4 weeks, no seedlings, Capsicum annuum

16 years ago

Hi,

Most of my seedlings were started with great success. However, after 4 weeks, several varieties haven't produced. They are all Capsicum annuum, though different varieties. It was my understanding that these should have germinated in 1-3 weeks, regardless of variety. Should I give up on these or is it worth keeping hope for another week or two?

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Comments (4)

naturalstuff
16 years ago
4 weeks is a long time. 3 things:
Some need more heat then others to germinate.
Maybe the seeds got pushed to deep.
It could possibly be the seeds were no good.

Not all seeds are good, same with humans.

I'd go ahead and plant some more. Even use the same spot. If by chance the other one pops up then just get rid of the weaker one.
User
16 years ago
What naturalstuff said.
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peppermike
16 years ago
I agree 4 weeks is an awful long time. I've usually seen my first sprouts in 5-7 days. There are always some late bloomers that take much longer. Usually I get a handful to sprout in that first 5-7 and then a couple more a day then usually there's a point where number of sprouts increases dramatically then later slows to a crawl again.

Ideal soil temperature is around 85 degrees. Do you use a heating mat to warm the soil? The seeds won't germinate till the soil temp reaches a sufficient range. Other places you can put them is on top of the refrigerator or I've even put them on the center of my gas stove where the pilot light keeps it warm. But that was a small container (a pair of plastic ground beef containers.

Seeds also need moisture. You want the soil to be moist but not damp, don't flood them.

Seed depth for most peppers is about a quarter inch deep. The seeds have enough nutrients within themselves to push up so far. If they fail to reach the surface before run out of nutrients they won't make it.

Bad stock is always a possibility and some Varieties can be stubborn to germinate.
bonmiece
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi,

Thanks for the help. I was actually experimenting with soil depth, so they are planted at a range of depths. I do use a heating mat with a thermostat and have been shooting for the low 80s.

Like I said, most Varieties I've been working with germinated, but I had 7 hold outs. I'm guessing its just bad stock. I bought from some Reimer seeds, despite the bad name they tend to have here since they also have far more varieties than anyone else. This is actually the first batch I've had an issue with. Last year i had near 100% success with them and all peppers turned out to be the varieties they were supposed to be. About 60% of what has sprouted this year is from them too.

Time to start over I suppose.

Thanks!

4 weeks, no seedlings, Capsicum annuum

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naturalstuff

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4 weeks, no seedlings, Capsicum annuum

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naturalstuff

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bonmieceOriginal Author

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