Recommended heating mat or cable?

[gggeek]

Anyone have any recommendations on heating mats or cables or another source for heat? I would like to start my seeds in the garage this year under a plexiglass cover (about 96" long and 26" wide and 12" high). I am not sure if I should go with heated mats underneath or a cable wound throughout. There will be plenty of heat with the lighting when the plants get going, but to get the soil warmed up I am not sure what I should use.

[Douglas_OW]

This is a topic that seems to come up every season. If you haven't found the info you need yet by using the Search feature of the Forum, I would offer this as a summary of previous discussions:

A. You don't need bottom heat to germinate tomato seeds, as long as the soil is about 60 F, or higher. Start your seeds sooner, and they will germinate, eventually.

B. Heat will hasten germination.

Here are some previous discussions on the topic:

http://67.23.252.182/~tomatovl/showthread.php?t=1150

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=7466

And, please read through the 2 Sticky threads right above your post for a wealth of info from people that really know what they are talking about. YouTube offers a lot of info as well, including some videoes posted by Tomatoville members.

In your situation, you might consider germinating the seeds indoors, in a warmer location, and then moving them out into the garage. They don't need light to germinate, just warmth.

Jim

[bower]

hey, gggeek,

I only use bottom heat for germinating the seeds, so a small heat pad is enough to do lots, and that gives me sprouted tomato seedlings in 3 or 4 days. It isn't really necessary for tomatoes, but definitely speeds it up, since I'm starting seeds in the cold winter.

After sprouting, though, it seems better to give the seedlings cool temperatures but lots of light, so I wouldn't heat the soil at all. The cool will produce a sturdier plant. There are a couple of threads here about the "cold treatment" for seedlings, which I tried this year - great plants, huge flower clusters and early fruit set.

I see you're in SC, do you folks really have winter?

[Cole_Robbie]

I heat an enclosed space with a space heater to about 95 degrees, plant the seeds in a tray of wet vermiculite, and get sprouts within two days. Then I move them out of the heated chamber. Sprouting seeds like it a lot hotter than seedling plants. They don't exactly need light to sprout, but they do need enough light to know what direction is up. They also get leggy very quickly without good light after sprouting.

[gggeek]

Originally Posted by Douglas_OW

This is a topic that seems to come up every season. If you haven't found the info you need yet by using the Search feature of the Forum, I would offer this as a summary of previous discussions:

A. You don't need bottom heat to germinate tomato seeds, as long as the soil is about 60 F, or higher. Start your seeds sooner, and they will germinate, eventually.

B. Heat will hasten germination.

Here are some previous discussions on the topic:

http://67.23.252.182/~tomatovl/showthread.php?t=1150

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=7466

And, please read through the 2 Sticky threads right above your post for a wealth of info from people that really know what they are talking about. YouTube offers a lot of info as well, including some videoes posted by Tomatoville members.

In your situation, you might consider germinating the seeds indoors, in a warmer location, and then moving them out into the garage. They don't need light to germinate, just warmth.

Jim

Thanks for the links. I have been using the search feature extensively, but mainly for putting together my container tomato game plan in the containers forum. I had not come across what I was looking for in regards to heating my "garage seedling dome" as I am going to call it. I guess my question was really more for recommendations on brands/types of heating elements used.

Originally Posted by bower

hey, gggeek,

I only use bottom heat for germinating the seeds, so a small heat pad is enough to do lots, and that gives me sprouted tomato seedlings in 3 or 4 days. It isn't really necessary for tomatoes, but definitely speeds it up, since I'm starting seeds in the cold winter.

After sprouting, though, it seems better to give the seedlings cool temperatures but lots of light, so I wouldn't heat the soil at all. The cool will produce a sturdier plant. There are a couple of threads here about the "cold treatment" for seedlings, which I tried this year - great plants, huge flower clusters and early fruit set.

I see you're in SC, do you folks really have winter?

Upstate SC, zone 7... so yes there is a winter of sorts Though I do have to admit I am still harvesting tomatoes due to not having any freezes yet.

