Propagators.

emmiecooper78

Hi. I’m looking to invest in some windowsill propagators but not sure if I’ll need electric or not. I’m planning to put them in my conservatory as it’s got the best windowsills but it still gets cold in there some days. I’m going to put my greenhouse thermometer in there to get an idea of the actual temperature but what do you all think? 

Which are the best ones?? Thanks

chicky

I’ve got one of the Garland super 7 electric windowsill propagators.  Had it nearly 10 years now and wouldn’t be without it.  Its made such a difference to my germination success 
(which was pretty patchy before, whereas now it is rare for nothing to emerge).

Pete.8

I'd say you need a heated propagator too.
It can get very cold on a window sill at night which will cause problems.
But do remember to remove the lids on warm or sunny days - you don't' want to bake them either

Helios

As Pete.8 says above, you need a heated one. Germination is best indoors I’ve found at a steady-ish temperature. Once germinated I used to move mine away from the windowsill at night.

clarke.brunt

Yes - a heated one is very handy. I've not bought one for years, so no idea what's available these days. Maybe they are all thermostatically controlled, but in order of likely expense would be something without a thermostat (so probably only a low level of heat, to avoid getting too hot); then a fixed thermostat (set to what?) so that it only heats when it needs to; and finally a thermostat with an adjustable control.

With age, the transparent tops of mine are getting rather brittle. Last year, I dropped and broke the lid of the 'favourite' one - it's an unusual shape (nearer to square than usual), so 'standard' tops weren't going to fit - I set about the jigsaw puzzle of super-glueing it back together!

And, as @Pete.8 says, beware of full sun on them - could boil seedlings in a few minutes. I still want the light to get at them, and my seedlings aren't at a stage where I want to remove the lid, so I'm putting a shade-cloth over the propagator when the sun comes out, and removing it again as needed (good thing we're in lockdown, with all this attention!). Cactus seedlings in there at the moment - I do grow rather a lot of cacti, so there are nearly always cactus seeds on the go. Can't think of anything else I want to sow until I do tomatoes in the 2nd half of March (destined for growbags outside).

Wilderbeast

I have 2 of the larger Stewart heated props I found they were really good at germinating seeds and also getting cuttings, root cuttings and divisions going.