I've got the 72 cell germination station with the heating pad. The dome is 7" with two air vents. I was told by the owner of the local hydro shop where I purchased it to keep both air vents closed on the dome until the seedlings develop (at which time the fluorescent lighting will come into play) a couple set of leaves on them and then start opening the air vents a little bit each day for a week until the dome can be removed. I was also told to leave the heating pad on during this time. Another representative of another shop told me to keep one air vent open the whole time and not keep them all the way closed. Reading all the posts, it is my understanding that I should not follow his directions. Can someone set the record straight, preferably someone who uses a similar system and share your techniqes. Should I leave the heating element on after the seeds germinate or only use the lighting? I'm assuming that if I can't achieve the 86 degrees by the use of the light I should keep the heating element on. When do I start opening the air vents, how much, how long and when do I remove the dome? Sorry for all of these questions but I'm fricking confused. Thanks all!
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seeds Germination station, I can't get a straight answer
- Thread starter kcso53
- Start date
JSKaiser
Banned
I use something very similar. I use a propagation mat and have 24, 72, and 98 cell plug starting mats. I use the heating mat until I have 2-3 sets of true leaves. for the vents, I leave them closed completely until I actually have some little seedling sprouts. Once a seeling opens up, I crack one of the vents just a hair on both sides for circulation and leave the heat mat on. I also turn on the lights as soon as something pokes through the starting medium. Once there is a true set of leaves, I open the vents all the way. Once there are 2-3 true sets of leaves, I will take the dome off until I transplant. As for the heating mat, Ill normally leave it on the whole time. You just have to make sure and water it daily, or at least check on it twice a day. Water will evaporate in a quickness if you arent on your toes. Its a fly by ear thing honestly. Everybody will have their opinion, and will stand by it because it worked for them. Youll have to try it out and see what works best for you and in your area.
Hope this helps.
Sterling
Hope this helps.
Sterling
I'll tell you how I do it.
Heat the tray from underneath keeping the lid on very loosely. Once a seed germinates and breaks through the surface I remove it from the germination box and place it under lights, no more heat. I use florescent lights and I try to keep it within two inches of the seedling. If you start to notice mold forming on the surface before a seed breaks through you need to open things up so more air is allowed in.
That's it, not much to it.
So keep the air flowing, open all the vents and just make sure you keep the surface moist. Remove seedlings as soon as possible and get them under lights. Questions?
Leave it to Sterling to get everything wrong.
Like he said, everyone has their own little tricks that work for them. This isn't rocket science, you're growing a pepper plant. I imagine both guys ways would have worked. Good luck to ya.
Heat the tray from underneath keeping the lid on very loosely. Once a seed germinates and breaks through the surface I remove it from the germination box and place it under lights, no more heat. I use florescent lights and I try to keep it within two inches of the seedling. If you start to notice mold forming on the surface before a seed breaks through you need to open things up so more air is allowed in.
That's it, not much to it.
So keep the air flowing, open all the vents and just make sure you keep the surface moist. Remove seedlings as soon as possible and get them under lights. Questions?
Leave it to Sterling to get everything wrong.
Like he said, everyone has their own little tricks that work for them. This isn't rocket science, you're growing a pepper plant. I imagine both guys ways would have worked. Good luck to ya.
Telling you to keep the vents open/closed, in a portal with dwarves etc is useless. The seeds before germ require warmth and moisture, opening the vents removes this warmth and moisture.
Your temps are controlled by the ambient temp in the grow room and the heat put off by the heat pad whilst the humidity is controlled by the same plus the amount of water in the medium in which you are sprouting your seeds. I suggest that you get a thermometer to make sure that the temp stays within acceptable limits.
With the humidity you want little water droplets forming on the lid, if this cannot be achieved you could give the lid and seeds a mist with an atomiser once or twice a day.
To conclude- don't listen to what they tell you at the hydro shop, they are not privvy to your exact growing conditions and therefore are taking a stab in the dark in the hope of customer satisfaction. You have to figure out what works best for you
Happy growing!
