seeds Starting seeds

I want to start a flat of some seeds i think earlier than december/january inside and I have a decent light setup for growth. 
 
My question is, what is good starting medium recommendations. Jiffy pots are pretty convenient but any other thoughts. As said before I had bunk superhot seeds. Now have gotten some from reputable dealers and have the bug to start them NOWWWW.
 
Jiffy pots are great.  Price is not so hot.  You can soak them in some nutes before you plant.  They can be reused too.
 
Thanks for the reply. Actually For my very first grow ( i learned quite a bit), i used half seed starter mix from HD and then i did a small 10 peat pellet to try, I had MUCH better results with the pellets at keeping away mold and bad junk. 
 
You can use a seed starting medium or rapid rooter plugs for hydro. Some growers also prefer the moist coffee filter or paper towel to sprout seeds
 
I use my own special seed starting mix and the plastic bag germinating method. I honestly like the plastic bags better easier labeling and organization also you can see when the seed sprouts
 
there rockwool and peat pellets i dont start seeds in plastic bag because if you keep them to moist you get algae that kills the seeds and if there not moist enough they shrivel up and die peat pellets also have sort of the same issue there always to dry or to wet so i would go with peat pots. i am currently about to start seeds myself and ima use peat pellets because i have a box of them
 
I have sprouted around 50 varieties using plastic bag method I havent ever gotten algae you must be putting them in the light
 
Aerogarden + 66 spot starter.
Put in 3.5" pots when roots start to grow out.
Pot up when necessary, plant out when warm.
 
I use shultz seed starting mix about $4 per bag. And seed starting trays that have 72 cells each. You can find the trays at menards or other big box stores for $3 each. I germinate them right in the soil and typically end up with 80 to 100% germ rate. I do use a heat mat also but only until most have sprouted. I DO NOT use the lid when using a heat mat as the temps get too high with the lids on.

When they have two sets of true leaves, I pot up to standard 16oz solo cups,around $3 for 50 cups. ( I drill four 1/4" holes in the bottom of eqch cup for drainage, drill through stacks of about 20 cups at a time to speed things up) i use regular potting mix at this time. I then remove the empty seed cells from the trays and the trays just happen to fit 18 cups side by side perfectly so the tray catches any excess water drainage.

When they get to about 6" tall I pot up one last time to 5 gallon buckets or larger.

Oh and I use great value spoons to label them. And all these supplies are reuseble except the soil so its cost efficient too!!

Thats just my process... :-)
 
Yeah I think it was the light my heat pad was right next to the light last year I will give it a try again and test it with some habanero seeds in case I mess up and kill my seeds
 
All great ideas!. Thanks. I have a wonderous variety to try and grow this year for next year so should be fun. 

If i was to start say maybe 6 or so varieties now. Will I be able to overwinter them even if they are only ~foot tall by winter?
 
Why not use several starting mediums and see how it goes for you? I used the paper towel, cheap soil and peat pellets for this years grow and they all worked fine - the paper towel was the quickest to germinate, but the poting soil in plastic cups was the easiest and cheapest - I got seedlings in about a week, so it was good enough for me. I covered the  cups with plastic bags and kept them at 28 deg celsius. The peat pellets I liked the least and I also got some mold on them (didn't affect the plats, just looked nasty). 
 
This year I plan to try root riot, rockwool and coco coir pellets (the plants I grow in coco at the moment are the healthiest and largest).
 
kgetpeppers said:
All great ideas!. Thanks. I have a wonderous variety to try and grow this year for next year so should be fun. 

If i was to start say maybe 6 or so varieties now. Will I be able to overwinter them even if they are only ~foot tall by winter?
Yes, but you likely won't get any pods this year or under he lights in the winter unless you have good lights or a nice south window.

I just started a tray of seeds late in first week of July to test my new lights. I will overwinter them for a head start next season.
 
U)<now said:
Yes, but you likely won't get any pods this year or under he lights in the winter unless you have good lights or a nice south window.

I just started a tray of seeds late in first week of July to test my new lights. I will overwinter them for a head start next season.
Yes I am really just testing a new light fixture I purchased. Im ok with not having pods. plants will have a good headstart when next spring hits i assume though.  :party: .So maybe ill start some superhots .
 
I would!! :-) I started some Brain Strains I just got from Cappy (pepper ridge farms on here) and had a 100% germination rate!
 
U)<now said:
I would!! :-) I started some Brain Strains I just got from Cappy (pepper ridge farms on here) and had a 100% germination rate!
Great, any suggestions when going to overwinter the bad boys. Pending germinationnnn. New lights are like 10x better than the one i germed on before.. suprised my peppers made it.
 
U)<now said:
I use shultz seed starting mix about $4 per bag. And seed starting trays that have 72 cells each. You can find the trays at menards or other big box stores for $3 each. I germinate them right in the soil and typically end up with 80 to 100% germ rate. I do use a heat mat also but only until most have sprouted. I DO NOT use the lid when using a heat mat as the temps get too high with the lids on.

When they have two sets of true leaves, I pot up to standard 16oz solo cups,around $3 for 50 cups. ( I drill four 1/4" holes in the bottom of eqch cup for drainage, drill through stacks of about 20 cups at a time to speed things up) i use regular potting mix at this time. I then remove the empty seed cells from the trays and the trays just happen to fit 18 cups side by side perfectly so the tray catches any excess water drainage.

When they get to about 6" tall I pot up one last time to 5 gallon buckets or larger.

Oh and I use great value spoons to label them. And all these supplies are reuseble except the soil so its cost efficient too!!

Thats just my process... :-)
I used shultz and some of my varieties didn't care for it. Most were ok but others developed leaf curl almost immediately
 
kgetpeppers said:
Great, any suggestions when going to overwinter the bad boys. Pending germinationnnn. New lights are like 10x better than the one i germed on before.. suprised my peppers made it.
Since they will likely still be fairly small when winter rolls around, you probably won't have to do much... maybe cut them back a little. There is a great guide to over wintering at the top of the growing forum though that you could check out. Spray for bugs before you bring them back in for the winter.
smileyguy697 said:
I used shultz and some of my varieties didn't care for it. Most were ok but others developed leaf curl almost immediately
That's unfortunate, mine always do great. Beautiful big dark green leaves.
 
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