PSA: My $70 humidity dome split right down the middle on day 3 of seedling season

I bought this thick plastic humidity dome from a shop in Asheville two weeks ago. On day 3 of my pepper seedling setup, it just cracked straight through the top, like it couldn't handle the warmth from the heat mat. Now I'm stuck with two halves, half the trays uncovered, and my seedlings are drying out way too fast. I patched it with duct tape but it looks janky and still leaks humidity. The debate is: should I buy another cheap plastic dome and hope for the best, or just go full ziploc bag tent method like my grandma used? Has anyone else had a dome fail on them during the critical first week?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopherwilson11d ago

Did you check what temp the mat actually hits under the dome?

john65011d ago

Heat mat under a dome? That's asking for plastic failure.

raymitchell11d ago

Doubt it'll really cause plastic failure unless you're cranking the heat way too high. Most mats have a thermostat anyway so they shut off before they get hot enough to melt anything. People act like a few degrees of warmth is gonna vaporize their setup or something. I've run mats under domes for years without a single issue. Seems like one of those things that sounds scary in theory but never actually happens in practice.