Why You Need Heat Mat When Growing?

To know the importance of the heat mat for seedling, we need know what's the heat mat is clearly.

Plant heat pad or seedling heat pad is used to fix the germination of seeds. They consist of plastic sheets embedded in heating elements. When you open the mat, it heats and heats your seeds and the soil placed above them.
After the power is plugged in, the basic plant pad will only be turned off and on, and the more advanced heating pad has a temperature regulator. Typically, the heating pad will increase the temperature by 15 ° f (7-8 ° C). These heat pads are usually used early in the growing season to accelerate seed germination.

Then we will introduce you the advantages of the heat mat.

Plant heat mats are used to help grow vegetable seeds. When you grow vegetables at home, whether outside or inside the greenhouse, you want to make full use of the growing season. Especially when you try to plant seeds in a colder room, such as a basement or an unheated greenhouse, the seedling heat pad will help your seeds germinate.
We tend to use our heating pads for temperature sensitive crops that take longer to grow, such as onions and tomatoes. For impatient people, when the long winter is over, they can't wait to start growing again. The plant heat pad is a small spring booster.
The seedling heat pad will help you optimize the germination process and increase your chances of success.

How to use heat mat?

Place a heating mat under the seed initiation platform, cell tray or even a separate flowerpot. Please be patient, as the mat may take several days to warm the soil, especially for deep or large basins. Check the soil with a soil thermometer every day. Even the heating pad with thermostat should be checked occasionally to ensure that the thermostat is accurate. If the soil is too hot, lift the tray or container slightly with a thin piece of wood or insulation pad. Seedlings become weak and grow in vain when they are too hot. Generally speaking, you should remove the seedlings from the heat source and put them under strong light immediately after they germinate. However, if the room is cool, consider placing the seedlings on a warm mat until the temperature rises. As mentioned above, you may need to lift the container slightly to prevent overheating. Check the soil moisture every day. Warm soil dries faster than cool, moist soil.