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Heat pad.... Unplugged

So I went away for the weekend, and my MIL saw the lights on in my "grow room" and being they way she is, got all paranoid about fire hazard, so she turned off the power bar. On that power bar was my heat mat that was under some seeds I just planted a couple days ago. There has been none pop up yet, but could that have F'd up the whole thing? I plugged it back in the second I got home, but 2.5 days in 70-74 basement cannot be good right?
 
Depending on your settings a heat pad really isn't designed to increase temps more than a couple degrees. If your basement is 70+ degrees I doubt it will have much impact. I use heat mats but my basement is usually around 60 degrees.
 
At worst it may have slowed things down.

I have a new theory, seeds may want temperature fluctuation. Think of nature, night, day, night, day, night, day...

Temperature changes pressure, can that have an effect on seed membranes? I have had good results putting my seeds in to solo cups and letting them stay on a normal light cycle.

Just something to get you guys thinking.
 
At worst it may have slowed things down.

I have a new theory, seeds may want temperature fluctuation. Think of nature, night, day, night, day, night, day...

Temperature changes pressure, can that have an effect on seed membranes? I have had good results putting my seeds in to solo cups and letting them stay on a normal light cycle.

Just something to get you guys thinking.
Could be. I have done many a experiment with heat and moisture. We are in he mid 60s now. I put 98 cell trays in he sun with the lid cracked for they do not overheat. It hits around 80 in the trays. I bring them in at night. While not he germ spead of 24 hour bottom heat, the all pop up in a week or so.Saves space and money too. I have a handfull of heating pads, but last week one overheated so I only turn them on when I am home and can monitor them.
 
The side of my basement where I grow my peppers is only 62-64 degrees, and while I do use a heat mat I have started plenty of seed without it. You will be just fine.
 
i never use to use a heat pad, until i found one on sale for $20. but prior to that, i grew orange habs and bonnets in those cheap mini greenhouses that only contained a cover(placed in a sunny window), most popped within 2 weeks. why, i have even tossed the seeds into my unheated fish tank and pulled out the ones that germinated - this works too, just to let the sprout get too large as the sudden shock of not being in water kills them, so they require constant humidity until the roots take.

heat pads do improve germination time, so i can understand your frustration in such a short growing season.

good growing.
 
I now start my pepper seeds in 3.5 inch square pots so I don't have to pot up from tiny cells. With these larger pots, I don't think my heat mats change the temperature very much at the top of the soil where the seeds are.
 
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