Heat Mat Question

12 years ago

I have two flats of cucumbers. One has sprouted and the next is just beginning to sprout. I am using a 4 foot shop light for them but the heat mat that I have is not long enough to accommodate both flats under the light. (They both get heat though).

At what point can I remove the plants from the heat mat so they both get light?

It's about 69 degrees in the basement where they are growing.

Most likely I'll have one flat under the light and the heat mat and the other flat will be just under the light.

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Comments (12)

farmermiller01
Original Author
12 years ago
This is how I intend to leave them until they're ready for planting
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Also, I just gave them a good spraying with my spray bottle. I just noticed there was a mix of peroxide and water in there, probably a 1:5 ratio since I could hear them fizzing. Anyone know if this is good or bad for the plants?
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
12 years ago
Light way too high.

Nonetheless, not too long after germination.

Dan
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farmermiller01
Original Author
12 years ago
Yep, good point. I usually keep it about no more than 2 inches above the plants. I just wanted to get a good shot of everything.
mandolls
12 years ago
A lot of people use a diluted peroxide mix to help control fungus on seedlings, - but If you can hear it fizzing that sounds like a bit much. I have heard a tblsp or two per quart of water.

Once they have sprouted they dont need the heat mat. I recommend beginning to harden them off outside as soon as they have the first set of true leaves, and getting them in the ground sooner rather than later. I am in zone 4 and mine are planted outside. They grow fast!
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jimster
12 years ago
Below is a link to a long running thread on hydrogen peroxide. Pretty interesting.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrogen Peroxide
farmermiller01
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Jim & Mandolls!

That U trellis is an awesome idea, I can't believe I have never thought to use them before. You're lucky that you don't have a problem with wild rabbits tearing through your cucumbers :(

Would you say the pictures that I put up earlier of the cucumbers are the cotyledons and not the true leaves? I think I saw very tiny true leaves just starting at the tip of the plants.
denninmi
12 years ago
I remove flats from the heat as soon as about 75% of the seeds have germinated and emerged. While heat after that does speed growth, as long as they're not too cold, its not really necessary for them any longer at that point, and the real estate on the heat mat is too valuable at peak season for malingering.
farmermiller01
Original Author
12 years ago
Cool, I don't plan on having any more seedlings this year since I have already expanded my garden about four times. Here's what 3 days difference has done with the advice from everyone :)

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farmermiller01
Original Author
12 years ago
It's worth mentioning as well, I started soaking seeds in water and peroxide. The flat on the right has the left half of it (4 rows) in peroxide and the other 4 rows to the right in water. It's clear that soaking the seeds in water contributed to healthier seedlings than the peroxide.

I also watered the plants with a somewhat strong mixture of peroxide and water on the right since I could hear them fizzing when I watered them. I believe that this caused the mild burns on the leaves as easily seen in the middle picture but also caused a very nice deep green.

Thoughts?
mandolls
12 years ago
They are looking good. Thats a whole lot of cucumbers! And the peroxide thread is very interesting. - thanks Jim

The cattle panel arch is something I picked up from this forum. I put in four of them this year. Last year I grew my cukes on the fence, but it was a cheapo plastic roll fence and it was pretty saggy by the end of the fall. They also ended up shading out to many of the other plants. I like the look of the arches, but havent decided what else to plant under and around them. I may try to see if I can keep lettuce going under there during the summer heat.

Luckily my neighbor is handy with his pellet gun and keeps the rabbit population at a minimum. So far they havent been an issue.
farmermiller01
Original Author
12 years ago
I looked into cattle panel arches and I figured it would be too much for me to undertake since the stores by me (Home depot /Lowes) don't carry such materials. I did find something that could work, which is rabbit wire. I'm not going to put a U trellis in until I have to but if I do that will probably be the material that I use. I'll have to update with some pictures soon.
glib
12 years ago
Cattle panels will be found at TSC. You may consider germinating the cuke seeds in coffee filters, then transplanting them onto their cells. This method avoids heat mats (which promote disease if left on too long) entirely, and (I am perhaps overly thrifty) saves seeds. In my setup, I use a 14W (note wattage! regular bulbs give me 100+ temps) light inside an ice chest. The seeds are inside a wet coffee filter inside a ziploc bag. By opening the lid more or less, or covering with a sleeping bag, I can generate temperatures from 70 to 90. At 80F, they germinate in two days.