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Lemon Drops, Reaper and Habenro tree glog

So I am no doubt getting a late start but I figured I should start a glog for my first attempt at growing hot peppers. I should be able to start them around 2/16/19 when my light shows up. I have some wire shelving and Mylar coming too to set up a grow box. I am debating on a heat pad as well since my light is a full spectrum led I doubt I can get much heat to the soil for germination. I'll update this with pics once I get the seeds going.

PS: My habenro tree seeds are whole dried peppers, I assume I just crack the pepper open and get seeds out of it that way? Might start a topic for this if I don't hear back on this thread.

Thanks for reading and keep your fingers crossed for me! Lol
 
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I would recommend using a heat mat or some other source of warmth to keep the soil around 80 degrees when germinating the seeds. It can shorten the germination time significantly.
 
Yes, you can just take the seeds out of the dried pods, but how the pods were dried matters. If they were dried in a dehydrator or oven using too much heat, the seeds may have gotten cooked. 
 
Good luck with your first grow! Lemon Drops are tasty peppers.  :)
 
 
 
BlackFatalii said:
I would recommend using a heat mat or some other source of warmth to keep the soil around 80 degrees when germinating the seeds. It can shorten the germination time significantly.
 
Yes, you can just take the seeds out of the dried pods, but how the pods were dried matters. If they were dried in a dehydrator or oven using too much heat, the seeds may have gotten cooked. 
 
Good luck with your first grow! Lemon Drops are tasty peppers.  :)
 
 
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Thanks for reply! I actually ordered a heat mat last night after thinking about germination times as you mentioned lol so I'll be starting them once the mat shows up on the 19th.

As far as the dried peppers I have no idea what was done to them and I have them in storage for a few years. Here's a pic of them, any guess what process was used?
 

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cdubb2010 said:
Thanks for reply! I actually ordered a heat mat last night after thinking about germination times as you mentioned lol so I'll be starting them once the mat shows up on the 19th.

As far as the dried peppers I have no idea what was done to them and I have them in storage for a few years. Here's a pic of them, any guess what process was used?
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Why wait?... You can start your seeds now even without the heat mat or light. It won't hurt them and will give you a headstart for when your heat mat does arrive. Normally the earliest you will see anything germinate is 5-7 days and some/most take 10+ days to a few weeks even with the heat mat. You also won't need a light on them until you see your first one pop up. So you don't need to wait for the light or heat mat.

Happy growing!
 
cdubb2010 said:
I have no idea what was done to them and I have them in storage for a few years. Here's a pic of them, any guess what process was used?
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I don't know of any way to tell how they were dried. Dried pods just look like dried pods, pretty much. But you have nothing to lose by trying. Give them a go and see what happens.  :)
 
U)<now said:
Why wait?... You can start your seeds now even without the heat mat or light. It won't hurt them and will give you a headstart for when your heat mat does arrive. Normally the earliest you will see anything germinate is 5-7 days and some/most take 10+ days to a few weeks even with the heat mat. You also won't need a light on them until you see your first one pop up. So you don't need to wait for the light or heat mat.

Happy growing!
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Yeah I guess you are right, I'm planning to start them in a Jiffy green house in the peat pellets, guess I get them in a south facing window and go.
 
Just get those bad boys in a warm place for now my friend...Anything you can do to help get that soil temp up is a good thing, so even wrap your tray in a blanket or towel and toss them up on the fridge or in a warm cupboard will also help out, No need to worry about the window just yet.
 
U)<now said:
Why wait?... You can start your seeds now even without the heat mat or light. It won't hurt them and will give you a headstart for when your heat mat does arrive. Normally the earliest you will see anything germinate is 5-7 days and some/most take 10+ days to a few weeks even with the heat mat. You also won't need a light on them until you see your first one pop up. So you don't need to wait for the light or heat mat. Absolutely. I agree. Go for it!

Happy growing!
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BlackFatalii said:
 
I don't know of any way to tell how they were dried. Dried pods just look like dried pods, pretty much. But you have nothing to lose by trying. Give them a go and see what happens.  :)
Ditto  :D 
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CDNmatt said:
Just get those bad boys in a warm place for now my friend...Anything you can do to help get that soil temp up is a good thing, so even wrap your tray in a blanket or towel and toss them up on the fridge or in a warm cupboard will also help out, No need to worry about the window just yet.
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Lots of good advice here, Cdubb!
 
PaulG said:
 
Lots of good advice here, Cdubb!
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I agree, folks here are very helpful. I got the Jiffy pods to get them started but I haven't had the time to get them planted tho (2nd shift has its down sides lol). I've seen the top of the fridge idea idea before however my fridge is recessed so I can't use the top of it. My heat pad should be here either either tomarrow or the day after so I'll just start them with it.

