My pepper seedlings doubled in size after I stopped using the heat mat at night

Daniel Sanchez · 2026-10-12T15:40:05.031026+00:00

I started 24 jalapeno and bell pepper seeds back in mid February in two trays on the same shelf by my kitchen window. One tray sat on a heat mat running all day and night, the other just sat there at room temp, which in my house hangs around 66 degrees. After three weeks the mat tray had 9 sprouts and they were leggy, while the cool tray popped 16 and the stems looked way thicker. I think the mat was cooking the roots and drying out the soil too fast, since I had to water it twice as often. So now I only run the mat from when I sow until the first green shows up, nothing after that. Curious if anyone else shuts theirs off early or leaves it plugged in the whole time.

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My pepper seedlings doubled in size after I stopped using the heat mat at night | Backyard Veggie Patch - Chatter Central