This will be my first season growing peppers from seed. I have a ton of 3.5 X 2.5 square pots and was wondering what your opinion is on germinating them in those. Well to word it better I guess my question is should I germinate in those or solo cups and then move them into the square pots? I have a heating source and lights and all so I know about all those aspects of the process I was just trying to think which is the best way to go about it. Thanks
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seeds Germination question
- Thread starter coheed196
- Start date
Hi Coheed, I'm only one year ahead of you in experience, so some of the real experts may give better advice. That said, I'd recommend starting the seeds in small plastic containers that fast food places use for pizza sauce, BBQ sauce, etc. Put the seeds on a piece of moistened paper towel in the container. The advantage of this is that you can see when the seeds "pop," and then transfer them into a soil mix in your square pots. Given that you're not likely to get 100% germination, by doing this you won't have pots sitting around that never produce a seedling. This method has been well described on THP in the past, so do a search and read more. Good luck with it and have fun! Tom
I usually stick to germinating anything with nothing more than a pot and soil. For peppers, keep them under the heat source and try to keep the enviornment humid, not too hot nor wet though. If you don't have a dome of some sort, just put plastic wrap on top, that works well too. Seeds don't need light till they germinate. When they germinate, remove the wrap, remove the heat source, and place them under the lights. When watering, keep the watering on the light side, you don't want the soil to be too wet, and they don't really mind if the soil is a bit dry.
Coheed, Should be no problem for you. People germinate the way it works for them. Just try and find what works best for you.
Good luck with your season, Mike
Good luck with your season, Mike
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
everyone does it their own way, but I like to germinate and grow to transplant in the 72 cell seed starting trays...then transplant to the larger ones...reason is I want a good, stable, and compact rootball for plant support before transplant...
I used the 2.5 wide x 3.5 deep pots a lot last year and had pretty good luck. Get about 32 per flat, IIRC. Like Ketishman, I pre-germinated first using cups or baggies. This just to ensure I had a better chance to ge a seedling in such a "big" pot.
This year, I'm going with the 72-cell per flat approach using direct seed in the medium. I think I'll get an improved rootball like AJ mentions. Then pot up to 4-inch or 16-oz-beer cup.
Good luck....
This year, I'm going with the 72-cell per flat approach using direct seed in the medium. I think I'll get an improved rootball like AJ mentions. Then pot up to 4-inch or 16-oz-beer cup.
Good luck....
My theory on germination is how did nature intend it to happen?? I then try to replicate that (In soil/ground with even moisture and warmth and minimal handling) that way you don't have to mess around with handling seeds with a embryonic root sticking out either.
Simply my take on the whole thing everyone has a different and perfectly valid opinion on germination choose what is easiest and most suited to you.
Simply my take on the whole thing everyone has a different and perfectly valid opinion on germination choose what is easiest and most suited to you.
I usually put plant them in the small jiffy discs and then transplant them to pots. I run just a simple germ test if I have seed left over from the year before. Put seeds in wet paper towel and then inside a ziplock. Keep it warm and they should pop.
Trippa has a great point. Think about it, peppers grow every day in the wild.
Birds used to eat chilis, fly, poop, and the seeds would grow. So with that being said, you could feed them to a bird and when it poops, your seeds have a great chance of growing.
But I digress....Yes, you can grow in a pot with soil. AJ and some others brought up that you may have better results and set yourself up for a stronger plant if you start in a flat and wait for the seedling to develop a rootball, however, there are plenty of people on here doing what you are doing right now. I myself haven't decided what I prefer so I am going with both the cup method and a direct sow to see what works best for me and my setup. I am sure you have many more growing years ahead of you to tweak. See how this works and change it up from there.
Matt
Birds used to eat chilis, fly, poop, and the seeds would grow. So with that being said, you could feed them to a bird and when it poops, your seeds have a great chance of growing.
But I digress....Yes, you can grow in a pot with soil. AJ and some others brought up that you may have better results and set yourself up for a stronger plant if you start in a flat and wait for the seedling to develop a rootball, however, there are plenty of people on here doing what you are doing right now. I myself haven't decided what I prefer so I am going with both the cup method and a direct sow to see what works best for me and my setup. I am sure you have many more growing years ahead of you to tweak. See how this works and change it up from there.
Matt
Hey coheed,
What you have is fine to start in....I've done that in the past. It all comes down to how many your intending to plant and how often you want to transplant before the outdoor planting.
I start out with the 72 insert, then move on to 3" containers then to 5" sq. pots ( 8 fit perfectly in a flat) then onto 2 gal trade containers (actually 1.5gal)
That's what I sell in or plant from into my "evil" garden............
Greg
What you have is fine to start in....I've done that in the past. It all comes down to how many your intending to plant and how often you want to transplant before the outdoor planting.
I start out with the 72 insert, then move on to 3" containers then to 5" sq. pots ( 8 fit perfectly in a flat) then onto 2 gal trade containers (actually 1.5gal)
That's what I sell in or plant from into my "evil" garden............
Greg
PaulG
eXtreme
Geez, another great thread. I used the direct sow into the small cells, two to four seeds per cell last year with Poblanos, Serranos, and Marconi Rosso, just because that's the way I usually start all my garden stuff. The flats were placed under a 4 foot, 2-tube flourescent fixture, no special light type. I made an aluminum foil tent that enclosed the flats, and left the light on for 12-16 hours a day. Temperatures were around 75F lights on, and 65F lights off at night. The pepper seeds had a high rate of germination, with 2 or 3 three seeds coming up in each cell with a few exceptions. I generally followed the procedures outlined in the above thread after germination. I guess my question to answer this coming season is, will this suffice for some more exotic pepper types? I'll post photos and results on my GrowLog when we get going here in the Pacific NorthWest. We are about 3-4 months from the 'last frost' date, so I'm thinking of starting the germinating process in 6 or 8 weeks. Maybe I should get going earlier?