Thanks very much - all good info.

My Granddad used to say "I try to learn something new every day ...
because every day I forget something else..."

Kay Lancaster wrote:
On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 18:05:13 -0500, Sterling wrote:

thanks very much - I will try all of your suggestions and see what
transpires.

Kay Lancaster wrote:


If they're fully imbibed, not rotting, and not sprouting, you've either
got a soil temperature problem

what should the temperature be? I do have the peppers on the heat mat...


Peppers are germination tested at 20oC if I recall correctly (it's been
20 years!), or about 68oF. Germ tests are done at close to optimum conditions
for each species.


DO NOT SOAK THEM -- most people soak seeds in too-deep a water, and they
strangle them from low oxygen tension. At this stage, of germination, it
would probably be fatal for them.

How wet should the seeds be kept? - the directions always say "moist not
wet" but I have always wondered about this. I do make sure the water
runs out the bottom and there is no standing water but they always
follow up with "do not allow to dry out".


About as moist as a sponge you'd use for wiping off a kitchen counter.
Not dripping, but definitely moist. It's easier to keep the trays covered
with something until germination starts -- 1) it helps prevent drying
and 2) you're not dealing with evaporative cooling.
But you need to get the cover off ASAP at the first signs of the
cotyledons emerging, because moist, stagnant air means the fungi move in.
Personally, I like a combination of a humidifier and a fan to keep
home=grown seedlings happy, but your mileage will vary.

If you think you're having problems with seeds drowning or drying out
in your soil, try putting about an inch of sand in the top of the pots,
and planting in the sand. The sand should be what's called "builder's
sand", the fairly coarse stuff that goes into making concrete, not beach
sand (which is likely to be salty.) It's hard to overwater sand, but it
holds quite a bit of intersitial water.

Dried out seeds that have started to germinate are dead seeds. Seeds that
someone has presoaked in a couple of inches of water are often dead seeds.

You might call your water company, too, and check the hardness and salinity
of your water... too many minerals in the water can build up to the point
that the seeds can't extract free water from the soil (it's an osmoticum
problem.) You can see the same with salts in the soil, including fertilizer.
FWIW, I loathe and detest jiffy pots. They tear when they're waterlogged,
they wick water and your seedlings dry out at the most inopportune times,
and they tend to contribute to a compact rootball instead of nice spreading
rootgrowth in the garden. Try plain ol' plastic pots. Clean and well rinsed
before filling.

I'll post an old sort of faq of mine written for this group many years ago,
as a separate post.

Kay