--- product_id: 1441413 title: "JumpStart by Hydrofarm Digital Thermostat Controller for Heat Mats, MTPRTC, Water Resistant Probe, Celcius or Farenheit Read-Out, 6' Cord" brand: "hydrofarm" price: "241.85 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 category: "Hydrofarm" url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1441413-jumpstart-by-hydrofarm-digital-thermostat-controller-for-heat-mats-mtprtc store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # 6' probe cord length ETL certified safety Precise temp control 68°F-108°F JumpStart by Hydrofarm Digital Thermostat Controller for Heat Mats, MTPRTC, Water Resistant Probe, Celcius or Farenheit Read-Out, 6' Cord **Brand:** hydrofarm **Price:** 241.85 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🌱 Elevate your growth game with precision heat control that never quits! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** JumpStart by Hydrofarm Digital Thermostat Controller for Heat Mats, MTPRTC, Water Resistant Probe, Celcius or Farenheit Read-Out, 6' Cord by hydrofarm - **How much does it cost?** 241.85 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1441413-jumpstart-by-hydrofarm-digital-thermostat-controller-for-heat-mats-mtprtc) ## Best For - hydrofarm enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted hydrofarm brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Multi-Hobby Essential:** Ideal for homebrewing, reptile terrariums, and small pet enclosures—expand your heat mat’s potential. - • **Safety-First Certified:** Only ETL-certified thermostat on the market ensures peace of mind while you grow. - • **Versatile Heat Control:** Switch easily between Celsius and Fahrenheit for global-friendly temperature management. - • **Plug-and-Play Simplicity:** LED heating indicator and 6-foot probe cord make setup effortless and monitoring intuitive. - • **Consistent Germination Mastery:** Maintain perfect root zone temps for seedlings and cuttings with digital precision. ## Overview The Hydrofarm JumpStart MTPRTC is a digital thermostat controller designed for heat mats, offering precise temperature regulation from 68°F to 108°F with a 6-foot water-resistant probe. It is the only ETL-certified thermostat in its category, ensuring top safety standards. Perfect for seed starting, homebrewing, and pet habitats, it features a clear digital display with selectable Celsius or Fahrenheit readouts and an LED heating indicator for easy monitoring. ## Description "Hydrofarm's Jump Start Heat Mat Thermostat controls the temperature of heat mats by providing constant optimum temperature for plants, seedlings and cuttings. It is ideal for maintaing root zone/rooting temperatures in a tray and dome. Easy plug-in operation with LED indicator light, digital temperature selection, and three-prong ground plug. Controllable range from 68 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Includes temperature probe with 6' cord. Choice of Fahrenheit or Celsius digital readout. Heat mats are not just for gardening anymore! They are very useful for providing consistent, controllable heating for other hobbies including reptile and arachnid keeping (heating for enclosures and terrariums), homebrewing (maintaining of fermentation temperatures), and more. With this thermostat, you can easily expand any heat mat's functionality so that it provides the precise level of warmth your pets and projects require to flourish. The ability to dial in and maintain your preferred temperature means you can rest assured and no longer need to constantly monitor temperature, whether in colder or warmer environments. The Heat Mat Thermostat is the only ETL-certified heat mat thermostat on the market. ETL (Intertek) is a respected inspection laboratory which specializes in product safety testing. ETL certification is proof that a product complies with widely-accepted safety standards. The Jump Start Heat Mat Thermostat is compatible with all heat mats, and is an optional accessory for Hydrofarm Seedling Heat Mats. " Review: A Must-Have For Seed Starting Using Heat Mats (...along with info on my seed starting setup) - I have used Hydrofarm seedling heat mats, thermostats, and lighting systems for years now and can attest to overwhelming success these have afforded me in getting my garden plants started in late winter. This thermostat is a perfect accessory to help keep your plants at the proper temperature. Depending on where you set up your seed starting equipment, you may find this thermostat indispensable. Seed heat mats are designed to keep your seed tray about 10-20 degrees above ambient temperature. If you keep yours indoors in a 65-70 