heated propagator

[the big lebowski]

hi all im looking into getting a new heated propagator and was thinking of getting the vitopod deluxe i like it for it height adjustableness has anyone got one of these i dont mind paying the price but want make sure it is all singing all dancing before i do ,any comments welcome ,cheers

[Kristen]

Friends of mine have them and speak highly of them, but I can't imagine paying £165 for a propagator that is 111cm x 58cm (and 39cm tall), personally I would prefer to buy a large heated mat - the one I have is 120cm x 40cm and cost £49 plus a thermostat (which has a probe so I can insert it into the compost in a pot for accurate "root temperature" for £29)

Large Rootit Propagation Heat Mat | Propagation Heat Mats

Rootit Heat Mats Thermostat Control | Propagation Heat Mats

[Scarlet]

I like that Kristen! Perfect Christmas present.
Do you use it with a lid? Is it safe to water your plants while they are on it?

[Scarlet]

Do you really need a propagator that is nearly 40cm tall? I use a propagator for starting off seeds, they don't stay in it for long. What is the extra height useful for?

[Kristen]

I like that Kristen! Perfect Christmas present.

Its what I gave myself a year or two back

Do you use it with a lid?

Sort of. I use little 1/4 sized seed trays a lot, and they have clear plastic lids, but if I only have a few seeds I use a small square pot and those I stick in a zip-lock plastic bag (as I don't have any dome-lids for them). Others, just-germinated but still on the heat mat, have the lids open / removed, so I think the hot-mat approach provides good flexibility in that sense.

Is it safe to water your plants while they are on it?

Yup, I can't see a problem with that, its a pretty robust mat. I know of people using reptile mats, which are usually relatively cheap, but I have heard that point-source weight on them can break the heating elements, whereas I think these horticultural heating mats are more robust, in that regard.

Do you really need a propagator that is nearly 40cm tall? I use a propagator for starting off seeds, they don't stay in it for long. What is the extra height useful for?

It is available in single-height, so the O/P may not have been meaning the double height one ... actually that part is quite clever as you can stack more "spacers" so if you want to over winter plants that are a bit tall then it could be adapted to accommodate them

Although whilst I'm rabbiting on over-wintering in a propagator provides heat but not enough light, so supplemental lighting would be required, and if going down that route an insulated box would do the trick - enough heat from the lamp to keep the box toasty warm. Anything that needs more heat than that to kickstart it goes on top of the boiler here!

[the big lebowski]

hi ,thanks for the replys,what i was going to use it for is for starting all my seedlings, last year i had a small heated propagator which broke but was too small anyway the thing that i liked about the stacking system on these is i can start my chili plants off (some people say they start them as early as new years eve )and then add the rest of my toms,beans,cucumbers and what ever else in march and april without the chili`s having grown to tall and bumping there heads on the roof as for lighting i already have a 125 blue cfl lamp and might be upgrading to a 250 with a reflector,cheers