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My Zone 6a, CT, 1st Time Growing From Seed

This is my first time growing peppers from seed. Previous years I’ve only bought a few nursery grown. Sometime last year I found a passion for growing peppers, and here I am now. Spent end of last summer/early fall planning out indoor grow needs with supplies, buying seeds, getting everything I would need. I started another section of property for spring time planning all my hot/sweet peppers. I’m in zone 6a, CT. These were started on 12/29/2019 after a 1 hour peroxide soak, followed by 10 hours room temp water soak. 
 
I'm doing several stages of growing, so I'll just name based on date, batch 1, batch 2, etc in linked posts to help identify.
 
All of these are seeds purchased from Pepper Joe, Sandia Seeds, and seeds I’ve collected myself from peppers. I found the best germination rates & thriving were sandia (80-100%) > my own (70-90%) > pepper joe (50-70%). I’m happy with overall germination rates; if 1 out of 2 at the bare minimum germinated, I’m content with that. The pepper setup is in my basement, in same room as a pellet stove.  Low humidity, so being sure to bottom water thoroughly and occasionally spritz the top has worked out well. I have 3 adjustable x2bulb 4 foot full spectrum lights on a timer. There’s a little fan I have hooked up I run for a few hours a day for fair flow and hardening up the stems. I also have a few of those little small digital thermometer with humidity reading. Miracle grow starter mix, then miracle grow potting mix. These have been potted up from little plug dome I had picked up.  The foil isn’t a grow tent, it’s mylar blankets I picked up cheap to line behind, below and to sides of peppers to help bounce heat/light.
 
Videos from Khang Starr, the rusted garden, 7pot club definitely gave me the ambition to go for it this season. Yes, the peppers were bottom watered moments before photo.
 
Currently you can see (batch 1):
Numex Habanero/Habanada x4
Orange Habanero x4
Khang Starr Lemonstarburst x2
Chocolate Douglah x4
Carolina Reaper x5
Red Scotch Bonnet x2
Butch T Scorpion X Carolina Reaper  x1
Ghost Pepper x4
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion  x2
Chocolate Bhutlah  x1
Bhutlah Bubblegum 7 Pot Choc X  x3
Chocolate Carolina Reaper  x1
 
Others germinated waiting to be potted up (batch 1):
Carolina Reaper  x4
Chocolate Carolina Reaper x1
Yellow Carolina Reaper x2
Red Savina Habanero  x2
Orange Habanero x1
 
Additional seeds planted 9 days ago awaiting germination (batch 2):
Carolina Reaper x8
Red Savina Habanero  x2
Chocolate Habanero  x2
Yellow Carolina Reaper  x4
Dragon’s Breath  x6
Ghost Pepper x8
 
 
 
Click to expand...
Batch 1: Day 0, initial planting. December 29, 2019.
 
 
 

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Batch 1, Final Germination Rates.
 
This is the final germination rates for my first batch of seedlings planted end of December 2019, and now it is January 27, 2020. Anything that did not germinate or germinated and died DOA at which they didn’t survive to 1st transplant are considered as non-germination for sake of this tally. I can say that germination is not all based on source/seed, ultimately some of it is my own fault based on conditions of soil, temp, or other factors that lead to DOA. I’m content with germination rates as far as getting enough plants for what I wanted, even when they are lower, since I’m still getting enough to do what I want.  I already assumed when I started a bunch wouldn’t germinate. Ultimately more germinated than I need, by far, so I’m happy with results thus far. This list is simply to gauge germination/1st transplant percentages to better evaluate my conditions and what was successful, versus not successful for me. I can’t say if any/all are true or mess up cross breeds at this point.
 
1. **Sandia Seeds**:
Total Started: 8
Successful Germination: 8
 Unsuccessful: 0 
Germination Rate: 100%
 
2. **Pepper Joe Seeds**:
Total Started: 42
Successful Germination: 18
Unsuccessful: 24
Germination Rate: 42%
 
3. **My Seeds Gathered from Purchased Pods**:
Total Started: 14
Successful Germination: 10
Unsuccessful: 4
Germination Rate: 71%
 
4. ** Reddit/Other Seed Sources**:
Total Started: 4
Successful Germination: 2
Unsuccessful:  2
Germination Rate: 50%
 