degree environment like I do, you might consider getting this thermostat to keep your young plants from getting too hot. This thermostat is easy to perform the initial set up on, then very easy to make adjustments to if needed. It has an integrated probe for placement into the soil so that a direct reading can be taken and regulated accordingly. Heat mats and proper lighting are the key to consistent and prolific germination of seeds started in late winter to be ready for springtime planting. Here's the setup I've used for the past few years: -Park Seed Park's Double Bio Dome with 80 Jumbo Cells. I actually use 2-18 Jumbo Cell for a total of 36 plants. There are several sizes of the Bio-Dome system. I have the DOUBLE Bio-Dome which allows for two seed starting cells (Purchased from Park Seed) -Hydrofarm MT10008 20-by-20-Inch Seedling Heat Mat (Purchased from desertcart) -Hydrofarm FLT24 2-ft/ 4-Tube T5 Commercial System with Bulbs (Purchased from desertcart) -Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats (Purchased from desertcart) -Style Selections 36-in H x 24-in W x 18-in D 3-Tier Steel Freestanding Shelving Unit (Purchased from Lowe's) The modular, adjustable wire shelving unit gives me the foundation for my indoor winter seed-starting setup. The shelves are adjustable so that I can hang the grow light on the underside of the top shelf, then adjust the middle shelf so that the top of the Bio Dome is about 6-8 inches from the light. This allows for enough room to remove the top of the Bio Dome in the event I need to access the plants for watering, fertilizing, etc. The bottom shelf is great for storing my remaining planting supplies. The light is almost the same size as the Double Bio-Dome and provides 100% light coverage necessary for young plants to thrive. A few years back, I tried to use a light that was only 2 bulbs and half the size of the one I currently use. You could tell that the young plants would angle toward the light hanging in the middle, and those on the outer edges didn't grow as quickly and tall as those in the middle. Take it from someone who spent $25 - $50 each year over the course of several years trying to find a light that would work well with my seed starting system. I knew about the Hydrofarm light early on, but wasn't too eager to purchase it due to it's higher cost. I wish I would have gotten it first because I would have saved money in the long run considering the poor-performing lights I purchased in years prior to getting the one listed above. The Park Seed Bio Dome is an extraordinary seed-starting system that allows your plants to grow quite large without root binding problems found in other tray-type seed starting setups. Park uses the styrofoam cell matrix with replaceable organic bio-sponges in which the seeds are planted. I regulate the temperature of the seed heat mat with the Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat set at between 85-90 degrees. This thermostat has a temperature probe you can insert into one of the organic bio-sponges to obtain a direct soil reading. I route the probe through one of the vent holes in the lid of the Bio-Dome. In order to capture the most heat from the heat mat, while allowing the thermostat to regulate the temperature of the mat, I first take a folded beach towel and place it on the middle shelving rack. I then set the heat mat on top of the towel, then place the Bio-Dome on top of the heat mat. This allows me to recover most of the heat that would otherwise radiate from the exposed, bottom side of the heat mat. Watering with the Bio-Dome setup is easy and, depending on how you have the vents adjusted in the lid, performed infrequently at best due to the efficiency of water vapor recovery of the Bio-Dome system. I typically start tomato and pepper plants in mid-February so that they are ready for planting by the first week of May. You may want to check online for your indoor planting and outdoor transplanting dates depending on your region and climate. I hope my sharing with you what has worked quite well for me will help you in your seed-starting endeavors! Review: Seems To Work! Great for starting Tomatoes, Peppers. Allows you to move on with your life, Do other things besides babysit trays - This is a Hydrofarm product, being used on three Planter's Pride covered heat trays. (Which they label as 72 cell "Heated greenhouse kits".) Each self contained 72 growing cell tray/kit uses 17 watts. The Hydrofarm Heat mat Thermostat is rated to handle 1000 watts, so well under it's rated capacity at 3 mats/51 watts. I bought 8 of these heat mat trays and was prepared to plug all of them into a power strip