Heat mats with newly germinated Herb seedlings

[Celebane]

I started a variety of herbs in a couple of Jiffy seed starting kits. Of the 13 herb varieties, about half have started sprouting. I've removed the covers from the trays but I have them on a heat mat. I'm wondering if I need to remove the mat as well or if it will be ok to keep it on. The mat is on a thermostat that I have set at 70F with the probe in one of the peat pellets to measure the soil temperature. The temperature in the room that the seedlings are currently in does drop down at night and the mat turns on. During the day the mat is usually off as the room heats up to about 75F and the soil stays around 70-72F. This may change as the weather continues to get cooler. I should also note that we typically do not run the heat during the winter and instead just throw on extra blankets. Also, there currently aren't any lights directly on the seedlings to generate extra heat. I do think I'm going to build a frame this weekend to hang one of my T8 flourescent fixtures from the garage over them.

 

[MaryMary]

I don't grow herbs myself, but I think they should be alright. Best advice I can give is to research the origin of the herbs in question, and try to replicate the temperatures there. Hopefully someone with more "herb knowledge" than I will come along and shed more light on the subject.

I think with peat pots, your main problem is going to be watering. You don't want to over-water them, but peat dries out so quickly!!

Might be helpful for you to list the herbs you're growing - that way if someone has knowledge on one, but not another, at least you'll get some direction on them. "13 herbs" is a little vague.

 

[Celebane]

Thanks for the reply MaryMary. The herbs I'm growing are Thyme, Sage, Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, Chives, Garlic Chives, Savory, Rosemary, Spearmint, Mustard, Marjoram and Oregano. I know these all have different requirements So far they seem to be doing good. We've been having Santa Ana winds here so the temperature has been a bit warmer and I don't think the mat has really been on much. I've been keeping an eye on the peat and I think I'll give them a little water today. The only real issue that I have right now is that several of the herbs have gotten pretty "leggy" because they were only being lit by a lamp with incandescent bulb. I pulled my T8 shop light out of the garage and have a couple of 32W 5000K bulbs a few inches above them now. Which raises the question, will they grow out of the legginess and get thicker or is that pretty much how they will remain?

 

[MaryMary]

Now that they have more light, they'll probably slow down a bit on the growth.

One thing you can do to help is to put an oscillating fan on them a couple hours a day. (You may need to experiment with the distance.) The object is not to blow them down, but to simulate a gentle breeze. Make them wave a little. This will cause the plant to strengthen the stem, much the same as "hardening" them if you wanted to plant them outside.

 

[Celebane]

Now that they have more light, they'll probably slow down a bit on the growth.

One thing you can do to help is to put an oscillating fan on them a couple hours a day. (You may need to experiment with the distance.) The object is not to blow them down, but to simulate a gentle breeze. Make them wave a little. This will cause the plant to strengthen the stem, much the same as "hardening" them if you wanted to plant them outside.

Good to know. I did put an oscillating fan on them because I thought some air circulation in the room would be good and I was concerned that with the heat from the Santa Ana winds combined with the small amount of heat from the fluorescent bulbs and the heat mat, it may be too much for the little guys since the stems are so spindley.