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seeds germination tips

franzb69

franzb69

been having heaps of trouble with germination all kinds of pepper seeds. from last year's seeds and this year's.

i was thinking of getting a germination heat mat of some sort, but do i really need one? i live in a tropical country i can get all the heat i need in the world the seeds need. constant 24/7 heat, not so much. constant during the day then drops 5C-7C at night.

do i need one?

was also thinking of doing neil's germination method where an aquarium heating element in water, a water stone and an air pump and then the seeds in something to germinate in.

here's a pic that i stole from novacastrian, i doubt he'll get angry if i used it as an example.

Photo558.jpg
 
i agree Franz... why do we have germination problems when people around the world are trying to imitate our weather and heat patterns ??
i am also coming to a conclusion that we need to put the seeds in a cool place and heat them up. hahaha

so far 40 bhut jolokia seeds have been used and non germinated for me!!!
4.gif
i have been waiting waiting.....!
 
After my efforts this first season trying many different methods I have come to believe that just heat isn't enough.

Before I knew anything I used no heat and got zero!
Then I found this site and all the excellent advice.:clap: It is a good place to get information and you don't have to wonder if the person is only trying to sell you something.

With a very basic setup with the seed tray on top of the radiator I got about 50%
I refined the technique with total control of temp to within a degree, and control of humidity and didn't do much better than about 60%

Next season I am going to experiment on treating the seeds with all the different substances that everyone recomends.

I think the most important thing is to first use quality viable seeds. Then penetrate the seed coating by soaking in whatever solution. And then use the ideal temperature control.
 
kiddc said:
hehe minus me from the equation. Been getting pretty good germination using the plastic cup method all along.
Its keeping them alive, thats the problem

my method (seriously, im not promoting my site just some sharing)
- Tissue paper plastic cup method.
Click to expand...
i have tried your method.twice. once with one layer tissue on the seeds and one without. maybe the heat factor ? kept them indoors.

i got a hp mug heater. might try to modify that to give a constant heat. but then ambient temp in the house is already from 28-35 c. which should be good for germination. where am i going wrong ?

so far the only good germination method i have is dump the seeds on the soil in a pot. and it kept outside. and it usually works for all local seeds that i have. i have not tried this for the seeds i got from overseas.(hmmm once for bhut yellow 5 seeds - non germinated and another 6 more of various types)

i need to refine my methods..losing seeds !!!!!

ps: Franz... i admire your patience ,since u said you waited 9 weeks for the seeds to germinate! (what was it?)
 
Sri,

where do you normally place the cups? for me, i placed next to a heat generator(between my router + modem).

I see the ambient temps fluctuates abit, which does not work well for plastic cup methods as they are abit insulated (in a cup) from outside temps.
 
kiddc said:
Sri,

where do you normally place the cups? for me, i placed next to a heat generator(between my router + modem).

I see the ambient temps fluctuates abit, which does not work well for plastic cup methods as they are abit insulated (in a cup) from outside temps.
Click to expand...
can you measure the temps for your setup? i would be interested to know how hot does it get ? someone did mention that he had the temps to more abt 41c and it germinated fast.

i am thinking where i can get constant temp at home? hmm i don't have a modem and router..have applied but still TM cannot deliver. :( but they just upgrading my area to unifi. saw the new TM connection box behind my house.
 
ps: Franz... i admire your patience ,since u said you waited 9 weeks for the seeds to germinate! (what was it?)
Click to expand...

it was a superhot, forgot what it was. that's all i remember. lol.

well i'm gonna be getting bhut jolokia pods by the handful in the next coming weeks. the seeds are directly from india, most people would call these the indian carbon, but i like to call these after the towns they came from. i have two sets of seeds from two different towns, gwahati and jorhat. if you still don't get any bhuts to germinate, don't hesitate to ask from me. =D


my method (seriously, im not promoting my site just some sharing)
Click to expand...

