[Bodmass]

I've had my chillis in an indoor heated propagator (in front of a window getting direct sun for the first 3hrs per day) for a full month now.  I've had 5 plants germinate out of 59, 3 varieties out of 19 (and one of those died immediately)

I'm thinking of binning this lot & sowing a 2nd time the seeds I have left over. (too late?)

So what are the common errors I may have been be guilty of? Going to have to be more careful this time.

The main thing that concerns me is the amount of watering I do.  I find if I don't water from the top daily the cells turn into little bricks, so should I treat the propagator as a reservoir & not pour water into the cells?

(My sweet peppers in the same propagator for nearly 4 weeks haven't shown yet either)

[DD.]

Sling your propagator.

Sow in  moist compost, pop in a plastic bag. End of watering worries until they germinate. Keep the varieties separate as they are likely to germinate at different rates.

[sunshineband]

Sounds like too hot and too dry possibly. Durect sun and propagator heat is perhaps overdoing things.

Mine were in a heated propagator on the kitchen windowsill, which gets no sun, and I kept the compost quite moist, as from past experience, although the plants themselevs can cope with being  abit on the dry side, it doesn't help germination --- tiny shoot emerges and then dies through lack of water, before breaking the soil surface.

Peppers and chillis mainly germinated in ten days --- a few took a few days longer and came up after they were out of the propagator (where they had an ali foil reflector) and into the heated greenhouse.

Watering by soaking from underneath and draining excess water.

Werks fer me

Hope that helps  

PS I don't have anywhere warm enough indoors for the placcy bag method that DD uses

[simonwatson]

I've germinated mine in an unheated propagator on a south facing windowsill. They don't dry out as quickly as you have described, I've needed to water them two or three times a week. They were much slower than the tomatoes and cucumbers they were alongside and took about two weeks to show. I suspect that inside, with some full sun, you just don't need the heated propagator.

[Bodmass]

OK - binning the heated propagator for the 2nd attempt. 

Thanks.

[Diddy Gardener]

I'm already on my second attempt - now run out of seeds! Think they might have been too hot and not moist enouth - ho hum!

[Grubbypaws]

I have had 100% germination of peppers in a propagator placed in a bright room but out of direct sunshine. When they had been out a wee while they started to get spindly so I moved the propagator into the sunshine. They are absolutely thriving despite the temperature  reaching 30c when I was at work on Friday 

I am now waiting for the first true leaves to get a little bigger before transplanting them into 3" pots. I then intend to leave them in the propagator with vents fully opened until late spring/early summer when they will go under PVC cover in raised bed.

This is the first year I have grown peppers so maybe I have been experiencing a bit of beginners luck.

[PembsPanther]

Not done peppers yet plan on sowing these later this week but I did sow some chilli plants this afternoon, they are now in an unheated propagator so we will see how they do. I too get a bit worried about watering whilst they are in the propagator I never know if the compost is already wet or not, or too wet or too dry, still learning with this, so far everything has germinated again though may be a bit of beginners luck

[PupStar]

My chilli's are starting to peep through the soil as from yesterday after one week on a warm windowsill during the day and on the kitchen worktop overnight.

I have only been spraying with a bottle sprayer and then only a couple squirts morning and night.

The seeds are in a small poundshop propogator and I have wiped the condensation from the lid when required.

Hopefully they will continue to grow  :blink:

Mark

[emptydraw]

I put mine on the dining table by a south facing window, they are 5 seeds to a 3 inch pot, no plastic bag or any tricks. Got 19 of 20 chillis and 4 of 10 sweet peppers (buts that's only cos I was clumsy and dropped them! So have had to resow at the weekend.)

Next year I will put them ON the window sill not on the table NEAR the window. Its surprising how much more light there is, some of mine are a bit leggy, but nothing too bad.

As an aside if they are leggy do you think I can pot them up a little deeper, or is the stem likely to rot?

Thanks!

[galen]

The temperature required for germination of chillies can vary greatly. Of the 2 new varieties I’m trying this year one requires germination heat of between 25 – 28c which I’ve managed with 100% germination after 3 days, the other 30-32c where I’ve managed to get 50% after 14 days. The packet does say they can take up to 60 days to come through though so haven’t totally given up hope on the rest.

Mine where all planted in half sized seed trays, kept in a heated propagator on south facing windowsill over a radiator

I know in previous years I have planted some chilli seeds which didn’t germinate, re- used the compost to plant the same variety; lo and behold they all came up when I’d given up hope.  Very late in the year so kept them as very small plants over winter, the ones I kept are still going after 3 years and have their first fruits of this year on already 

[jazzbyrd]

Sow in  moist compost, pop in a plastic bag. End of watering worries until they germinate. Keep the varieties separate as they are likely to germinate at different rates.

Such good advice One year I decided to grow five different tomatoes in one large seed tray and placed in a heated propagator.....what a mess!!  They germinated at different times ......NEVER AGAIN!!

Jazz

[Grubbypaws]

As an aside if they are leggy do you think I can pot them up a little deeper, or is the stem likely to rot?

I am sure that someone else has mentioned this fairly recently. It would be nice if it worked. I am also new to peppers so would  like an answer to this one.

Anyone?

[DD.]

Should be OK.

Cucumbers are the ones to watch out for when it comes to stem rot. They're world beating experts at it!

[mattwragg94]

i always repot my chilli's to their first set of leaves (infact i did that yesterday) and have never had any problems. chilli stem are very woody so i would be surprised if you suffered from stem rot.