attached to the underside of my shelf, then plug the power strip cord into the thermostat. I use these greenhouse trays on a 2'x4' shelf unit with grow lights attached to the bottom of each shelf. I'm also growing wheatgrass on these shelves, so I try to check water every morning and night, but always at night if I miss a morning. I run all my lights on timers to mimic the natural sun cycles. It's not necessary I suppose, but maybe plants like a break too? Except for watering, my set up is automatic and maintenance free. All due to a 5 dollar light timer and this thermostat. Here's my details. Regular Basement temp - 60-62 degrees. This year I am in the process of sprouting 15 different varieties of tomatoes. So 72 cells of tomatoes, 72 cells of peppers, 36 cells of cauliflour, 36 cells of brocolli. I had read accounts of the mats not shutting off and running too hot for too long without a timer or thermostat. Sure enough, right on the heated greenhouse kit box, Tomatoes are listed as a "cooler start seed" 70-80 degrees. The "Hot seed starts" that according to their directions require the mats to be turned on and left on full time are squash, radishes, pumpkins, corn, watermelons, etc. And I don't know anybody who starts these varieties, such as corn indoors? "Hot seed start" temps were 90 degrees, a little too warm for tomatoes and such. Read your box and heat mat perameters! Their solution as stated on the box is to unplug the tray for 4 to 6 hours at night, or use a timer to try and maintain a 70-80 degree range. Which sounds like an easy way to fail at germinating tomatoes, since these mats have the capability of reaching 90+ degrees.. Well this is what the Hydrofarm soil thermostat is for, because I don't want to get up in the middle of the night and fiddle with flashlights, manual soil thermometers, plugging and unplugging units! If the ambient temperature in the basement changes, the Hydrofarm thermostat adjusts. I set the temperature at 82 degrees, stick the corded silver lead down into a growing cell in one of the trays and leave it there. The deeper you press the temperature lead down into the cell the closer you make it to the heat source of the mat. My advice would be to set it as close to the soil surface as possible without it flipping out of the dirt. (This lead then continually takes the default reading for all three trays) Water as usual, and put the tray lid back on. It took about 4 hours to get the soil up to temperature on the digital readout. I keep a cheap tiny window thermometer under the lid of one of the other trays as another safety control reading. In case the thermostat were to ever freeze and the mats stayed on, I'd be able to catch it. I ended up setting my thermostat to 82 to raise the above the soil temp in the covered tray a couple degrees which was still showing in the high 60's. So when the soil temp reaches 82, it shuts off. Soil temp seems to drop around three degrees or so before it turns back on. I assume there's an electricity savings there, but I don't know how long the trays remain off. You can't hear them turn on and off. But it's doing a super job of regulating the germination temperature. Over half of my tomato seeds sprouted in under 10 days and all at once! In less than 24 hours things went from bare dirt in the tray to sprouts pressing against the underside of the tray lid. Amazing. I've struggled with tomatoes every year prior. All the seeds that didn't sprout has more to do with seed viability than the equipment as far as I'm concerned. The thermostat does what it's supposed to do, and allows you to go on with your life and do other things besides monitor the trays all day and night. This makes starting your own seeds fun, easy, and worthwhile to do if your gardening means more to you than a hobby. This year, the cost of buying tomato/pepper transplants was instead spent on this equipment, next year it should amount to substantial savings! ## Features - The only safety ETL certified thermostat on the market - Provides constant optimal temperatures for germination/rooting - Ideal in homebrewing for maintaining desired fermentation temperature, and perfect for temperature control in reptile terrariums and small pet enclosures. - LED heating indicator light and Digital temperature control - Controllable range of 68°F - 108°F, Choice of Celsius or Fahrenheit readout (press Up or Down button to change) - 1 Year Warranty ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B000NZZG3S | | Additional Features | Controllable range of 68°F - 108°F | | Backlight | Yes | | Best Sellers Rank | #102,596 