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seeds Seed starting...I know probably a dumb question but....

holyhotpeppers

holyhotpeppers

So I just planted 6 different varieties of peppers and wanted to some feedback on how I have my seed germ setup.

The medium - GH Rapid Rooter
Hydrofarm Heating mat
Rapid Rooters are in a 72 cell tray which is placed into a regular tray flat with a humidity dome on top.

My main question is should I just leave the flat dry with out water and make sure each Rapid Rooter is moist from day to day? OR Put water in the bottom of the tray flat?
 
You want it moist not wet or dry. You can either leave some water in the flat or spray the rooters with a spray bottle to keep them moist. Good luck!
 
that is my EXACT germination setup. I was wondering the same thing. I've had the seeds in the plugs now for about a week and have been spraying them with a water bottle. So far I've got 10 of 70 super hots to pop.
 
holyhotpeppers said:
So I just planted 6 different varieties of peppers and wanted to some feedback on how I have my seed germ setup.

The medium - GH Rapid Rooter
Hydrofarm Heating mat
Rapid Rooters are in a 72 cell tray which is placed into a regular tray flat with a humidity dome on top.

My main question is should I just leave the flat dry with out water and make sure each Rapid Rooter is moist from day to day? OR Put water in the bottom of the tray flat?
Click to expand...

As long as the RR stay moist and the humidity dome stays on the seeds should sprout. It does help to bottom water as top watering can push the seed further down. For the folks that use a seed starting mix a daily misting of water would help to keep the medium form drying out. Top watering can mat down a peat based medium, in some cases preventing te seed from emerging and possibly rotting.

Island_Dan said:
Does a heating mat make that much of a difference? I never used one and never have problems with germination...
Click to expand...

The heating mat is a good addition if the growing area is cool. such as a garage or basement. Placing a humidity dome over the flat helps especially when it's placed under the warm grow lights. The temperature under my T8's where the top of the dome sits is 86 deg. You want to keep the top area where the seed lays, warm

Terravexti said:
that is my EXACT germination setup. I was wondering the same thing. I've had the seeds in the plugs now for about a week and have been spraying them with a water bottle. So far I've got 10 of 70 super hots to pop.
Click to expand...

+1, That's the idea. If your using a dome remove it once the first group of sedlings emerge. Place the tray under the lights and keep the cells moist that haven't produced. I bottom water, for the seedlings that sprouted. (roots travel quickly downward in search for moisture) And I also mist from the top to keep the seeds moist to prevent the hulls from drying out........
Good luck.

Greg
 
Thanks Pic 1 and megahot for the feedback. I ended up dumping the water out of the bottom of the tray flat as it was keeping it way to moist and I also noticed it acted as a heat buffer. Once I dumped the water out the top of the Rapid Rooters felt warmer. Got some basil to sprout in 2 days! Here is a pic of them after transferred from the tray to where they will sit before I decide either hydro or dirt.
basil+sprouts+1_01_13.jpg
 
georgej said:
Pic 1,what's your opinion on starting germination on damp coffee filters in a ziplock bag?
Click to expand...

georgej said:
Pic 1,what's your opinion on starting germination on damp coffee filters in a ziplock bag?
Click to expand...
That works fine, the coffee filter peels apart without damaging the seed. A over moistened paper towel can be a problem when stuck to a hull/root.I also place a layer of coffee filters over the drain hole inside the bottom of the pots before filling. that helps keep the dirt in the pot when planting. Of course the filters will eventually break down but by then the medium will be compacted and hardly any soil at all will bleed out of the drain holes.
 
Now that's something I wish I had thought about before all the re potting I did recently for rosemary and over wintering my savina! Great idea.
 
Went out of town for a few days with the family and when I returned, noticed most of my Rapid Rooters had dried out!! So I guess I will leave some water in the bottom of the tray from now on. Oh well I guess my germ times will be delayed. I did have some Cilantro pop up and I can see a Red Habanero trying to peek through as well.
 
PIC 1 said:
+1, That's the idea. If your using a dome remove it once the first group of sedlings emerge. Place the tray under the lights and keep the cells moist that haven't produced. I bottom water, for the seedlings that sprouted. (roots travel quickly downward in search for moisture) And I also mist from the top to keep the seeds moist to prevent the hulls from drying out........
Good luck.

Greg
Click to expand...

I was thinking of moving the seedlings that poped over to another cell tray so the undeveloped seedling can have the humidity dome. Will the moved seedling still nedd the heat pad?
 
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