The nursery is a protected environment in which the seeds are born, so that the very young plants find all the conditions to develop at their best. We’ve covered this topic in full in the hearth guide, which I recommend reading, now we’re focusing on the internal temperature aspect. .
For seed germination temperature is a key factor : the plant organism in nature is able to recognize when the right season is coming and only then does it begin to germinate. If the seeds were born randomly, the night frost would kill most plants.
For this reason, the seedbed must be heated, so that it has the appropriate gradation that favors the birth of seedlings. There are many ways to heat the sprouter, in ancient times this was done by making a heated bed which took advantage of the fermentation of the manure.
Today, there are simple and inexpensive ways to heat the seedbed, which lend themselves to DIY solutions, with which we can create a suitable propagator for making garden seedbeds at home. One of the best systems is to use a heating mat or a thread . The heat that these devices generate in some cases is essential to be able to develop seedlings in time for cultivation in the garden.
why heat
Have a protected environment in which germinating the seeds allows you to make the most of the garden and produce more: a particularly interesting aspect is to be able to anticipating cultures . With a warm seedbed, in fact, it is possible to start the first sowings at the end of winter, sowing them in February. When the temperatures are milder and spring arrives, the horticultural plants that have already formed will be transplanted win time and extend the season.
There are crops for which a warm seedbed is essential . For example, there are certain varieties of peppers accustomed to tropical climates that would need a very long summer season to ripen. To grow them in northern Italy, where summer is limited to July and August, it is necessary to artificially extend the period. We can only do this by germinating and cultivating the seedling in a protected culture and sowing it in the garden in the summer when it is already developed, so that it takes advantage of the whole summer to ripen its fruits. . To germinate pepper seeds, the ideal is to maintain a constant temperature around 28 degrees, with these conditions in 6/8 days you will be able to see the birth of the seedling. The time is longer if the temperature remains lower, normally below 16 degrees, even the sprout is not seen.
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How to make a fireplace heater
Heating a real greenhouse is expensive and also polluting, because of the waste of energy that it implies, and for this reason we generally opt for the cold greenhouse. Fortunately, the seeds need little space, so it will be very easy to heat a small container, enough to develop the seedlings. obviously you need a heat source which allows you to have the seeds in a heated bed.
In addition to preparing for heating, it is useful to get a thermometer to check temperatures and ensure the correct values for seed germination are achieved. In this regard, I point out a nice orientation table which contains a lot of information, including the ideal temperatures for germination of the main vegetables. Finally good ventilation it will be useful for the nursery to change air.
When the seedbed is enlarged, it becomes a true seedbed that can accommodate plants longer, the larger the internal cubic volume, and the more power it will use to heat the germinating plant.
heating cable
To heat our seedbed, the best way is not to heat the air but to have the heat under the seedbed. In this way, less is dissipated and the heating is efficient in setting seeds. This heat source can be a heating cable perfect for covering different germination sizes.
The cable is arranged in the form of a serpent under the tray in which the soil will be placed. Such yarn can be purchased at an aquarium store or online or here.
The thermal mat
A simpler and cheaper solution for heating a small saucepan is buy a heating mat , readily available online here for example. Although not bulky, the mat will suffice to heat a small seedbed, suitable for the needs of a vegetable garden.
This electric heater generally provides a fairly uniform temperature and depending on the model it can have different adjustable heat levels. By connecting it to a timer, you can program when to activate it.
Ready to use
Also exists prefabricated seedbeds with integrated heating, also very cheap (, are solutions that can be useful for those who want a germinatier but do not have the time and inclination to do it at home.
Certainly my advice is to choose the “do it yourself” because it’s quite simple build a nursery manufactured according to your capacity needs and heated economically thanks to the already mentioned electric mat.