I decided to take the plunge and try to start seeds inside again. This is easier said than done since I live in Wisconsin. We have had a very mild winter and the gardening bug has bitten bad! After doing some research online I decided to build a pvc frame for a fluorescent light. Actually I decided to make a double hanger so I can put four trays of seeds under my lights.
I also made a heat mat out of a strand of rope lights. If I can find the link to the original source I will add it in here.
Again, the pictures can tell the story better than I can. But I will say that I am quite impressed with the heat mat. The stand is in our rec room downstairs which stays about 62 degrees. Most evenings there will be a fire in the fireplace that will raise the temp to about 75. It’s really only for a few hours so I don’t think it makes much of a difference to the plant stand. Anyways, the rope lights have been on for about 16 hours and this morning the soil temp was just under 80 degrees! Room temp is 62.
Let me know if you have any questions and please leave a comment!
The tray and 8-pack in front are lettuce. So they don’t get any heat.
The two trays in the back are on the heat mat. tomatoes, Peppers, etc.
That’s the rope lights.
I pulled one of the trays off the heat mat so you could see it better.
The height can be adjusted either by moving the chain links on the lights, or by lifting up the sides of the frame itself.
I wanted to add a couple of pictures to this post now that it is a day old. 1st of all, I am totally impressed with the rope lights as a heat source. Below you will see the thermometer that is inside the tray on the heat mat. About 82 degrees! And the room temp is a stable 62.
Next pic is some lettuce that was planted on the 8th of February. It took two days to start to germinate and now has 12 hours of light. I am expecting big things from this!
Here are some pictures that Kelly sent to me showing how she made hers! I like it.
Kelly…”That rope light mat is crazy..my marigolds, lupines and moss rose plants germinated in 2 days! ”
Awesome!
This is really cool! I would have never thought of using rope light for heat, but it makes perfect sense. Keep up the great work- I am enjoying catching up on your posts.
Dene, thanks for the nice comments. I didn’t mention it in the blog and I don’t know if you saw it in the picture but you have to put some wood “runners” down along the lights. That way the trays will sit just above the light and allow air to circulate. I started with a piece of plywood and then used some furring strips ripped down to about 1″ wide. If you look close in one of the pictures you can see it.
Great Idea.
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Rope lights with wood runners– that is excellent! Now I don’t have to invest in another heating pad! I have not been able to germinate peppers without adding a heating pad beneath the tray…
I know the feeling! I just posted an article this morning on my Big Bertha Peppers. They are looking great thanks to the heat mat.
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What kind of rope lights are those? Where did you get them and what is the price?
Great idea dude.
The rope lights are the regular kind of light…NOT LED’s. My 18′ string cost me about $8 at our local Fleet Farm store. They were in the Holiday clearance section. I found them right away so I don’t know how available they will be. If you find a decent source maybe come back and post it so others can find it.
Thanks Matt
Hi there!
I’m from MN and going to start my seeds this weekend…do you think the base of this will hold 3 lights? Or maybe just make the base legs a little longer? So excited to get started!
Thanks!
PS
I love your blog. 🙂
Hi Kelly,
The base would be strong enough for three lights. You just have to make an additional upright assembly to hold the light. Let us know how it turns out!
Have fun,
Jeff
Thanks for your reply, Jeff! I did make this on Sunday and it turned out great with 3 lights. I just have to get the heat mat going tomorrow and I can get my seeds going before it’s too late. 🙂 Thanks again!!!
Kelly
That’s great Kelly, If you can e-mail me a picture I will add it to the post. I will give you full credit and can link it to your web site.
jeff at jeffevraets dot com = e-mail
I sure will! I don’t have a website, so the picture can have it’s home here. 🙂 I just finished it tonight (LONG work week)..I’ll take one either tonight or tomorrow and get it over to you!
Kelly
I just built one of these too. Was pretty much able to use scrap lumber and left overs from other projects. Only thing I had to buy were the cable brackets and chain to hang the lights. Thanks for the inspiration! I was about to buy one of those mats, but this was more fun, and ended up way better.