Below is a breakdown of each type of pepper seed started and successful germination.
Ex: Pepper B: 3/4, 75%. 3 germinated, 1 did not germinate.
**Sandia Seeds**
Carolina Reaper:  4/4, 100%
Numex Habanero/habanada:  4/4, 100%
 
**Pepper Joe**
Carolina Reaper:  2/4, 50%
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion:  2/4, 50%
Bubblegum 7Pot:  0/2, 0%
Chocolate Bhutlah: 1/4, 25%
White Habanero:  0/4, 0%
Red Scotch Bonnet:  2/4, 50%
Ghost Pepper:  3/4, 75%
Butch T Scorpion X Carolina Reaper: 1/4, 25%
Bhutlah Bubblegum 7 Pot X Chocolate Bubblegum:  2/4, 50%
Orange Habanero:  3/4, 75%
Red Savina Habanero:  2/2, 100%
Chocolate Habanero:  0/2, 0%

 
**My Seeds Gathered**
Yellow Carolina Reaper: 2/4, 50%
Orange Habanero:  2/2, 100%
Chocolate Carolina Reaper:  2/4, 50%
Chocolate Douglah:  4/4, 100%
 
**Reddit/Other Sources**
Khang Starr Lemon Starburst:  2/4, 50%
 
[SIZE=11pt]So that is a complete breakdown of what germinated versus what didn’t. At this point, all plugs cleaned out and assumed dead/non-germination as the seeds deteriorated in that time.[/SIZE]
 
 
The transplants look great, DC.
 
You can't go wrong with Khang's videos.
I like that he makes it seem easy and straight
forward. Can't argue with his success!
 
Good luck going forward into the 2020 grow
season. Looking forward to seeing some
great results from your grow.
 
Thanks. Yeah Khang's and The rusted garden literally gave me the foundation I needed to feel confident enough to go from traditional buying of plain plants in nursery to starting all from seed mid-winter.  These suckers are growing a lot faster than I expected; and I'm far more successful than I was expecting. I'll end up having to top off multiple times/potting up. Not so concerned about height, I can easily do pot-in pot with buttom cut out to increase depth for roots, more concerned with not growing far too out wide.
 
Your success is the result of research and planning,
glad you are enjoying your first attempt at gardening
from scratch.
 
Will be interested in seeing how your pot-in-pot
method works. Never tried that, myself. I'd worry
about the two halves of the root mass separating
when it came time for plant-out.
 
PaulG said:
Your success is the result of research and planning,
glad you are enjoying your first attempt at gardening
from scratch.
 
Will be interested in seeing how your pot-in-pot
method works. Never tried that, myself. I'd worry
about the two halves of the root mass separating
when it came time for plant-out.
Click to expand...
 
 
Picture a double cup setup where one cup is completely in another, the top cup the entire bottom is cut out. Now take that top cup and raise it up 3-4 inches....emulating a larger single pot but using 2. If you get the right deep pot, you can fill the bottom one 2/3 to 3/4 the way, then put the top one in and transplant and fill with soil. If you leave about 1/10 an inch of the edge of bottom of cup at top, itll "rest" gently on the soil/edge of one below. In theory, in my head a least, I can transplant to grow deeper inside to buy myself a little more time with depth versus width in pot size.
 
I do want to be successful. As much as I'd love to have 100% germination, i realistically can't handle 80 plants full on, so a few learning lessons along way useful. Def, doing the same for my other veggies, but a lot less planning for those than super hots.
 
darkchile said:
 
 
Picture a double cup setup where one cup is completely in another, the top cup the entire bottom is cut out. Now take that top cup and raise it up 3-4 inches....emulating a larger single pot but using 2. If you get the right deep pot, you can fill the bottom one 2/3 to 3/4 the way, then put the top one in and transplant and fill with soil. If you leave about 1/10 an inch of the edge of bottom of cup at top, itll "rest" gently on the soil/edge of one below. In theory, in my head a least, I can transplant to grow deeper inside to buy myself a little more time with depth versus width in pot size.
 
I do want to be successful. As much as I'd love to have 100% germination, i realistically can't handle 80 plants full on, so a few learning lessons along way useful. Def, doing the same for my other veggies, but a lot less planning for those than super hots.
Click to expand...
Nice! I have been doing the double solo cup for a couple years. Kanger video. I don't cut the whole bottom. I only cut 4 to 5 slits on the edges for roots to go through and put stones on the bottom of the outside cup... Fill with favorite nute...

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