan. It would dry them out quickly I think in my low humidity centrally heated house. I do "pet" (run my hand over them) whenever I am checking on them. Love the scent of tomato foliage and I do think it helps make sturdier plants. My late grandmother, who taught me much about seed starting taught me to do that years ago. 4"11 in shoes She said in her sweet Flemish accent "Zey tink it's vind and zey get strong" <3 Karen

February 8, 2015	#5
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	I pretty much follow Karen's methods exactly, for similar reasons. Even my 60F basement has 20-30% RH this time of year.

February 8, 2015	#7
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I do use a fan. I'm trying to mimic nature without extremes. Today it was in the 70s with a ten mph breeze. The seedlings seem to have enjoyed their 6 hours of outside fun in the partial sun. Tomorrow, if it's not too windy, I plan on giving them more. We have winter type weather that will continue soon, I'm sure. When that happens, I'll be using the fan again, but not continuously. Again, I'm trying to mimic nature without the extremes. I had forgotten about what Karen wrote about. I guess my tomatoes have a few weeks worth of petting deficiency? Thanks for reminding me. I remember a post from Carolyn about the broomstick and all in a past thread...I wish I could remember the thread. Lol, I guess I'm becoming a forgetful Tomatoville resident

February 8, 2015	#8
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Wouldn't running a fan on the plants chop them up? Worth

February 9, 2015	#9
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I always use a fan on indoor plants. The plants in the greenhouse get a lot of wind from keeping the doors open on windy days. Getting bent over from wind creates tiny spots of damage on the stem, which make the plant stop growing upward until it has grown laterally to repair the damage. I like all my young plants to do some swaying in the breeze. The ones that get planted outside are going to get hit with 40 mph winds on every windy spring day, so I don't see any point in coddling them now.

February 9, 2015	#11
peppero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: selmer, tn Posts: 2,944	I am presently using a fan but have not formed an opinion other than to say that everything is doing well. jon

February 9, 2015	#12
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	I use a fan but it is mostly to keep plants cool. My best light is a VHO (not HO) t5 and it is bright and hot. At 2 feet away it's 105F. It also is an energy hog! I would stick with HO t5 if I knew it was this expensive to run, and because so hot. Plants do not have to be that close though, it is like sun in a bottle, hard even to look at!

February 10, 2015	#13
Jwb4707 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Western MA Posts: 78	I'm also thinking of using a fan this year. I did the petting thing, and had my 3 year old daughter blow on them, lol, I definitely think the stems were stronger, and less leggy.

February 10, 2015	#14
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	How old are your seedlings when you start running a fan on them?