This is a great DIY project.

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/11658/diy-heat-mat-speeds-seed-starting

Great idea, Marion.  I'll have to try this with some cuttings.

I like this idea looks like a very safe setup 

This is a great idea!

wow, this looks like a very economical way of heat source. Very cool!

I have also just used a short strand of led christmas lights under a seed tray as well.  I have 2 sets of solar powered rope lights from Harbor Freight that im going to use to heat some seed trays in my greenhouse.  It seems like a good setup if you insulate it so the heat doesnt dissipate too quickly

Perfect time of your to post this.  A month from now you won't be able to buy X-mas lights.

Try Goodwill, Re-Store, or any of the salvation armys, you can get strands of lights really cheaply!  I found 100ft strands last week for $4 a strand at a local Re-Store.  They are LED and dont give off as much heat as the older style christmas lights but they are also less likely to have bulbs breaking if you go the xmas light route.

I bought rope lights right after Christmas last year at Walmart when they were marked way down.  Got a nice timer system for the fluorescent lights that was also marked way down.  I built a 4'x4'x4' insulated grow cube in my basement and installed them in the 2x4s that support the water tray.  Works great to add that extra bit of heat to the medium the cuttings are rooted in. 

Thanks Marion. Being on a tight budget like many folks. This is very doable. Thanks again for the share.

I've been using soil heat cable and a light dimer to set heat temp.  Just zig zag under trays with duct tape to to deck.  12' double does 8 trays.  setting is on dim.  Has lasted for years and no bulbs to replace.

bill e  Md.

I'm under the impression, just impression I've never experimented with them, that most of the energy going into LEDs goes into light and very little into heat. That's why they're so efficient. So maybe for this purpose you'd want to avoid the LEDs?

I have used the rope light idea to heat a humidity bin for a couple years, the fist one has work flawlessly with perfect heat and no fuss.  When I decided to set up a second one, the project was meet with great disaster.  The "exact same light" burnt significantly hotter than the first and cooked everything in the bin. 

I highly recommend a thermostatic controller to prevent this issue.

It's time to share this again.
Best wishes.
Keep warm everyone,
Marion

You can get them pretty cheap on eBay, bought 3 last year, still working

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Gardening-Supplies/2032/i.html?_from=R40&_sop=15&_nkw=heat%20mat&LH_PrefLoc=3&_dcat=2032&rt=nc&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=10&_udhi=16

Not to hijack this thread but what I have used with great success is my oven. My oven when just the interior light is on is a constant 81 F.  I learned this trick years ago from someone who told me that the inside of your oven with the light on is a great place to rest bread if your making your own and your house is on the cool side. So I used it for bread and it worked great. Then I used it to start my veggie seeds, namely my tomatoes and peppers. Worked awesome for that too. Then last march I tried it for my 1st fig cutting. All three of them grew perfectly.

I just leave a little note taped to the oven button on the stove so what's inside gets removed when the oven is to be used.

make sure no water can drain on your lights.
Water and electricity do not work well together.
I would suggest outdoor lights only.

Doug

for the time and money spent on this, id just buy the heat mats. i see other people try this same idea trying to make cheap grow lights. just buy the profession stuff. some are spending hundreds on cuttings and then cheap out on there equipment lol.

"i see other people try this same idea trying to make cheap grow lights. "

I did not "try" I  do it.
Actually I have built 8 grow lights.
Just because I can.
Some may not be able to.
I spent a total of less than $30 to build a 100 watt led.
You will pay more than that each month just to run your lights.

Doug

Are the grow mats we buy supposed to be waterproof? I bottom water my cuttings. Thanks in advance for your response.