Non-motoring > Seed propagator Miscellaneous
Thread Author: smokie Replies: 13
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 09:54 
 Seed propagator - smokie
Going all gardeny this year, I bought one of these a couple of weeks back

www.amazon.co.uk/Stewart-Thermostatic-Control-Electric-Propagator/dp/B006ZNCOVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425979287&sr=8-1&keywords=propagator+thermostatic

Trouble is, I'm not sure if it's working. There is no on/off or light. I have a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer I bought from eBay a while back, and dangling the outdoor bit inside the propagator shows it as about 5 degrees over room temp. SWMBO thought the base was warm to the touch the other day but it now definitely isn't. We have some little tomato plants just sprouting from seeds which i find quite amazing so I really son';t want to send it back for an exchange.

Somewhere I have one of those plugs which tell you teh device consumption. If I can find it, and the instructions to use it, is it right to assume that if it's consuming electricity then it's working? And if I can't done it, so I just assume that if it maintains a fewer degrees higher than the room temp that it's working? Or is that just cos it has a lid on?
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 10:01 
 Seed propagator - Bromptonaut
The Amazon page says it maintains 18-23 degrees C. Frankly, assuming it's in a heated room, that's not going to give much advantage over the ordinary propagators on my lounge window cill. It might though help at night when heating is off.

I suspect it would really come into its own in, for example, a less used room where occupier only maintains background heating - say 12-15C.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 10 Mar 15 at 10:02
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 10:09 
 Seed propagator - Zero

>> Trouble is, I'm not sure if it's working. There is no on/off or light. I
>> have a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer I bought from eBay a while back, and dangling the
>> outdoor bit inside the propagator shows it as about 5 degrees over room temp.

you need a min/max thermometer to find out if its working. Assuming your room temp is 20c and your mini greenhouse is 5 degrees over, then its working
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 10:28 
 Seed propagator - Pat
The base should feel just warm to the touch, mine does and it is on at the moment.

The idea is to give bottom heat to warm the compost in order for the seeds to germinate and grow faster.

Pat
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 10:45 
 Seed propagator - Crankcase
Ours does have a settable thermostat wheel, and a light that shows when it's on. It works - seedlings have been popping up over the last couple of weeks in the greenhouse. Which reminds me - must plant my radishes. Last year they didn't englobulate - were just little stems with lots of lovely leaves but no radish.

We got the propagator a couple of years back so I don't recall the price, but I'd be surprised if it was very much more than the one linked. Certainly wouldn't have been as much as £50 or I'd have remembered it. And I think it's a Stewart one as well.

Perhaps I lucked in at a garden centre sale or something.
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 11:22 
 Seed propagator - smokie
Its currently 22 degrees and the room is 20. I found the device which measures consumption but not the instructions (yet).

The thermostatic ones were more expensive by about £20 IIRC. As this is just me dipping my toe into gardening I'm trying to limit the cost! Seems to have cost an arm and a leg already for just a few tomatoes and peas...
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 11:41 
 Seed propagator - Zero

>> dipping my toe into gardening I'm trying to limit the cost! Seems to have cost
>> an arm and a leg already for just a few tomatoes and peas...

Well of course most of us sow some penny seeds in a common garden penny pot on the window sill, then prick them out into bigger tuppenny pots then into 3 for a fiver grow bags.

I mean how many plants to do you actually need? you'll be drowning in tomatoes come september.
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 11:51 
 Seed propagator - madf
I have two propagators: One is a Ward one thermostatically controlled and 75cms wide and the other a 52cm wide non thermostat Stewart. Both are full: tomatoes, flowers etc.. in the greenhouse...

We eat mostly our own produce from June to November: still eating sprouts from last years plants and beans and rasps in the freezer.

We eat infinitely better and cheaper than buying stuff.
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 12:26 
 Seed propagator - smokie
'er indoorz decided that some potato and bean grow bag things would be good which themselves were cheap enough but I reckon they'll take over a bag of compost each plus some manure to fill.

Then there was the pop-up greenhouse. And some replacement tools. And the seeds came from the most expensive garden centre in town. And new gloves. And the list seems to go on and on... but a lot of it is re-usable...
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 13:40 
 Seed propagator - madf
Garden centres are good for things you cannot buy much more cheaply at Poundstretcher, B&M, Home Bargains. Aldi and Lidl plus cheap seeds everywhere...

We bought a glass Greenhouse from Tesco in 1983. Total cost incl staging, base etc was sub £200.. It's still going strong...
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 13:48 
 Seed propagator - Bromptonaut
>> Garden centres are good for things you cannot buy much more cheaply at Poundstretcher, B&M,
>> Home Bargains. Aldi and Lidl plus cheap seeds everywhere...

Agreed. Mrs B and I have been buying up bedding and plug plants from Aldi. The latter are for pots and hanging baskets and come very well protected and with moisture retaining gel so they won't dry out too soon.
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 14:18 
 Seed propagator - smokie
Lidl had a gardening weekend last weekend with offers on some bits and bobs.

Poundland also stock some stuff which was at least triple the price in the garden centres.

Propagator is definitely dead, not taking any amps, volts or watts. The company do refund only - no replacement - so I'm about to order a replacement from Amazon with 24h delivery and do the return once I get their packaging :-)
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 17:45 
 Seed propagator - Duncan
>>
>> Poundland also stock some stuff which was at least triple the price in the garden
>> centres.
>>

Pedant Corner.

Do you mean that Poundland were triple the price of the garden centres?

Or

Poundland were one third the price of the garden centres?
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New Tue 10 Mar 15 17:51 
 Seed propagator - Zero
>> >>
>> >> Poundland also stock some stuff which was at least triple the price in the
>> garden
>> >> centres.
>> >>
>>
>> Pedant Corner.
>>
>> Do you mean that Poundland were triple the price of the garden centres?
>>
>> Or
>>
>> Poundland were one third the price of the garden centres?

Well as we know it was poundland it was either 33 pence at the garden centre, or three quid.
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