seeds Did I get the wrong seeds?

[Skyjerk]

I bought some seeds for Caribbean Red Habanero's.

I sowed them a week ago and they have already sprouted.
Everything I have read about these tells me they should take 21-45 days to germinate.

The seeds were definitely labeled as Caribbean Reds, but now I'm wondering if
they were some other variety being sold as Caribbean Red.

I should say that this is my very first attempt to grow my own chile's so
I dont know my ass from a hole in the ground...

 

[Pam]

Welcome to the group, Skyjerk!

Most peppers that have the correct temperature and moisture will germinate in 10 to 14 days. Some people speed it up by soaking the seeds first, and fresh seed germinates faster than old seed. So, I don't see anything unusual about Caribbean Red seeds germinating in about a week.

Are you going to grow yours indoors or use hydroponics or are you one of the lucky devils that has a greenhouse?

 

[Skyjerk]

Thanks for the welcome :-)

Sadly, no greenhouse!

I've been making my own habanero sauce for years, but I finally got fed up with the inconsistency of the peppers I'm able to buy in stores.
They vary so much in color, flavor, heat, etc, that my sauce is different damn near every time I make it.

Thought I'd try to grow my own and see if I can resolve the problem.
I like em very hot and the redder they are, the nicer the color of the sauce so I figured Caribbean Red's would be a good choice.

I'm attempting to do this all indoors. At the suggestion of another site I was reading, I started out by soaking the seeds overnight in an extremely weak solution of chamomile tea before putting them into little pots to germinate.

I have the seedlings under fluorescent lights right now, but I also
got a 400 watt enhanced spectrum HPS light which I'm thinking should be sufficient for the 4 - 6 plants I'm hoping to grow.
I was planning to put them under that once they are big enough to transplant into large pots.

Its all new to me and there is SO much info out there its a bit confusing.

 

[chilliman64]

sounds like you're on your way!

it's too early to tell if you got the right seed based solely on the germination time. the leaves and flowers will probably give you an idea but the real proof will come from the pods that grow. that's why a lot of growers shy away from 'free' seed as it's often a gamble as to what variety will sprout.

welcome to THP skyjerk - I'm sure you'll have a lot of questions about your newest (and lifelong) obsession, you'll find all your answers here.