one cool idea of seed germination

GWN 3/10/2012, 1:22 pm

I only have one heat germination mat and many more trays to get going, and so I put one tray up on top of my hot water heater, and they germinated MUCH faster and more successfully than the heat mat.
If I did not have a cabinet so close, I would have put one on top of the fridge as well.
(energy conservation and all)

AvaDGardner 3/20/2012, 1:33 pm

+1

I love the water heater idea! My fridge top is covered with cereal boxes and chip bags...even though it reduces the ventilation. There is a cabinet above, but we rare use it, and the fridge is deeper than the cabinet.

landarch 3/20/2012, 2:56 pm

I ended up putting an oil filled convectoin heater under a card table and it worked great...low, slow, steady, even heat.

B00kemdano 3/20/2012, 3:43 pm

I was considering buying a heating mat for next year. It sounds like the mats might not be the way to go, if I can find another source of warmth.

Why do you suppose the water heater worked better than the mat? Water heaters don't heat all the time, they cycle on and off as the water temp cools. Do you think the cycling had anything to do with it? A day / night type of thing? Do mats cycle the heat?

curio 3/20/2012, 3:46 pm

It could be that the ambient temperature (air temp) was higher on top of the water heater (or refrigerator when used) than lower in the room.

boffer 3/20/2012, 4:03 pm

B00kemdano wrote:Why do you suppose the water heater worked better than the mat? Water heaters don't heat all the time, they cycle on and off as the water temp cools. Do you think the cycling had anything to do with it? A day / night type of thing? Do mats cycle the heat?

Remember that the reason the heater cycles is because of heat loss. There is always a little heat dissipating, and the heat goes up. The frequency of the cycling is determined by ambient temperature and the amount of insulation in the tank. As curio suggested, the air temperature above the tank is going to be higher than elsewhere, all the time.

From what GWN described, I would guess that the heater put out more heat than the mat. On page 252 of the ANSFG book, you'll find a chart that lists germination times based on different temperatures.

B00kemdano 3/20/2012, 4:10 pm

Thanks, Boffer!

GWN 3/20/2012, 4:19 pm

I am thinking of planting my artichokes over my septic tank for the same reason.

Our area is just a little too cold to overwinter artichokes (JUST A LITTLE)

however over the septic tank the ground is always a little warmer..... just a little..... Smile

boffer 3/20/2012, 4:54 pm

Didn't Erma Bombeck write a book called 'The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank'?

It is, and she did! Shocked

**walshevak** 3/20/2012, 5:00 pm

I'm thinking about putting my little plastic greenhouse over the septic tank next winter for the same reason.

Kay

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