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seeds Growing Peppers From Seed Next Year..

BigCedar

BigCedar

So, I'm confused about germination.. I've seen all the tips on this site and I'm trying the plastic cup paper towel technique as an experiment, seeds have been in there for 3 days.. nothing yet, too early to tell. anyway.. 3years ago when I had no knowledge of growing pepper plants and was growing a good 20 varieties I ended up buying 6 varieties of seeds. bhut jolokia, white hab, red scotch, red carribean hab and so on.. I started them late just to see if I could.. and all I did was put them in potting soil (generic) and misted them with a spray bottle.. and everyone of them germinated in 2 weeks indoors.. I recently spent 70 dollars on seeds for next year and I'm just wondering what the best way to get them going would be. The not so technical way or the tech way.. If I do go with soil I'm buying a heating mat.. Thanks for your time
Brandon
 
Hi Brandon...Personally i prefer germinating them in soil and get great results but a lot of members like the paper towel method. I think it's what you feel more comfortable with. Either way soil or paper towel dont let them dry out. Always keep them moist until the seedling emerge.

Good luck!
 
don't take this as gospel, and remember, I start a LOT of seeds...but I posted this on my business page on facebook so this is a cut and paste like the boss likes it to be...(bold blue text)

I have had a lot of people recently ask how do you start seeds...usually the answer is stickem' in the warm soil and letem go...for some varieties, this works well but then again, there are some chinense varieties I have to "baby"....annuums in my experience are not hard to start at all except maybe the wild tepins...makes no difference because I treat them all the same.

I do the following...

First and foremost is to sanitize/sterilize/insecticidize ( ;) ) the area you are going to start seeds in...in my case that would be my germinator...it is a temperature contolled structure that has two 2' X 2' X 4' chambers, one on top of the other that has two shop light fixtures in each chamber and two 150 watt incandescent bulbs for heat...the 150W bulbs control the temperature by being connected to a remote bulb thermostat that can be set to +/- 3F...I keep it set at 83F...Percent germination starts to drop when you go above 86F and is dang near zero when you get above 92 or 93F for any extended period of time...each chamber will hold four 72 cell starter trays...

What type soil goes in the starter trays...

I only use Hoffmans Seed Starting Mix (no, I m not affiliated with this company). The reason I use this is it is the cleanest/lightest weight seed starting mix I have found. I have tried Light Warrior but the perlite in it is too big and comes to the surface of the medium when you shake it....I have also used Jiffy Seed Starting Mix but the twigs and branches in it make it unsuitable for root growth, much less the poor cotyledons trying to come up through the soil...Hoffmans is hard to totally wet initially and a lot of people don't like to wait...patience is a virtue when growing hot peppers...be patient and "presoak" your trays after they are filled...that makes planting the seeds easier too...

Planting the seeds...

I use a pair of tweezers to grasp the seed and push them about 3/8" deep then gently cover them back up with very little pressure...you want the seed completely inundated in the moist soil for a quicker germination rate...(one seed per cell)

Now comes the waiting...

Once you see "hooks" emerging, pour the light to them...put your light source as close as you can...the lights should be close to top of the plants...good test is if you can feel warmth on your fingertips at plant heigth...~1200 lumens/ft2 works fine for me for about 10 days then they go to a grow area with 3000 lumens/ft2

I planted 576 seeds on 31 January 2010 for the 2011 season....144 Bhut Jolokia, 144 Trinidad Scorpion, 144 7 Pot/Pod, 72 Fatalii, and 72 Foodarama Scotch Bonnets...

Today, 14 January 2011, I have 379 little seedlings, most putting their first true set of leaves on...my overall percentage is only ~66 percent (85% for the Bhuts, 50% for the Scorpions, 60% for the 7 Pot, 67% for the Fatalii, and 60% for the Foodaramas) because I didn't stabalize the temperature in the germinator before using it. The temperature inside the germinator hit 100F once and has been in the mid 90s several times, essentially cooking the seeds......more will sprout over the next week or so but when the roots start coming out of the bottom of the cell starter trays, the seedlings will be transplanted to 3" square containers...whatever seeds have not sprouted get recycled...

What I have found to be the most important things for starting seedlings are:

Number 1: CLEANLINESS - Self explanatory.

Number 2: Temperature - Control your temperature as close to 84-86F (30C) as is possible

Number 3: Seed Starting Media - use a light "fluffy" mix that does not compact or crust

Number 4: Moisture - Keep the seed starting media moist but not wet...and only bottom water the seedlings to prevent "splash" on the seedlings - splash can spread soil borne disease that otherwise could not penetrate the plant.

Number 5: Planting Depth - I use 3/8" as a guideling...some of mine are planted a little over or under. the reason you do not want to plant the seedlings any shallower is two fold. First the deeper the soil you plant in, the better moisture retention it will have and two, the depth of the soil allows for "friction" between the soil and seed husk when the seedling is emerging thus pulling the seed husk off.

Number 6: Patience: There are many many varieties of hot peppers out there. 5 domesticated species and a lot of wild species. I can only speak for the domesticated species and each variety within each species can (and usually does) have different germination times.
 
it def. takes longer then 3 days to germinate usually any really hot pepper seed. give it some time keep it moist and keep the temp between 80 and 85. also keep the covers on the cups to make a little greenhouse. You also said you purchased the seeds 3 years ago germination rates go down with time.
 
Hi Brandon. Get a heating mat regardless of which type of germination method you use. Living in Western Washington you probably know by now that indoor germination is a must and your best chances of good germination rates and giving the seedlings a good start will require a heating mat. This year I tried the paper towel, plastic cup, and direct to soil methods and they all seemed to have about the same results. I did like the plastic cup method over paper towel because I got tired of cutting the root out and all the time that took. You should experiment. Also, I used peat pellets with good results, but see no reason to ever do that again. There is a place in Snohomish that sells Promix BX and HP.
 
I agree with everyone so far. A few tips from an old fart. Keep it simple (I use the cheep jiffy pods in the plastic germination chamber-Wal Mart). Seeds need to stay moist and warm(75 to 80) and once they pop up move to sunlight. Above all have fun,try different things,and learn.:)
 
Thank you all for your advice. I'm convinced that I'm just going to experiment for the next 3 months.. I have a small bathroom that keeps a consistent 84 degrees with the light on all day. Perfect for experimentation :) I'm going to continue to try the plastic cup method and tomorrow I'm planting some seeds in soil.. We Shall See.

Thanks again,
Brandon
 
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