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

N00b Question #4

huntsman

huntsman

Heat:

How important is it that temps remain at that magical 28-30C for an extended period when germinating? I have bought a thermostat that is - how can I put this? - liberally minded when it comes to accuracy. (I live in Africa, remember?!) My Thermometer is digital and accurate and is sitting on 32C...is that too hot? It seems the thermostat only goes off when the dial is turned to 25C and back on when the dial is turned to 31C. No reaction between these settings! :shocked:

At the moment, I have the room at 23C, but have the germination tray in a Rubbermaid above heat pads to try and control - sic - the temps.

Light:

I have bought 2 x fluorescent tubes, that are 3' long and rated 30W. They are cold, made by Phillips of Holland, and code is 865, which our local nursery uses for seedlings. Is this going to be the right set up, to get the seeds started as we near Spring, after which I will head outdoors? (One of the hardships of living in the jungle is a 9 month grow season.)

Thanks for your time.
 
As far as heat you should be ok. For my seeds I just got a jiffy box that came with a heating pad to simplify the process. Almost every seed I had sprouted. The lights should be fine as long as you keep them as close to the seeds as possible. Good luck!
 
I don't worry with a thermostat. If the temp gets a little on the high side I place a couple of chopsticks between the heat pad and seed tray. 32C is close enough but I wouldn't let it climb much higher.
 
Thanks, LGHT and SS -

I just checked and the overnight temps were in the region of 22C, so if the swing is 22 - 32C over a 24 hour period, that's ok?

I'm used to breeding feeder insects, which seem to have far less tolerance to temp swings than plants, which I am new to, so thanks for the patience.
 
huntsman said:
Thanks, LGHT and SS -

I just checked and the overnight temps were in the region of 22C, so if the swing is 22 - 32C over a 24 hour period, that's ok?

I'm used to breeding feeder insects, which seem to have far less tolerance to temp swings than plants, which I am new to, so thanks for the patience.
Click to expand...

10C is a pretty big swing and not ideal, but your seeds will still germinate, just not as quickly and probably with a lower success rate. I'd can that thermostat and manually regulate the temp with a height adjustment if necessary.

What type of temp regulator did you use with the insects? You might consider using that thermostat, but like I said I don't use one and haven't had problems with germination.
 
The whole room is around 25c by day and 17c by night, just by using two heaters, but no regulator.
This gives the insects the same temps as Spring would, but for breeding, each species has a different range that is optimum.

You reckon it's worth springing for a really good thermostat?
 
huntsman said:
You reckon it's worth springing for a really good thermostat?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't, not unless I planned on building a germination box to use with the thermostat. Wait and see what your germination rate is and answer that question yourself. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top