My propagator heat mat died mid-winter and killed 40 cuttings

I had a whole tray of succulent cuttings rooting on a heat mat in my basement, and last week the mat just stopped working... no lights, no heat, nothing. By the time I noticed, maybe 3 days later, the soil had dropped to 58 degrees and most of the echeveria leaves had rotted. I'm going to replace it with a different brand this time, maybe the Vivosun one with a thermostat probe. Anyone else had a heat mat fail on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.logan2mo ago

Oh man that sucks, sorry about your cuttings lol. I actually think the heat mat dying might not be the whole issue though - 58 degrees isnt that cold for succulents, they can handle way lower than that if theyre dry. My guess is the lack of airflow and too-wet soil did the real damage, not the temp drop itself.

john_cooper2mo ago

Not so sure I agree with you there. 58 degrees with wet soil and no air movement is a recipe for rot on a lot of succulents, especially if they're young cuttings that haven't rooted yet. I've had echeveria pups rot out on me at 65 degrees in stagnant air with damp dirt, so I think the temp drop just made things worse faster. The rot was already starting before the heat mat died, the cold just finished them off.

jamesm481mo ago

YEAH totally agree with you on that! Ive seen echeveria cuttings rot at like 65 degrees if the soil stays wet and air is dead still. The cold just speeds up the rot once its already starting in wet conditions. Dry succulents can handle freezing temps no problem but wet ones will rot at room temp. Your heat mat was probably keeping them alive by drying things out faster, not just by warming them up.