1 Pack Seedling Heat Mat with Digital Thermostat Controller,10″ x 20.75″ Temperature Control Waterproof Heating Pad for Seed Starting Indoor Plants Germination

I have used a number of different types of plant heating mats but never one with an adjustable temperature range and current temperature readout. All the others had a single temperature set somewhere within the typical desired range for plant propagation but I appreciate being able to set that myself since some seeds prefer a particularly low or high temperature for best germination. I set this mat on 75 deg.F when the initial temperature of the soil in one pot was 67. This was in the evening and, when I checked the next morning, the soil had reached 75 deg.F. I had loaded the mat with 2 pots of hibiscus cuttings, 2 pots of rose cuttings and two 12-packs that had been planted with swiss chard seeds. All the various pots felt warm. As the pic shows, I have a single-tube grow light over these plants as it is not too well-lit in this room. I know the instructions warn you to not use a grow light with this mat because it might cause soil to dry out but, first of all, many seeds require light to germinate (and, therefore, very shallow or even surface sowing) and unless the light is throwing off lots of heat, the soil is not going to dry out faster than without the light. The light I have set up (mounted on a paint can plus a box at either end) is actually cool to the touch so I have no worries. I have used this same sort of setup over the years but with a fluorescent shop light instead and have had good results. I expect that success to continue with an LED. By the way, I have directly felt the mat a few times and it is never hot enough to make me remove my hand due to any discomfort. I would suggest that if you get one of these mats and find that the surface of the mat is too hot to the touch, it is defective and you should get a replacement. I tried to keep all the pots a least 1/2- to 3/4-inch away from the edges as I didn’t feel heat in that outer zone. Their instructions say you should remove pots from the mat when 1/2 of the seedlings have germinated. Personally I would leave them until most had germinated and maybe even beyond that if it’s winter and you can give them enough light to not get spindly. They will enjoy the warm roots.