I'm about to transfer the seeds to soil....feel pretty lucky not one is a floater. I'm also gonna try to cotton method, only because the lovely woman who showed me this plant gave me two containers to do so along with the advice :) Givin' the respect, yo. Unfortunately I'm not on my personal computer (which broke in Ghana) so none of my pics are on it. I will try to do it though, cause I'm hoping someone may recognize it and give me the english name!!! I'm loving this new project. It's funny-all I can think about is growing this plant!!! Now, do I place the planted in soil seeds in direct sun or?? Thanks again!

I double the vote on the coffee filters, they are cheaper then PTs, and they hold up much better then PTs. Covering the seed does depend on the seed, also how you handle the seedling depends on the size of the seed. I had some teeny-tiny seeds this year, when the long root got fairly long (which didn't take long) I put my soil in the planter I was using and made holes with a pencil and rounded out the hole to make it large enoungh to not hurt the root. Then I held the leaf part and aimed the root for the middle of the hole, I gently pushed dirt in around the root and watered gently so the water finished filling the hole and made sure there were no air pockets. BUT I caution, you have to be VERY VERY gentle in doing this so you do not disturb the root. Also, some seedlings may not live longer then a day or two if you don't get them planted soon enough. This method takes practice, and what works for someone else may not work for you, so you have to experiment with your own seeds and work out your own techinque. I like starting larger seeds this way, for me it is just easier to handle them and I can plant them where I want them once they have germinated. It might work better for you starting out to use vermiculite to cover most if not all of your germinated seedlings, or a soilless mix until you get used to handling the young babies, you won't need all of your plants usually so you can experiment with a few after you have treated the ones with care you plan on keeping. Experimenting is the key to this method if you haven't started many seeds. Take notes on what works and what doesn't and before you know it you will be able to start many seeds this way, with success in growing them to maturity. Good luck, Fran

> "I am using the paper towel method. It has been 5 days since I initiated the process. I noticed tiny spots of mold on the orange habaneros, and decided to cut those sections of the towel away. Is that a good decision? " Not really. Cutting it won't control the mold. For that you need hydrogen peroxide. But don't be too anxious - mold doesn't really hurt the seeds unless it can get inside. I soak the seeds overnight in a mild hydrogen peroxide solution. Then place in bags on towels moistened with water and sprinkled or spritzed with hydrogen peroxide. (Actually, I use a syringe.) When I'm germinating, I check the baggies twice a day so that the newly emerged rootlets don't have time to adhere to the towel. If they do adhere, don't try to separate but cut the towel out around the root. Plant rootlet down, a good 1/2" deep. The seed case is rubbed off as the seedling emerges. If you have too many cases of "helmet head", it's because you are planting too shallow. Lots to learn about germinating. Biggest factor IMO is maintaining a steady mid-80s temperature. Dennis

Good to read of your work. After trying various methods, I now peel seeds sown on vermiculite in petri dishes kept at 60 F. Seeds that germinate are easy to see & are then transferred into 8 oz plastic glasses, sealed with plastic wrap & go back at 60 F. Seedlings usually appear within 30 days & go to a light table in the same container. I will try to send a photo of a petri dish with a seed germinating---.Hopefully you can see the radicle circled....