Reddit reviews Apollo Horticulture 9”x20” Seedling Heating Mat for Propagation and Cloning
We found 4 Reddit comments about Apollo Horticulture 9”x20” Seedling Heating Mat for Propagation and Cloning. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Package Includes: 1 - Apollo Horticulture Seedling Heating MatDimensions: 9"x20" / Power Cord: 6'Boost plant growth with the Apollo Horticulture Seedling Heat Mat: warms root area 10 to 20ºF above room temperature to improve root growth and increase germination rate.Heavy duty: made of durable waterproof material to ensure a safe grow environment. Constructed using reliable materials held together by enhanced internal wiring. You can always rest assured that you are backed by quality hydroponics equipment from Apollo Horticulture.Designed for indoor gardening: enhances seed germination process and increases success of seedlings and cuttings.
The Inkbird has two outlets - one for heating one for cooling. The freezer plugs into the cooling outlet, and you can plug a small heat source into the warm side and put that inside the freezer. I use a seedling mat: https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-Seedling-Propagation-Cloning/dp/B00S1VJ0OC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494277988&sr=8-3&keywords=seed+mat
In a small enclosed and insulated space, a tiny heat source like that can bring ambient temperature up 20 - 30 degrees.
This is the setup I use (with a used mini-fridge, not a freezer) and I've got year-round stable temperature for about $100 bucks.
I'm using a porcelain water dispenser with this seed-sprouting mat just loosely around it: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S1VJ0OC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and that's getting me to 80-85 usually and definitely speeding up the brew process.
Echoing others, the key to all my germination problems in the past has been heat. I picked up this propagation/seedling mat and use that with some trays I got at the dollar store - it's worked really well.
Running power from your house is probably going to be your cheapest option. If you dont heat it at night your tortoise could get sick and cost you several hundred dollars in vet cost. So you need to decide on where you want to spend your money. Regardless your going to have cost. If you absolutely cant use the houses power then you need to go solar. A 200 watt kit would probably be the minimum necessary to charge the batteries daily. This is the kit I use. You can set the controller so that power kicks on only when its dark. A solar setup is going to at minimum probably cost you $500 by the time you buy an inverter and batteries. DONT USE CAR BATTERIES. Either solar batteries or at least golf cart batteries.
I have a redfoot but she is still small enough for indoors.
You want a heated night box for it sleep in. This is what I built for my sulcatas. Mine is a 4x8 foot insulated box they stay in. They can come and go as they please. You could build a mini one for probably less than $100.
4x4 Night box - although these are my plans from sketchup its not my original idea.
http://imgur.com/a/TZQ4P
4x8
https://imgur.com/a/3nlrM#0
Heat mats are low wattage and would do the job for keeping the tort warm thru the night without completely discharging your batteries. Install it under a second layer of thin plywood so the wood floor is warmed. You dont want the tort to lay directly on it as it might burn the tortoise if where to malfunction. I use these with my sulcatas in their night box.
Plug the Heat mat into a dimmer switch so you can control the voltage and temp of the mat. I usually run mine at half power.
Use something like this to remotely monitor the overall ambient temperature in your box.
Overall it will be much cheaper to run an extension cord or to pay an electrician vs solar setup to run power to the enclosure.