Best Seedling Heat Mats of 2021- Complete Reviews with Comparisons

By Debbie Proctor

You want to give your seedlings the best possible chance of growing and becoming healthy plants, and there are many accessories and tools you can use, but one which seems always to produce excellent results is a heating mat.

We will review 5 of the best seedling heat mats to give you a chance to evaluate each of them so that you can choose the right one for your seedlings.

Best Seedling Heat Mat Reviews

Growerology Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat

This seedling heat mat is one which Growerology has designed to produce faster and better results than most others, so let us see if it lives up to that billing

Review

The size of this heat mat is 10 inches by 20.75 inches, so it provides you with a reasonably sized area within which you can grow your seedlings. It comprises a durable and waterproof material, which should last a long time.

When you switch it on, the temperatures it will produce are between 10° and 20° Fahrenheit above the average temperature of your grow room, and this is the key to your seedlings being able to grow faster and bigger.

You will also find that the mat produces a uniform heat across its entire area; therefore, there is no risk that some of your seedlings being ‘left behind’ while others thrive due to uneven heat.

As a bonus, the heat mat comes with an additional piece of insulating material. This insulation is placed beneath the mat, reduces heat loss, promotes the heat rising towards your seedlings, and improves heat efficiency.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Covers a large area
• Uniform heat levels
• Made from durable material
• Comes with bonus insulating material

Cons

• Difficult to uncurl when new
• No temperature control

Vivosun Durable Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat

Those of you looking for a seedling heat mat that can cover a larger area will want to check out this one from Vivosun, which offers a large surface area and impressive heat levels.

Review

Vivosun’s best-selling seedling heat mat is one that covers a larger area than most, given that its dimensions are 20 inches by 20 inches. The size allows you to use it to help grow more seedlings than many other heat mats.

Its area isn’t the only aspect of its more impressive features than others because the heat it can produce is an ambient temperature between 68° and 86° Fahrenheit. As such, it provides the ideal amount of warmth to promote seedling growth.

The material used meets MET standards, and its suppleness and flexibility make placing it into your growing containers or boxes very easy. It is also durable and waterproof to provide even more reasons why you might want to buy it.

The heat source is innovative in the sense that it uses infrared light waves, and for that reason, if you want to crank up the heat for any reason, it can reach 104°F.

Another advantage of the infrared light is that the heat produced is softer and less likely to cause scorching.

Pros

• Large surface area
• Durable material
• Flexible for easier setup
• Infrared heat for stable heat levels
• Other sizes available

Cons

• May take some time to flatten
• Temperature control costs extra

Hydrofarm Jump Start MT10009 Seedling Heat Mat

Some say, ‘big is best,’ and while that may not apply in all circumstances (weeds come to mind), it can when considering seedling heat mats, and in the case of this one from Hydrofarm, you get one of the biggest you can buy.

Review

We’ll start with the large size we mentioned in the intro and tell you that the surface area of this Hydrofarm seedling heat mat is 48 inches by 20.75 inches.

You get a vast area and the means to have lots of seedlings in one growing box, rather than use multiple containers and heat mats. You should note that if you don’t require such a large area, there are options with smaller areas

The branding that Hydrofarm has used for this heat mat is ‘Jump Start,’ and it is very apt, as it can help seedlings grow from the moment you plant them. The heat mat can create a temperature of between 10°to 20° Fahrenheit in the soil above the ambient room temperature.

Having a heat mat made from a durable material is always important, and thanks to this being 50% thicker than most heat mats in the market, you can be sure it is not going to be damaged easily.

Another plus is the 6-foot power cord, which allows you greater flexibility in terms of where you can position your growing boxes.

Pros

• Extensive surface area
• 50% thicker material
• Durable and waterproof
• Long power cord
• Smaller options available

Cons

• Heat reaches to the outer edges
• Noticeable hot spots after prolonged use

VIVOSUN Seedling Heat Mat And Digital Thermostat Combo Set

Any gardener who wants to be in complete control of their seedlings’ growth will want to look at this heat mat from Vivosun, as it also comes with an adjustable heat controller.

Review

One of the characteristics of this heat mat which most impresses us is how durable it is. This applies not just to the MET-standard material but also to the connection between the power cord and the mat. The fact that it is water-resistant also makes it a heat mat that seems designed to last.

In terms of its size, that is 48 inches by 20.75, so it provides enough capacity for you to have many seedlings in a relatively large-sized growing box benefitting from the heat produced by this mat.

That heat will generally be in the range of between 10° and 30° Fahrenheit above ambient; however, where most other seedling heat mats do not give you control over the exact temperature, this one from Vivosun does.

That is because it comes with a digital temperature controller that allows you to set the temperature to whichever you feel is the most appropriate for your seedlings.

It has a sensor probe to read the temperature, and it also displays the temperature in both Centigrade and Fahrenheit, depending on which you prefer.

Pros

• Large surface area
• Very durable material
• Supple and flexible
• Water-resistant
• Digital temperature controller

Cons

• Controller instructions are poor
• Temp readings not always 100% accurate

Seedfactor MET Certified Seedling Heat Mat

With a name like ‘Seedfactor,’ you would hope that any product they create will be good for the growth of seedlings, and from we can tell, that is what their heat mat does.

Review

As you should expect, the material is MET-certified, and its multi-layered construction means that not only is it extremely durable, it is waterproof too. It also has enough flexibility to allow you to set it up very quickly in your growing boxes.

In term of its size, the dimensions of this seedling heat mat are 20 inches by 10 inches, so it is not the biggest; however, we know that many prefer to seed in smaller growing boxes, and if you do need a greater area, then there is always the option of buying more than one heat mat.

It is not small because its power cord, which is no less than 9 feet long, gives you maximum options to site your seedlings indoors.

You can control and monitor the temperature using the digital temperature controller in conjunction with the temperature probe. Simply set the controller to operate at any temperature between 50° and 108° Fahrenheit, and this will remain stable.

Pros

• Durable and waterproof
• Multi-layered construction
• Easy to set up
• Extensive range of temperature options
• Digital temperature controller

Cons

• Remains warped for some time after first use
• The controller box is too close to the plug

Final Verdict

We have reviewed each of the seedling heat mats that will appeal to different people for different reasons, so we hope one matches your needs.

For us, the best seedling heat mat is the VIVOSUN Seedling Heat Mat and Digital Thermostat Combo Set, mainly because it comes with everything you need, has a large surface area, and provides you with the ideal way to help your seedlings grow from the outset.