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ( See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden ) #24 in Plant Heating Mats | | Brand | Hydrofarm | | Brand Name | Hydrofarm | | Color | Ul Listed | | Connectivity Technology | Electric | | Control Method | Remote | | Control Type | Dial Control | | Controller Type | Hand Control | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,759 Reviews | | Display Type | Digital | | Global Trade Identification Number | 00043978299922, 00638104100038 | | Included Components | Temperature probe | | Item Dimensions D x W x H | 2"D x 3"W x 5"H | | Item Type Name | Germination Heat Mat Thermostat | | Item Weight | 9.6 ounces | | Manufacturer | Hydrofarm | | Manufacturer Part Number | MTPRTC | | Material Type | Plastic | | Model Name | Jump Start MTPRTC UL LISTED Digital Controller Thermostat for Heat Mats | | Model Number | MTPRTC | | Mounting Type | Wall Mount | | Power Source | Electric | | Product Dimensions | 2"D x 3"W x 5"H | | Product Style | Modern | | Special Feature | Controllable range of 68°F - 108°F | | Specific Uses For Product | Animal Accessories | | Specification Met | ETL | | Temperature Control Type | Heating | | UPC | 043978299922 885358064016 885440616222 638104100038 | | Unit Count | 1.0 Count | | Voltage | 230 Volts | | Wattage | 1000 watts | ## Product Details - **Brand:** Hydrofarm - **Controller Type:** Hand Control - **Model Name:** Jump Start MTPRTC UL LISTED Digital Controller Thermostat for Heat Mats - **Product Dimensions:** 2"D x 3"W x 5"H - **Special Feature:** Controllable range of 68°F - 108°F ## Images ![JumpStart by Hydrofarm Digital Thermostat Controller for Heat Mats, MTPRTC, Water Resistant Probe, Celcius or Farenheit Read-Out, 6' Cord - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61c1v4LmshL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Pattern** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Must-Have For Seed Starting Using Heat Mats (...along with info on my seed starting setup) *by A***E on January 2, 2014* I have used Hydrofarm seedling heat mats, thermostats, and lighting systems for years now and can attest to overwhelming success these have afforded me in getting my garden plants started in late winter. This thermostat is a perfect accessory to help keep your plants at the proper temperature. Depending on where you set up your seed starting equipment, you may find this thermostat indispensable. Seed heat mats are designed to keep your seed tray about 10-20 degrees above ambient temperature. If you keep yours indoors in a 65-70 degree environment like I do, you might consider getting this thermostat to keep your young plants from getting too hot. This thermostat is easy to perform the initial set up on, then very easy to make adjustments to if needed. It has an integrated probe for placement into the soil so that a direct reading can be taken and regulated accordingly. Heat mats and proper lighting are the key to consistent and prolific germination of seeds started in late winter to be ready for springtime planting. Here's the setup I've used for the past few years: -Park Seed Park's Double Bio Dome with 80 Jumbo Cells. I actually use 2-18 Jumbo Cell for a total of 36 plants. There are several sizes of the Bio-Dome system. I have the DOUBLE Bio-Dome which allows for two seed starting cells (Purchased from Park Seed) -Hydrofarm MT10008 20-by-20-Inch Seedling Heat Mat (Purchased from Amazon) -Hydrofarm FLT24 2-ft/ 4-Tube T5 Commercial System with Bulbs (Purchased from Amazon) -Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats (Purchased from Amazon) -Style Selections 36-in H x 24-in W x 18-in D 3-Tier Steel Freestanding Shelving Unit (Purchased from Lowe's) The modular, adjustable wire shelving unit gives me the foundation for my indoor winter seed-starting setup. The shelves are adjustable so that I can hang the grow light on the underside of the top shelf, then adjust the middle shelf so that the top of the Bio Dome is about 6-8 inches from the light. This allows for enough room to remove the top of the Bio Dome in the event I need to access the plants for watering, fertilizing, etc. The bottom shelf is great for storing my remaining planting supplies. The light is almost the same size as the Double Bio-Dome and provides 100% light coverage necessary for young plants to thrive. A few years back, I tried to use a light that was only 2 bulbs and half the size of the one I currently use. You could tell that the young plants would angle toward the light hanging in the middle, and those on the outer edges didn't grow as quickly and tall as those in the middle. Take it from someone who spent $25 - $50 each year over the