Getting the Maximum out of a Heat Matt

[The Codfather]

This is somthing new to me and the idea came from Mr Brown, so he may elabirate more on this topic.....

Anyway, I have just purchased a reptile heat mat http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350492112695? ... 1497.l2649 to aid in keeping plants ticking over in the winter.

Anyway, what is the best way to get the maximum from it.....I am sure Mr B's attack was to wrap tinfoill around a thin polystyrene base....then sit the heat mat on this.....add another sheet of foil over the top of the matt and then use foil cooking trays on top of this to sit the plants in.

What is everyone else's thoughts.....

the worry for me is as tried using my heated prop in the garage last year and because the surrounding air in the garage was only about 3c it was struggling to get warm.

[musa_monkey]

i use plastic growbag trays lined with foil then put the matt on that and put the plants directly on the matt.

Overhead i use a 20w 6400k spiral bulb in an anglepoise lamp (approx 12 hours a day) and that also adds a little heat as well as light.

This works well for anything i want to be sure not to loose over winter.

[Dave Brown]

I used survival blanket which is plastic over a polystyrene tile base to deflect all the heat upward. I then stood the Growbag tray directly on the mat and stood the plants on the tray. The reason I didn't have the mat in the tray was as I start to water in late winter and didn't want to make the mat wet directly

Coddy, you won't feel warmth directly on exposed surfaces, but if you lift a pot, the tray and base of the pot should feel warm. A flat based pot is better than one where the base is raised by plastic ridges to aid drainage.

[The Codfather]

does it not mayyer if water get on the reptile matts etc....

[Dave Brown]

does it not mayyer if water get on the reptile matts etc....

Reptile mats are not designed to be submerged, and says "not to be used in water" Once in late winter I water Collies until there is a couple mm in the bottom of the tray. If you don't water that much putting it in the tray would probably be ok, but remember these are NOT low voltage, there is mains going through the laminate

[The Codfather]

That why I was thinking of using food foil trays on top.......put the collies etc in them....

[sanatic1234]

Yeah dave is spot on about the heated prop base, mine was like that last year coddy, and mine was indoors with room temps no lower than 10c! but anyway as soon as i lifted the pot i could feel the heat, the base of the pot traps the warm in, where as you know exposure to the heated prop base will lose heat. the heated prop base worked wonders for my alocasia x calidora last winter. my Alocasia's and colocasia's will be going on these this winter.

[Las Palmas Norte]

I once rooted Brugmansia over winter ... yes, over winter using a heat mat in my unheated coldframe/polytunnel.

I potted the cuttings in gallon pots in autumn, placed them in a smaller poly enclosure inside the coldframe/polytunnel. They sat on a 1" polystyrene base with the heat mat. They rooted nicely without issue and the experiment was a success.

Cheers, Barrie.

[The Codfather]

Last night I put this on and I cant belive how much heat it kicks out.......are they high electric eaters ?

[Las Palmas Norte]

Don't think so bud ... but with our new "Smart Meters" over here ... my guess is they got ya comin' and goin'.

Cheers, Barrie.

[sanatic1234]

I am shocked at how cheap these reptile matts are really, a lot cheaper than a nice wattage heated prop that for sure. I thought these heat matts would be pretty pricey.

[The Codfather]

my plants are loving my first setup that much....I ahve bought another... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150680722934? ... 1497.l2649 Cheap as chips.....

Cheers for the idea Dave