Most home gardeners do not need one.
Using a heat mat to grow seedlings fast.
How to use seedling mats.
Once the seed has germinated they should be removed from the mat.
This could be a natural or artificial light source.
Expert growers grow warm crops throughout the year by creating warm conditions for their plants.
Seedling heat mat make it easy to grow tomatoes lettuce broccoli peppers eggplants etc at any time of the year.
Heat mats have one basic function which is to gently warm the soil thus promoting faster germination and strong healthy seedlings.
Seedling heat mats should really be called germination heat mats.
Seed mats come in many sizes but i always suggest to size up.
These are all warm crops and they do not survive in cold conditions.
Some seeds require total darkness for germination.
The idea of turning it off at night usually springs from the observation that the earth cools at night and warms up again in the day thanks to the sun.
How to use a thermometer for seedlings.
They are useful for rooting cuttings.
Check your seed packages to determine the ideal temperature and light exposure for seed germination.
To make sure the mat is accurate we also use an extra thermometer that gets inserted directly into the soil.
Since a heat mat can be pricey at 30 50 you want it to grow with you because maybe next year your garden will be twice the size.
Do you need a seedling heat mat.
Heat mats are marketed as a propagation mat or seedling heat mats as well but the function is the same.
After i ve sown the seeds and turned on the heat mat do i leave it on all night.