how long & how much heat starting peppers

13 years ago

I have never started anything over heat before but thought I would try it this year. This will be my 5th summer in this house and have never done well starting peppers. I started some this year, I placed them on heat 2-11 and some are already sprouting (much sooner than I expected).

I have read that peppers still need heat after they germinate, if this is true, how much, for how long? I think some of these need to go under lights tomorrow (they are in coffee filters) and I expect they need heat at least till they break through the potting mix, but not sure if the heat should continue.

Larry

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Comments (3)

elkwc
13 years ago
Larry,
Sometimes I use heat for germination. Usually I just germinate peppers in the bathroom. But as soon as the first ones germinate I move them under the lights and they don't get anymore heat. And I usually have good germination rates. If you were moving them to a real cool spot then yes they would probably benefit from heat. Otherwise I see no need for continued heat. If you put them under lights and have them on a shelf above another lighted shelf you will get plenty of heat from them in my opinion. Jay
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
13 years ago
Larry,

Your peppers have germinated quickly because they are on the heat mat. Without a heat mat it can take 2 to 3 weeks for them to germinate and for a few really picky ones it can take a month. With a heat meat, you'll often see germination in 3 to 7 days.

I agree with Jay and grow mine about the same way he grows his. I move mine off the heat mat as soon as they germinate.

My pepper seedlings stay indoors in the guest room on the light shelf with no bottom heat, but it is a sunny, warm room on the southwestern corner of the house and it gets so warm from the sunlight that I close the HVAC system vent in that room so that they heating system won't give them even more heat. Otherwise, that room gets too hot.

If you're keeping yours in an unheated space like the garage, you might want to keep them on the mat for a week or two, but I still wouldn't do it for very long. Unless you have a thermostat, the heat mat could keep the pepper plant roots too warm.

Exposing your pepper seedlings to temps in the low 40s for only a short time can cause your peppers to remain stunted and nonproductive for a long time, sometimes for the whole season. So, with the pepper seedings, aim for "warm" temps above 55 degrees but not for "hot conditions". If you keep the pepper seedlings too hot early in their life, they'll often attempt to set blossoms and fruit while still very young and small, and it is better for the plants overall if they are putting all their energy into growing into healthy, good-sized plants before they start flowering and setting fruit.

Peppers set fruit when nighttime highs are above about 60 degrees and daytime highs are in the upper 70s to low 80s. Since those temperatures often correlate to standard indoor temperatures at this time of year. you don't want them on added heat or it will push them to bloom before they should.

Dawn
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slowpoke_gardener
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, Jay and Dawn.

There has been only one other time in my life I have had started more than 10 or 12 peppers, most of the time I just buy about 10 or 12 plants of sweet peppers. While reading this forum I got bit by the pepper bug. I have betweem 60 and 70 seeds in coffee filters with more seeds to start. If they grow I will give most away because I wont have room for that many plants.

I would not have started peppers this early but always before it seemed to take for ever for them to come up.
Some of them are old seeds that were given to me and may not germinate.

Thanks again to both of you, Larry

how long & how much heat starting peppers

Comments (3)

elkwc

Okiedawn OK Zone 7

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how long & how much heat starting peppers

Comments (3)

elkwc

Okiedawn OK Zone 7

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