A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Peppers & pain in my arse!

lol hey guys, first time gardener here. I picked up some green bell peppers seeds, and started them indoors with my tomatos, squash & cucumber plants. Having a hard time getting them to germinate (course its only been a week) I water 1x a day now, keeping the soil just moist. Everything popped through ground within 4 days, tomatoes lagging behind a good 2 days. 1 pepper plant has JUST busted through the sooil today, but is even skinnier than the tomatoes plants.

Too much water? Not enuff? Not starting them out right?

My mom said she heard of people starting MOST seeds in wet papertowel. . and then potting after germination.

Be careful NOT to overwater. You will find that peppers are very slow to germinate. They will also take much longer to get big than tomatoes. peppers can actually dry out somewhat during germination and it is better than overwatering. Several of us here are having trouble getting peppers to germinate this year whereas we've had good luck in years past...your results sound pretty good so far, hang in there!
I've used the paper towel method before, and it will work, but I have had the roots grab the paper and tear off before. Besides, it's easier to just plop them in the soil than to tranfer them later, but it is a good method if done right.

peppers need warm soil to germinate- try using a flat heater. I started ALOT of hot peppers this season- and have had good luck. Do not over water, as this can make the seeds rot out, just water enough to keep it damp.

Are you doming them to keep the moisture in? If done correctly, you shouldn't have to water at all.

Christina, yes i WAS doming them. I quit doming due to my flat having variouse plants inside of it. a few peppers, tomatoes, squash, cantaloupe & cucumbers. the cucumbers are growing like theyre on crack! and getting too big so i take the dome off. as far as overwatering, this could be the case i'll cut out on the peppers water. i may have to dump them and start over even though one has sprouted i'm more than certain i prolly overwatered them.

I start all my vegetables from seed in the same dome and as they sprout, I take them out...leaving the ones that haven't sprouted in the dome. I've never had to worry about over or under watering...they stay moist from the initial dose.

ugh. . so after they sprout you then transplant to their own pot&soil? I left the buggers in the seed starting mix and have been watering them daily in that same starter kit that i sewn the seeds in (lol i feel like such a man!)

No..I don't transplant...they're all in seperate little containers. You have all your seeds in the same flat?
You da' man!

heheheh thnx With that being said then. . do you think that transplanting outdoors in 3-4 weeks time, that these lil 4"x4" flat starter kits are too small for the plants? I'm concerned with the bigger plants already becoming rootbound? My squash & cucumbers are monsterouse compaired to the rest of them. . specially the tomaotes they look so cute

I transplant into larger cups in potting soil...I usually use styrfoam...when the get a set or two of their true leaves, then usually have to transplant one more time into 16oz cups (beer cups) before getting them in the garden..which for me isn't until the end of May. If they getting "montrous", I'd transplant in larger cups. Do they have a set of true leaves fully developed?

not fully developed, theyre only a week old so i'm just getting excited to my new "babies" lol. but they have a set of true leaves coming in i beleive. . (true leaves are the 2nd set of actual leaves that sprout?)

Ciao Danno,

Your enthusiasm is just too cute. First of all, I think you just need to take a deep breath, you're doing fine. What happened is that you started veggies together that have HUGELY different germination and growing rates. Cucurbits, the cucumber family grow FAST and get HUGE quickly. I usually wait to plant those in peat pots straight away after the tomatoes get transplanted outside. They come up almost immediately and get big enough to transplant in only a week or 2. I actually sowed squash seeds directly last year at the same time the tomatoes went into the ground and they did fine as well. We have a huge problem with earwigs who like to eat tender transplants so it's always my big goal to beat the little dinosaurs out of the ground by planting cucurbits a little bit earlier and cover them if necessary so I don't have to deal with emaciated plants later from bug damage.

You just need a little patience with your pepper seedlings. Sometimes they can take over a month to germinate, but usually it's between 1-3 weeks and they do grow slowly. We're in about the same zone as you are and my boyfriend started his peppers on 25 February. They're about 8" tall now and some have set flowers, but some are also only 2" tall.

Best of luck with your garden and keep us posted!

Julianna

Danno
First off, ROTFLMAO! on the crack about, uh, crack.
Anyway....
I do like Christina. Start all different things in one flat. Then take out the 6pk of cells that are up well and leave the ungerminated in there with the humidiy. A straight edge razor works if they're not perforated. Or you can cut them into 6 pks before seeding.
peppers like hot weather. May be why it took longer.

That's what I do.
My green peppers popped up right away..Jalapenos took 4 days..but my Thai Chilis were slooow!! I've already potted up my green peppers and jalapenos, my thai chilis still haven't dropped their seed coats. Patience is a virtue I guess...that's a very valuable characteristic trait...wish I had it!!

lol thai chilis!! You guys got me so geeked. i ABSOLUTELY LOVE cooking. . too bad my wife doesnt share the same taste in food that i do. I get so exquisite sometimes and have to eat by myself or with friends/guests.

Anyways. . . ty all for the help and all the great info! This year hopefully will be a lesson learnt and many thanks to you all