Squirel cage fans block the light, an important consideration if some plants need 12 hours of darkness to bloom. The axial fans Paul is talking about do not block the light; you would have to rig up something else to do that. The axial fans that are quiet, tend to have low cfm. Because small axial fan blades have so little surface area, they need to rotate fast in order to move a lot of air. (Paul) " Electrical and computer fans at low rpm are virtually silent,..." (Lermer) "Electrical" fans? I had thought all fans were electrical, although I suppose there might be little elves with hand-powered fans. "Computer" fans? I don't know what kind of fan Paul has, (perhaps the original WWII-era Eniac); but in all the computers I have seen, the axial fans in them are too small to be useful for plant room ventilation. (Dcarch) "The computer type of cooling fan is specifically designed for ventilating and cooling." (Lermer) Silly me, I had thought all fans were for the purpose of ventilation and cooling. Please, tell me where I could get some fans that are not. Ripley's Believe it or Not might be interested. (dcarch) "Squirrel cage (centrifugal) blowers are specifically used to overcome backpressure situations as in pushing air thru ductworks. It is never used for general cooling purposes." (Lermer) Squirrel cage fans have that capability, but they don't have to be used in ducting; in fact they are rated for different lengths of ducting starting with none at all. Normally I wouldn't use them without ducting (because of the higher cost) but they do block the light. If you read what I said, my first preference was for an open door with a 16" pedestal mount fan from Home Depot. Telling someone to make holes in their door and install axial fans in them, without warning them about light leaks (in and out) is irresponsible. (dcarch) "Before you use a 16" fan to blow on your seedlings, say goodbye to them first." (Lermer) I said, pedestal mount; which means, the height is adjustable. Jon didn't say anything about seedlings. Those can be placed away from strong air currents. The bigger plants would appreciate the air movement (as any but rookie growers know). (Object 16) "PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS OPTIMUM at 70-85 degrees." (Lermer) That's an incredibly ignorant statement. Where did you hear that? Generally, he optimum temperature is 76F. For every two degrees above that, you lose about 10% of the plant growth. This isn't apparent to the naked eye, except at extremely high levels. Above 76F you will see more green leaves because the leaf surface area increases (leaves become thinner) to transpire/cool more; and the leaves at such high temperatures tend to be more full of water. Once you weigh the dried mass, you will significant reductions in yield at 85F. Although light-on periods should have at least 70F. http://www.umass.edu/umext/floriculture/fact_sheets/greenh use_management/gh_cool_growing.htm "For many crops, media temperatures for germination should be between 72F and 76F. After a crop is established, most plants will tolerate non-optimal temperatures more easily. Seed germination is not the place to skimp on heat." (Lermer) Adult plants can usually tolerate slightly lower or higher temperatures, depending on species (where they evolved). A few degrees above optimum is a lot more harmful than a few degrees below optimum. (Object 16) "Plant growth is mainly a function of total number of photons - a rough measure of light intensity is lumens, so have a look at both lamps, and decide whether one or the other has sufficient lumens." (Lermer) "Lumens" is a "rough" measure, true; very rough, because it is biased toward the center of the spectrum. HPS reads very high in lumens because it is mostly yellow spectrum. However lacking a better common measurement, "lumens" is a factor to consider; but you should also consider spectrum. Generally you want a full spectrum, between 400-700nm, blue (about 420nm) and red (about 675nm) are the most important. For that, CRI (color rendering index) is a rough measure.

Today had great weather. I just looked at the memory (on my thermometer in the pindo palm enclosure) and it went up to 76F today! Now it says its only 32 outside (weather.com says 40F). But the cold comes back tommorrow with some morning rain possible (better than snow!). But just like you said, our palms really enjoyed this weather! Ill probbaly put the protection back on tommorrow because temps the next day will only rise to 26F (low of 25F) Good luck everyone! It looks like all my palms will make it to the new year (and as long as everything continues to go as planned it should survive the winter too!)

