OK to leave tray lid on if temperature good?

[rshortt]

I am ready to start some seeds... I have one tray with 50 cells. I am starting some chinense first: bhut jolokia, brown habs, and fatalii. The bhuts will probably take longer to germinate so I am wondering if it will be OK for me to leave the dome on the seedling tray once the quicker germinators sprout. If not I will have to either transfer the quicker ones out or remove the lid but that will reduce the temperature for the bhuts.



Thoughts?

 

[jjs7741]

The biggest reason for the lid is to raise humidity more so than for temp. This helps the soil keep from drying out too soon. If you leave it on for too long, it becomes a haven for fungus growth and can cause damping off disease. I would recommend just cracking the lid some to decrease the humidity some until the others sprout. Just keep an eye on the moisture for the ones that have not sprouted yet and don't let it dry out too much. As soon as all or nearly all have sprouted, remove the lid completely.

Hope that helps.
jacob

 

[wordwiz]

The lid is also going to cut down on the light intensity, which can lead to leggy plants, especially since you will have moist soil and plenty of warmth.

Mike

 

[Pepperfreak]

What I do is as soon as they start sprouting (after they start standing up not just poking their heads up), I take the dome off. You just have to watch them more carefully as they will dry out faster and require more watering, but by taking off the dome when they start sprouting, you ensure that they won't dampen off.