"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...


Firstly are these a gardener's 'must-have or are they the kitchen
equivalent of a sandwich toaster that sits in the back of the cupboard?

mark

It depends on what you are doing/planning to do and what other resources you
have.

If you are planning to take a lot of cuttings (especially of
hard-to-propogate varieties) and also try and raise plants from seeds
(especially early in the season) then a heated propogator may be of
assistance.

In a centrally heated house (especially one with an airing cupboard or a
shelf over a radiator) you can get acceptable results with a non-heated
propogator.

Likewise if you have a warm greenhouse then a heated propogator might be a
luxury (although if you are running a warm greenhouse then you can
presumably afford luxuries).

I have never had one (although I have used the non-heated variety) and
managed to take cuttings and raise plants from seed.
It depends on how critical it is to have seeds germinate quickly and
cuttings to root quickly and with minimal loss.
If you are raising tender and/or unusual plants or if you are in a region
with a short growing season then you will see more benefit than if you live
in a gentle climate with a long growing season.
There have been various dicusssions over the time it takes early seedling to
grow to maturity vs. later plantings and some maintain that there is not a
lot of difference.

Likewise if your main diet is toasted sandwiches you are more likely to get
good value from a sandwich toaster than if it is an impulse buy when you are
feeling hungry and looking at the Argos catalogue :-)

HTH

Dave R