• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

seeds germinate in wet paper or potting mix

Fire Angel

Fire Angel

From your collective experience what is the prefered method of starting seeds:

1. damp paper towel in ziploc

2. straight into the soil-less mix on a warm grow mat?

Thanks all

Kim
 
I have never had a stuck hat with the paper towel method and it seems that tons of mine in seed starting mix come up with hats on. So paper towel is my choice.
 
I did the presoak last year with no hats out of 15-18. This year seeds went straight into the mix. One hat out of 20-25 so far.
 
millworkman said:
I have never had a stuck hat with the paper towel method and it seems that tons of mine in seed starting mix come up with hats on. So paper towel is my choice.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but stuck seed husks aren't a problem. The seedlings grow just fine with it on, fine to the point that I have plucked seedling husks off 6 to 8 seedlings as I plant them in the ground.

I *prefer* to take them off, mostly because it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, not because it helps the seedling out at all.
 
Fire Angel said:
From your collective experience what is the prefered method of starting seeds:

1. damp paper towel in ziploc

2. straight into the soil-less mix on a warm grow mat?
Click to expand...


Both methods work just fine, it's mostly a matter of preference. I put mine straight in the seed starting mix, but, as I keep pointing out, I'm a lazy gardener when I can get away with it.
 
I agree with Pam, I'm kind of lazy too, but one step instead of two is nice when the seeds you plant get up to..way too many! The best laid plans for only raising so many peppers..pick any number...goes out the door when this hobby turns to obsession. You've been warned, raising peppers is habit forming!!!!
 
first year planting for me and into poting soil in a heated greenhouse is working great. i think i would be too lazy to do the baggie method. just an extra step that's probably not needed
 
I have used the same method exactly as Peter Pepper and it only has taken a week for about a third of the seeds to germinate. I just can't quite visualize how you handle the fragile seedling out of the paper towel. Maybe I have the wrong idea, but it seems like you could damage or kill it, having to plant it when it's so small.
 
Last year I planted a few chinense seeds into soil and 4 weeks later nothing sprouted, while all the annums did in about a week. Then in a panic I power sprouted half a dozen chinense in about a week with the coffee filter / ziploc baggie method. I got 100% germination.

This year all my chinenses are in ziplocs.
 
Diabolus said:
Last year I planted a few chinense seeds into soil and 4 weeks later nothing sprouted, while all the annums did in about a week. Then in a panic I power sprouted half a dozen chinense in about a week with the coffee filter / ziploc baggie method. I got 100% germination.

This year all my chinenses are in ziplocs.
Click to expand...

I don't believe comparing germanation time of chinense vs annumm's is a good comparison. JMO.

Dale
 
I also just put seeds in the soil, I'd say only about 1%-5% of the seeds have the shell stay on above the soil. not a big deal if you plant enough seeds for die off, if they do die by chance.



thepodpiper said:
I don't believe comparing germanation time of chinense vs annumm's is a good comparison. JMO.

Dale
Click to expand...

I agree!! I had some annumm's sprout within 1 week while I'm still waiting on most of my chinense (I have some growing but nothing like the annumms)
 
Jiffy pellets. Or soil. Zip-loc bags dont seem to work too well for me. I compared bag Vs pellet, planted the same day. Pellet came up 4 days before bag.
 
I have soaked the seeds just overnight before then planted them. Had one that didn't germinate but the rest were fine and no hats.
 
thepodpiper said:
I don't believe comparing germanation time of chinense vs annumm's is a good comparison. JMO.

Dale
Click to expand...

Yeah but what I was saying was that the chinense sprouted just as fast the annums when I did the ziploc bag trick. It took about a week with 100% germination vs. 4 weeks in soil.
 
I use a tupperware container and the wet towel. That way I wait till the seeds get all the way up with their cotelydons open before moving them.
 
I do the paper towel thing with old or unpredictable seeds so I'm not wasting my time and space with duds, otherwise I plant straight into cells. So far 100% germination this year in cells.
Also for me, the paper-towel does not appear to help with seed "hats" at all.
 
I started two 32 cell Rootmaker trays on December 16th, mix is coconut, perlite, vermiculite, on heat pads. So far only six sprouts.

I decided I want to see what is germinating so I started several ziplock bags with various peppers on a heat mat and a week later decided to switch them all to condiment cups. I am new to this but I like that I can get a lot of seeds in about 30 cups on a single 10x20 heat mat.

I started several cups of flowers for my girlfriend and in five days had about 30 seeds germinate of three varieties.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top