What kind of heat mat?

I've been kinda sorta looking at heat mats. One was recommended but it's probably more than I need, large comes w/ trays and starter plugs.
I'd kinda like something a little smaller I think......mostly for specialty seeds....that I'm not sprouting tons of at once.

thanks
mj

Look online at Harris Seed Company. I have one of the 4'X1' type that costs like $114. It worked well for me this year. This is my first year trying one. Sorry I can't give you a specific name right now.

If you're looking for smaller/cheaper, most places that sell seed starting stuff will have ones that are the size to fit one flat for ~$20-30. That's the kind that I always use.

Well, we were in Lowes today and they actually had one there. Came as a kit from Ferry -Morse. w/ tray and the little seed starter pellets. I'm not so sure I'm that crazy about the seed starter pellets but figured I'd find some use for them. I'm going to cut the trays into sections so I can start different seeds that germinate at different times and not have to fiddle w/ the whole tray. It was 32.00 so I think that was an ok deal for a "starter" till I see if I REALLY need anything more than that.

Do you have a Menards near you? I saw in the flyer they have a kit for sale for $19 it comes with a 10x20 tray and dome, 72 cell tray, a tray to set it on, and the heat mat. If I didn't just buy mine on sale last fall I would have gotten one.

Does anyone know if it would be ok to use the mats that go beneath a reptile aquarium to keep the critter warm? http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_6.htm

If you're going to have to go out and buy something, I'd go for the ones designed for plants--I think by the time you compare prices on similar sizes for the reptile ones vs the plant ones you'll be paying about the same, and the ones that are designed for plants you know will give you the right temperature and also will stand up to some water being splashed on it, etc. With the reptile ones I'd worry the temperature wouldn't be right unless you buy a thermostat too, and I'm not sure if they're able to get wet at all. If you've already got the reptile heaters and are looking to repurpose then I'd investigate what temperature they get up to so you know whether you'll need a thermostat or not, and also see whether they can hold up to a little bit of water.

No, don't have a Menard's near me. I'll give this one from Ferry-Morse a try. If I'm not happy w/ that later on I'll get another. For the most part I've been able to get annuals and veggies and even some other things to germinate just fine on my screened in porch which gets nice bright light. I think this winter we've had so much more cold weather than normal that may have contributed to some things not coming up. I do have tho some 'finicky" vines ( pipevine and passi's) that it seems to me I'll do better w/ a heat mat. But don't need a huge one.

I saw the reptile mats on craigslist, and was just wondering....but yeah, no use in burning the whole house down just to save a few bucks! Thanks!

there's a co-op that has these for a discount for any DG members. I ordered from there and felt like I got a good deal, and it arrived fairly quickly.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/926025/

One might question whether the circumstances really require a heat mat or not. If temperatures approximate normal room temperature (20 deg C, 70 deg F), then scientific study would say not.

From Dr. N. Deno's Second Supplement to Seed Germination Theory and Practice, pg.3:
"Bottom heat and temperatures above 70F have often been recommended for germination, particularly of the common garden vegetables and annuals. Henry M. Cathey has already studied this question extensively, and his results were published in... 1969. He studied germination at five degree intervals from 50-85 F. Germination was usually optimum around 70, and temperatures down to 50, or up to 85 often result in markedly lower germination. I have studied germination at 40 and 70 for most of the species studied by Cathey and confirm that germination at 70 is satisfactory... Both Cathey's results and my own indicate that temperatures above 70 are neither necessary or desirable for germination... Why have temperatures above 70 been recommended so often? Many of the recommendations in the literature are inferential such as recommendations to use heating cables or place the seed flats on hot pads or other warm surfaces such as the top of a refrigerator. There are possibly two reasons for these traditional concepts. Many greenhouses in spring may be at temperatures significantly below 70 and particularly the soil temperatures are below 70. Bottom heat could be helpful. Secondly, a century ago temperatures inside houses were colder than the 70 which is now customary. In such colder houses bottom heat was beneficial in order to raise the temperature to 70."

In the winter here we rarely use the heat and it can often be below 65 in the house.