Heat Mats

heathrjoy Silsbee, TX(Zone 9a) Sep 09, 2005

I'm looking into getting a heating mat or two. I'm wondering what everyone else uses and their experience with them? Has anyone used a water bed heater and how did it work? WB heaters are so much cheaper, but are they safe and do the temps go low enough? Can you sit pots and seed trays directly on top of WB heaters?

I need one heater for rooting a Plumeria and another for starting seeds.

Thanks for any help, suggestions or info. I appreciate it!
Heather

Post #1748947

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critterologist Frederick, MD(Zone 6b) Sep 09, 2005

I got a pair of them from Park Seeds last year, with a temperature controller. My pepper seedlings looked better than they ever had before -- big & sturdy & already blooming when I set them out! -- and I think it was the heat mats. They were great for germinating tomato seeds in record time, too, but it turned out to be important to take these off the mats at the first sign of germination, or very leggy seedlings will result.

In the past, I've put a couple of 40 watt incandescent "up lights" below a metal shelf to warm a couple of flats of seedlings. I also successfully used the electric light in my oven for starting a few seeds, but had to prop the door open about an inch with a towel and monitor the temperature pretty closely.

I'm very pleased with my "official" heat mats. I don't know about water bed heaters, but I think somebody posted plans for making an enclosed box that's heated with an incandescent light bulb attached to a thermostatic switch... that seemed simple & economical. Here's a thread: http://davesgarden.com/t/182057/heat%20box

and another thread: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/491902/

I know this was discussed in several threads last spring, mostly in this forum.