i've tried the plastic cup with paper towel method, all i got was 4 seeds germinate from 20 something seeds. and the ones that did germinate were from mostly new seeds. i managed to germinate year old seed, which was the only annuum in the group. peperoncini. the rest was from patrick's seed giveaway. 7pot domestic and yellow 7 pot.

i agree Franz... why do we have germination problems when people around the world are trying to imitate our weather and heat patterns ??
Click to expand...

i really cannot get seeds germinate as well as the guys that are quite a ways from the equator. is it because i live smack dab on the equator? lol. just having a bit of fun.

this time i'm gonna use the last of my seeds and germinate them the THSC way. with an air bubbler and a aquarium heater. if this doesn't work, i dunno what will!!! besides, if this tip was from neil, it's gotta work! lol.
 
heat+moisture=germination, you may want to try soaking them in thick bird poop solution first, my problems have been linked tp moisture.
 
FRANZ...I have been using the "Neil method" this year, and it has worked AWESOME for me! Just make sure you have that water heater in there! The niggest thing I have had to worry about is fungus growing in there. It gets SO humid in there that it is a breeding ground for the stuff. But, as soon as I pull them out of there, I just whipe away the fungus, and I'm good to go!
Good luck with the new method! You'll like it!!
 
thanks! fungus? hmmm.... maybe i should do it somewhere outdoorsey. what do you guys think? neil method it is then! =D

the hippy method kinda sounds catchier though. i dunno. lol.
 
To Help keeping fungi's out put Hydrogen Peroxide in the water.I use the small baggie and coffee filter in a heated mini green house or germinating set up : Heater plastic dome and tray 34.bucks at Lowe's or you can mail order at wormsway.com. I also soak hard to germinate seeds in salt petre for four hours,rinse then into baggies only cut the coiners of filters to fit. most seeds start plump up after 3 days and sprout in 4 to 6 days if they get black or any other color there bad throw in trash don't waste your time. getting 90-98 % sprouts this way. most seeds like 85 degrees to sprout have added thermostat to keep temp at 85 24 hours around the clock Works great for me. have try ed all ways for many years. this works.
 
Something else to try. Use warm rainwater only. If you are using tap water, maybe that is a factor. Also, maybe try just planting some straight in the soil in a cup to see if that helps. Good luck.
 
Hey I used a method from used water bottles here. I live in central Florida with outside temps between 70-80. I got 100% germination in the water bottles and then after I tried using just cups and got about 25%. I am going to return to the water bottle method and leave it next to a window because it regulates the heat extremely well and also drains the soil. I think well drained soil > then heat for germination in southern climates. I cut one water bottle and slipped the plant water bottle inside after poking 10 holes in the bottom. The soil drained very well and the temperature was very warm. Try it and see if it works for you.
 
mmcdermott1_thehothalf said:
We use the cup method. We place the cups, on a tray, and put it in our oven with just the oven light on. Keeps at a decent constant temp and seeds seem to germinate well in it.
Click to expand...
i might over heat them if i do that as my ambient temp is already the 28-35 c. how many watts is the oven bulb?
but thanks anyway for your tips :)
 
franzb69 said:
it was a superhot, forgot what it was. that's all i remember. lol.

well i'm gonna be getting bhut jolokia pods by the handful in the next coming weeks. the seeds are directly from india, most people would call these the indian carbon, but i like to call these after the towns they came from. i have two sets of seeds from two different towns, gwahati and jorhat. if you still don't get any bhuts to germinate, don't hesitate to ask from me. =D
Click to expand...
Franz how did you get the seeds from india. i have been trying to get them in bangalore and hyderbad. but non of them can find this hot pepper there.

thanks for your offer franz, i keep that in mind:)
 
hot stuff said:
heat+moisture=germination, you may want to try soaking them in thick bird poop solution first, my problems have been linked tp moisture.
Click to expand...
hmm by nature the bird eats them and then it poops them and the seeds with the poop are together on the soil when it germinates.

should i just stuff the seeds on a cow's dung(fresh) and see if it grows? or i got processed chicken poop mix them to a paste and then stick them in there to see if it germinates. hmmm some pooops ideas.. hahaha
 
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