Seed Heat pads, way more trouble than there worth.

I use a heat mat and would not do without it. After wasting *hundreds* of seeds to experimentation, I've found that the one thing that makes the most difference is a heat mat. You have to dial it in before using it - period. Mine is a digital but I still put a small thermometer with the seeds just to make sure.
 
Hey Pot, you old rascal....Well put. Nothing seems to effect the "baby girls" so negatively as crazy temp fluctuations.
I sure as hell wouldn't leave home without MY Hydro-Farm heat mat, LOL.
Good to see you around and full good advice my friend. And BTW, I'm thinking by the time you get to CA, it's gonna be legal!
PM me & give me the "Wuz Up". Good luck & good grow to ALL.......BB
 
Burger Boss said:
Hey Pot, you old rascal....Well put. Nothing seems to effect the "baby girls" so negatively as crazy temp fluctuations.
I sure as hell wouldn't leave home without MY Hydro-Farm heat mat, LOL.
Good to see you around and full good advice my friend. And BTW, I'm thinking by the time you get to CA, it's gonna be legal!
PM me & give me the "Wuz Up". Good luck & good grow to ALL.......BB
Click to expand...
Hell yeah man!! We're still looking at northern Cali. It's such a pita to find work unless you live there. Will PM you in a bit.
 
I hooked up my fan speed controller to the heat mat and am testing it out figuring out what setting equal what temp. What is the best setting for seeds and seedlings? I remember someone mentioning 80.
Me fucking up those seeds was my own fault but why would they make a seed heat mat that gets that hot??? If i would have known you had to have a temp controller i definitely would have bought one but niave me figured a seed heat mat would only get as hot as needed. Im thinking i might have gotten a faulty one becouse even without out a temp contoller it should not have got hot enough to melt the bottom of the propagation tray a little. O'well leason learned.
Thanks for the reply
BigBudE
 
BigBudE said:
I hooked up my fan speed controller to the heat mat and am testing it out figuring out what setting equal what temp. What is the best setting for seeds and seedlings? I remember someone mentioning 80.
Me fucking up those seeds was my own fault but why would they make a seed heat mat that gets that hot??? If i would have known you had to have a temp controller i definitely would have bought one but niave me figured a seed heat mat would only get as hot as needed. Im thinking i might have gotten a faulty one becouse even without out a temp contoller it should not have got hot enough to melt the bottom of the propagation tray a little. O'well leason learned.
Thanks for the reply
BigBudE
Click to expand...

Jorge Cervantes' book has 78-80 degree soil and 72-74 degree air as ideal conditions for germination.

That heat mat may have been defective, especially if it got so hot it damaged the tray. A couple of years ago I had a car with basically no heat, so I used a seat heating pad that plugged into the cigarette lighter. The heating grid in it went bad in no time and would just fry one side of your ass while everywhere else froze. There was a lot of bouncing and shifting around that winter. :)
 
One thing that has not been pointed out is you don't put the seeds directly on the mat; you put down a face towel first, or put them in rapid rooters, peat pots or what not. I put a dome over mine too. I have it where I can see the thermometer thru the clear plastic.
 
do the thermostats of these heat mats work opposite? example if the room temp is 70 degrees and i set the heat mat to 60 degrees, will it simply not kick on or will it maintain the 60 degree temp? i'm figuring it won't kick on because it is a heating and not a cooling element but i thought the people who have them might know.
 
Total Head said:
do the thermostats of these heat mats work opposite? example if the room temp is 70 degrees and i set the heat mat to 60 degrees, will it simply not kick on or will it maintain the 60 degree temp? i'm figuring it won't kick on because it is a heating and not a cooling element but i thought the people who have them might know.
Click to expand...

Your take is correct. It is a heating pad, it can elevate temps, but not lower them........BB
 
I use propagation tray that has another tray that it sits in to collect the water, and I also use root riot cubes and a humidity dome. This was only my second time using them but the first time was with clones and they worked great and they probally would have worked great this last time if not for me having incredibly bad luck.
BigBudE
 
It surely would help if you guys would check your spelling and grammar so the rest of Us can understand what You're trying to say. It only takes a few seconds to make sure you got it right. Thank You.
 
If You have a thermostat but You do have a timer set it to go on for 30 minutes and off for 15 minutes. And if You do have a thermostat set it for 85 degrees and fo get about it. Little Italian humor there!
 
TiresMakeContactwRoad said:
I just discovered this problem today. Fried 4x 2020 biscautos and 6 mint macaron auto seeds and Im pretty bummed about it
Click to expand...

Yeah, you really need the thermostat if you're going to use a heat-mat. I have a few therms and 4 or 5 mats, I run a few mats per thermostat and it works perfectly. Not only do I use them for seeding but I use them for younger seedlings to keep the soil zone at a reasonable temperature. They also work well for brewing and baking if you play with yeast hobbies.
 
Don’t use heat mats this time of year unless you grow in an Igloo…you’ll end up with mush…. Break them out for colder times of the year …
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
New autoflower grow , speedrun seeds / co2 . New system “for the most part “
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
3K
DoubleD5374
D
D
4x4 autoflower grow speedrun genetics autopots 9 gallon xxl coco coir
Replies
13
Views
1K
DoubleD5374
D
gr865
Starting seeds to go into ebb and flow buckets.
Replies
3
Views
499
gr865
gr865
F
RDWC HELP!
Replies
5
Views
848
amneziaHaze
amneziaHaze
H
Germinating seeds on heat pad?
Replies
5
Views
379
NARDS
N
Back
Top