In Bull Creek here.
Just returned to WA after living in the States for six years (Las Vegas) and my peppers are a result of the dismay at the lack of variety common to Aussie supermarkets.
I got my hand on all manner of seeds, but very slow going at the moment.
The first batch I put in quite a few weeks ago when it was still a bit cold. They wouldn't germinate till I brought them inside and covered with glad wrap. I kept them inside in little greenhouse things from Bunnings but they sort of stopped growing. I moved them outside and repotted them into small pots, but they really are crawling along. Is this stage always so slow? Many of the smallest ones just withered and died while the rest are under siege from an army of teeny tiny caterpillars which appear under the leaves and have to be squished on a daily basis.
A few of the first crop are about four inches tall with two sets of trueleaves - most are much smaller. They were sown about two months ago.
Afterwards I experimented with some seedling raising potting mix (osmocote brand) and those little electric incubators that you plug in. I am trying to give them a day or two in the incubator after germination and then shifting them outside so they don't become used to artificial light. These plants seem sturdier and greener, but still slooooow going.
By contrast, a purple capsicum and a jalapeno seedling that I bought from Bunnings for $2.95 and were not much taller than my hand at the time are absolutely caning away. The Jalapeno, despite having a large stem chomped off by a crow early on, is huge and has quite a few good sized pods already. Capsi seems to want to drop its flowers but is similarly massive and healthy looking.
Am I doing anything obviously wrong with my sowing? Years ago, before my time in the USA, I tossed a couple of habanero seeds in some random pot in the garden and ended up with a big, bountiful plant (until parrots annihilated it). Am I, perhaps, better off just planting in larger pots outside, or do seedlings just take ages to get cracking in the early stages after germination?
from Brissy, BTW!
