glog First go at this!

My first time trying to grow anything from seed - the poor herb sprouts I bought and killed curing covid notwithstanding...
Starting a little late because we've had an unusually late cold season where I am.

I am a little concerned about the humidity buildup inside of the box Probably overdid the initial watering (as I tend to overdo things...).
Going to let it dry out a bit for a while so currently I'm doing the hardest thing aka waiting patiently

Still have a few more seeds coming for the unfilled rows!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

 

[NJChilehead]

My first time trying to grow anything from seed - the poor herb sprouts I bought and killed curing covid notwithstanding...
Starting a little late because we've had an unusually late cold season where I am.

I am a little concerned about the humidity buildup inside of the box Probably overdid the initial watering (as I tend to overdo things...).
Going to let it dry out a bit for a while so currently I'm doing the hardest thing aka waiting patiently

Still have a few more seeds coming for the unfilled rows!

Hey @hmartin , you got this!

Which varieties are you growing?

Also, talk to me about the humidity dome. I've never used one, and my ambient humidity indoors is pretty low in the winter/early spring because of forced air heating. It seems like if you use one, you'll just have to acclimate your starts to ambient humidity later. Do you have issues with very low humidity in your home/area?

 

[hmartin]

I'm in socal so expect a quite dry summer starting soon. It's already fairly low humidity indoors which is why I put the dome on.
Now I'm curious about the idea of acclimation... are you suggesting it would be better to start them off with low humidity anyways since that's what they'll eventually transfer to?
Here's the kit I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJXZ8WDH

As for varieties...

 

[NJChilehead]

I'm in socal so expect a quite dry summer starting soon. It's already fairly low humidity indoors which is why I put the dome on.
Now I'm curious about the idea of acclimation... are you suggesting it would be better to start them off with low humidity anyways since that's what they'll eventually transfer to?
Here's the kit I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJXZ8WDH

As for varieties...

Looks like a good selection! You've got some fiery varieties there!

I'd be overstepping my level of experience if I were to give you advice on whether or not to use anything that supplements humidity in your environment, because I'm in the relatively humid Northeast. I think there are growers in your area who would be able to chime in more. My inclination is to do some research, and also consider how you would acclimate them to your area when you finally are ready to move them outside. It would be like hardening off to sunlight, wind, etc., where you start with smaller amounts and gradually introduce longer and/or more intense periods. Otherwise the shock might set them back.

@ahayastani I know that your environment is hot but can't remember if it is humid or dry? I'd feel better deferring this to you, if you have experience with seed starting in dry environments.

 

[ahayastani]

@ahayastani I know that your environment is hot but can't remember if it is humid or dry? I'd feel better deferring this to you, if you have experience with seed starting in dry environments.

Half a year dry and half a year humid . But even in the dry season, relative humidity is always on the high side - this is a coastal region, and there is always rain in the mountains.
Personally, I always use a closed environment for seed germination (not only peppers), to have better control over humidity levels. I have had better germination of peppers by maintaining a high RH: make the seeds think it's the rainy season. I keep pepper plantlets in a closed environment until transplantation.

 

[growyourown]

not an expert either, but i've always heard (and practiced) having a dome on during germination is very helpful.

that being said, i am still getting some to sprout since i took the domes off (removed because over half in the tray were up with leaves and new sprouts had stopped emerging for several days), so it's not absolutely necessary.

 

[NJChilehead]

Half a year dry and half a year humid . But even in the dry season, relative humidity is always on the high side - this is a coastal region, and there is always rain in the mountains.
Personally, I always use a closed environment for seed germination (not only peppers), to have better control over humidity levels. I have had better germination of peppers by maintaining a high RH: make the seeds think it's the rainy season. I keep pepper plantlets in a closed environment until transplantation.

not an expert either, but i've always heard (and practiced) having a dome on during germination is very helpful.

that being said, i am still getting some to sprout since i took the domes off (removed because over half in the tray were up with leaves and new sprouts had stopped emerging for several days), so it's not absolutely necessary.

This is good to know-I learned something!

Edited to add: I learned that I'm not as intelligent as I sometimes believe, since I germinate using the paper towel method. I was conflating germination with post-germination growing of seedlings.

 

[hmartin]

Well I went and got humidity and VPD sensors to keep an eye on this. Did some Google AI'ing and according to that, high humidity is desirable during germination and sprouting periods.
Acclimation / hardening is then a process of gradually reducing humidity while increasing the amount of time the seedlings spend outdoors? (Which now makes me think I should also try keeping some in an indoors grow setup for comparison (because I should definitely be spending more at this point...))

Growth Stage	Ideal Relative Humidity Range (%)	Key Considerations
Seed Germination	Around 90%​	Ensure consistent moisture for successful sprouting.
Seedling Development	Gradually reduce​	Avoid overly moist conditions to prevent fungal diseases.
Vegetative Growth	60-70% (50-70%)​	Supports healthy transpiration for nutrient transport.
Flowering/Fruiting	50-60%​	Aids pollination; may need higher VPD; some sources suggest 65-85% RH with higher VPD than vegetative growth.

Pepper Seedling Humidity Transition

Transitioning Spicy Pepper Seedlings from High Humidity to a Low Humidity Environment The process of cultivating healthy and productive spicy pepper plants from seed involves careful management of environmental conditions, particularly humidity. When seedlings are initially raised in a high-humid...

docs.google.com

 

[growyourown]

wanted to say earlier:

the poor herb sprouts I bought and killed curing covid notwithstanding...

if a few herbs had to die to obtain a cure for covid, it's an acceptable sacrifice.