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Post by binnylou on Mar 7, 2020 9:21:39 GMT -5
I am, and this is not my first rodeo. When I first started using the heat mat, it was in the kitchen...where I checked it every few hours. I vowed to keep the kitchen clear of seed starting stuff this year, so everything is in the laundry room, downstairs. Out of sight, out of mind. Yesterday I was reminded just how fast a seed can go from just germinated to a leggy little seedling, reaching for light.
If this is your first year using a heat mat, be warned. Ya gotta be fast. Once that seed germinates, it need to be removed from the bottom heat source and given good light.
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Post by pondgardener on Mar 7, 2020 9:55:00 GMT -5
Yes, it definitely speeds things up and some seeds like peppers need the extra heat to germinate properly. I planted two different types of habaneros last Friday and the first group started breaking ground after 5 days, followed by the other variety 2 days later.
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Post by martywny on Mar 7, 2020 10:13:38 GMT -5
I have been using them for three years and now have eight mats.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Mar 7, 2020 10:19:53 GMT -5
I have a couple of heating mats for starting the seeds but once they are up I take them off.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 7, 2020 10:44:54 GMT -5
Me too, lilolpeapicker, but I slipped this time. It will serve as a reminder to me. |
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 7, 2020 12:41:05 GMT -5
We have radiant floor heat under stained concrete floors. I use the floor in the dining area as a heat mat, though it's not quite warm enough for the chiles.
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Post by datgirl on Mar 7, 2020 13:07:01 GMT -5
Yes,I do.
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Post by breezygardener on Mar 7, 2020 13:28:32 GMT -5
I don't use heat mats, but except for the very tiniest of seeds, I pre-sprout everything on damp paper towels in partially open Ziploc bags. Tried that for the first time last year & was amazed at how quickly even ten-year-old seeds sprouted. After I see the seeds split &/or put out the first tiny nubbin of root I gently pop them into their temporary seedling quarters to grow on.
Just put eight "Aspabroc" seeds (from 2018) on a towel & into a Ziploc on Friday (3/5) & they're already sprouting this morning.
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 7, 2020 13:44:13 GMT -5
I use to do that, breezygardener,! Now why did I stop?! Thanks for the reminder (  |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 7, 2020 13:59:37 GMT -5
I have one, two tray mat, which I use in my seedling room, plus that griddle on my range - a 3/4" slab of steel, with 4 pilot lights under it - which I use for the pepper seeds, and that keeps them between 85° and 90°, which is great, for most peppers. I remove the tomatoes and eggplants from the mat, once all are up, but the peppers I put on the mat upstairs, at a lower temp - usually 78-82°. They seem to benefit from the higher temp, when taking hold. Eventually, I take that out, maybe 3 weeks after starting.
Last year I had a problem, if you would call it that, when my tomatoes grew way too fast, due to the very warm April I had, which was warming up the entire house, sometimes getting the seedling room to 75° or more! Usually it would be 67°, maybe a little more on a sunny day. The plants were ready to go out a week early, and fortunately, the weather cooperated! I can see how leaving them on the heat mat might do the same thing - something that might be tried, if you were trying to get some plants ready quicker than normal, like if some seeds didn't germinate, and you had to try another.
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Post by gardendmpls on Mar 8, 2020 7:44:51 GMT -5
I keep a small heater by the laundry room shelves. Check every day and move the sprouts to the tool room where they can sit under the lights until time to repot and put outside. Still have a few weeks until start time.
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Mar 8, 2020 9:55:40 GMT -5
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Post by Tomato Z on Mar 9, 2020 9:10:39 GMT -5
I only use a heat mat for the peppers. Tomatoes seem to sprout quite well without the bottom heat, and do become more leggy if given more heat. I just use the grow lights for heat for tomatoes since the peppers have already been transplanted and have a bit of room for the tomato tray.
The broccoli gets the cold window to sprout next to. It seems to do quite well there.
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Post by breezygardener on Mar 9, 2020 12:39:18 GMT -5
I usually just go by what's on the seed packet for regular unsprouted seed. Yesterday planted the "Aspabroc Hybrid" seeds that had sprouted Friday into a 6-pack, & this morning the seeds are already pushing up green through the starting mix. |
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