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Heating Mat for Propagating Cuttings

Heat mats work great despite some of the horror stories.  I think some folks did not use them correctly or use them the way they were meant to be used.  I have a long thick one.  I can place 3 flip and close plastic bins on mine sitting crossways.  Its made of 1/4in thick rubber.  I also have a digital thermostat.  My mat came with a metal grate which sits about an inch or 2 off the mat.  In other words, the item you want to heat never sits directly on the mat.  

My mat plugs into my digital thermostat.  The thermostat plugs into the wall.  When it reaches the temp I want I just press the set button.  I set mine at 72 degrees.  You set it and forget it.  The room their in is set at 65 degrees, no drafts.  This is plenty of warmth to root a lot of cuttings.  Using mine, I've never over heated or "cooked" any cuttings.  You're not suppose to set stuff (containers, moss, blankets, etc) directly (direct contact) on top of a heat source.  Think about it!  Heat rises!   Again, they work well, just make sure you know how your product works and don't place your container directly on top of the mat.

cheers,
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Originally Posted by ascpete
Rich,
I visited the Grow Room Store, http://www.thegrowroom.com/ and met with Lindsey. Thanks for the recommendation, they have a large diverse inventory. After listening to my rambling story and questions, she quickly and expertly answered all my questions and showed me a website that lists most manufactured fertilizer products and their analysis. After listening to my Coco Coir experience with fig cuttings, she introduced me to several items including CocoGro Cloning Plugs by Botanicare, its a Coir based plug with tray similar to Root Riot, but the plus are not sponge. I have a tray of this product and will be using it in the test as a control.
CocoGrowbyBotanicare.jpg 
I will also be growing out several of the cuttings in 5 gallon "Dutch Buckets" as a continued test.
Banana tree at the Grow Room Nyack NY_3-25-14.jpg 
I also checked out the Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow and several other nutrient products.

The test will consist of four (4) groups of ten (10) containers each. The groups are;
1.  Your Perlite Method 1 qt deli container...
2.  Cocogro Cloning Plugs then to 2 liter Mini-SIPs...
3.  2 liter Mini-SIPs with Peat based mix...
4.  2 liter Mini-SIPs with Coir based mix... 
It will begin this weekend. I will post the initial start pictures in this topic.



Yeah I like that place too. Hydro Girl Lindsey is interesting to talk to. Ill buy my 5 gallon pots from them. I need to go back there this weekend.
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