I'm looking at heat pads to put under my seed starting trays. I need several (say 4 or 5) and they get quite pricey when you also include a thermostatic control. Do you have any clever ways to provide controlled heating to your starting seeds that uses other stuff and is less costly?
TIA EJ in NJ
Mine just has a little control switch that reads low - medium - high. Get the cheapest that you can. I put mine inside a garbage bag to protect it from moisture before I lay the germination tray on it, under the grow lights.
Some people have luck germinating on top of the refrigerator, or water heater. I used to do it under my heated water bed, but it wasn't near as effective as the combined hot pad/light combo.
I don't know what kind of heating pads you are planning on using, but I just use the cheapest people heating pads from the discount stores, pull off the fabric cover and put them under the trays, and set them on low. Last one I bought was nine bucks.
If the soil temp is getting too warm, try putting the heating pad under an inverted baking sheet that is slightly raised and set your tray on top.
I only use them on my peppers, as they require higher germination temps. After they germinate, I turn the pads off.
Charlie
Those heating pads are often relatively high wattage for the heat they produce. Years ago when I started veggies from seed in my basement window I set ordinary incandescent bulbs under the metal shelving.. . a couple 15 watt bulbs under each 30" shelf put out sufficient heat and the metal shelf spread the heat nicely. I used to raise tropical fish so I had lots of extra aquaruim hoods that hung upside down under the shelves. I'm sure if you check the big box hardware stores they'll have very inexpensie reflector hoods, you'll just have to figure some method to position and to attach them. Many just clip on.
Why should I bother with this or more expense when my system works just fine?
Charlie
If your system works just fine why did you ask, you must be a troll.
And as you may be aware, that dirty old log is an integral part of my life. I've had it for a long, long time! This is a serious situation, bro!
Charlie
?If you ever crawl inside an old hollow log and go to sleep, and while you're in there some guys come and seal up both ends and then put it on a truck and take it to another city, boy, I don't know what to tell you.? -- Jack Handy
Next time on "wrecked gardens": log jacked! Stay tuned.
And another thing about biochar, I was happily using my favourite logs as mother logs and log piles for fungus and lizards, and now we're supposed to cook them? Man, it just never ends.......
Hi, boys and girls. If you remember last time, Captain Charlie had just crawled into his hollow log to see how the germination of his mythical Atlantis Tomato was doing, when he heard the screech of a large truck coming to a halt. Suddenly the ends of the log where sealed, and he could feel the log being lifted into the air, only to be dropped hard. The last that Captain Charlie remembered as the darkness washed over his consciousness was the pitching and bouncing of a flat bed truck, hauling him and and his log away.
Waking up, Captain Charlie, unsure of how long he had been unconscious, heard the horns and whistles of many ships and boats. Again he could feel himself being swung and dropped. Diesel motors roared and a voice rang out, "Dépêchez-vous les gars. Fiche-moi le camp ! Déplacez cet putain de wagon tout de suite." Charlie could feel the jerk of the truck as it started to move. The truck moved slowly along La Canebière, past the pimps, the pickpockets, and the muggers. All that Captain Charlie could hear was the tires against the cobblestones and the rap music spilling out into the street from the passing night clubs. The truck finally found itself on a narrow cobblestone street leading north to the suburbs.
The truck driver was a large burley man with big hands, whose few friends called him Rocky. Next to him with a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, trying to get some sleep, was a smaller man called Clay. "Damn", said Rocky. "What's up?", asked Clay, whose voice betrayed a lack of interest. "How big are penguins?", Rocky asked with concern in his voice. "About three feet tall", a sleepy Clay responded. "Why?" "I think I just ran over a nun", said a dejected Rocky. "We'd better get out of here".
Fortunately for Captain Charlie, his good friend Wild Billy had been following them since they had left Missouri . FInding an opportune vine, Wild Billy swung down towards the truck, holding a glass of precocious and impertinent Morgon in his free hand.
"What was that?", said Rocky. "What was what?", asked Clay, irritated by being woken up again." I thought I heard something hit the truck ", said Rocky. "I'd better stop and check." Stepping out of the cab, Rocky saw the crumpled body of Wild Billy in the middle of the street. Then he saw the large, red splattered dent high o the side of his truck. Confused, Rocky walked back towards where Wild Billy laid in the road.
Impatient with sitting in the truck's cab, Clay got out to see what was keeping Rocky for so long. Rounding the corner of the back of the back of the truck, Clay saw a billowing black phantom hovering over Rocky, and striking him time after time. "Oh, my god", Clay blurted out.
Hearing the sound, the phantom turned to face Clay. Clay's eyes widened in fear when he recognized Jangchub, The Lesbian Nun, who had muddy tire marks across the front of her habit.
Tune in next time boys and girls for the next installment of "The Temple of the Lost Tomato".
And just when we thought it couldn't get any better in wrecked.gardens........
Anxiously awaiting.........
Chuckling Charlie, not minding the rain so much now
Man, I am *so* glad that wasn't a real penguin. They are cute and friendly........ Great story, do far...
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