Heated Propagating Tray - Review

I promised a review over on Facebook of a German store 'Florabest' propagator but have been pretty busy, with one thing and another. However, one of my close friends helped to plant the very first seeds into it and is now quizzing me on how they've performed!

A heated propagating bench has been on my wish list for years now and although relatively inexpensive to make, as is often the case in our house, whenever the funds are tantalizingly close enough to tease me, they're suddenly redirected elsewhere.

So when Mr G came home with the latest brochure advertising a heated propagator for just €17.99 the offer was too good to turn down and we snapped one up. 

There's no thermostatic control but the box claims the temperature of the soil is raised by up to 8oC. There are six mini nursery pots with lids, drainage and air vents and first impression was that it was a sturdy piece of kit.

So on the 19th February the first seeds were sown and we waited. It didn't take long before the tomatoes, melons and chilli pepper seedlings were up and again, very quickly their true leaves appeared (the second set), indicating they were ready to be moved on into pots of their own.

The only fault I've found with it is the temptation to sow too much. However, you quickly discover that if you can stop yourself overfilling it, you can almost have the seeds transplanted and the containers refilled before seeds without hot bottoms have begun to germinate.

There's a lot of condensation in the pots so it’s a good idea to open the ventilation as soon as the seedling appears, removing the lid altogether once they’re fully up. Also a daily wipe around the clear plastic lid doesn’t go amiss as this will help to prevent fungal disease.

So would I recommend it? Most definitely for a hobby gardener. Most families would only need to sow one or two courgettes plants, a few tomato plants, and a couple of cucumbers. They wouldn't NEED a larger propagator. Do I still NEED a heated propagator bench? Why of course.

(NB: wondering why my seedlings are so leggy? I need lights too…)