Jump Start Germination Station | Heat Mat, 72 Cell, 2 in Dome

What the Jump Start Germination Station Includes

The kit is built around a waterproof heat mat drawing 17 W at 120 V. The mat is UL listed. It sits under an 11 by 22 in watertight base tray. A 72-cell seedling insert drops into the tray. Over the top goes a 2 in humidity dome. Assembled the station measures 22.1 by 11.7 by 3.4 in and weighs 2.1 lb. Instructions with growing tips come in the box, and cases hold twelve stations. Media and plugs are chosen separately, which is what lets the same tray run peat plugs, rockwool minis or a seed-starting mix. The reason the mat matters is simple enough. Seed sitting in cool media sits still, however wet that media is. Bottom heat warms the root zone rather than the air above it, and the root zone is where the seed actually sits. The dome then holds the humidity that the warmth would otherwise drive off. Between them the two parts make a small climate that a bright windowsill on its own cannot. Part number is CK64050 with UPC 638104640503.

Starting Seed in a 72 Cell Seedling Tray

A 72 cell seedling tray is a counting exercise as much as a growing one. Seventy-two cells means seventy-two chances, and the ones that fail cost nothing but the cell. Fill the insert with media and water it before the seed goes in, not after. Dry media wicks unevenly, and a dry pocket in the middle of a cell will stall a seed for a week. Sow at the depth the seed packet asks for and no deeper. Put the dome on and leave the vents closed until the first sprouts break the surface. Open the vents from that point on. Trapped humid air sitting above a sprouted seedling is where damping off starts. Lift the dome off entirely once most of the tray is up. Take the tray off the heat at the same time. Bottom heat past germination pushes stem growth faster than the light can support, and that is how a tray of leggy seedlings happens. Water from the base tray rather than over the top where you can. The cells wick what they need and the stems stay dry. Rinse the tray and the insert between sowings, because the warm humid conditions that start seed also keep old pathogens alive.

Key Features

• 17 W waterproof heat mat: Running on 120 V, UL listed.
• 11 by 22 in base tray: Watertight, so watering can happen from underneath.
• 72-cell insert: Seventy-two chances inside one tray footprint.
• 2 in vented dome: Holds humidity until the sprouts are through it.
• Bottom heat: Warms the root zone rather than the air above it.
• Media chosen separately: The same tray takes plugs, minis or a seed-starting mix.
• 2.1 lb assembled: Measuring 22.1 by 11.7 by 3.4 in overall.

Technical Specifications