Back in early February I started growing peppers from seed. This year I have four varieties I am growing. Marconi Rosso, Cayenne, NuMex Joe E. Parker, and Yellow Devil Habanero.
Using the paper towel method (storing seeds inside a lightly moistened paper towel in a ziplock bag) on all the seeds, I was amazed to discover the cayenne seeds were the first to sprout roots on day 3. All the other seeds were from purchased packs, but the cayenne were from a fruit I dried out and stored myself.
After three weeks, I haven't had any of the habaneros show any signs of life. Not sure why. I tend to overdo things, so maybe I kept the seeds too wet, or laying them directly on the heat mat wasn't ideal. I decided to try direct sowing a few seeds from the experiment, and also a few fresh seeds, in case dryness plays a factor. (Many experiments on YouTube demonstrate that pre-soaking seeds delays pepper seed germination results.)
Inside I grow my seedlings with a simple propagation tray. I use an adjustable dual arm LED grow light and underneath is a seedling heat mat set to maintain 80 degrees F.
Nearby, I put some banana peels into jars of water. I am hoping I can extract potassium in this way to use as fertilizer on these peppers later on when they are more mature and transplanted in the garden.
Each time I buried a germinated seed, I marked the location with a toothpick. Never seen anyone else use toothpicks, but I find it very helpful every time I have more germinated seeds to sow, so I don't accidentally plant too many in the same pot, forget to plant some in ignored pots, and it also ensures that new seeds are always evenly spaced away from other hidden seeds.
100% of the cayenne seeds have germinated. Marconi Rosso were germinating about a week later. NuMex is the slowest, and as I said earlier, none of my habaneros have germinated yet. For some reason, I have a hunch that the hottest peppers are likely the hardest to grow.
The soil I used came from Walmart. The bagged soil was unique in that it has trace nutrients ideal for seedlings. The consistency is very soft, woody, and pre-moistened, which I really appreciated. It seems pretty sterile, because I have seen no sign of gnats, mold, or moss.
Some of the sprouts are commencing to develop true leaves. In a week I will separate the strongest seedlings from the weaker ones, and pot them up into larger pots. A week after transplanting, I'll have them spend daylight hours out in the greenhouse, which seems to give most plants a boost and eases hardening off stress.
In March I'll start growing tomatoes from seed.
We were hit with quite the blizzard last night. Had to cancel all of my work for the day, and make the best of my time at home.
Quite a few inches. Some places as thick as 10". Not very much melted, so we'll likely be iced in for another day at least.
