"Rocket Ron" wrote in message
. ..
Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat which is supposed to be
buried
in the earth/sand. However I have noticed that you can now buy a warming
mat
which is a mat with the element fixed to it in some way and it is laid on
a
block of polystyrene then it is suggested that the mat is covered in
aluminium foil. This would be a better idea for me as I could just lay my
propagators on top of it. So what is this mat made from or could I just
use
capillary matting and stitch the cable to it using nylon thread?
Thanks for any advice, Ron


I use the foil covered mats for my propagator as they are a lot lighter and
therefore the benching can be lighter weight.

Sand and cables are cheaper. but can become contaminated with phytophora
fungi.

Using the soil cables without the sand risks overheating them and there will
be insuffient heat spread. (you have to keep the sand damp as well)

It is very important that you cover the foil with a waterproof layer of
polythene as you will find most drinking water is acidic and quickly rots
the foil if it comes in contact with it.

The temperature control on the foil is much better and the electric used is
about 75% of that used for soil cables to acheive the same results.

As you can gather its not a straight choice there are pro's and con's to
both systems, but if like me its on all the time running costs play a bigger
part than start up costs.

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cultivars