Temp Needed For Starting Seeds On A Mat

Our seedling sprouting area is near our windows and since we start our spring garden seedlings in january it can get pretty cold for them.

Temp needed for starting seeds on a mat.

The temperature varies on what you are growing. Heat mats are rarely necessary for starting garden plants with lower temperature requirements such as tomatoes. The germination mat helps keep an even germination temperature between 65 80 f. Ideal temperatures for germination depend on the plant but generally speaking seeds need a consistent temperature of between 65 and 75 degrees.

The warmth that most seeds do need is commonly called room temperature around 70 degrees f 21 degrees c during the day though somewhat lower than that during the night. One almost surefire method is to use a seedling mat an electric heating pad that sits under the seedling trays usually regulated by a thermostat. Set the heat mat to the proper germination temperature for the type of seeds you are growing. Almost all quality plant heating mats come with a built in safety shut off that will trigger when the heat mat reaches a temperature of 10 degrees above the room temperature.

Read the back of the seed packet to verify the temperature requirement of your seeds. Vegetable seed germination is greatly dependent upon soil temperature. Germination temperature requirements although some plant species seeds require a temperature as low as 50 degrees fahrenheit to germinate a wide variety of commonly grown perennial plants and. Most plants require a soil temperature of 70 to 72 degrees fahrenheit but some plants like peppers require warmer temperatures of 80 to 85 fahrenheit.

With a heat mat we can ensure quick and reliable sprouting for our vegetables. Using a seedling heat mat is the cheap and easy way to provide the optimal conditions for your vegetable seeds. How do you achieve this idyllic consistent temperature. Because we live off grid we needed to find another way.

This chart shows the range of soil temperatures needed for seed germination. Use a seedling heat. Other near equal factors include seed vitality the age of the seed soil moisture soil air and soil conditions and workability.