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Growing questions

Hello everyone,

I tried search on the forum but did not get lucky on finding an answer.
Here's my situation, i started a week ago to grow jalapenos, ancho, santa fe and fresno from seeds. I grow them in a window sill propagator.
So far only two have seedlings (sorry if i misuse the words, english is not my first language) i think the main reason is that

i burried the seeds too deep but my first question is could it be that my soil is too moist? here's a picture:

http://www.flickr.co...N04/7415811660/

my next question is what should i do with the seedlings? should i leave them in the window sill propagator with the lid on because i am hoping to see other seedlings?
or should i remove them and put them in separate pots without lid, i will leave them on window sill or would it be better to put them in a growbox with lights?

I hope i was clear enough and you'll be able to help me out

thanks in advance

le grymreape
 
ive used a similiar system. it has worked well for me, and the soils seemed to stay about as moist as yours. how ever i used peat moss as a medium, and kept a plastic cover over the top of the containers. after a week i had 100% sucess.. seeds should be no more thatn 1/4 of an inch. just less than .5 cm deep
 
Thanks a lot mild for the quick answer! In fact i burried a lot of the seeds way too deep! But i have started other seeds in an electric propagator and burried them as you said!
And for the growing ones what should i do? Leave them there or move them out the propagator?
Thanks a lot again
 
Thanks a lot mild for the quick answer! In fact i burried a lot of the seeds way too deep! But i have started other seeds in an electric propagator and burried them as you said!
And for the growing ones what should i do? Leave them there or move them out the propagator?
Thanks a lot again

my name is 2fishminimum LOL not MILD hahaha rofl

as for your seedlings, i would place them in larger pots, and slowly introduce them to sun light to "harden them off".
 
As a general rule all seeds should be buried approx twice as deep as their size. A pepper seed is usually about 1/8" around so bury abut 1/4", a bean seed however is more like 1/2" long, so you can bury them about an 1".. Some herb seeds are soo tiny, that i just sprinkle them on the surface. This seems to work for me...

and dont give up, with peppers you need to be patient. I have had some varieties take a month to germinate. Dont toss them until you can be absolutely sure that the seed hasnt worked.
 
Oh my god, what a dumbA, sorry 2fishminimum, i guess i was such in a hurry to answer that i didn't even realize that it was part of the profile and not your name!
Anyway thanks for both answers! I guess that's what i'll do and pot them in bigger pots and a little bit of sunlight at a time. Thanks again for your advices 2fishminimum and glad i gave you a good laugh ;)

Bushwhackxj, thanks also for your support, i won't give up but being my first of course i will make some mistakes but that's no big deal, i am just trying to learn so i'll do be better next year ;)
So far i 've learned that next year i will start germination much earlier and i will not burry my seeds as deep as i did (so around 1/4 of an inch which is for me 0.5 to 0.6 cm) thanks again to the both of you for answering!

I still would like to get some information on "watering" such as
how often should i water?
do i always have to water from the bottom?
is there a way to know i have over watered my plants?

But thanks again to this community
 
^^
how often should i water?
Basically not a straight forward answer to this, I just press my finger into the top of the soil a tiny bit. if no dirt sticks to my finger i water... also get a feel for how much your cup or pot weighs when its dry, as well as after you water... you will feel a significant difference, and be able to judge it by weight. When your plants are new and small, they propably wont need watering very often at all, But very large plants could require wateing often.

do i always have to water from the bottom?
Watering from the bottom is recommended for brand new seedlings to help prevent "damping off" which is basically the stem rotting right at the ground level. Once the plants are growing well, and have a few sets of true leaves... i stop worry about this and just water from the top... havent had any problems with damping off this year.

is there a way to know i have over watered my plants?
If you do a search for overwatering on google or alike, im sure you can come up with pics... you will get yellowing leaves that will eventually fall off. Overwatering can also cause root rot, which is harder to diagnose without digging it up... but the plant will wilt easily and symptoms will be paired with the yellow leaves of over watering.
 
