A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum pepper seeds slow to germinate

Can I soak the seeds a day or so before I put them in the soil? I know they are normally slow to germinate but mine go over and beyond that tine.

It's okay to soak them. Also, some people fold them into a wet paper towel and fold that and put it in a baggie, in 5 to 10 days they will germinate.
I have trouble with pepper seed too, some types come up in a week or less, some take longer, and some just don't germinate. The paper towel method can be one way to get good results, especially if it's old seed or something you don't have many seeds of.
peppers normally need temps of 80 to 85 degrees to germinate quickly, but lacking a heat mat, they can germinate at 70 to 80, given time.

Thank you, I soaked them overnight and all day. I just planted them in pots now. Thanks for the temp..I never knew they needed such a high temp to germinate. That could be why they've been taking so long in the past to come up. I wonder what I can do to raise the temperature in the house for them? I don't want to put my furnace up as that would be too costly. I wonder if I put some tinfoil over the little pots if that would help? in the day that may increase the temp if left on the window?

Sorry, Dave what is a heat mat?

I will give my experience while you wait for Dave. I started 72 in one flat this year without a heat mat and I usually don't soak. I do place mine in the bathroom which I keep warmer. They started coming up in nine days and I have got good germination. The Bell peppers are usually behind my hot and chili peppers. Think it was 11 days when they started. I will see them come up depending on variety up to 24 days. A heat mat is a mat that you place underneath the tray to give it extra heat. I have a big one and a smaller one. I have found I prefer the large heating pads. You have more control and a few dollars cheaper. I usually use the low setting. Just make sure to not buy one with the 2 hour auto/off. Because every two hours it will shut off. Patience is great with peppers. Another reason I prefer the heating pads is they are bigger than the trays and you can get good heat all over the trays. The pads are cut so close to size the outside stays cooler and the seeds in the center tend to germinate faster and the edges can be several days behind. This is just my experience. I have my last round of peppers sowed now. They should start Thursday I'm guessing. Good luck. Jay

Elk always gives excellent advice.
I bought my first heat mat this year, and I'm not sure I like it. I'm not getting any better results, but then, my seed trays are in a cooler spot this year, so it may be better than without.
I wouldn't put foil over the top, that would block the heat from the sunny window, but saran wrap might help. You could put foil under them, it's possible that could reflect a little heat back up.
One thing I've thought about...we don't have central heat, so I can't try this, but in houses with floor vents for heat, you could put any kind of shelf or whatever above the vent, and the heat coming out would be warmer than the room temperature.
I germinate some of my seed by just putting them outdoors in the flats or containers during the day so that the sun can heat them, on warm spring days, then bring them in at night. It's not a perfect solution, but this time of year, it works for me. Germination is about as good as any other way.
Like Jay (elk) said, patience is key with peppers...still, I hate it when I really want one certain variety of pepper, and it's the one that just won't sprout.

Heck I made a heating cable seed bed and love it .. 2nd year now.
Started peppers in march and they germinated in about 5 days. They need a controlled temperature.. Must be constant. peppers would never germinate for me at all before the cable.. I never buy peppers and tomatos from the garden centers any more.

I really like my cable .
It is indoors in a spare bedroom on the south side and east side windows . My room is progressing.

b

I use heating pads too. I just make sure they aren't the automatic shut off kind. My basement is 50 or so and I put heat under my peppers, tomatoes, basil. They sprout in 10-12 days or so for me. I don't have anywhere warm to put the damp paper towels so I just reseed any cell that doesn't come up.

Nothing yet, I'm already thinking maybe I will just have to pick up a couple pepper plants but there is nothing like growing my own, it gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride.

I know what you mean by a sense of accomplishment and pride. My peppers without help can take over 30 days to sprout. It just about drives me crazy waiting for them. But I love the savings and the fact that I'm harvesting and using my own seeds. This year I'll be starting really late on my peppers. The one that I overwintered indoors has 3 new blooms on it already. And with a little more time that last pepper from last year should finally rippen and I'll have seeds to start some more plants. My plan is to make a greenhouse under my deck with electricity for heat and extra lighting. That way I can overwinter my Boldog Hungarian Spice pepper plants, my Banana pepper Plants, and some of the california wonder peppers. That way I'll have peppers fresh or frozen all year long from my garden yippee!