course of several years trying to find a light that would work well with my seed starting system. I knew about the Hydrofarm light early on, but wasn't too eager to purchase it due to it's higher cost. I wish I would have gotten it first because I would have saved money in the long run considering the poor-performing lights I purchased in years prior to getting the one listed above. The Park Seed Bio Dome is an extraordinary seed-starting system that allows your plants to grow quite large without root binding problems found in other tray-type seed starting setups. Park uses the styrofoam cell matrix with replaceable organic bio-sponges in which the seeds are planted. I regulate the temperature of the seed heat mat with the Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat set at between 85-90 degrees. This thermostat has a temperature probe you can insert into one of the organic bio-sponges to obtain a direct soil reading. I route the probe through one of the vent holes in the lid of the Bio-Dome. In order to capture the most heat from the heat mat, while allowing the thermostat to regulate the temperature of the mat, I first take a folded beach towel and place it on the middle shelving rack. I then set the heat mat on top of the towel, then place the Bio-Dome on top of the heat mat. This allows me to recover most of the heat that would otherwise radiate from the exposed, bottom side of the heat mat. Watering with the Bio-Dome setup is easy and, depending on how you have the vents adjusted in the lid, performed infrequently at best due to the efficiency of water vapor recovery of the Bio-Dome system. I typically start tomato and pepper plants in mid-February so that they are ready for planting by the first week of May. You may want to check online for your indoor planting and outdoor transplanting dates depending on your region and climate. I hope my sharing with you what has worked quite well for me will help you in your seed-starting endeavors! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Seems To Work! Great for starting Tomatoes, Peppers. Allows you to move on with your life, Do other things besides babysit trays *by T***R on April 16, 2014* This is a Hydrofarm product, being used on three Planter's Pride covered heat trays. (Which they label as 72 cell "Heated greenhouse kits".) Each self contained 72 growing cell tray/kit uses 17 watts. The Hydrofarm Heat mat Thermostat is rated to handle 1000 watts, so well under it's rated capacity at 3 mats/51 watts. I bought 8 of these heat mat trays and was prepared to plug all of them into a power strip attached to the underside of my shelf, then plug the power strip cord into the thermostat. I use these greenhouse trays on a 2'x4' shelf unit with grow lights attached to the bottom of each shelf. I'm also growing wheatgrass on these shelves, so I try to check water every morning and night, but always at night if I miss a morning. I run all my lights on timers to mimic the natural sun cycles. It's not necessary I suppose, but maybe plants like a break too? Except for watering, my set up is automatic and maintenance free. All due to a 5 dollar light timer and this thermostat. Here's my details. Regular Basement temp - 60-62 degrees. This year I am in the process of sprouting 15 different varieties of tomatoes. So 72 cells of tomatoes, 72 cells of peppers, 36 cells of cauliflour, 36 cells of brocolli. I had read accounts of the mats not shutting off and running too hot for too long without a timer or thermostat. Sure enough, right on the heated greenhouse kit box, Tomatoes are listed as a "cooler start seed" 70-80 degrees. The "Hot seed starts" that according to their directions require the mats to be turned on and left on full time are squash, radishes, pumpkins, corn, watermelons, etc. And I don't know anybody who starts these varieties, such as corn indoors? "Hot seed start" temps were 90 degrees, a little too warm for tomatoes and such. Read your box and heat mat perameters! Their solution as stated on the box is to unplug the tray for 4 to 6 hours at night, or use a timer to try and maintain a 70-80 degree range. Which sounds like an easy way to fail at germinating tomatoes, since these mats have the capability of reaching 90+ degrees.. Well this is what the Hydrofarm soil thermostat is for, because I don't want to get up in the middle of the night and fiddle with flashlights, manual soil thermometers, plugging and unplugging units! If the ambient temperature in the basement changes, the Hydrofarm thermostat adjusts. I set the temperature at 82 degrees, stick the corded silver lead down into a growing cell in one of the trays and