Christian1971
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Location: West Central Minnesota

Bell Peppers and Heat Mat

How important is the use of a heat mat for bell peppers?
Room temp is a steady 72 F, 24 hours a day.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

They do germinate faster with a bit more heat.
If room temp at thermostat level is 72°F, then it should be warmer nearer to the ceiling. Also typical warmer locations like top of the fridge, hotwaterheater, top of the shop light used for growing the seedlings....

PaulF
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Location: Brownville, Ne

Even for germination, I use heat mats to get the temperature up into the mid-eighties. After the first transplant the heat stays on. Peppers like higher soil temps. For me, peppers are relatively slow growers from start to finish without extra heat. I start and grow seedlings under lights where the ambient temperature is in the 65-70 degree range and with heat mats the soil is at 85 F. At hardening off time I remove the heat mats and let them get used to a lower soil temp for a week. Then when they go into the outdoor soil (no less than 70 degrees) it is not such a shock.

After many years of trial and error...mostly error, this is what I have come up with to get peppers earlier in my gardens. Peppers always grew fine but developed late no matter the variety. Jalapenos and banana peppers did great without the extra care but all the rest needed some pampering. Depending on where you are, etc., things may be very different.

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rainbowgardener
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This https://ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg/files/164220.pdf has a lovely chart of how long it takes different seeds to germinate at different temperatures (on p. 2). At 59 deg F, peppers take (average) 25 days to germinate. At 68, they take 12 days. At 77 they take 8.4 days. Optimum is 86, when they take 7.6 days. (But that's not a very big difference from the 77 degree time).

The trouble with the lower temperatures and longer times is that while the seed is sitting around waiting to germinate, if conditions aren't kept perfect all that time, the seed can dry out and die, or be too wet and rot out and die. So the longer it takes, the less likely you are to be successful.

I do mine on heat mat. After they have a couple pairs or so of true leaves and are doing well, they come off the heat mat.

redneck647
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Location: Pa.

I don't have any heat mats so I don't use them. I have a space heater in my living room that I run a lot during the colder months. I just stick the peppers in the same corner as it until they sprout and it usually works.



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