Your temps are controlled by the ambient temp in the grow room and the heat put off by the heat pad whilst the humidity is controlled by the same plus the amount of water in the medium in which you are sprouting your seeds. I suggest that you get a thermometer to make sure that the temp stays within acceptable limits.
With the humidity you want little water droplets forming on the lid, if this cannot be achieved you could give the lid and seeds a mist with an atomiser once or twice a day.
To conclude- don't listen to what they tell you at the hydro shop, they are not privvy to your exact growing conditions and therefore are taking a stab in the dark in the hope of customer satisfaction. You have to figure out what works best for you
Happy growing!
if you're sure that the seed coating has completely come off the seedling while it's still just hooking and you're gentle enough you can do it. but beware, i have done this before and have killed at least a dozen seedlings this way. lol.
which is why i'd rather do it when it's fully standing up and has the seed coat off. coz all i have to worry about is disturbing the roots, which is a tough thing to do already.
which is why i'd rather do it when it's fully standing up and has the seed coat off. coz all i have to worry about is disturbing the roots, which is a tough thing to do already.
+1 on the try it and see what works for you.
Trial and error, my friend. Learn by doing.
Trial and error, my friend. Learn by doing.
Things are much more simple than most people make them out to be. When people become obsessed with perfection, over-complicated systems and precise measures become a must.
It's really very simple.
Give the seeds moisture and heat so they germinate.
Once a few germinate start adding a little air to help move thing around a bit. You can add some light at this point of you wish. I like to wait til a few more pop up personally.
Once you have acceptable germination, let the air flow and the lights glow (no that rhyme was not on purpose) and play the 'don't let em dry out and die' game.
Happy sowing!
It's really very simple.
Give the seeds moisture and heat so they germinate.
Once a few germinate start adding a little air to help move thing around a bit. You can add some light at this point of you wish. I like to wait til a few more pop up personally.
Once you have acceptable germination, let the air flow and the lights glow (no that rhyme was not on purpose) and play the 'don't let em dry out and die' game.
Happy sowing!
millworkman
eXtreme
But also make sure to not keep them wet and warm, I have made that mistake two years in a row now.
Capsicum seeds don't need light. Seedlings do. Both need to be moist and warm. When you add the lights or sun to your seeds setup with a dome you may risk too high temperatures. Seedlings may burn in the sun. Not sure about what lights give that risk. Depends on how much UV they generate, I guess. Enough UV and it will get that much hotter every minute/second. When no heat can get out temperatures will get too high. This is bad.
That's your answer. What it means for your setup you need to test yourself. If you monitor often you can correct something going wrong before it does damage.
That's your answer. What it means for your setup you need to test yourself. If you monitor often you can correct something going wrong before it does damage.
Thanks all! The seedlings are up, seed casings off. They were put in the rapid rooter plugs. Should I now put that plug into a small 3 or 4 inch container with the growing medium I'm using, that being promix bx and put them under the lights, minus the dome with a fan running to give them some air? So if I were to just remove the seedling now, is it of the majority opinion that it won't dry out if kept moist or back to my original question, should I open the air vents some everyday for a couple of days so not to shock them and dry them out? Sorry for the questions, just want to learn the techniques from those of you who know what they are doing.
I would put them under lights without the dome. With the dome temperature may get too high. But that depends, as I said, on the type of light you use. If you used LEDs without any UV at all then you could just keep on the dome.
Just mist the tray often enough so the soil doesn't dry out. It will dry out quicker without the dome.
If you put them outside I would have put them in the shade, so lights immediately super quickly isn't that important. You could keep the tray under indirect light while keeping the dome on and have the seedlings mature a bit first.
Just mist the tray often enough so the soil doesn't dry out. It will dry out quicker without the dome.
If you put them outside I would have put them in the shade, so lights immediately super quickly isn't that important. You could keep the tray under indirect light while keeping the dome on and have the seedlings mature a bit first.
different method work for different people.my set up has a 4 foot t-5 growing light and a heat mat with a thermostat at 85f always my seed starter kit has a 72 cells my dome is 9 inches high with humidity control on top,i mist the soil with warm water,and in within 10 days my seeds start to sprout.i open the vents put a fan for air but i keep the dome on air gone in from the top.they you go.and after the first set of true leaves come out i take off the dome and the fan goes in front of them 1 foot away from the little plant and the fan moves side to side.this year i planted 72 caribbean red habs seeds and they all sprouted.100% germination rate. 
my experience is, 82-83 degrees is best for pepper germination, not 86.
