heat mats

[nnjjohn]

Originally Posted by kath

Tomatoes can stay in 72-size-cells until they have at least one set of true leaves. That's the size I'm familiar with and I usually pot up between 2-3 weeks when the root ball is established. Not sure about basil. Again, just make sure they're getting the light they need.

Most my plants in two 72 cell trays are doing just fine after three weeks.. I only used the heating pad and led grow lamps for the first ten to twelve days with the dome until most of the seeds germinated.. now all they get is window sun and three times a day mist spray bottle watering.. I won't seed any cucs or zucs yet,, they grow too fast this early..i will seed for a total dozen at best of cucs yellow and green squash for my family garden. The tomato plants can stay in those individual 72 cells until they have at least three or four true leaves .. I transplant the healthiest looking ones in three inch dollar store cups using the same seedling mix basically mg seedling mix which is fortified peat. I lift out using a small baby spoon between the cells leaving the rest in the cell tray with more space between them in the cell tray. I'll do this in about another week and have at least four times what i'll be using in my garden beds. The rest I'll give away after i know all my transplants are doing good after a week in the ground.

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by enchant

Thanks for all the good info. I think I'll give them another day and then start repotting them, being very careful.

One thing that I've discovered is that plants tend to be a lot more durable and resilient than I give them credit for. Last year when I planted some seeds, there were a few plans that just didn't look all that healthy, so I kept the good ones and just dumped these at the edge of the woods. About couple months later, I happened by that area, and several of them had taken root on their own and were doing quite well.

And next year, the cukes can probably wait a little longer to be planted.

Tomatoes are tough. I tend to treat them with "benign neglect" until they get planted.
Cukes - Lost all but a few plants to a windstorm the day after planting out last year.
Started seed again that night and a month later you would not have known the difference. An easy restart if you need to do it.

[Tom A To]

I use heat mats every year but this year I was caught off guard. I start my seeds in a greenhouse and the weather is usually cold when i do that. This year, however, Spring in California started in November and one day it got to 100 degrees in my green house in January. Needless to say, the seeds that were on the heating mats were baked and germination was very low. It's good to have backups.

[Cole_Robbie]

Did those seed bake because they dried out? It seems like everything I kill in the greenhouse is from drying out more than getting too hot. My temp sensors in the sun read 107 a few days ago, and everything seems fine.

[Tom A To]

Nope, they were moist the whole time. Part of one tray was off the mat and those seeds in the cooler cells germinated almost 100%.

[RJGlew]

Originally Posted by Tom A To

Nope, they were moist the whole time. Part of one tray was off the mat and those seeds in the cooler cells germinated almost 100%.

[Sharpcheddar]

Oh dear, I thought the heat mat was supposed to be on all of the time. I'm obviously very new to this stuff!

[enchant]

Originally Posted by Sharpcheddar

Oh dear, I thought the heat mat was supposed to be on all of the time. I'm obviously very new to this stuff!

It's not supposed to be on all the time?

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by enchant

It's not supposed to be on all the time?

The thermostat will give you the ability to regulate the temperature by turning the heat mat on and off as needed to keep the temperature constant. I don't own a heat mat, but always assumed they came with some type of temperature regulation ability. I guess they don't if people are shelling out for a separate thermometer.

[enchant]

Mine had thermostat controls (I'm cheap). I have a thermometer in there and it's reading between 77-82, which is about what I'm looking for.

[RayR]

When I bought my Hydrofarm 20"x20" germination mat some years ago, I also bought the Hydrofarm Digital Thermostat. Worth every penny of the $30.00 extra I paid. Insert the soil temperature probe, set the temperature you want and it turns the mat on and off when needed.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by enchant

Mine had thermostat controls (I'm cheap). I have a thermometer in there and it's reading between 77-82, which is about what I'm looking for.

I'm even cheaper -- I steal my husband's heating pad for a few weeks. It has a high, medium and low setting so it does regulate the temperature to some extent. I put it on top of a piece of foam then put an upside down sheet pan on top of the heating pad so it's protected from water and the sheet pan is a good conductor for the heat. The high setting in 60F ambient temps is perfect for getting peppers started. Since the tomatoes were higher in number and the heating pad isn't that large, this year they went into the oven with the oven light on. It actually worked out well so I may let my husband keep his heating pad next year.

[SharonRossy]

Hold on, you put your seed trays in the oven to germinate? How many days did it take? I'd probably forget and turn it on, even with the lights on!

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by SharonRossy

Hold on, you put your seed trays in the oven to germinate? How many days did it take? I'd probably forget and turn it on, even with the lights on!

Yup! And, a 1020 tray fits perfectly in a standard size household oven. The light raises the temperature enough to proof dough, so I figured it would work perfectly for seed germination as well. I initially just tried leaving them on the dining room table with no heat, but it got chilly again and we always let the heat bump down when we're not home and during the night. I decided to move them into the oven four days later and within a day and a half they started popping up very quickly. I'm thinking they might have sprouted faster if I had put them in the oven right after starting them.

And luckily I hadn't planned any meals that required the oven, so no reason to turn it on!

[Alpinejs]

Frankly, based on the title of this thread, I had hoped to learn more about
heating pads. I am sure some folks have far better systems than mine. I
bought a "heating pad" (pure junk) that is about 4"X 16" and provides very
little heat. since that was close to worthless, I have taken medical heating pads
and put them inside a plastic trash bag and they work considerably better but I
am convinced that some of you have far better systems and products than thisl

Thanks to Tomatoville for it's thread on diatomaceous earth and to nctomatoman
for his dense seed planting videos on YouTube, I can now get almost my entire
garden and my seedling sales done on three heating pads. Still looking to improve
on that thoughl