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Help Growing Peppers

U

ultrachance850

Hi, I live in South Louisiana and I'm trying to germinate 4 Trinidad Moruga Scorpion seeds. I don't have much prior experience to growing but I did my research. Right now I have them set out on my pool deck. I Give each of them a couple ounces of water every other day. I got them covered with some clear plastic too. The temperature was 90 Degrees yesterday so it should be perfect for growing. Is this a good way for me to start them and do you have any other tips for me? (plant food, fertilizer, watering.)
 
 
Here is a pic of my setup (blame my good camera for the big size).
 
m99lyv.jpg
 
Do you have them in a starting medium? Make sure they stay good and moist during germination. Peppers take a little longer to germinate than alot of other plants. They don't need to be in sunlight while they are germinating. You don't want to fertilize while they are germinating either. Just good and wet. I soak my seeds overnight before planting them in starter trays just gives kind of a head start. Hope this helps a little.
 
I'm thinking that if your temps were 90 and you had them covered with plastic, then the temperature underneath that plastic would be quite a bit above 90.  That may not be the most hospitable environment for germination.  Peppers do best with temps in the low to mid 80's for germination.
 
Thanks everyone I just had a light shower and it's really cloudy outside so I will move them tomorrow. Is my watering sufficient? (Am I watering too much or too little?)
 
Before and during germination you want them really moist. After your plants begin to grow you don't want to overly saturate them. It should be damp but not saturated. Keep it damp and water them only when it is starting to dry. The roots don't like it too wet all the time.
 
MangroveMike said:
Do you have them in a starting medium? Make sure they stay good and moist during germination. Peppers take a little longer to germinate than alot of other plants. They don't need to be in sunlight while they are germinating. You don't want to fertilize while they are germinating either. Just good and wet. I soak my seeds overnight before planting them in starter trays just gives kind of a head start. Hope this helps a little.
Click to expand...
 
As MangroveMike suggests, it seems too hot and intense for germination under those conditions.
 
Many people use germination mats to regulate a temperature around 85F, I personally set my germ beds on my gas-fired stove top range, and others have achieved success setting them similar heated devices such as computer stacks or cable boxes.
 
Much like a newborn infant, you want to provide them with favorable conditions without overwhelming them.  I think your current setup is probably just too much.
 
As others have said, do not saturate them.  Especially important when you have them covered.  All you may end up sprouting is mold.  They retain a lot of that moisture because they are covered so be careful.  You may not need to water them as much as you are.  And as previously mentioned, get them out of that heat.
 
I can see condensation on the inside of the plastic, probably too wet inside the cups. Think about the natural environment they sprout in. You want damp soil, not a swamp. Also, I would poke a hole in the bottom of the cups, you don't want a pool of water at the bottom.
 
If the air temp is 90, they should be in the shade. That deck could be 120+, hot enough to kill the seeds.
 
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