Xmas Light Seedling Heat Mat

[tuk50]

I used a heat pad I found in a garage sale that was the exact size of a 72 cell tray and it had a thermostat that had L M H on the dial. I set it on L and made a second tray with the same tomato seeds and put them in a East window with our home set at 72degrees. The unheated has taken 7-10 days and the heated one has taken 4-7 days without any difference that I can see between the seedlings. Both have had a dome over them and both have not been watered except for the initial soaking of soil before planting. I'm now turning the heat off and removing the domes. Seems to be just a bit earlier, but not any difference in stem size or height that I can tell. 8)

[KBSpokane]

Several years ago I purchased several heating mats from a garden store and from a catalog. They are called Seedling Heat Mat" and they are a HydraFarm product. I no longer use them-----because they don't heat up anymore. I took good care of them, but they just stopped heating up at all after just two years use. I'd say they were NOT worth the money. KB

[bigbubbacain]

my seedling mats seem to work ok, but I'm having irregular germination in the flat itself. No rhyme or reason to it because I've got some in the middle of the flat and some around the edges that are germinating, and vice versa. They've been on the heat mats since last friday. If I remove the covers from the flats to benefit the seedlings that are already up, will it prevent germination from the seeds that haven't popped up yet?

[KBSpokane]

I rarely ever cover my seedling flats since I just position them about 4-6 inches from the grow lights I have in my room temperature basement. Your seedlings should sprout whether covered or not; sometimes they just take a few days longer....... good luck. KB

[bigbubbacain]

Thanks KB! I hope you're right.

Incidentally, I'm on my way now to return these ridiculous Ferry-Morse "Quick & Easy" Seed Starter Systems. I only bought them because they included the heat mats, and the full price was cheaper than the internet price of buying just the seedling heat mats through some of the catalogs. These were worthless: kept the temps way too high. They came in a kit with Jiffy Pellets, which have never worked for me. I suppose I'll start hunting for a heating pad which doesn't have auto shutoff. My heating pad worked much better last year.

[the999bbq]

I saw irregular germination too, depending on where the containers where in the propagator - it was all fresh (Kelsae) onion seed and some containers did remarkably better than others so I think it is fair to say that 'environment' was the biggest influence in this trial.
Removing the cover. The manual says the germination works under 'tensed air', you probably loose the tension for a while, don't know how long it takes to regain the 'ideal' tension. I do remove my lid from time to time, if only to remove seedlings; if all seeds would make perfect seedlings in exact the same time this wouldn't be an issue ;-)
But my trial (and your experience) suggests me to move some containers around when I have to open the lid, especially the containers in the corners.

I don't know how this 'tensed air' theory works - is it because of the raised air humidity or really pressure ?

[Douglas_OW]

Here is a discussion from last year:

Originally Posted by Douglas_OW

I thought that I would try to push this up to the active threads now. If anyone is interested in making a heating mat like this, you will be able to get Christmas lights very cheaply soon. I paid less than $1.00 for mine, when they were on clearance. Buy one set for the mat, and another just for the spare bulbs.
Or you can just not use any heating mat at all; that seems to be the consensus of the knowledgable folks here.

This is the heating mat that I made from some scrap lumber and Christmas lights. The frame is made of 1x3's and the top is pegboard. I use it in the basement where the temperature it is a steady low sixties F. If I think it is running too warm, I just loosen a couple of the bulbs. It does speed up the germination of tomato seeds and is very useful for peppers, too. Here are some pictures:

[dcarch]

Hook it up to a dimmer and you will be able to adjust the temperature acurately. You will extend the bulbs' life significantly longer.

dcarch

[maricybele]

For peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant
1. Do you leave mat on for 24 hours until germination?
2. Do you bottom heat after that?

Thanks,

[KBSpokane]

Yes, keep the heat mat turned 24 hours a day. Once your seedlings have germinated, the mat can still be used, especially for peppers. I don't usually use it with the tomatoes once they have germinated. KBS

[OneoftheEarls]

I use heating trays with a variable temperature control. Without a variable...these will MELT a plastic tray...want to know how I know? lol

These are found in rummage type stores for @$5.

I run these with a system I built for flourescent lights.

This year I have a greenhouse to try and use.

[brokenbar]

Many of us use heat mats to start our seeds but as we all know, these can get expensive especially if you are a grower like me that start's about 50 flats of tomatoes and peppers each year.

I have a friend who I think was very clever...She advertised for a used twin waterbed with heater. Each early spring, she sets it up in her guest room, fills the mattress(She has pre-filled it outdoors prior to use to make sure there were no leaks) and there you have it...extra large seed starting mat. She says she can fit about 30 trays on it at one time. She also says she feels it fairly full to avoid much rocking movement and she covers the whole thing with a sheet of plastic just to avoid dirt or water from getting on her carpet. According to her, her seeds are usually up in 5-7 days at a temperature of 80 (hers has an actual dial that has temp on it and she checked it by laying a thermometer on it.) After her seedlings are up, she moves them to her greenhouse.

This may be way to much trouble for most home gardeners but I will be doing this next year, setting mine up in the garage which is heated. It means that I can place every tray on a heat mat and in two weeks, have every seed up. It also pleases me to put something that is not as popular as once it was to a new and beneficial use.

[Moonglow]

Originally Posted by OneoftheEarls

I use heating trays with a variable temperature control. Without a variable...these will MELT a plastic tray...want to know how I know? lol

I definitely need to get a heat mat to get my peppers started.

[hasshoes]

I used the Park seed mat two years ago in my basement (where it was a little chilly) and it worked great! I also started some seeds in my kitchen without a heat mat and it took them quite a bit longer.

[brokenbar]

Peppers in particular do better on heat. I also read (and now can't remember where) that Peppers don't care much for "peat" and germinate better in a non-peat containing soil mixture for germination and initial growth. I quit using peat pots with them as well and I do have to say, I did have better germination.