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Growing from Seed

Heat mats : is thermostat a must have ?

13 years ago

Im planning on getting 2 20x20 mats or 1 20x48 Hydrofarm mats , none of which are commercial size/type mats of course . Question is , do I need to get a thermostat (digital) ? What exactly is the function of this ? Would the mats get too hot or not hot enough without it ? Does it shut off power to manitain exact temperature needed ? Completely clueless here , would appreciate any help please !

On a side note , I have large glass domes at home , offering full sun .Would these be useful for seedlings or would they be for the most part a bit too sunny and wilt them ?

TIA !

V

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Comments (7)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years ago
The thermostat is very important in my opinion. The germination medium should never exceed a reasonable temperature plus it should be maintained evenly until you unplug the mats after germination has occurred. Like any thermostat, it will turn the heat the on and off, regulating the temperature accordingly.

I'd think that the glass domes would be too hot. You don't want to cover the seedlings with something that doesn't allow for some fresh air circulation.
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calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
13 years ago
Heat mats often contain thermostats preset for 70 degrees, similar to those built in to electric blankets for safety sake. Check the specs on the mats you are considering. Al
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My point of view is that I grow a lot of weird varieties from time to time. A LOT of times certain seeds NEED a constant temp. to germinate. They just won't germinate at 70-75 degrees or whatever. They NEED 77-79 degrees ONLY to sprout. Too hot or cold 1 in 30 seeds MIGHT sprout. At 77-79 degrees I get 1 in 5 to sprout if not more. It depends on your grow. ALSO I had problems with learning how to properly use heat mats. YOU MUST insulate the heat mat from what it is placed on (without the thermostat). OR the shelf/whatever either gets too hot/obsorbs all the heat and your soil is cold... Without the thermostat you are relying on the mat itself to regulate it's temp. Sitting on a warm shelf that it heated up doesn't let the stuff on top get warm enough. I find a LOT of basement growers complining about cold seed trays,without thermostats. regulating the heat on un insulated mats adds too many variables to get the heat wher it is needed. Mat runs on a wire rack acording to room temp. You cook your seed trays. On a heat conductive surface the trays get too cold.The mat feels a warm shelf it's set on and shuts off.Cold seed trays result. Once they put scraps of the 1 inch packing styrofaom sheets under the mats their problem was solved. Just adding a sheet of packing styrofoam CAN make a BIG difference. Just something to think about,depending on your grow. The bigger it is,the more important it is to get even sprouting and growth. Especially when you have a winter/short season. for a single 72 cell starter or several 12 cell startes. I find the smaller ones are a LOT easier to get the bigger/early stuff out of without messing up the cells around the sprout I want to pot up... http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM004351.jpg.html?sort=2&o=1058 Covered mini greenhouses add up to the same amount of cells and take up the same space. They are just easier to work with. http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/IM004352.jpg.html?sort=2&o=1059
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wordwiz
13 years ago
I use a waterbed heater for my heat mat. Has a thermostat. As for the dome - I keep one on my mix until the first seed germinates then it comes off.

Mike
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oregonwoodsmoke
13 years ago
Yes.

Plus a soil thermometer, so you can double check that soil temperature is correct.
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sisterrific
13 years ago
last year, I used the same Hydrofarm heat mats without a thermostat without any problems. (and with much faster germination rates than the year before!) I think they are preset to a certain temperature.
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keriann_lakegeneva
13 years ago
I use heating blankets with no thermostat but I do check it 3 times a day to make sure it has not over heated, and yes, that is the main purpose (in my opinion) of the thermostat, to prevent overheating.

I agree with the above comments, a glass dome is much too hot for seedlings and they need more consistant light then the sun at that time of the year.

What are you planning on sowing?

Keriann~
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greenpassion
13 years ago
I am jealous! I can't afford heat mats. I use my studio as a 'nursery' beginning in early spring. It's heated in there with propane heat. (The main house is oil, and my studio is an attatched building) I have had sucess every year by using the jump start grow lights on a large table, keeping the room around 70, and using a small fan to keep the air circulating. Prior to using the fan I had real trouble with damping off and lost many trays of seedlings. I wish I could use heat mats, but really, without them it's fine. The cost of heating that room is like maybe 50.00 a year. This winter I plan on overwintering many of my tropicals in there and still use the other side to paint.
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