Good info thanks 1:07 #1 Using heat mats for the wrong seeds 2:05 #2 Putting too many trays on one heat mat 4:14 #3 Turning your heat mat on and off 5:24 #4 Not turning your heat mat off 6:35 #5 Not using a humidity dome
Important to use a regulator. Heat pads without get 20 degrees hotter than ambient temperature in room. I failed to chain link my 3 pads together and they were hot like 94 which is too hot for most seeds. Germination was poor and had to replant.
My mom is starting some flower seeds with a heating pad and a short dome. The temp of the dirt reads at about 102F, which I was trying to tell her seems high, but she says it’s ok. The Zinnia’s sprouted in 2 days, and some of the mixed cut flower seeds sprouted soon after, but seem to be dying off. What is too hot for seeds? And, when do you take the trays off the mat? As soon as you get little sprouts? Thanks
I noticed that there was one heat mat directly on a wire grid. Very inefficient, as it loses more heat to the surroundings than goes into the plant. If you want the heat mat to function properly it should be placed on an insulating sheet, so that most of the heat will go into the tray above it. I use a cheap Owens Corning 1/2" R-3 Rigid Foam Board Insulation, (a 4'x8' sheet is $19 at Home Depot) under my 2'x4' heat mat as well as using a digital temperature controller. That way you save money on electricity while keeping the plants at precisely the temperature you set. Digital temperature controllers are inexpensive, about $15 at Amazon.
Great advice! We did have ours on racks but it still helps and does wonders especially when using a humidity dome. It gets just the right temperature and you don’t even need to use a temperature gage. It’s worked great for the 1,000+ plants that we grow here on the farm. Thank you for sharing!
OMG. Im so glad i saw your video. I had no idea that certain seeds do not want a heat mat. I thought they all benefit from it. I planted cabbage, bok choy, poblanos in a 40 cell tray and placed on a heat mat with a dome over it 3 days ago. The bok choy was the only ones that sprouted. I immediately took them off the heat mat after i saw this. Do u think i should keep the dome over it? Should i put them under grow lights? Or dark place?
Not all benefit! Heat mats are mainly used for warm weather crops. Brassicas and cooler veggies don’t prefer the warmth that heat mats provide. In the future, I would do a full flat of the same type of crop to limit issues. Using a dome does help to keep in humidity even if your not using a mat, so I think it’s totally fine if you go that route. Thank you for watching and hope you enjoyed!
Hi, another good video with lots of useful information. Personally I always use a thermostat with my heat mats to set and regulate the temperature required. Also some kind of insulation under the heat mat is helpful. Have fun, Mark : )
Finding you in my feed made my day...an answer to my prayers for more youth to explore land-based living! Good job, I'm looking forward to watching you grow forward!
Thank you so much! I love what I do and hope to reach as many people as possible one day to help them learn more about the art of gardening! Thanks for watching, and really appreciate the support!
HERE is an innovative idea>>> A weed farmer in California (where else?) scavenged a few BROKEN commercial refrigerators from a scrap dealer. He fixed the inside light, cut the cord to the compressors and uses them for seed germination. He places his seed trays inside on growpads & the insulation to keep the refer cold, keeps it warm. WOW. Starting refer in a refer. Whoda thought? Reuse-Recycle-Repurpose just like any good hippie would. !
New subscriber Thanks for correcting my MANY errors using heat mat... I'm confused of when to put on humidity dome since I had a fungal issue and replant and you said only water first time? I kept misting everyday... So makes sense to water initially, use humidity dome with venting and won't mist... misted to prevent dry seeds???? WOW you're Awesome, Thanks for information🌎
You are very welcome! Yeah, if you don’t cover the mats with a humidity dome, they will dry out very fast and misting them constantly can cause inconsistent moisture issues. I’m so glad you found this helpful and appreciate the support! Happy gardening 🙂
Yeah you’ve got it! As soon as they break the surface, you can remove the dome. They don’t like the excess moisture and humidity and can sometimes lead to rot. Great question and thanks for watching 🙂
Great question! I would recommend putting them on a heat mat. It works wonders for Basil but make sure to take them off the mat as soon as they start germinating. Thanks for watching 🙂
Good info thanks
1:07 #1 Using heat mats for the wrong seeds
2:05 #2 Putting too many trays on one heat mat
4:14 #3 Turning your heat mat on and off
5:24 #4 Not turning your heat mat off
6:35 #5 Not using a humidity dome
Thank you for adding this! UA-cam doesn’t allow me to put chapters on my video until I reach 1,000 subscribers. I appreciate this!
