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

seeds growing seeds...

Hotpeppa said:
i was just going to ask that actually... should i be transplanting them into bigger pots... they sprouted about an inch maybe a inch 1/2... i just dont want the moisture to kill them...

what should i do ?


Refresh my memory, are yours in peat pellets? If the tap root is coming through the bottom of the peat pellet, it's probably ready to transplant.

Otherwise keep it moist, not sodden, and it should be fine.
 
bigt said:
My Dorset Nagas (hippyseed) came out pretty quick too. They look to be my strongest and tallest seedlings so far. Both my Aji Lemons keeled over though. I think I left the dome on too long. Even though it has holes punched for air, it probably is keeping it too moist once seedlings come. The moisture probably just helps germination. I guess I need to start putting these 2 inch seedlings into some cups now. This is my 1st year using a dome and heat mat - also growing so many different varieties.


Was it the moisture, or did they damp off? Damping off is caused by a fungus.
 
Pam said:
Refresh my memory, are yours in peat pellets? If the tap root is coming through the bottom of the peat pellet, it's probably ready to transplant.

Otherwise keep it moist, not sodden, and it should be fine.

hi pam,

what do you mean sodden ?

and could you tell me more about damping off... what is it and what should i be looking for.. i think i am already noticing signs of fungus..i have been spraying a little mix of nuted and hydrogen peroxide.. but as soon as it dries i am noticing a slight off white film on surface of the pellets...

oh, yes i am using pellets..
 
Hotpeppa said:
hi pam,

what do you mean sodden ?

No standing water, and if you squeezed a pellet, it wouldn't wring out like a sponge. Moist, as in if you pinched the peat between your fingers it would stick together, but not soggy, as in if you pinched the peat, water would squirt out.

Does that help?

and could you tell me more about damping off... what is it and what should i be looking for.. i think i am already noticing signs of fungus..i have been spraying a little mix of nuted and hydrogen peroxide.. but as soon as it dries i am noticing a slight off white film on surface of the pellets...

oh, yes i am using pellets..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_off

Make sure the white film you're seeing is not residue from what you're spraying them with, first off. Spray a bit in a clean glass and let it dry. See if it looks the same as what you're seeing on the peat pellets.

When a seedling damps off, it usually looks like something pinched the stem right at the soil line. If you're using peroxide, though, I would be surprised if you had any fungus.
 
Pam said:
No standing water, and if you squeezed a pellet, it wouldn't wring out like a sponge. Moist, as in if you pinched the peat between your fingers it would stick together, but not soggy, as in if you pinched the peat, water would squirt out.

Does tat help?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_off

Make sure the white film you're seeing is not residue from what you're spraying them with, first off. Spray a bit in a clean gl;ass and let it dry. See if it looks the same as what you're seeing on the peat pellets.

When a seedling damps off, it usually looks like something pinched the stem right at the soil line. If you're using peroxide, though, I would be surprised if you had any fungus.


thanks a bunch oh wise woman..lol

it helps alot.. ty ty ty
 
Pam said:
Was it the moisture, or did they damp off? Damping off is caused by a fungus.

I'm not sure Pam - I have about 20 seedlings in there and they all are a little leggy. They're under a GE F40 4 ft aquarium bulb about 4 inches away. The Aji Lemon was the only one to keel over. I moved it to some seed start soil and buried it deep so the 2 leaves are just sticking out. May just be weak seeds. I'm starting two more in the same rockwool hole - we'll see what happens. Not a huge loss as I have more than enough peppers anyway, but I wouldn't mind at least one of those. I'm going to leave the dome off for good now and I just put a small fan on to move some air. Might help with the legginess of the others. I haven't suffered any other losses so I'm relatively happy so far.
 
My 2¢ worth: Legginess in newly germinated seeds counts about as much as points on Who's Line Is It. That is, not at all, especially if you are starting them in some medium just to germinate them. To me, the most important thing is lots of strong roots. I'm transplanting my seedlings into 3.5" deep containers so if there is 3 inches of stem below the leaves, it isn't going to hurt a thing.

YMMV,

Mike
 
Just saw this at Daves Garden - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/801978/


from tigerlily123, Raleigh, NC:

"I don't do any weaning...lol (makes me sound so mean!) I just remove the plastic as soon as I get over 50% germination, but I do mist twice a day for a few days after I remove the plastic. I also start to water instead of mist after they have germinated (usually a few days after I remove the plastic) and then I start to let the soil dry out some to get better roots."

