Using A Heat Mat For Seedlings

Alternate to heat mats.

Using a heat mat for seedlings.

Do seedling heat mats grow better plants. Leaving it on may spur rapid lanky weak growth or encourage fungal diseases at the soil level. What is a heat mat for plants and exactly what does it do. Now that i have started growing microgreens more and more i find that having the larger surface area for my heat mats is a much more efficient way to germinate them.

Heating mats will significantly jump start the seedling germination process. So leave the seed starting heat mat on all the time. Here the best choice is the hydrofarm 48 x20 heat mat with a jump start heat mat thermostat. Product title ipower small seedling heat mat 10 x 20 5 warm hydr.

4 5 out of 5 stars based on 13 reviews 13 ratings current price 21 75 21. How good are seedling heat mats. If you cannot afford a seedling mat then there is another way to add little heat to the soil or growing medium. You ll see an increased number of successful seeds as well as faster grow times.

With a heat mat we can ensure quick and reliable sprouting for our vegetables. Do i keep it on after the seeds have sprouted. I found no information that suggests heating mats grow healthier plants. The better idea is investing in seedling heat mats use them for many years or whenever you need to germinate.

However you can speed up their germination process when you provide more warmth for vegetable seeds. Our seedling sprouting area is near our windows and since we start our spring garden seedlings in january it can get pretty cold for them. Using a seedling heat mat is the cheap and easy way to provide the optimal conditions for your vegetable seeds. Most mats are designed to heat roughly 10 20 degrees above the current room temperature.

Heat mats are rarely necessary for starting garden plants with lower temperature requirements such as tomatoes. They are useful for rooting cuttings heat mats are marketed as a propagation mat or seedling heat mats as well but the function is the same. The germination mat helps keep an even germination temperature between 65 80 f. The claim is that heating mats increase the temperature by 10 20f 5 11c.

Heat mats have one basic function which is to gently warm the soil thus promoting faster germination and strong healthy seedlings. Turn the seed starting heat mat off and put it away once the seedlings come up.