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WalrusBoy
member
Member Since: 03/16/2013
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Member Since: 03/16/2013
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Fickle Spring
cookinwithherbs | April 17th, 2018
Grow a Pie with this Garden Plant
WesternGardener | April 16th, 2018
Cultivating and Harvesting Hops (Humulus lupulus)
cookinwithherbs | April 10th, 2018
How to Plant Perennial Horseradish
WesternGardener | April 9th, 2018
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Re: DIY Heat Mat Speeds Seed Starting
I built something similar two seasons back it it works really well. The tomatoes love it - I usually have them sprouting in four or five days (most of them are up now and they were seeded last Sunday - six days ago!).
posted: 1:49 pm on March 16thIncandescent elements work the best and they typically have a higher wattage output(about 1.8 or 1.9 Watts/foot so a 12 foot "rope" gives off about 20W of heat). The LED type has a lower output - about 0.75 W/ft - so not as much heat is produced.
I know the ropes are outdoor rated/certified so are OK to have water dripping on them (plus the ends/connectors are sealed when you "slice" them together) but, being an anal engineer type, I wanted something to dissipate the heat produced, so I bought a sheet of heating duct (2'w x 3' long) and screwed that to the top of the furring strips - I though it would keep the heat evenly spread out. seems to do the trick!