Thread: seeds
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Old 10-01-2012, 02:53 PM
echinosum echinosum is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2006
Location: Chalfont St Giles
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Originally Posted by gregz View Post
Going to try and start some hot pepper seeds again this year. Last year
near the beginning I got lots of mold. I also did not soak. Took over 6
weeks before I goy any sprouts. Too cool downstairs. I'm going to try a
tray and use a cover this time watching wetness, upstairs where it warmer.
Any tips?
Greg
Get yourself an electric propagator, ie, covered tray with a heat pad, they don't cost very much, and I have got good germination rates even with "trickier" species such as rocotos (Capsicum pubescens). What I've had poor germination rates with are old seeds. After planting, drench the surface of the compost with a copper-based fungicide to discourage damping off, and remove the individual seed capsules from the propagator shortly after they have germinated, as they are much more prone to fungal problems while they are in there. (And sometimes the seeds do go white and fuzzy just before they germinate, so don't worry about that.)