 So if you're looking for an easy and cost-efficient way to help kickstart your seedlings this season Then I highly suggest investing in one of these seedling heat mats. So hi there and welcome to the channel So in today's video, we're going to talk about these seedling heat mats and why I love using them for starting my indoor seedlings every year and Talk about the benefits of maybe why you should start using them as well So the number one reason for using a heat mat like this is faster germination So these heated mats provide consistent and controlled temperature that'll warm up the soil and help speed up that germination process This is especially good for those warm soil loving seeds such as the tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers So another benefit is increased germination rate. The warmth provided by these mats can help the seed sprout more readily And lead to a higher germination rate Meaning that you're going to have more seedlings successfully emerging So for many of us who live in cool climates such as I do here in Zone 3, Saskatchewan We need to start our seeds indoors to help extend that season because our outdoor growing season is so short and Having when these heating mats will help with that season extension It enables us to get a head start on gardening and help extend that growing season So another benefit of the mat here is optimal root development So by maintaining a warm consistent temperature here, they promote healthy root development in the young seedlings sets them up for stronger growth and better resilience as they mature So I just had to move my camera around. It's we got a lot of beautiful sunlight coming in today So it was kind of messing up my camera. So sorry about that So another thing about these mats, they're very energy efficient So they're you know the modern heated mats such as these are designed to be you know low energy They don't use a lot of power So that is a great, you know another feature about these as well and these come in various sizes depending on your needs I prefer this size here because it fits well with my seedling trays here such as this one It sits on there pretty much fits it perfectly and Heats up, you know all your seeds very uniformly So I think one of the really great benefits of the heated mat that people don't think about is they help with that Prevention of damping off So what can happen sometimes with your seedlings if that soil is too cool and too moist That's a real Breeding ground for that damping off fungus that can kind of form on the top of your soil and kill off your seedlings So the heated mat will help, you know elevate the temperature of the soil which helps promote, you know Good air circulation and hopefully Limit that chance of damping off in your seedlings So for things like lettuces spinach and leeks onions. Those are kind of the cool Soil loving seeds that don't really need to have a heated soil to germinate So I wouldn't recommend using a seed heating mat like this for those kind of seeds But you know if you are starting your seeds in a very cool spot like in a garage or a basement where there isn't a lot of heat You could still benefit From using this mat obviously for those warm soil loving seeds But also for those cool ones it might be a good idea if you have, you know A real cool environment that you're trying to start your seeds in. So besides vegetables Some of the favorite things that I like to use my heated mat for is starting flowers And that's something that I will probably be doing first usually you try to get my petunias, pansies, colysis started about 12 weeks before our last frost date and Flowers can be pretty finicky. They're a little hard to get going. So that's why I think the the heated mat helps a lot with that success with germination I like to try and get as many flowers started myself because I like to spread them throughout the yard and in the garden and They're getting really expensive at greenhouses. So if I can get a whole bunch of petunias going which, you know Are great hearty flowers for my zone here in zone three and I love colysis or one of my favorite Plants to have in plots around my yard So if I can you know save a little money by getting them going that is you know a bonus So when you get your seedlings set up, I also like to use a humidity dome as well Plug in your heated mat and keep it going 24 hours a day So this will go under my grow lights and I will just keep an eye on it Those heat mats will of course dry out your soil quicker So you want to make sure you keep that soil, you know moist and I like to bottom water, of course Which also helps prevent that damping off issue So it can vary anywhere from three days to 14 days depending on what you're planting for them to germinate and once you see those Little seedlings sprouting and they get to probably like that two leaf stage That's when you want to shut off your heating mat and remove either your plants from it or Take the heating mat out from underneath You don't want to leave your heated mat underneath here going too long after they've germinated and sprouted because that could cause them to get leggy So once I have a good batch of flowers sprouted and going then I can use my heat mat for other things that I need to start around you know that Six to eight weeks from last frost such as my tomatoes and peppers and Whatever else I decide I want to get going So I have a couple of these going at all times So not only are these great for the seed starting, but they also could use these for getting your cuttings rooted or for doing microgreens So as I mentioned you can get these in a variety of different sizes depending on your needs I will leave a link in the description box below for this particular one so you can check it out So if you are a gardener that likes to start your seedlings indoors you want to grow some microgreens Maybe get some cuttings rooted then I highly recommend getting one of these seedling heat mats So hope you found learning about the benefits of one of these seedling heat mats was helpful to you If you are a gardener who likes to get your seeds going indoors I highly recommend it and if you haven't already done so and you want to follow me along on my seed starting process this season Please hit that Subscribe button so you don't miss out on future videos smash that like button I always love it when people leave me a comment and I hope we will see you on the next video