Chilli Seed Germination - 25-30C Too Hot?

Thanks, I'll move them. They've had 3 days there so far. Stuck a temperature sensor further away from the boiler but even that is 25C so may be too hot. Sweetpeas liked it, they are up after 6 days

Long season crop IME. Mine will be kept in the greenhouse - I've sown Sweet Peppers as well as Chilli ones, Chillies will be in pots, Sweet in the ground [in the greenhouse]

Any problem separating them from the kitchen paper? (Presumably you plant paper-and-all if you tear around each one? )

I do germinate some seeds on kitchen paper but haven't done many small seeds that way. Runner beans, easy, as the root starts to appear pot them up. Ditto for somewhat smaller, but still large, seeds like Cannas & Sweetpeas. Perhaps I should consider it more for smaller seeds too? I currently use 1/4 sized seed trays, and then have to prick out. With kitchen paper (or even "Baggy method" I suppose?) I could go straight from chitted to the pot?

Sorry ... rabbiting on ... but I am planning on a variation on pricking out this year. Previously I have gone straight from seed tray to 9cm pots. 9cm takes up a lot of space, and early in the year light & heat is in short supply (but gets me a big plant at planting out time). Last year I pricked out to 1" modules, and then potted on to 9cm from there. I had better success rate, probably because less chance of over watering small seedlings in 1" module than a 9cm pot! plus all the space saving benefits.

But getting the seedlings out of the 1" modules was a nightmare. Lots of pushing and squishing and levering, which must have disturbed the roots. This year I am planning to cut up lengths of 1" blue water pipe and prick out into those. I will then be able to just push-out the seedling when I pot-on, with less disturbance, and much easier to reuse the tubes than the [very flimsy] modules. I was planning to stand the tubes on capillary matting (I use micro-pore plastic between matting and pot, it keeps the algae down, makes spilt compost easier to clean off, and largely stops the roots going into the mat).

 

I thought for some reason chillies were perennials. Or is it that you sow them now to get their first crop earlier than if you sowed them outside.

I have a seed sprouter but a cold kitchen which gets the most sunlight in our house. What's more important light or warmth?

 

Short lived perennials - in my case very short as I have never looked after them over-winter well enough to survive! but looking at the packets of some that I have grown they were £4.00 for 8 seeds ... perhaps I should make more effort to overwinter them! (Bought the seeds in the sale at 50p a packet ... but even so : 8 seeds? I clearly didn't bother to check that part of the packet!)

The Peppers I grow need longer season than if I waited until Spring to sow them, and not sure they would make much of a crop outside? Perhaps you have more luck / more suitable varieties?

Had a quick scout around YouTube and saw an interesting technique (well, seemed that way to me!). The lady thoroughly wetted a sheet of paper towel, folded double, put it on her worksurface and lightly patted it dry with a towel and then put seeds on it and into a zip-lock bag. I've always put the paper into the bag first and then added water as paper too hard to handle when wet, but I think her "excess water removed" method would be better.

(I know we weren't talking about the Baggy Method ... but for small quantities of seed it is very space-efficient; I think it was Tom Clothier's site suggested putting the bags vertically (in heated area) as when the roots grow they go down, and more commonly between the layers of paper towel, thus easier to remove for potting up.

I had a look at your BioSnacky Germinator and looks like it has a siphon arrangement (to get the water down to the next level) rather than drainage holes? if so I wonder how that compares with the ones that just let the water drain through small pores? Some of those say that they work well for sprouting very small seeds, so might work as a seed germinator, without having to add paper towels? (Or do you not do flood & drain with yours, but just put paper towel in, moisten, and leave it to it?)

 

I have read that the germination temp range for Chillies is 21°c to 35°c . I have mine placed in the bottom of the airing cupboard which seems to maintain 30°c , not had any problems with germination for the past few years. ( And hopefully not this year ! They have been in four days now )
@Loofah , I grew Fuego last year , the first crop had no heat at all. But the further crops had a nice medium heat , a very good Chilli

 

I'm going to have a go at this today.

I was about to throw out my seeds sprouter but think I may keep it after all.

 

Trying to work out the best method for me, I don`t have a permanently warm airing cupboard.
So dehydrator on low with paper towels, thinking heated propagator with seeds in baggies.

 

Same here. I'm going to try some small seeds in it too as a trial to see what happens. Hopefully they'll just be fiddly to pot up. Large seeds should be easier.

 

In my experience the Chinense types (in my case Scotch Bonnet/Habaneros etc) need a much longer growing time (especially as I grow them in the garden not greenhouse/indoors) - so I sow them early December (although packets might say March, this has never been successful for me). - then pricked out into cell trays and under T5 lights. (I also do my Geraniums at the same time) - Pic shows them last week- Scotch Bonnets at the back



Annums (Jalapenos, Sweet Peppers, Fresno etc) I start end of January. I have never been successful overwintering chillies - so now I don't bother.

S