Thanks for the replies. Yes, I should have been more specific! That's what comes of posting right before bedtime.... I would use them for starting tropical bulbs like caladiums, plus mostly annual flower seeds. I'm just recently wanting to get back into growing from seed; I last did it about 20-odd years ago BK (before kids). I had a heat mat back them, but it got lost in the interim. The initial interest was for the bulbs, then I thought, what the heck.... At least initially I won't be doing much. Though everything I start in gardening tends to mushroom very quickly (I was going to say "snowballs" but thought "mushrooms" was more appropriate). I thought of the cables since the heat mat only fits under one flat, and my caladiums alone cover more than that. As far as the seedlings are concerned, I'd use small individual pots or cell packs. Though, rhizo, you have me thinking about those germination flats.....are you using the kind of flat, 8" x 8" or so, that fits into a larger tray? ZM, can that kind of thermostat be used with any heat mat? I wonder if you can plug more than one mat into the same thermostat. I saw someone else was using Christmas lights. (Don't laugh at me for asking! I'm an artist and get into re-purposing a lot. ) They didn't specify what kind, but I'm guessing "rope lights," the kind in the tube. It got my attention because I have a lot of those already that came with my post-Christmas display model Christmas tree. I already used two sets to make above-bookshelf indirect lighting, and noticed they produce a soft warmth. I should put a thermometer on top and see how much.

Hmmm...winter makes me buy plants. To many catalog's and faulty memory for all the work I swore I would curtail next year. Long drawn out mucky/icky springs inspire me also to chase the winter blues away, garden therapy you know. Watching the sizzling summer heat weather reports seems to make me forget all about my cool maritime climate especially when I dream of gardens past...buzzing bees drunken swaying in the hollyhocks, the whine of mosquito s and the scent of bug spray. Autum rolls around, hints of yellowing leaves, shorter days makes me think of purchasing "just a few more bulbs" before winter settles in again. Then there are the memory plants, the ones I grow or purchase because they remind me of people I love or those that have passed...and pass along plants-must not forget those! Old fashioned flowers, the kinds that children delight in picking a big bunch of for their mama's before they head out for home, plants that smell good or have some outstanding feature that carry them beyond the blooming season. I grow plants that self-seed, the ones that knit the garden togather like a quiet friend you always know will help you through the rough patches though you may not see them often. The reasons are as varied and many as the hours I have spent in my gardens.

One of my columbines, OkPrairie, has done surprisingly well in the heat. I wouldn't say it looks stunning, but still has its foliage. I think it is 'Texas Star', so maybe with that name, it has been bred for heat tolerance. The other one is Nora Barlow - the double pink and white, without spurs. It always suffers, so I pulled the dead foliage off, and it has already sprouted new. EEs are tropical and hence, need lots of water. They will let you know, like the spathephyllum does by its weeping foliage, that they need water. In fact, the spaths are also aroids, as are the elephants ears. Do you have regular colocasia esculenta? I have two of these, and they seem to be the worst for water needs. I bought new ones this year, Alocasia plumbea nigra, A. wentii (36" high max, with dark green leathery leaves with maroon back), colocasia esculenta 'Ruffles' (leaves have ruffled edges), colocasia esculenta 'Illustris' (also common), colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic', colocasia esculenta fontanesii (black stemmed with dark purple green foliage), and colocasia gigantea 'Thai Giant' (leaves eventually get 5' long). I also have remusatis vivipara (foliage is like an EE, but at summer's end, like now, they produce these funny little tubercles that come up from the ground about 8" high, and produce bulbils that can be planted for new ones). I also bought another aroid (these are all aroids), pinellia pedetasacta (green dragon), which is a fast growing shade groundcover. It only had 1 leaf on it, and in two weeks, it now has 5 coming up - very pretty! I can't wait until the fontanesii flowers; the spaths are supposed to be white with purple vertical striping! Next year, I am going to break down and grow Amorphophallus konjac and philodendrum binnatifolium, which should be hardy here, according to Tony Avent, and Troy of Bali (who grows amorphs out the gazoo). I would also like to start some of the species calla lilies. I have gone aroiderserk! Sorry, I'll get off my aroid bench now! Susan

Rina - these plants and some other tropical succulents are very temperature sensitive. Although my apartment probably won't get colder than 65 degrees F, I'm worried that the draft from the windows will make it colder, especially in like January or February when it get bitterly cold here. Minty - the indoor temps would be at least 65+, but for a lot of Somalian and Soqotran succulents, that is literally the lowest advisable temperature I have seen on the internet. I would probably want to put all my Dorstenias (gigas, lavrani, foetida, barnimiana, cuspidata, and zanzibarica), all my Pseudolithos (2xcubiformis, dodsoniana, miguirtinus), some of my other Asclepiads (Whitesloanea crassa, Stapelianthus madagascariensis and decaryi, Echidnopsis specksii) and a few Malagasy Euphorbs (tulearensis, bongolavensis, cylindrifolia var. tubifera, maybe a few more small species) on the heat mats. cactus - yeah, these species are kind of tricky that way! their winter is more of a dry mild warm season that a cold one. I think you're right, I wouldn't want to give like 80 degree bottom heat during winter, but I've been reading online and some people say that keeping their root zones around at least 70 degrees can help these plants survive the winter more easily dog - thanks for the info!! your gigas is beautiful :-) i see you have some D. lavranis heating up as well! if you don't mind me asking, does running the heat mat during winter raise your electric bill a lot? you can PM me about it if you like, or you don't have to answer if that's too personal!