bottom heat

noun

Horticulture.

1. heat artificially applied to a container in which plants are grown in order to induce their germination, rooting, or growth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottom heat¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Pepper seeds may take two weeks to germinate without bottom heat to the seed tray.

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The germination of pepper, tomato and eggplant seeds is faster if their seed trays have bottom heat.

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At this point, light isn’t critical, but bottom heat, like placing the pot on a ledge above a radiator or on top of the refrigerator, can encourage the bulb to break dormancy.

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For propagation cuttings of the rhizome may be taken in August, and placed in pans of light soil, with a bottom heat of 60� to 70� Fahr.; hellebores can also be grown from seed, which must be sown as soon as ripe, since it quickly loses its vitality.

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Hollyhocks are propagated from seed, or by division of the root, or by planting out in rich sandy soil, in a close frame, with a gentle bottom heat, single eyes from woodshoots, or cuttings from outgrowths of the old stock or of the lateral offsets of the spike.

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