Hear Mats- how and when?

[CanadianLori]

I am new to using these and so far am experimenting with using them to speed up germination. Then I am supposed to get the seedlings off them?

I know, basic question but please put in your two cents if you have time.

Thank you
lori 6a

 

[journey11]

I saw an article about using heat mats throughout the seedling growth period that showed that the root development was much better by keeping them on through the whole time. I know peppers definitely like to be warm. They totally stall out on growth if they're not warm enough. Bottom heat is more important than ambient temperature, thus the heat mat.

I have not invested in heat mats yet (really want to!), but have gotten by just by trying to keep the room they are in warm enough. The air in my house is so dry since we burn wood, but the house is nice and warm. I put my seed trays in the warmest room (usually between 74-80 degrees) until they sprout, then they go into the unheated sunroom after that. I think I'll buy an electric heater to keep the sunroom a little warmer this year. I have gotten by like this for years and they have turned out fine, but I think I will get more vigorous growth from my seedlings and off to a better start if I did have a heat mat. All in all, what I really want is a greenhouse!

 

[catjac1975]

I keep them on until I need to start another flat of something else. I have lettuce on one now. I do't normally use it for lettuce but nothing else is yet planted and the green house is a bit cool. They came up in 3-4 days and are growing nicely already -ready to thin after about a week and a few days.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I am new to using these and so far am experimenting with using them to speed up germination. Then I am supposed to get the seedlings off them?

It depends. I know that's a sucky answer

Generally speaking the growing medium (paper towel, coffee filter, ...) Is just there to give some basic help (water and a medium to dig into), and the seeds have enough energy to get started, but they do need some additional nutrients Once they are a week or so into their life.

I'd suggest that right as those little buggers start shooting skyward (I keep mine in a small tuperware, so I wait until the first two leaves pop out). And that tap root is searching for yummies, you prep some small pots and pull each of those seeds out and place them just under a very light layer of soil. Probably just water it with a misting bottle.

To move the seeds/sprouts I'd suggest a set of tweezers. But that tap root and root hairs are very delicate, so if they've dug in at all then you should actually cut the medium and delicately place that piece into dirt.

 

[catjac1975]

I plant seeds in six packs and then thin them to 6-9 plants. I do almost no transplanting-just thinning.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I do both, depending on the situation. Germination with a heat mat is sometimes called for to replicate environmental conditions, other times it's just to get the seeds to sprout a week faster

 

[Smart Red]

When I transplant, I use a sharpened popsicle stick to carefully lift the plant out of the starter. I fear I might be too heavy handed for tweezers. The important thing in transplanting tiny young things with their first true leaves (when I move them) is to NEVER touch the stem. Handle by the roots and support by holding a leaf. NEVER touch the stem because it is so delicate that it is easy to damage the growing cell structure.

This was a learned behavior. Many a tender plant met its fate before I got the message.

 

[journey11]

@CanadianLori , here's a picture of a comparison I found, similar to the one I saw before (which was in a seed catalog, now that I come to think of it.) Scroll down midway to where they talk about warmth. This is demonstrating the difference in pepper seedlings grown with/without continual bottom heat. This has been my experience too, that they are small and piddly and take forever to get going otherwise. The other image I saw was comparing growth and flowering time in begonias, with the more robust plants having flowered first and they were also continually on heat mats. Wish I could get a copy of that for you. Hope this helps.

ETA: In reading reviews for a couple of different heat mats I am looking at buying, I am seeing that it is very important to use one with a thermostat to make sure they don't overheat, especially in hot weather. Several I have looked at didn't come with a thermostat at all.

 

[CanadianLori]

Thank you for the comparison, I will keep up the heat!

 

[catjac1975]

If you have to choose what plants get heat then for me it would be peppers and eggplant.