Rope Light Seedling Mat

My basement occasionally warms to over 70 f on a sunny day and a 20 f rise in temperature on top of that could mean the death of my seeds.

Rope light seedling mat.

Usually two is enough to provide adequate temperature for this. That s the rope lights. When you are learning to grow from seeds often you might see reference to a heat mat for seedlings. After only two seasons 2 of my 25 00 hydro farm seedling heat mat stopped working.

A similar diy bottom heater option uses lengths of christmas rope light not leds. I bought mine on ebay new hampton bay safe quality rope lignt 24ft kit. Use 1 by 4 inch boards for the sides and 1 by 2s for the bottom slats. Use a 72 cell starter tray in your germination tray and you ll have a great start to your garden in no time.

Thankfully ipower has the beginner in mind with this starter kit. Seedling heat mats typically raise the temperature of your flats or pots 10 to 20 f above ambient room temperature. This is a readers favorite post our how to site. With this in mind here is a quick way to make some heating mats for your seeds and seedlings.

Hlhome led rope lights 16 colors usb rope lights waterproof multi mode rope lights for bedroom starry fairy lights for wedding christmas party home decor 129 price 19. After putting the styrofoam you should loosely fasten some rope lights over that. For a shelf of this size you will probably need several 20 rope lights 2 3. I m now using lcd rope light system for the first time this year.

The two trays in the back are on the heat mat. Unlike the hydro seed mat it s easy to control the temperature and the heat can be evenly distributed. I pulled one of the trays off the heat mat so you could see it better. A typical dimension is 12 by 18 inches and the size keeps the tray light enough to move easily once it s full of wet soil.

Heat mats can really help speed up germination for many seeds especially tomatoes and peppers. The height can be adjusted either by moving the chain links on the lights or by lifting up the sides of the frame itself. In building the mat the rope light weaves around long thin strips of wood and both are attached to a plank of plywood. It includes a sturdy metal light stand a 4 foot t5 grow light a 10 x20 mat to handle one very healthy tray of seedlings and an easy to set thermostat.