You are a saint! I love your “Cool Flowers” book and seed starting class. For the life of me I can’t get my snaps to germinate. I have them on a heat 70 degrees in my house, used your mix and seed blocker. I didn’t cover them. I live a very dry climate. I just wonder if they dried out? Should I spray the tops? Or cover with vermiculite?
Hi Andrea, On a seedling heat mat with a built in thermostat? If your home is 70 degrees– that would make the mat 85-90 degree– to warm. Place a cookie cooling rack on the heat mat and place trays on the rack to create an air space to cool it a smidge– yet consistently warm. Water dried out blocks each morning and misting won’t hurt in the morning too. This link has a watering video.
Hi Lisa – I germinate soil blocks in my house with heat mats and have good sucess. I then move the plants into my garage with heat mats and grow lights. The garage is cool (50-60 degrees F) and gets very little natural light. The plants seem to grow slowly. What temperature should I use for the heat mats in the garage? Do I need to raise the general temperature in the garage? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi Daniel, Plants need warm air temperature to grow. A seedling heat mat is intended to warm the soil not air unfortunately. For cool-season plants air temperature hovering around 70 is best. Warm-season plants 75-85 degrees aids them in the best growth.
LZ
Lisa, do you have a problem with your biodegradable film breaking down when you prepare your fall beds. I was wondering how well it held up when you started planting on Feb.
Thanks for all you do.
Susan Speed
I make the beds for Feburary plantings in October and cover with biodegradeable film. We have not had breaking down problems. We have learned to keep the deer from walking on the beds and making holes in the film by hooping and covering the beds as if planted. Love biodegradeable film. Lisa
You are a saint! I love your “Cool Flowers” book and seed starting class. For the life of me I can’t get my snaps to germinate. I have them on a heat 70 degrees in my house, used your mix and seed blocker. I didn’t cover them. I live a very dry climate. I just wonder if they dried out? Should I spray the tops? Or cover with vermiculite?
Hi Andrea, On a seedling heat mat with a built in thermostat? If your home is 70 degrees– that would make the mat 85-90 degree– to warm. Place a cookie cooling rack on the heat mat and place trays on the rack to create an air space to cool it a smidge– yet consistently warm. Water dried out blocks each morning and misting won’t hurt in the morning too. This link has a watering video.
Hi Lisa – I germinate soil blocks in my house with heat mats and have good sucess. I then move the plants into my garage with heat mats and grow lights. The garage is cool (50-60 degrees F) and gets very little natural light. The plants seem to grow slowly. What temperature should I use for the heat mats in the garage? Do I need to raise the general temperature in the garage? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Daniel, Plants need warm air temperature to grow. A seedling heat mat is intended to warm the soil not air unfortunately. For cool-season plants air temperature hovering around 70 is best. Warm-season plants 75-85 degrees aids them in the best growth.
LZ
Lisa, do you have a problem with your biodegradable film breaking down when you prepare your fall beds. I was wondering how well it held up when you started planting on Feb.
Thanks for all you do.
Susan Speed
Hi Susan,
I make the beds for Feburary plantings in October and cover with biodegradeable film. We have not had breaking down problems. We have learned to keep the deer from walking on the beds and making holes in the film by hooping and covering the beds as if planted. Love biodegradeable film. Lisa