Using a heat mat for germination of seeds

Many gardeners are using a heat mat for germination of seeds. Why? Is that necessary tool, or just an extra gadget?

Most seeds require a particular temperature range to germinate. Depending on a temperature in your home, sunshine on the window still may not provide enough warmth for more demanding plants like pepper. Heat mat is not necessary for plants with lower requirements (tomatoes, anyone?), but shortens their germination time.

That's useful if you are doing seed germination test and want fast results. With the mat you can shave off a few days of the planting shedule. When you are late with starting the seeds indoors, it makes a difference.

Remember to use only the mat specifically designed for seed germination! It has different technical parameters than other types, which could overheat and kill your seeds.

Keep the pots or tray with seeds covered to avoid drying up the soil too fast. After the seeds have germinated, provide a lot of light.

Heat mat works well enough without the thermostat, but to get most of it, get one to maintain an optimal temperature for a given type of seeds.

Other gardeners like using a heat mat for germination of seeds: see customer reviews on Amazon!