"Neil Jones" wrote in message
...

I thought I'd share an improvised invention with people here.
My old heated propagator wouldn't work after I had bought some interesting
seeds. I needed a decent temperature controlled model and a new one would
be about 60 or 70 quid. It struck me that this was expensive considering
the components so I started a bit of research.

This is what I came up with. The cheapest thermostatic heaters available
were aquarium heaters.

This is what I did. I had one of those big plastic containers that are all
over the shops at present. I put water in it immersed a weighted tray in
it
so that the water went up the sides of the tray but not over the top.
To get everything working I actually have quite a bit of water in the
container and the tray is siting on a plastic pot.

I then placed the original lid of the propagator over the top. It was too
big but if slanted it kept its position.

I then experimented with a soil thermometer and the settings on the heater
until I got the desired temperature (as you have to do with a conventional
propagator) and I planted my seeds.

It works. I now have some seedlings. The heater cost me less than a tenner
on Ebay from a reputable firm. The other stuff I had anyway but buying it
would have been less than another tenner I suppose. It is big saving on
the
cost of a conventional propagator.


Neil Jones
http://www.butterflyguy.com/


10/10 for initiative. The big advantage of your system is that you get a
totally constant temperature in the growing media. Even some of the ore
expensive systems have hot spots which plays havoc with watering and
germination.
Other variations on your theme are heated mats as used in homebrewing or
reptile cages.