Your very welcome graficaamy! sorry, can't help with variety[these seeds were in a small pill bottle] We are in zone 3, and would you believe I havent put them out yet, and they are still alive under lights! I think this spring, they can grow in the ground till fall. then I prolly will dig them up, and keep them under lights again. [risky I know] If they flower this year, perhaps someone could help with variety name? Good luck growing !! sarahbarah..Thats Awesome you had them grow like that!![I didnt think I could grow lavender like that. I'm going to give this a try Thanks!

That's hard to answer without knowing which seeds. Many may not germinate at higher temperatures, or will need a period of moist chill before bringing back to warm to break dormancy. Seeds that haven't been stored and are sown immediately after harvesting can be exceptions, but for commercial or stored seed, here is one database that gives you an idea of what each plant may need - Here is a link that might be useful: Clothiers, Perennial germination database

Hey Rick! Did you ever get that Epi pollinated? The good news about your Lithops is that if you got 50% germination, you're doing something right. I'm coming to realize that the mix you start them in doesn't need to be that different from the mix you grow them in. I've been changing my Mesemb soil formula lately, mainly adding sand. I found some coarse all purpose sand the other day that's perfect. I'm not going to get into methods because I'm still working on mine but I can tell you this. Steven Hammer has progressed into sowing multiple species in flat square trays. It's maybe 2.5" of very sandy, gritty soil. He says the shallowness of the tray allows him to water them as much as he wants, and it's working great. Also, he no longer sterilizes his soil. The more organic matter you have in your soil (bark, peat) the more susceptible you are to dampness, and algae. It sounds like you've been pretty careful with the misting. You can keep them damp about 6 days/week and on the 7th day... He let them dry out. After drying out, give a good soak. Be sensitive to weather. If it's damp and foggy, don't water. If it's hot, dry, windy... get out there and save your babies!!! You can stop doting over them so much after about 16-18 months, just like a real baby:) My new soil...

Right now temperatures sound perfect for setting flowers and new peppers on the plants. But soon it will be too hot for that. If you plant seeds now you will have to wait for temperatures to cool down before they set new peppers. However, you will have a longer time for the plant to grow big so when it does cool down the larger plant will set a lot of peppers. You will then need a couple of months for them to ripen red. lets say a month to grow big and green and a couple of weeks to a month to turn red. So need to know more about all 12 months of your weather. Technically you should be able to keep your peppers alive for a few years if they do not freeze to death or dry out completely in the heat. I am up north in zone 5 with short season. Basically I start mine early and then get them outdoors and get a few peppers to set. they ripen over the time of higher heat and then set a lot of peppers as it cools down. If you are going into a real hot season I would probably expect better results if planted in the ground and not in pots. Although pots would be good if you are home all day every day to watch them closely and water them at the first sign of drying out. But one miss and they can dry out and die on you. When planting in dry soil it is probably best to plant in a hole. you fill the hole with water and that makes watering much easier. The water does not flow away from the plant. I would definitely plant some seeds immediately. You will learn best by experimentation. I am sure you will have some success. Of course pots have the advantage that you can move them out of the super hot sun. Maybe talk to some people from Arizona where it gets desert hot and they use other tricks to keep things alive over the heat. I think you want to try some chinese and annual peppers at this time to see how different they grow. habaneros vs say some jalapeno or new mexico types. I like to think of it this way. The best place to grow peppers is at the equator up high in a cool mountain. It never freezes but never gets too hot either and the plant can grow for years.