Well, I hope you have success with your peppers.

Thank you and good luck with yours too. Do your winters get cold? Our winters are in the minus 30's to minus 40's. Still nothing with the peppers, I don't know why I didn't start the peppers in January considering the length of time they take to germinate, that is if they do germinate at all?

DaisyM

I cold not germinate peppers in our cold of winters here. One day I invested in a heating cable from Henry Fields catalog.

I put that on a hardware wire, Inside a plastic storage box lid, added some sand then soil ......peppers germinate like crazy now. See it is a very slow and constant heat, which is what peppers have to have.
I had to buy the soil in the store , cause garden soil gets too hard for seeds.
But it is well worth the effort.
flowers grow like weeds......Ps this time I started april and I am anxious to see it works just as well.. peppers are about 8 inches now.

Good luck

My winters don't get nearly as cold as yours I'm in zone 7. It can get down in the teens in winter but I don't remember it getting colder than that. Of course my memory isn't all that good so I could be off.

Heating cables would definitely help a great deal. I just have a hard time letting go of money if I'm not buying a plant lol.

I think it is well deserved at my house heating cable.. It is so gentle and warm.

My jalapeno seeds germinated in less than two weeks. I kept them in a shelf above the sink.My mom often uses hot water to wash dishes,so they get some heat and also there's a window next to the shelf.They get some good sunlight and a there's also a fluorescent tube light above the seedlings.

Well I'll be, two little pepper sprouts are poking through the soil. I'm so excited.

I can now plant pepper and tomato seeds directly in my garden;soil's warm enough and so is the weather.

demde.

You must take under consideration the climate is much different in california and canada n Pennsylvania.. We have to do indoor starts..
Kopish?

Invest in a heating mat, and get flats with the bio done lid thingy on top, Ideally set it in room temperature.The clear lids will help hold in the heat, and keep the soil from drying out. If you skip the dome, the flats will dry out pretty fast and the seeds prob will not germinate. I soak my soil pretty good before I sow the seed.

Ive had the best of luck using heat mats for starting everything- especially tomatoes which sprout in 2-3 days using one. peppers (actually most nightshades) need warm soil to germinate- ideally 70 degrees. Some varietes of hot peppers do take a long time, especially bird type peppers (chiletpins, tepins etc). They are called that because in the wild, where they grow (usally tropical climates) Birds, (especially parrots!) eat the wild pepper, and poop out the seeds. The seeds get spread that way, and really need to run through the digestive track to sprout- its natures way and evolution of those types. Most bird peppers are small, size of small berries etc.

Some people make a paste out of chicken poop or other birds poop, and coat the seeds with it to get them to sprout. Ive had the hardest time with Chileptins, out of a pack of 30 seeds, usally only a few will sprout, but weeks later, even with a heat pad.

You dont need to do the poop route with most peppers or any of the sweets/bells.

HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY some one agreed with me at last.

Thanks I needed that.

Now it's five little pepper plants poking their little heads through the soil, yeh!

My parents think it's a waste of money to invest in a heating mat.I simply grow plants the ole fashioned way by sowing the seeds in the soil, watering, and waiting for the seeds to germinate.

In california ......You have enough heat to roast an egg on the side walk.
No pad needed........i are in zone 5......thats cold.

To start peppers in Febuary I would need a heating mat;it gets cold here in winter.

oh

I grow pepper seeds under lights and all the heat I have comes from the lights on my seedling cart. I haven't used a heating pad so far and all my seeds germinated this year.

Both should work, just that it is hard to manage lights at nite when the temperatures drop.......

SOme are born Lucky..

I have my lights on a cheap timer and it works great. You want the seedlings to cool down overnight anyway.

My pepper plants are doing just great. No problems whatsoever, now if my tomatoes would perk up I would be so happy.