Also adding a few more seeds to the mix after working out a trade with BlackFatal! I'll also have Fresnos, Chocolate Hand Grenades and Brazilian Starfish. Thanks again @BlackFatalii for working out a deal with me.
 
UPDATE:

Bit of late night work here to report, I have the Reapers, Tree Habs and Lemon drops soaking in hot water overnight, sitting top my fish tank which should be close to 78 degrees (if the heater is doing its job). This calls to mind the whole seeds floating or sinking methodology of testing viability. Is it a old wives tale? About a hour in all the Lemon Drops have sunk, one sank like a pebble so I'm guessing he's a goner, but otherwise only one Tree Hab has sank and none of the Reapers have thus far. Some believers in this say you know in 15 minutes, others say overnight and yet others say you cant tell at all with pepper seeds. I'm only planting 3 of each besides the Lemon Drops (4) since the one sank instantly. My logic is, my space is limited, one adult plant of each would be fine and a 33% germination rate (which I'd assume is very bad) should be obtainable and if it's higher I won't toss a living plant, so limit my numbers. Guess we will see!

I'll leave them in for 12-18 hours and plant them once I get out of work or possible before work, depending on how ambitious I am feeling when I wake up, with or with out the heat pad. I'll update again once everybody is resting in their Jiffy pods.

Thanks for the advice and support thus far everyone!
 

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Old wives' tale or not, I think soaking your seeds makes sense.
There are dozens of garden sites that recommend it. Here's one
research project focused on tomatoes, but since peppers are also
a nightshade species, it should apply to them as well, I suppose.
 
You know dubbs I have seen many web sites that claimed if the seed sunk to the bottom it was no good, but from my own experience in harvesting Tomato seeds for instance using the fermentation method, all the good seeds sink and the apparent crap seeds are the floaters.
 
Wish I had a clearer answer on that as well sometimes as well.
 
CDNmatt said:
the good seeds sink and the apparent crap seeds are the floaters.
 
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This. In "The Complete Chile Pepper Book", Professors Bosland and DeWitt of New Mexico State University recommend to:
 
"First, place the seeds in a jar of water and discard any that float. These are damaged, partial seeds and those lacking embryos. Next, inspect the seeds, preferably under a magnifying glass, and remove any that are undersized, shriveled, discolored, cracked, or otherwise damaged."
 
So no, it is not an old wives' tale.
 
They also referenced a scientific study by H. L. Cochran done in the 1930s with Bell pepper seeds, that showed that the highest germination rates occurred when soil temperature was between 70 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but that the quickest germination times occurred at 90 - 100 degrees. Also, watering by sub-irrigation reduced the germination percentage at all temperatures, possibly because it lowered soil temperatures more than top watering. Therefore, they recommend in the book that pepper seed should be grown at 70 F or more and should be watered from the top with warm water for optimum germination.
 
On the bright side all but one Reaper seed sunk by the time I left for work so that's a major plus. Hopefully the last seed sinks before I get home.
 
2/19 UPDATE:
Just got all the seeds settled in and the heat pad going, there's also 3 tomatoes in there too. The Jiffy packaging says to water when the pellets turn light brown, unless that's a bad idea that's how I'll go about it while they are in the tray. Hopeful in a week or two we will see some life!

PS all the seeds sank during soaking, at most it took around 18 hours for everyone to sink
 

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BlackFatalii said:
 
This. In "The Complete Chile Pepper Book", Professors Bosland and DeWitt of New Mexico State University recommend to:
 
"First, place the seeds in a jar of water and discard any that float. These are damaged, partial seeds and those lacking embryos. Next, inspect the seeds, preferably under a magnifying glass, and remove any that are undersized, shriveled, discolored, cracked, or otherwise damaged."
 
So no, it is not an old wives' tale.
 
They also referenced a scientific study by H. L. Cochran done in the 1930s with Bell pepper seeds, that showed that the highest germination rates occurred when soil temperature was between 70 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but that the quickest germination times occurred at 90 - 100 degrees. Also, watering by sub-irrigation reduced the germination percentage at all temperatures, possibly because it lowered soil temperatures more than top watering. Therefore, they recommend in the book that pepper seed should be grown at 70 F or more and should be watered from the top with warm water for optimum germination.
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That is a great book. A little too much focus on the
Hatch-type chilis and recipes from them, but does
have a little info about super hots. Lots of good tips
on every stage of pepper growing.
 
2/23 UPDATE:

WE HAVE LIFE! Well they aren't peppers, these guys are cherry tomatoes but they are in the same tray as the peppers, hopefully that's a good sign for the pepper seeds. Damn those things got huge fast! I checked them around 14 hours ago and there was no spouts yet. I am considering moving the peppers to another seed tray with the light so the peppers can stay on the mat and fully enclosed.
 

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