I do the same as Marie. If I'm starting them indoors I usually use a seed mat for bottom heat but in the summer just start them outside in trays. I always plant my seeds horizontally and just barely cover them with soil. Seeds need to be fresh as they don't remain viable for too long and the germination rate goes way down as they age. With fresh seeds you'll get close to 100% germination. I've had good luck with seeds I've purchased from Thai sellers on eBay. Keep in mind that seeds do not grow true and most often you end up with single pink or pink & white flowers.

Hi aloefreak1, I will describe to you what I have done with mine. I am in Zone 7b. Your a lot warmer. I have never used paper towels to germinate my seeds so I cannot comment too much about this. I fill pots (6") with a free draining mix similar to what I use for adult Adeniums, but I add some coconut coir for more moisture retention. Once filled to about 1/2" from brim, I place seeds (I soak for 2-3hrs. If purchased. Would not if fresh) on top of mix and press in slightly. I then top dress with a 1/8" thin coat of grit (granite or forestry grit) and water in sparingly. I place in a propagator with a lid and on a heat mat which keeps it at 80-85F. I have mine in a south facing sunroom. Have never used artificial light, but may be necessary if you have no place to give good light. Watch to make sure that you open the lid occasionally to let in air. I only mist the grit if it looks to be drying out, but usually do not have to with the humidity from inside. When I see 50 - 60% heaving through the grit ( soil if not using ) I remove them from the propagator. Keep in a warm place with good light and I do not use the heat mat. I have even started them before on top of a second fridge that we have with no heat mat. The seedlings will need to be kept evenly moist. Good light, but not full summer sun until they have 4 or 5 true leaves. I may have missed something and this is what I do. I am sure that we all have different methods. The SwazicumxObesum are nice plants. Rick

My rhambutan along with a number of other tropicals are now in plant heaven. It was probably about 18" tall. I had a power failure in the greenhouse over the winter and many of my really tender plants froze. I wasn't expecting ever to get fruit but they are just fun to grow. I'll have to wait until the Oriental market has more fresh fruit to start some more. What is the rambutan related to? I always thought that it was similar to a lychee or longan but the seed is nothing like those. Karyn

If you are starting under fluorescents, you really don't need a heat mat. I've done without for 50 years. Especially for a lot of greens - such as lettuce. Lettuce will start at temps just above freezing. You can easily start it in an unheated garage under lights nearly anywhere in the country. I keep the lights on a cycle that has them come on at night, and then they're off for the 6 warmest hours of the daytime. At 41F, it will take 15 days to germinate; at 50F, we're down to a week. At 59F, it takes 4 days to germinate. Good enough. Tomatoes don't really need bottom heat either. In fact, germination drops off as the soil temp rises to over 75F. You'll get 98% germination at 59F, in about 2 weeks. At 68F, you'll still get 98% germination, in about 8 days. By the time you hit a soil temp of 77F, germination is down to 97%, but it only takes 6 days to emergence. But by the time you hit 86F, germination is down to 83%. If you are starting inside in a heated space, tomatoes under fluorescents don't really benefit from bottom heat, and may be harmed - in combination with the heat from the lights, soil temps are likely to rise above the best temps. Peppers do best between 68F and 77F. Easily achievable, in a heated space, with lights alone. Even eggplants - for me at least - do fine under fluorescents without additional bottom heat. The tables I've seen give only a 60% germination rate, tops, at soil temp of 86F - but I swear I've never had germination nearly that bad. Maybe I've just never counted, or maybe the fact that I grow orientals almost exclusively makes a difference. I'll have to pay attention this year. But I've always started them with just the lights, no additional bottom heat, and they've always done fine. I'm guessing the sweet spot for eggplant is probably between 77F (reported 53% germination) and 86F where the 60% germination rate was reported. Also, I've no idea what type of eggplant they planted to get those measurements. I don't know, maybe some varieties really do have germination rates that low - but I'm pretty sure I've never planted such a variety. Spinach is right there in the same range (temperature wise) as lettuce. I imagine many leafy greens are in the same range. I really don't think a heating mat is all that useful. Better to spend the money on lights, a stand, plant trays, something to measure soil temp, and a fan, IMO. I've really not had a lot of use for a heating mat, myself. This post was edited by zensojourner on Wed, Dec 17, 14 at 18:13