Anyway, I agree with all of the above, and my own germination efforts are as simple as this. Until there is green, the heating mat stays on 83, and the dome is closed tight. When the green shows up in 5-6 days, the heating mat is turned OFF for the season, the dome comes off completely after a one or two day transition of pulling it off a little, and the flourescents are set about 2-3 inches over the seedlings.
My own experience, which consists only of two seasons, is that heat such as is provided by a heating mat, is not at all beneficial after germination. It forces the young plants into hyperdevelopment, which when combined with the low-power lighting of flourescents, yields legginess and weakness. I think they grow stonger, stockier and better if the heat is cut as soon as they have germinated, and are kept at room temperature until transplant, complete with nice cool evenings. I raise them in my basement now, where it is even cooler than in the rest of the house. They seem to like it.
Anyway, I agree with all of the above, and my own germination efforts are as simple as this. Until there is green, the heating mat stays on 83, and the dome is closed tight. When the green shows up in 5-6 days, the heating mat is turned OFF for the season, the dome comes off completely after a one or two day transition of pulling it off a little, and the flourescents are set about 2-3 inches over the seedlings.
My own experience, which consists only of two seasons, is that heat such as is provided by a heating mat, is not at all beneficial after germination. It forces the young plants into hyperdevelopment, which when combined with the low-power lighting of flourescents, yields legginess and weakness. I think they grow stonger, stockier and better if the heat is cut as soon as they have germinated, and are kept at room temperature until transplant, complete with nice cool evenings. I raise them in my basement now, where it is even cooler than in the rest of the house. They seem to like it.
Once the seeds pop through the substrate remove them from the germination station. You need to keep two different things going now. One for the seeds and one for the seedlings. Seedlings need light right away, moisture and air movement. Keep the lights close or the seedlings get leggy, keep them moist or they dry out and die, keep the air moving or they may die due to dampening off. Keep the seeds going in the germination station.
Good luck.
Good luck.
I agree with every thing Mega said to a t. Except I leave the heat mat on until the plants get 2-3 sets of leaves.... it doesn't make them leggy...... it promotes a bigger stronger healthier root system, which in turn promotes bigger stronger healthier plants.
Having the lights too far away is what will make them leggy.
He is right about it speeding up development though..... last year I used no heat mats and and the seedlings grew much slower.... so for the slower growing super hots, heat mats on is a good thing as I have a short outdoor season. June - September
All BS aside..... as u can tell we are all pretty much giving u the same advice over and over again..... so as long as your plants are growing and not dieing your doing it the right way..... which may be your way.
Simplified......
Plant the seed, moisten soil, cover......
plants sprout, open or remove cover, lights on minimum 18 hrs a day.....
When they get their first true leaves, repot into 6-8 inch pots.....( I and many others use 12oz plastic cups because they are cheap and I start about 300 plants)
When they get about 5 inches tall, repot into final pots or into garden, weather permitting.
Like someone above mentioned, don't let it get too complicated and precise.... that takes the fun out of it .....
Having the lights too far away is what will make them leggy.
He is right about it speeding up development though..... last year I used no heat mats and and the seedlings grew much slower.... so for the slower growing super hots, heat mats on is a good thing as I have a short outdoor season. June - September
All BS aside..... as u can tell we are all pretty much giving u the same advice over and over again..... so as long as your plants are growing and not dieing your doing it the right way..... which may be your way.
Simplified......
Plant the seed, moisten soil, cover......
plants sprout, open or remove cover, lights on minimum 18 hrs a day.....
When they get their first true leaves, repot into 6-8 inch pots.....( I and many others use 12oz plastic cups because they are cheap and I start about 300 plants)
When they get about 5 inches tall, repot into final pots or into garden, weather permitting.
Like someone above mentioned, don't let it get too complicated and precise.... that takes the fun out of it .....