Ok, last year was my first time growing peppers outdoors and I had some pretty good success. Now I want to start from seed indoors but I have a few questions. First, for the heat source, should I buy a grow mat? I have heard that they do not supply enough heat for hot peppers? Or should I try a waterbed heater, I have one available? Second is the light source, would a shop light with 2 ge bulbs recomended for indoor plant use be sufficent? Third about the soil mixture, would miracle grow cactus blend be a good choice or should I go with something else. Sorry for the length and the questions but any help would be appreciated. I have some seeds on the way and need to get everything ready.
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newbie here, would appreciate help
- Thread starter sdw79
- Start date
1. Either the seed starting mat or the water bed heater should work just fine. I use seed starting mats, but some of the others here use the water bed heaters.
2. I use shop lights with regular fluorescent bulbs. You don't need the expensive grow lights.
3. I discourage people from using Miracle Grow soil mixes because they are usually high nitrogen. It looks like the cactus mix is .12-.04-.08, which is better than most Miracle Grow products, but the nitrogen is still high in comparison to the phosphorus and potassium. I prefer to use a fertilizer free seed starting mix and manage my own fertilizing as I see fit.
2. I use shop lights with regular fluorescent bulbs. You don't need the expensive grow lights.
3. I discourage people from using Miracle Grow soil mixes because they are usually high nitrogen. It looks like the cactus mix is .12-.04-.08, which is better than most Miracle Grow products, but the nitrogen is still high in comparison to the phosphorus and potassium. I prefer to use a fertilizer free seed starting mix and manage my own fertilizing as I see fit.
Hm, a little poking around shows:
MIRACLE-GRO ENRICHED AFRICAN VIOLET POTTING MIX .1-.1-.12
And: MIRACLE-GRO SEED STARTER POTTING MIX .05-.01-.05
both of which have a better NPK balance for starting seeds, IMNSHO. So, if I were to use Miracle Grow potting soil products, that's the way I would go.
MIRACLE-GRO ENRICHED AFRICAN VIOLET POTTING MIX .1-.1-.12
And: MIRACLE-GRO SEED STARTER POTTING MIX .05-.01-.05
both of which have a better NPK balance for starting seeds, IMNSHO. So, if I were to use Miracle Grow potting soil products, that's the way I would go.
ok, i bought miracle grow already, but I guess I will not use it. I am getting so anxious. The seeds I ordered are Naga Morich, Fatali. congo trinadad, chocolate habs, Peruvian white hab and tabasco. Everyone thinks I am crazy, but what can I say I am a chilehead and I am becoming very interested in research on growing them!!
Ha! You've not only been bitten by the pepper bug, sounds like you have spring fever!
You can get Jiffy Seed Starting Mix at both Walmart and Lowe's. They're putting up all the Christmas stuff around here, and I expect to see all the seed starting stuff out any day now. The Jiffy mix is a soiless mix without any fertilizer. I like it, but there are other options out there, as wordwiz has pointed out.
You don't say where you are, but be sure you're not starting your plants too soon. Normal folks want to start their seeds about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date for their area. If you start too early, the plants can outgrow their seed starting pots and have to be transplanted into a larger container. That's not a problem as long as you have room for the larger pots.
These might help you find your last frost date.
http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/index.html
Are you going to put the plants in the ground or keep them in containers?
You can get Jiffy Seed Starting Mix at both Walmart and Lowe's. They're putting up all the Christmas stuff around here, and I expect to see all the seed starting stuff out any day now. The Jiffy mix is a soiless mix without any fertilizer. I like it, but there are other options out there, as wordwiz has pointed out.
You don't say where you are, but be sure you're not starting your plants too soon. Normal folks want to start their seeds about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date for their area. If you start too early, the plants can outgrow their seed starting pots and have to be transplanted into a larger container. That's not a problem as long as you have room for the larger pots.
These might help you find your last frost date.
http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/index.html
Are you going to put the plants in the ground or keep them in containers?
I live in Illinois, and yes I should have enough room for the pots, and yes I have enough room indoors for them. I was originally thinking about putting them in the ground but I think I will just leave them in the pots. If I try the Jiffy seed starter should I add any vermiculite or perlite, or even a little sand?
PcolaHot said:
I agree. Not only will you get more green growth than pepper production, plants given too much nitrogen seem to attract aphids.
You might try getting some of the plain stuff and some coco fiber and mixing in about three parts plain, two parts coco fiber, and one part Miracle Grow.
wordwiz said:
Weren't you growing tobacco, though? I don't know what tobacco's nitrogen requirements are, but it seems the fact that it's the leaf that is harvested would make it more tolerant of high nitrogen.
Plus, most of the fertilizer in potting soil seems to be time released, so the plants get a steady diet of high nitrogen for 3 to 6 months.
Pam,
I guess this is why I am newbie and you aren't. You've been there and done it with peppers and all did was grow seven plants in the garden. But if you don't mind, I would love to pick your brain.
I'm a firm believer that nitrogen, used at the right times of the year, is a boon to growing any plants. I also agree that used at the wrong times, or too heavily, it can be as deadly as Round-Up.
Mike
I guess this is why I am newbie and you aren't. You've been there and done it with peppers and all did was grow seven plants in the garden. But if you don't mind, I would love to pick your brain.
I'm a little confused by this. If the plants are taller, have larger leaves, absorb more sunlight and are generally stronger, why would they produce fewer peppers? Wouldn't more branches with more sprouts tend to produce more blooms?
Again, I'm confused. I watered all my plants in the garden this year with a mix that included nitrogen and the peppers didn't seem to have any aphids at all. Yes, this fall/early winter, plants I was trying to grow were beset with those insects. However, those plants never saw a tad of nitrogen.
I'm a firm believer that nitrogen, used at the right times of the year, is a boon to growing any plants. I also agree that used at the wrong times, or too heavily, it can be as deadly as Round-Up.
Mike
The only thing we ever used on seedlings, and it was only on tobacco was a prduct called Agrinite. I haven't been able to to find it via a Google search, but it was Nitro based, like a potting soil, that we directly on the plants and never bothered washing off.
It had a weird smell - aromatic, but neither nasty nor something one would use to freshen their house with. We always thought it was basically cow manure mixed with potting soil and then dried. But in three days, it would make tobacco plants grow about 1.5-2 inches, even in the spring when the temps were in the mid-70s of a day. Somewaht impressive, since that meant they were nearly doubling thier height.
Mike
It had a weird smell - aromatic, but neither nasty nor something one would use to freshen their house with. We always thought it was basically cow manure mixed with potting soil and then dried. But in three days, it would make tobacco plants grow about 1.5-2 inches, even in the spring when the temps were in the mid-70s of a day. Somewaht impressive, since that meant they were nearly doubling thier height.
Mike
There is a commercial nitrogen product that can be sprayed directly on leaves of plants without burning them, called Coron. I don't know if it can be used on peppers/seedlings or not, but where I work we apply it to corn fields in the summer, does a wonderful job.