FYI... 'Experts' indicate the ideal temperature range for a mixed dough is usually 76 to 80F. Peter Reinhart states in "Crust and Crumb" that "dough temperature increases about one degree per every minute of kneading or two degrees per minute if kneading in a medium-speed mixer. Jeffrey Hamelman ("BREAD" A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes): "For the most part, the temperature zone that works best, particularly for wheat-based breads, is 75° to 78°F." To complicate things even more, there is a whole set of calculations you can use to figure your dough temperature based on the type of mixing method you use (straight dough or pre-ferment), as well as ambient room temperature, flour temperature, etc... If you use a straight dough method and you want your dough to be 76°F you multiply 76 by 3; if there is a pre-ferment method used (which I suggest using for freshly-milled flour) multiply 76 by 4. Examples... Using the straight dough method: 76°F x 3 = 228° (Total temperature factor) Minus flour temperature - 72°F Minus room temperature - 68°F Minus friction factor - 26°F = Water temperature 62°F For the straight dough, water at 62°F gives us a final dough temperature of approximately 76°F. Pre-ferment: 78°F x 4 = 304°F Minus flour temperature - 72°F Minus room temperature - 68°F Minus pre-ferment temperature - 70°F Minus friction factor - 26°F = Water temperature - 68°F Friction Factor: For doughs that mix for 3 minutes on first speed and 3 or 4 minutes on second, the friction factor for most mixers is in the range of 24° to 28°F. "Factors that affect the amount of friction generated during mixing, such as the type of mixer being used (stand, spiral, oblique, or planetary), the length of mix time, the mixing speeds used, and the quantity of dough in the bowl." ------------------------------------------------------- If you work the dough too long and hard in the mixer, the gluten can begin to break apart, so check gluten development by doing a windowpane (or membrane) test. If the dough is stringy and stretchy and sticks to your hands, the dough is probably over-mixed and broken. This isn't the same thing as being too wet. If the dough tears, instead of having an elastic texture, the most common reason for this is under-mixing the dough. ----------------------------------------------------- Another possibility... There is a substance in wheat germ called Glutathione, which breaks down the gluten. By adding an acidic ingredient (ascorbic acid, lemon juice, vinegar) to whole wheat yeast breads, it will counteract the negative effects of Glutathione. I use 1/8 t. ascorbic acid per loaf for this purpose. Ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) not only helps prevent the gluten bonds from breaking down; but it will help repair gluten bonds that have already been broken. Ascorbic acid also helps sustain the leavening of bread loaves during baking and promotes yeast growth so the yeast works longer and faster. -------------------------------------------------- When the top crust separates (shelling): -the dough was over-mixed -top dried out during rising (use plastic wrap instead of a towel) -oven temperature too low -too much yeast in the recipe -------------------------------------------------------- You may want to do a protein test on your wheat - it can be lower or higher in protein than what you are accustomed to using. I've found this true with Prairie Gold wheat, which I've used a lot of over the years. The local hard white winter wheat I purchase I also know the protein level (13.1%). This is the same wheat King Arthur Flour has milled into their Whole White Wheat Flour, so they have strict protein standards. I've worked with wheat that had 16% protein, and you have to do a LOT more kneading to develop that much protein. How to check protein level: Measure 2 cups plus 1-T. flour (measure by scooping a dry measuring cup into the flour, filling it, and slightly packing the flour as you level it off against the side of the flour container). Add it to a food processor with the steel knife. Add 1-cup of water. Process for about 30 seconds. If your flour is high protein (somewhere around 13-14%) it will absorb 1 cup of water producing a sticky dough ball when processed for 30-seconds in the workbowl of a food processor with the steel knife. If the dough ball looks somewhat "loose", then you may need to add vital wheat gluten to the flour to increase the protein, or reduce the mixing time and see if you get better results. Hope there is something there that helps you out... ~Grainlady

azzalea - What's the difference between "wild yeast" and "gathered the yeast from the environment"? In my books, both are so-called "wild yeast". "Wild yeast" are actually naturally-occuring yeast that cover everything in our environment. In starters that use grapes, the silver/gray haze on the skins of grapes is a yeast source, and the grape juice is a source of carbohydrates with which to feed the yeast. Some starter recipes call for cabbage leaves. The silver/gray haze on the inside of the cabbage leaves is a source of yeast. There are even starters that call for certain tree leaves, such as a recipe I have for peach leaf starter, once again, it's covered with yeast. The first basic source of yeast in a starter is the flour, especially when we use wholegrain flour. The outside of grain is covered with yeast. The old "catch yeast from the air" is more-or-less an old wives tale because the yeast that builds into a colony in starter is basically from the flour source, not from air (although there ARE yeast in the air), and whole grains assure a good quanity of them to start with, above using bleached or unbleached flour, which has had the outside bran removed. Hops are another yeast source for making starter. We renew our yeast each time we add flour to the starter. The old yeast die off, and the new flour adds a new source. Even modern starters that are made with bakers' yeast eventually become "wild yeast" starters because the bakers' yeast quickly die and the "wild yeast" in the flour take over. -Grainlady