[Hotwired]

Originally Posted by bower

hey, gggeek,

I only use bottom heat for germinating the seeds, so a small heat pad is enough to do lots, and that gives me sprouted tomato seedlings in 3 or 4 days. It isn't really necessary for tomatoes, but definitely speeds it up, since I'm starting seeds in the cold winter.

After sprouting, though, it seems better to give the seedlings cool temperatures but lots of light, so I wouldn't heat the soil at all. The cool will produce a sturdier plant. There are a couple of threads here about the "cold treatment" for seedlings, which I tried this year - great plants, huge flower clusters and early fruit set.

I see you're in SC, do you folks really have winter?

I agree with Bower on the heating pad only. I am a jury-rigger, so I fold a twin electric blanket in half lengthwise, wrap it in plastic and use it to germinate my seeds. I fit 7 trays on each blanket. http://imageshack.us/a/img571/2845/223gj.jpg I grow in a cold room 45F to 50F and I like the heartier plants and better root systems that result.

Hotwired
http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/G...d_starting.pdf

[gggeek]

Thanks for the link to the pdf hotwired. That is a lot like what I am aiming for this next year. One question so I understand; you heat the room to 40 and the soil to 85 during the entire indoor period? Or is the soil heat only for the germination phase? Thanks again.

[greentiger87]

ColeRobbie, do you use a thermostat or something with the space heater? When the air temperature is 95, what does the soil temperature stay at? Do you need to humidify the air somehow, or is the enclosed space enough?

[Hotwired]

Before I computerized my greenhouse and put in a pellet boiler, I used electric heaters to maintain a minimum nighttime temperature. I found a thermostatically controlled plug adapter to control my heater and also my ventilation fans. The plug adapters are available at Tractor Supply and most farm stores for about $13.00. http://imageshack.us/a/img248/3511/thermoplug.jpg

The two models that I use are Thermo-Cube TC-22 and TC-3
TC-22 Turns On at 120°F/49°C and Off at 100°F/38°C
TC-3 Turns On at 35°F/2°C and Off at 45°F/7°C

I used the TC-3 Thermocube to keep my plants from freezing. I plugged the cube into an extension cord and positioned it at floor level, since the floor is usually 10°F to 15°F colder than at bench height. Since there are two plugs in the cube I plugged in my 1200W heater and a box fan behind it to circulate the heat. When the floor temperature got down to 35°F the heater and fan tuned on and brought the heat up to 45°F or 60°F at bench
height. I had a full greenhouse in February when night-time temps reached
5°F, and I never lost a plant from freezing.

I use exhaust fans for cooling located at the peak, so I plugged them into the TC-22 Cube and positioned it at the peak of the roof where it is the hottest. When the temperate reaches 120F (about 90F at bench height) the fan turns on, and turns off at 100F (about 70F at bench height).

Here's a downloadable PDF on how I use the device as well as the specifications. http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/L...Greenhouse.pdf

Hotwired NY 5b
http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdfs.html

[greentiger87]

Wow. That is.. cheap. I really have no excuse now.

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by greentiger87

ColeRobbie, do you use a thermostat or something with the space heater? When the air temperature is 95, what does the soil temperature stay at? Do you need to humidify the air somehow, or is the enclosed space enough?

I just use the thermostat knob on the space heater. The seeds are in 1020 flats and I water the vermiculite every day. I would think that the vermiculite itself is close to the air temperature, 90 or so. It might take an hour or two to warm up inside. As the vermiculite dries, that gives off humidity. I have a few lights up, so that my sprouts go upward. As soon as they sprout, the trays go with the other plants in the greenhouse.

It's odd to think of a wooden box that gets 100 degrees inside as a good place for nurturing anything, but as long as they stay moist, seeds love it. Each morning when I open the greenhouse doors, I'll shut off the space heater and open up the germinating box. During the day, they are whatever temp the greenhouse is, 70-90 or so.