How important is consistant soil/peat/coir fiber temperature? I don't have a heating mat so I use the greenhouses outside and they go from probably 60s at nite to once up to 90s. Try to only give it shade near a sunny place or broken up sunlite for heat. Planted tuesday and wednesday obviously nothing yet. Dnt have a sunny window with the position and house layout.
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seeds soil temperature for starting seed?
- Thread starter JustinNC
- Start date
Ive been putting Bhut Jolokia seeds on my internet modem as it runs 24/7 and keeps the seeds hot all day long.
Ive had about 80% germination which is pretty good in paper towels on a modem i think.
Ive had about 80% germination which is pretty good in paper towels on a modem i think.
I think Ideal temps are between 80F - 90F. I dont use heating mats so not totally sure.
I just put my seed tray out in a sunny area and they start to come up 10 - 14 days.
I just put my seed tray out in a sunny area and they start to come up 10 - 14 days.
I've done a lot of testing on this.
Maximum germination rate and speediest germination occurs when the soil temp is 80 to 85 degrees. I set my thermostat for 82 now.
As temperatures go up from 85 or down from 80, the % germination will decline, and the time to germinate will increase.
Going down from 80 degrees, there is a dramatic drop off around 70-72 degrees, where germ rates and times fall off a cliff.
In order to get the typical 85-90 % germination and to see some green in the typical 5-8 days, you really have to get that soil temp to around 80. Which may require a heating mat.
Of course, once you see some green, the temp needs to be taken down - you need to turn the heating mat off. Ideally, after germination the soil temp would get into the low to mid 70s and kept there.
Maximum germination rate and speediest germination occurs when the soil temp is 80 to 85 degrees. I set my thermostat for 82 now.
As temperatures go up from 85 or down from 80, the % germination will decline, and the time to germinate will increase.
Going down from 80 degrees, there is a dramatic drop off around 70-72 degrees, where germ rates and times fall off a cliff.
In order to get the typical 85-90 % germination and to see some green in the typical 5-8 days, you really have to get that soil temp to around 80. Which may require a heating mat.
Of course, once you see some green, the temp needs to be taken down - you need to turn the heating mat off. Ideally, after germination the soil temp would get into the low to mid 70s and kept there.
I used an old water bed heating pad and a heating pad that you would use for muscle aches for my seeds this year. I put the seeds right into dirt and left the center cell of the tray with out a seed so that I could leave a digital probe thermometer in that cell at all times. It took a bit of tweaking (because I was not using an agricultural heating mats that turn off automatically when a temp is reached.) but I managed to keep the soil ~85 degrees the whole time. I had around 75% germination rate on my bhuts and around 95% on my jalapenos. I thought that was pretty successful and I will probably do the same next year.
I used heating mats for the first time this year and kept a digital temp sensor in one of the sections of my seed trays, and with the lid on.... and the lights on top and the mat on it got wayyy too hot, upwards of 90 degrees... when I left the lid off (had to mist the trays more often to keep moist) and the heat mat on 24/7 it stayed anywhere from 80 degrees to 85ish it worked perfect as I germinate in a semi heated room in my basement which only averages around 65 during late winter early spring.
I think if you read on the heat mats it says they will keep what ever you have on them about 10-20 degrees warmer than the air temperature around it. So if you also put your trays and heat mats on a thin chunk of foam to insulate the bottom of the heat mat from the table they will get way hotter as well.
I think if you read on the heat mats it says they will keep what ever you have on them about 10-20 degrees warmer than the air temperature around it. So if you also put your trays and heat mats on a thin chunk of foam to insulate the bottom of the heat mat from the table they will get way hotter as well.
I put my seeds inside my oven in baggies and paper towels. I then turn on the light only...I dont turn the oven on. With the 40W lamp on, I find the over maintains a temp of about 86F which I think is perfect.
Grimus said:
Yeah, knowing my luck the wife would cook for the first time in seventy-twelve months and I'd lose the lot.
Seed mats are great depending on the ambient temps in the room. My friend kept complaining about low germination rate this winter, so I went to investigate. I brought my thermometer and his soil temperature on 3, 72 cell trays ranged from 101-105 degrees. He was cooking seeds.
I may try on top of the flouro lights. Right now I have a batch in the mini green houses in a window seal....one with 36 peat pots and the others are the small 10 cell Burpee green houses....2 each....temps cant be much above 70 in them with the clouds today and yesterday.....the others are in plastic baggies above the heat hot lights above the mirror in the bathroom, tacked to the wall where I had the meat thermometer for an hour prior and temps were 79-81F. Will set up the flouros tonight and put them on tip of them. Wifey doesnt like the seeds tacked to the wall in bags above the lights lol. I must admit, I worry that they may fall somehow and land on the hot lights and something happen.
Watch out where you place those seeds on top of the lights. If placed directly above the ballasts they will get way too hot, so determine the ideal spot with a thermometer or a touch with a calibrated hand. 