leave it there. The deeper you press the temperature lead down into the cell the closer you make it to the heat source of the mat. My advice would be to set it as close to the soil surface as possible without it flipping out of the dirt. (This lead then continually takes the default reading for all three trays) Water as usual, and put the tray lid back on. It took about 4 hours to get the soil up to temperature on the digital readout. I keep a cheap tiny window thermometer under the lid of one of the other trays as another safety control reading. In case the thermostat were to ever freeze and the mats stayed on, I'd be able to catch it. I ended up setting my thermostat to 82 to raise the above the soil temp in the covered tray a couple degrees which was still showing in the high 60's. So when the soil temp reaches 82, it shuts off. Soil temp seems to drop around three degrees or so before it turns back on. I assume there's an electricity savings there, but I don't know how long the trays remain off. You can't hear them turn on and off. But it's doing a super job of regulating the germination temperature. Over half of my tomato seeds sprouted in under 10 days and all at once! In less than 24 hours things went from bare dirt in the tray to sprouts pressing against the underside of the tray lid. Amazing. I've struggled with tomatoes every year prior. All the seeds that didn't sprout has more to do with seed viability than the equipment as far as I'm concerned. The thermostat does what it's supposed to do, and allows you to go on with your life and do other things besides monitor the trays all day and night. This makes starting your own seeds fun, easy, and worthwhile to do if your gardening means more to you than a hobby. This year, the cost of buying tomato/pepper transplants was instead spent on this equipment, next year it should amount to substantial savings! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Versatile and Great for the Price! *by L***R on February 11, 2013* It says for heat mats, but really it's just a controlled standard power outlet, so you can plug whatever you want in to it. I use it with a 150 watt ceramic heating bulb( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AQCQO ) plugged into a normal lamp to keep my pet hedgehog's cage warm, and really, I could plug several of those heating elements into a surge protector with this if I wanted to. It's easy to use, and the temperature probe is responsive and accurate. While the thermometer probe seems accurate to 1 decimal place, the actually temperature control is not very precise. The power clicks on when the probe hits 2 F BELOW the temperature you set it to and clicks off right when it warms up to the temperature you set. So the best possible accuracy you could get is setting the thermostat to 1 degree above the temp you want and it would go from 1 below to 1 above what you actually want. Keep in mind also that this control accuracy depends on what sort of heating element you use, what sort of environment it's in, and where you place the probe and will only get slightly worse from what I described. I use it in open air with the probe about a foot away from a ceramic heating element and I get swings of 5-6 degrees but this will be better if you are using a heating mat in soil as described. This accuracy was perfectly fine for me, but if your application calls for more precision, you'll have to look for something else. Unfortunately, to get something better you'll have to spend a lot more from what I saw. I only saw 2 minor downsides: 1) The little suction cup to hold the probe in place isn't that great (but it works ok, and I guess it's not that big of a deal anyway) and 2) The red led control interface is slightly bright and is always on. This was not a problem for me, but if you use this in a place where you sleep or could be otherwise bothered by it, you'd probably have to make a little cover or something. Other than that I have no complaints! Compared to similar products, this feels like a reliable, effective product at a great price. Despite limited precision, for the money I don't think you'll find better ## Frequently Bought Together - JumpStart MP TPC digital thermostat for heating mats, 230V - Canna Bloom Booster Liquid 1L - Advanced Nutrients Big Bud Liquid Fertilizer, 1-Liter --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1441413-jumpstart-by-hydrofarm-digital-thermostat-controller-for-heat-mats-mtprtc](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1441413-jumpstart-by-hydrofarm-digital-thermostat-controller-for-heat-mats-mtprtc) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-08-02*