-sounds like a good plan.;)
 
she evidently does not bottom water...bottom watering promotes downward root growth
 
AlabamaJack said:
she evidently does not bottom water...bottom watering promotes downward root growth

I've found that instead of top or bottom watering, you get best results watering at a 27.3 degree slope from the side.















:lol:
 
only if the tray is sitting at an angle of 62.7 degrees and is being slung around in a circle will that allow bottom watering to be a success...
 
bigt said:
Just saw this at Daves Garden - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/801978/


from tigerlily123, Raleigh, NC:

"I don't do any weaning...lol (makes me sound so mean!) I just remove the plastic as soon as I get over 50% germination, but I do mist twice a day for a few days after I remove the plastic. I also start to water instead of mist after they have germinated (usually a few days after I remove the plastic) and then I start to let the soil dry out some to get better roots."

-sounds like a good plan.;)

Roots grow toward the water. That's why a light rain does very little to help growing plants - a deep, soaking rain, where the ground gets wet to the root level (ans stays moist since the sun cannot dry it out as fast) is far more helpful.

Mike
 
AlabamaJack said:
only if the tray is sitting at an angle of 62.7 degrees and is being slung around in a circle will that allow bottom watering to be a success...

AHAH! I baited you into revealing the secret to your monster plants! G forces must speed up growth!
 
from what I googled up just this week, it says 24 hour light for a period of 5-7 weeks is beneficial to the plants but after that 5-7 week period it could be detrimental by causing an overload of plant products and the plumbing can't get it out of the leaves fast enough essentially causing 'back pressure'....the article said 20 hrs a day was optimum/maximum for peppers...people will argue but I am jsut trying to state what the research said...
 
Gary18 said:
plants grow when its dark they store up the energy dureing the day so its not good for 24/7 light

This information is incorrect. Allow me to quote myself from 2006:

Txclosetgrower said:
There are some plants that do need a rest cycle. Apparently peppers aren't one of them. See, from biology everyone knows plants need "light" and "dark" reactions to live. Well, the "dark" reactions really don't necessarily require darkness, they just don't require light(photoindependent). There are different classifications of plants, c3, c4, CAM, etc. Peppers i believe, like most plants, are c3 plants, which do not need dark period to complete photosynthesis(refer to below)

Some plants need dark periods for reasons other than simply survival. Some plants require certain amount of darkness to flower, others only take in co2 in the dark, like cactus & other succulents. However, a lot of plants will grow at peak potential under 24 hour light. So far, the peppers appear to be fine, and even have began to try and flower, so they obviously aren't photoperiod dependent for their flowering. I'm gonna keep the lights on 24/7 until they seem to be hurting, I'll let yall know how it turns out.

Excerpt from (http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/physiology.html)

Dark Reaction:


This part of the photosynthetic process is also called the Calvin Cycle. With one cycle of this reaction 3 carbon atoms are fixed or placed in a sugar molecule. This pathway is called C-3 photosynthesis. This is the way that most dicots or broadleaf plants make sugars during the dark reaction. C-3 photosynthesis has a disadvantage though. Oxygen competes with CO 2 for a binding site during the dark reaction. Sometimes sugars are not formed, but energy is still expended to complete the cycle. This is called photorespiration.



Another dark reaction pathway is called C-4 photosynthesis because 4 carbons are fixed or placed in a sugar molecule each time the cycle is completed. The dark reaction of C-4 photosynthesis occurs inside of specialized parts of leaf cells in the leaf called the bundle sheath, which exclude the presence of O2. Because there is no oxygen present photorespiration does not occur. The C-4 photosynthetic pathway is what occurs in most monocots or grasses. This is a more efficient pathway and allows grasses to grow faster than broadleaf plants. Crassulacean acid metabolism or CAM photosynthesis is the dark reaction type found in many cactus, succulents, bromeliads, and orchids as well as a few other plants. CAM photosynthesis is similar to C-4 photosynthesis. However, CAM plants open their stomata only during the night to collect CO2, when air temperatures are cooler, thus conserving water because of reduced transpiration. The CO2 is converted into malic acid and then converted back to CO2 during the day when light is present, thus producing sugars, while the stomata are closed and greatly reducing water loss.

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=1603&highlight=photosynthesis&page=2
 
Tx,

The study AJ quoted looked at production and that was the basis for not recommending lights 24 hrs per day for more than 5-7 weeks. After that, production did not increase or even fell if the plants received light for longer periods (14 for tomatoes, 20 for sweet peppers).

Mike
 
Back
Top