Thanks bushwhackxj for these precious advices, i am sure it Will help me a lot!
Now i ll just have to wait and see and i hope i ll get at least a plant of each but so far (11 days after seeding) no sign of fresno or santa fe seedling ;)
Anyway thanks a lot again bushwhackxj for your help and heating up euh sorry sanarda i dont see what's so fun funny ;) or maybe i do ;)
 
You do... and its funny because it's such an easy mistake to make..Good luck on your grow and post pics .... we want to see

to post go to photobucket.com and upload photos. then post the (img.) photo link to here .... cant wait to see
 
It's normal for pepper seeds to take more than a week, but if you suspect that you're watering too much, you probably are.

I would not move them to pots yet, they are quite tiny and may need to get stronger stems and roots to help them survive the move. When you do end up potting them, put them where they receive the most light which is probably the grow box.

Everyone has their own preference but personally I prefer starting each seedling in a separate container rather than a multi-compartment tray as it is then easier to move them individually and get each one out for repotting when the time is right.
 
Yes sanarda, it was an easy mistake and i made it ;) I will post pictures as soon as they grow and thanks a lot for the tips!
@2fishminimum, [background=rgb(255, 244, 228)] the ambient average temperature is 20 degrees celsius(68F).The weather is really bad this year, but i checked for the other seed i started thursday in the the electric propagator and it's 24c/78f and i think i already see 3 seedlings(jalapenos) that want to come out ;). Nothing yet for the ancho.[/background]
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]@Dave2000 for the window sill propagator i think i did it all wrong planted the seed way too deep and over watered but at least i got 2 seedlings. I did move them yesterday as i was afraid the soil was too moist and i think they are doing good so far. It looks like they did not suffer the transfer. i transfered them in plastic cups and will wait that they get stronger to put them in bigger pots. For the grow box i am not sure i have the right lights i will have to check or what would you advise me?[/background]

[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]thanks everyone for your help[/background]
 
Here are my transplanted seedlings as by sanarda!
It looks like they are doing good, how long do you think i shoud/can leave the seedlings in the 16 oz plastic cup? And after that in what recipient should i put them?



transplantedseedlings5days04_1728x1296.jpg
transplantedseedlings5days03_1728x1296.jpg
transplantedseedlings5days02_1728x1296.jpg
transplantedseedlings5days01_1728x1296.jpg
 
Growbox with lights is better assuming they are getting more light to do so. The typical cost effective lighting is daylight color temp (~ 6500K) "cool" fluorescent tubes. Place them only an inch or two above the plants for best results, meaning that as the plants grow the height will need to be adjusted somehow.

I hope your cups have drainage holes on the bottom or the sides right near the bottom. If not, add some holes... and then, they will need to sit in a tray to catch excess water that drains out the bottom.

Size dimensions for staying in the 16oz cup depends on how much light. I mean with plenty of light they will get bushy with thick stems rather than tall/leggy. Either way a 16oz cup will be fine for at least the next couple weeks. After the cup, if it is past the last frost date in your region then they can be put in their final destination, but set them outside for a few hours every day (so long as there is not strong rain or wind) to harden them before leaving them outside permanently. The only real reason to transfer them to an intermediate size pot would be if it were far earlier in the season and they were too big for the cups and yet weather outside did not yet allow keeping them outside.
 
Thanks for answering everyone! Dave2000, each seedlings are in two cups one with the soil and seedling with a hole in That cup and the ohter cup is used to water from the bottom, is That good enough?
I got another question tonight when i got home a lot of the seedlings had their two leaves up( i mean vertical) is That normal?
And as for the lights could you maybe give me links or even brand so i CAN try to find some here in belgium
For the final pots, are 6 to 9 litres (1.5 to 2 gallons) pots big enough for one plant?
Thanks again your help and support

Le grym
 
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