Heated mat for Tom's and chillies

[Penellype]

Chillies and peppers need a temperature of at least 17 degrees to germinate so it may well be too cold if you turn the mat off.

[Marb67]

It's only going off every other peg so it shouldn't be detrimental as the Tom's have come up. This is going to cost quite a few £ at this rate.

[Jungle Jane]

I’ve never used a heat mat or heated propagation,my peppers are on the bathroom windowsill with a cling film lid waiting for germination,haven’t sowed tomatoes yet,will do this month. Sometimes peppers can take 14 days plus,F1 varieties are more uniform in germination but heirloom or non hybrid germinate sometimes a week apart from each other. I’d either take the tomato trays out from the heat mat or turn the heat mat off but cover the peppers with a clear plastic lid/cling film/glass sheet to keep the moisture in the compost,without a lid I find it dries too quickly.

[Marb67]

I have taken them off the mat and kept the lids on in the windowsill. I might add a bit more compost to the toms to shore up the long stems and strengthen them.

Would the mat be ok for sowing such things as peas, salads ?

[Jungle Jane]

The lid will be better off the toms now they’re germinated,to get more light. Leggy toms,when I pot them into three inch pots,I make a deep well in the pot so the root ball goes at the bottom of the pot,I leave about 1cm of compost underneath the rootball,roots grow all up the stem that’s buried. I imagine a heat mat would be good for all seeds,like the sun warming soil.
Edit - I wouldn’t use heat for lettuce

[Penellype]

You could use a heat mat for things like peas, but there is no need. I would keep it for the summer crops like courgettes, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes etc. I will be turning mine off for a while once the latest lot of peppers germinate. It may go back on for the outdoor tomatoes in April if the weather is cold as the heat mat is cheaper than heating the whole room.

[Marb67]

OK, thanks. Should I turn the mat on for the chillies which have still nor germinated or just leave the lid on ?

[Penellype]

OK, thanks. Should I turn the mat on for the chillies which have still nor germinated or just leave the lid on ?

It depends on how warm the room is. The chillies need at least 17 degrees to germinate, so if your room is cooler than that you probably need the heat mat on. Many people keep their rooms above 17 degrees when they are in them but they cool down when not in use, so you may need the heat mat on at night for example.

[Marb67]

The room is just about 17 degrees at the moment with no heating on so will perhaps turn it the mat on later but chillies are turning out to be expensive beggars to germinate. We only give 5 min bursts of central heating here and there when required. Could never afford to heat the house all day. Thankfully we have a coal fire and log stove for the evenings. Hot water bottles on laps help in the daytime when sat working.

[Marb67]

Well, almost 2 weeks on at the right temp and not a single chilli seedling. All in date, some brand new seed. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Jungle Jane]

One of my sweet pepper seedlings has germinated this morning,it’s head still hiding in the compost (sowed March 6th) the sun does come on the windowsill to warm the compost sometimes,when we have sun. I don’t have my heating on all the time tho

[Marb67]

One of my sweet pepper seedlings has germinated this morning,it’s head still hiding in the compost (sowed March 6th) the sun does come on the windowsill to warm the compost sometimes,when we have sun. I don’t have my heating on all the time tho

That gives me some hope then Jane

[GingerWench]

Chillies take a long time to germinate. This is completely normal. Some varieties can take up to 30 days +. Leave your mat on all the time to keep them cosy and they'll appear. It's so hard being patient in gardening!

[Marb67]

I can't afford to leave it on for 30 days but the room temp is just about above 17 degrees. I probably missed the window for getting ripened crops in time for late summer by now.

[Mark Rand]

How much power does the mat actually use? I wouldn't expect more than one or two units worth of electricity a day, even when on 24/7.