Seedling heat mats are great if you want to grow plants in the winter from seeds.
Because the winter obviously doesn`t offer as much warmth as the summer months do, adding a heat mat can imitate the warmth that`s naturally present in the summer.
Think of it as an incubator for plants-just like eggs need warmth to hatch, plants will grow more quickly and healthily with warmth.
Heat mats have been found to cut germination periods in half, which is significant, especially if you want to plant several cycles` worth of produce!
It bears mentioning that you can grow plants successfully in the winter without a heat mat. A heat mat isn`t a necessary tool, but it`s been shown to increase germination and overall growth of plants. So, using a heat mat is a great option if you`re trying to grow your plants quickly and overall get more of them at a time.
Heat mats are also inexpensive and easy to find at gardening or home improvement stores. For a small investment that you can use year after year, many gardeners find heat mats to be well worth it.