I have a couple of small propagators which are great, but I’m thinking of buying a heat mat so I can put seed trays on them. Any advice / recommendations of what to buy? It’s for inside the house.
I bought a couple from Amazon last year… They weren’t very expensive (about £20 for the pair), and don’t have a thermostat or anything fancy. Given they only run at around 50W I just leave them on all the time when they’re in use.
They now live in my little greenhouse to help get seedlings started and we’re a real boon at the start of last year.
Thank you - useful, as I was wondering if one with a thermostat was necessary- sounds like it isn’t!
My old mat finally bit the dust last year. I’ve bought a new one from The Greenhouse People. Mine does have a thermostat which means I can decide the temperature I need. I use it as follow on from the propagator in April/May when we get very mixed weather. Without the thermostat I think it would a) waste energy b) overheat plants.
Really interesting thanks @ChairmanBen @LynneO and @RuthHenrietta for starting the discussion. I’ve been thinking about getting some for later in the year too so this is really helpful.
Thanks - good to have that perspective too… decisions, decisions!
Hi Ruth, I’ve used heat mats a lot for propagation. My two don’t have thermostats in them, but you can buy them as an add-on later if you like (mine are BioGreen mats from Two Wests & Elliotts). To adjust the temperature and ensure it’s evenly spread, I place polystyrene sheets under the seed trays/pots, on top of the mat. Generally the mats run quite hot, so this allows you to cool things down a little, depending on what you are propagating. The mats roll up when not in use which makes storage simple. You can simply buy a cheap, unheated clear plastic propagating lid to sit on top of a seed tray. I used the mats this winter a lot, for growing hardy winter salads and pea shoots, which would otherwise struggle with no bottom heat. Hope this helps. Lx
Thanks so much Lucy, that’s useful advice to add to the mix!
@lucyc - I’ve bitten the bullet and bought a BioGreen mat without a thermostat… will see what happens!
Ah, brilliant Ruth - good luck! I’m sure you’ll love them :-))
I put some seedlings in my grow house and the Frost froze the soil. Luckily I popped them in the house and now their starting to sprout.
Would a heat mat have prevented this