Hi all,
So I've got my equipment (seed tray, heat mat, insulation, 4 2' T5 bulbs, thermostat, etc.) and have my seeds sitting in some seedling mix (3/4 Happy Frog 1/4 perlite) waiting to germinate. Once I get some seedlings starting to pop up, I plan on removing my plastic dome and turning on my light above the tray. However, I only have one full setup, and so I have a couple of questions regarding how to best manage my plants.
Once the seedlings start to pop, I had planned on removing the heat mat soon after, as I've read that seedlings do best around 70 F. Would it be a problem to keep the heat mat underneath until all (or most) of the seedlings come up? That way I'd be able to continue to germinate my seeds that haven't yet come up.
I was also curious about how the light might affect my still germinating seeds. Can chile pepper seeds germinate while exposed to light, or are they only able to germinate in the dark?
Do you all recommend that, once some of my seedlings are at the point where it is time to repot, I move the seedling tray out from under the light, continue to germinate in that seedlingn tray without the light, and place the plants that I've repotted under the one light that I have? Basically I'm trying to figure out how to best make use of the single light that I have. If my seedling tray is underneath, then I can't fit any more plants that I know need the light just as bad (or even more).
I was less than successful last year starting chile plants from seed, and I'm hoping to get a least a couple of ncie plants to send outside once the warm weather hits. Thanks for any and all help everyone. Much appreciated!
So I've got my equipment (seed tray, heat mat, insulation, 4 2' T5 bulbs, thermostat, etc.) and have my seeds sitting in some seedling mix (3/4 Happy Frog 1/4 perlite) waiting to germinate. Once I get some seedlings starting to pop up, I plan on removing my plastic dome and turning on my light above the tray. However, I only have one full setup, and so I have a couple of questions regarding how to best manage my plants.
Once the seedlings start to pop, I had planned on removing the heat mat soon after, as I've read that seedlings do best around 70 F. Would it be a problem to keep the heat mat underneath until all (or most) of the seedlings come up? That way I'd be able to continue to germinate my seeds that haven't yet come up.
I was also curious about how the light might affect my still germinating seeds. Can chile pepper seeds germinate while exposed to light, or are they only able to germinate in the dark?
Do you all recommend that, once some of my seedlings are at the point where it is time to repot, I move the seedling tray out from under the light, continue to germinate in that seedlingn tray without the light, and place the plants that I've repotted under the one light that I have? Basically I'm trying to figure out how to best make use of the single light that I have. If my seedling tray is underneath, then I can't fit any more plants that I know need the light just as bad (or even more).
I was less than successful last year starting chile plants from seed, and I'm hoping to get a least a couple of ncie plants to send outside once the warm weather hits. Thanks for any and all help everyone. Much appreciated!