Be sure that it doesnt get to warm.
It can be very very bad .
Some have a thermostat so it doesnt get to hot
Thank you for the great information. Keep up the good work.
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
That was very helpful, thank you. ❤
Important to use a regulator. Heat pads without get 20 degrees hotter than ambient temperature in room.
I failed to chain link my 3 pads together and they were hot like 94 which is too hot for most seeds. Germination was poor and had to replant.
Good info. Thanks!
My mom is starting some flower seeds with a heating pad and a short dome. The temp of the dirt reads at about 102F, which I was trying to tell her seems high, but she says it’s ok. The Zinnia’s sprouted in 2 days, and some of the mixed cut flower seeds sprouted soon after, but seem to be dying off. What is too hot for seeds? And, when do you take the trays off the mat? As soon as you get little sprouts? Thanks
I noticed that there was one heat mat directly on a wire grid. Very inefficient, as it loses more heat to the surroundings than goes into the plant. If you want the heat mat to function properly it should be placed on an insulating sheet, so that most of the heat will go into the tray above it. I use a cheap Owens Corning 1/2" R-3 Rigid Foam Board Insulation, (a 4'x8' sheet is $19 at Home Depot) under my 2'x4' heat mat as well as using a digital temperature controller. That way you save money on electricity while keeping the plants at precisely the temperature you set. Digital temperature controllers are inexpensive, about $15 at Amazon.
Great advice! We did have ours on racks but it still helps and does wonders especially when using a humidity dome. It gets just the right temperature and you don’t even need to use a temperature gage. It’s worked great for the 1,000+ plants that we grow here on the farm. Thank you for sharing!
OMG. Im so glad i saw your video. I had no idea that certain seeds do not want a heat mat. I thought they all benefit from it. I planted cabbage, bok choy, poblanos in a 40 cell tray and placed on a heat mat with a dome over it 3 days ago. The bok choy was the only ones that sprouted. I immediately took them off the heat mat after i saw this. Do u think i should keep the dome over it? Should i put them under grow lights? Or dark place?
Not all benefit! Heat mats are mainly used for warm weather crops. Brassicas and cooler veggies don’t prefer the warmth that heat mats provide. In the future, I would do a full flat of the same type of crop to limit issues. Using a dome does help to keep in humidity even if your not using a mat, so I think it’s totally fine if you go that route. Thank you for watching and hope you enjoyed!
Once seeds sprout turn mat off.
Hi, another good video with lots of useful information. Personally I always use a thermostat with my heat mats to set and regulate the temperature required. Also some kind of insulation under the heat mat is helpful. Have fun, Mark : )
Finding you in my feed made my day...an answer to my prayers for more youth to explore land-based living! Good job, I'm looking forward to watching you grow forward!
Thank you so much! I love what I do and hope to reach as many people as possible one day to help them learn more about the art of gardening! Thanks for watching, and really appreciate the support!
HERE is an innovative idea>>>
A weed farmer in California (where else?) scavenged a few BROKEN
commercial refrigerators from a scrap dealer. He fixed the inside light,
cut the cord to the compressors and uses them for seed germination.
He places his seed trays inside on growpads & the insulation to keep the
refer cold, keeps it warm. WOW. Starting refer in a refer. Whoda thought?
Reuse-Recycle-Repurpose just like any good hippie would.
!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Great info. Now to figure out how to keep my cat from claiming the mat.
I LOVE this video! Nice intro, well explained, and makes me excited to get planting. Happy Spring!
Thank you so much! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Thank you, you might just have saved my seedlings.
I’m so glad to hear this! Happy Gardening!
New subscriber Thanks for correcting my MANY errors using heat mat... I'm confused of when to put on humidity dome since I had a fungal issue and replant and you said only water first time? I kept misting everyday... So makes sense to water initially, use humidity dome with venting and won't mist... misted to prevent dry seeds???? WOW you're Awesome, Thanks for information🌎
You are very welcome! Yeah, if you don’t cover the mats with a humidity dome, they will dry out very fast and misting them constantly can cause inconsistent moisture issues. I’m so glad you found this helpful and appreciate the support! Happy gardening 🙂
When should I remove the humidity dome? After the seeds have germinated & removed from the heat mat?
Yeah you’ve got it! As soon as they break the surface, you can remove the dome. They don’t like the excess moisture and humidity and can sometimes lead to rot. Great question and thanks for watching 🙂
Does basil need a heating pad?
Great question! I would recommend putting them on a heat mat. It works wonders for Basil but make sure to take them off the mat as soon as they start germinating. Thanks for watching 🙂