First of all I would like to say hi to all the great members here. I just planted some hot and superhot seeds in a Jiffy 16 cell mini greenhouse today. I have the mini greenhouse on a hydrofarm heat mat and a thermostat set at 86 degrees F. Can I take them outside after they have sprouted since it has warmed up or should I keep them inside and put them under a fluorescent shop light till they get a certain size and then harden them off? They will eventually be planted in containers outside not the ground. I am located in south georgia. Thanks in advance for your help.
-
If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.
Newbie grow questions
- Thread starter feeltheburrrn
- Start date
If the low temp.s stay around 50F you should be alright. Let them aleast get a couple of pairs of leaves first. They prefer in the 70"s. Some of the superhots wouldn"t be happy any lower than 60F and some of the wild ones could take 40F and survive. Don't leave them out all day and night on their first time out. Over a course of a week gradually keep them out longer till they are ready to be out on their own
I agree with everything Robbyjoe01 has written. However, I'd reccommend taking a look at this map http://www.growit.com/bin/USDAZoneMaps.exe?MyState=GA If you're in the yellow or light pink you might want to wait until the week after next, if your in the red or green you're probably safe. Check the 10 day forecast for your zipcode as well and make sure there are no predictions of overnight lows below 50 as well.
If your plants already have a few big leaves on them they're going to be more likely to survive a nibble from a slug or insect, if they're tiny sprouts that just have cotyledons and their first primary true leaves then they could easily be destroyed by a single bug casually grazing.
If your plants already have a few big leaves on them they're going to be more likely to survive a nibble from a slug or insect, if they're tiny sprouts that just have cotyledons and their first primary true leaves then they could easily be destroyed by a single bug casually grazing.
AlabamaJack
Extreme Member
I, personally, would not take them outside until at least you have transplanted them to larger containers...
Thanks guys. I think I will let them at least develop a couple sets of leaves before transplanting them and harding them off. I am really looking forward to eating some hots and superhots. This seems to be the best website on growing peppers.