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Should I be worried?

R

rlslmshdy

I started tomato and pepper seeds 9 days ago. This is my first time germinating seeds. Ive read on several sites that they should start germinating in 3-10 days. I havnt seen any signs of germination yet. I know it takes time. I wasnt worried until reading all the info talking about germinating in 3-10 days
 
The 3-10 days is probably just for germination (i.e if you germinate in a paper towel you will see a sprout starting to emerge from the seed in about 3 - 10 days) If planting in soil you will not see germination for several more days since they take awhile to work through the soil.
 
what types?  I had white habs that took a month to germinate as they are notoriously slow germinators.
 
This year I planted 2 seeds per plant in Rapid Rooters, most broke ground within a week of one another. I did have a couple that took weeks to a month for the second seed to show themselves. So I wouldn't worry to much.
 
Still no signs of germination, thursday will be 2 weeks. Im using a heat mat. Ive got them in ziplock bags left unsealed covered in wet paper towels. The bags are in a plastic seed starting container with the clear plastic lid.
Ive got like 10 different heirloom tomatoes. A bunch of different peppers mostly hot to super hot.
 
If you don't see them poking their heads out of the soil in 4 weeks, they probably won't.
 
You can plant some more seeds today to give you a backup, just in case.
 
Mike
 
You don't need to use the paper towel method.
 
Start with fresh seeds, good soilessmix (don't use dirt for now) bottom heat
 
For years I have had very high germination rates simply by using good soliless mix Like Pro MixBX . I like to moisten it with warm water to get it wet , not waterlogged. I fill up 4" round or square pots with the mix, lightly packed. Place like 6-15 seeds evenly spaced apart. Cover with a bit of the mix, tamp it down lightly. Label, and tent with a sandwich baggie. (I find tearing the baggie about an inch on each side helps it fit over the square pots) Then place on a heat mat or in a warm place. Makes a nice little greenhouse.
 
Once germinated, I sometimes lift off the baggie if it seems too wet of an environment. I keep em growing in the small container until they have theire1st set of true leaves. Then move them into individual pots
 
 
Should you be worried? Of course. That's what gardening is all about.
 
It's that peaceful endeavor of never knowing if months of work will be for nothing.
 
rlslmshdy said:
How damp should i keep the paper towel?
Click to expand...
 Hey Slim,
 
So generally I would put a tablespoon of water on the paper towel.
 
Can you go into a little more detail of what you did?
Did you use tap water?
Did you soak the seeds beforehand?
How warm is your heat mat?
 
This will help us see if there is something that has gone wrong.
 
Personally I have mine all germinate in 2-3 weeks without a heat pad. But I live in Australia so heat isn't something that is hard to find :P
 
I typically have success with just sticking a bunch of seeds in some soil starter and leaving it in a windowsill. And when I'm starting them, the air temp is probably average of 65 F. I keep the soil moderately moist but not soaked, and mist with a dollar store spray bottle. Don't overthink it! If you haven't seen them pop inside the plastic bags after 3 weeks, they might not at all. It's possible that they cooked from too much heat, or the seeds were bad. If you have more seeds, I suggest starting over, but don't throw away the old ones yet! It can't hurt to give them time. 
 
The only types I've ever had problems germinating were manzanos and the like. If you want to talk difficult germination, try germinating fern spores  :rolleyes: ... They take months. 
 
Good luck. 
 
rlslmshdy said:
I started tomato and pepper seeds 9 days ago. This is my first time germinating seeds. Ive read on several sites that they should start germinating in 3-10 days. I havnt seen any signs of germination yet. I know it takes time. I wasnt worried until reading all the info talking about germinating in 3-10 days
Click to expand...
I'm also using the paper towel/Ziploc with a heating pad. I started my seeds exactly a week ago and the Moruga Scorpions are just starting to show a tiny radial tip trying to pop out. The Bhut Jolokia is still dorment but the Chinese 5 Color have germinated. Give it some time the superhots can take 30 days.

What temperature is your pad set to?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
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