mr b.caapi Posted October 18, 2002 has anyone attempted to use a homebrew beer heat mat for seed germination?? obviously a couple of layers of cardboard would be needed so soil cant get to hot. its so much cheaper ($50) than a proper horticulture heat mat ($180). the only thing it lacks is a thermostat. anyone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterdragon Posted October 18, 2002 or you could just use the heat mat from a waterbed, nearly every rubbish tip has 'em. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted October 18, 2002 Originally posted by waterdragon:or you could just use the heat mat from a waterbed, nearly every rubbish tip has 'em. ..mmm the tip eh!!...on my way! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterdragon Posted October 19, 2002 the tip is THE place to be for all those things you couldn't be fucked paying for. bulk pots, reading, collectables, spare parts, plants, scrap iron. you name it, it's bound to show eventually. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spaced Posted October 23, 2002 Originally posted by mr b.caapi:the only thing it lacks is a thermostat. anyone? I have one of the cheaper versions of "horticultural" heat mats, without a thermostat, and find raising seeds or whatever on a platform above the actual heat mat to be a good way of achieving the desired temperature. To make sure I'm getting the right temperature I just insert a thermometer into the seed mix. This is in fact more accurate than setting the temperature via a thermostat because your getting a readout from the site of action. The ideal thing to do would be to get a homebrew bear mat or a waterbed heater and have an electric thermometer connected up with the heated soil, then have some sort of shut out device incorporated into the thermometer so that when the soil reaches the desired temperature the electricity supply can be cut off to the heating device. By feeding it into some sort of computing device , you could create a program to mimic the plants natural growing conditions. For instance, studies on the germination of desert plants, including Peganum harmala, have demonstrated benefits in having a diurnal temperature fluctuation throughout the germination cycle. Think of all the stuff you could use this technique for. You could have a humidity gauge feeding back to misters, a photon gauge connecting back to the light source if UV levels were inadequate, something to measure CO2 levels, if appropriate - a sort of a brave new world of horticulture - a synthetic reality for the garden, because you can't just chuck everything in the garden and hope for it to grow. Very expensive, though; but if the government started sponsoring more community garden projects they could fund one such setup in each neighbourhood. In perth one good glasshouse worth a look is at the Murdoch TAFE campus - fully climate controlled via computers. They also have the occasional plant sale put on by the students and they used to have weekend courses where you could learn plant propagation skills. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adrian Posted October 24, 2002 Originally posted by waterdragon:or you could just use the heat mat from a waterbed, nearly every rubbish tip has 'em. Yeah! Several years ago I bought one from an op shop. Lasted about 2 years, until I felt an electric current passing through some leaves. (not how I like to get a buzz) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterdragon Posted October 24, 2002 just grab another one and we shouldn't be having this discussion for another two years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
