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What We Thought About Home Depot's Cheapest Seedling
Heat Mat
BY RON BAKER
Seed-starting mats increase the temperature of trays of seed-starting soil, helping seed germination faster and more likely. However, blindly heating seeds could kill them.
A thermostat-controlled heat mat should raise the soil temperature in cooler indoor spaces, heat the soil evenly, and prevent overheating of the seeds by shutting off.
We tested the VivoHome Seedling Heat Mat and Thermostat Controller Set for $39.99 at Home Depot, which includes a heat mat, thermostatic controller, and soil temperature probe.
Alongside VivoHome's thermostat model, we tested Seedfactor and Ferry-Morse seed mats without thermostats to see if constant heat made any difference.
We tried a variety of conditions to compare the mats. While the VivoHome thermostat was accurate, the mat tended to heat unevenly, though better than the unregulated mats.
Overall, the VivoHome mat does prevent overheating, although it would be unnecessary for hardy plants. For heat-loving crops or finicky seeds, it could pay for itself quickly.