Very strange.
Last week (8 days ago) I planted from fresh seed packets into fresh Jiffy pellets, per instructions on depth and 2-3 per pellet, and in my basement with temps constant in low 60's, and kept nice and moist:
Cauliflower (6 pellets)
Beef stake tomato (12)
Two kinds of pepper (6 each)
Lettuce (in pots using dirt from last summer)
Within 3 days the cauliflower started to peak up. A day later the lettuce, though only about a 50% germination rate on both of by day 8.
Nothing else came up. Today I stated rooting around the earth on the other jiffy pellets and absolutely none of the tomato or two pepper varieties so much as had a tiny root pop out of their seeds.
I know germination temps were not that high, but surely low 60's is not THAT bad?
The only other thing I can think of is I was misting all of these with a bottle that had some household cleaner. And, yes, I rinsed that bottle thoroughly and ran a bunch of water through its sprayer, but I admit that even now it has a faint odour of the cleaner. I'm hoping it was that, though the lettuce and cauli still grew. I'm already late, but I'll seed everything again and keep it upstairs for 3-4 days where it's warmer.
I wonder if--although germination was fine last year with cherry tomatoes and a couple cucumber varieties--the water here is a problem. It does have some chlorine taste to it (mild; we drink the stuff without issue) and it leaves fairly bad water spots on cars after washing. I swore last year that my plants grew best under rain water than hose but I also swear I imagine things a lot so I can't compare for sure.
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Binkalette
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I had the same issue with my seeds when I placed them in the basement. It is also cool in mine and after 11 days with no sprouts, I brought them upstairs in a warmer location (68-71) and put in new seeds. Both sets of seeds sprouted within a day of each other, so I'm thinking it was the temperature for me.
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applestar
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As you said, of the four seeds you mentioned, cauliflower would germinate first, then lettuce, then tomatoes, and peppers. But cauliflower and lettuce prefer germinating in cooler temps and 60's would be ideal, whereas tomatoes and peppers prefer higher temperatures -- at least in the mid-70's
Tomatoes and peppers would germinate best at upper 70's to low 80's -- tomatoes first within about 5 days, then peppers in a week to 10 days on the average.
Tomatoes and peppers would germinate best at upper 70's to low 80's -- tomatoes first within about 5 days, then peppers in a week to 10 days on the average.
to kill some of that chlorine, what I do is fill a few pitchers with water, and let them sit uncovered for a few days to let most of the chemicals evaporate out. you could do the same with a 5 gallon bucket, or a trough...I'm in an apt tho so pitchers for me! lol florida water is superfunky and I feel this really helps.
Temps too cold! Also misting only may not have been enough water. Did you soak the dirt/peat throughly after sowing the seeds?
A lot of folks get great results by wrapping the seeds in damp paper towels and then putting the towels in plastic bags. Put somewhere warm (top of fridge) and check daily for root tips emerging. Plant the seeds that have sprouted. Keep the soil moist but not soggy and provide 16 or more hours of light per day.
A lot of folks get great results by wrapping the seeds in damp paper towels and then putting the towels in plastic bags. Put somewhere warm (top of fridge) and check daily for root tips emerging. Plant the seeds that have sprouted. Keep the soil moist but not soggy and provide 16 or more hours of light per day.
It was saturated beforehand and then just misting to keep the soil very moist. I'm thinking maybe it was just the temps after all. Although I'm not using that same sprayer I have the other seeds upstairs now, so in a few days I hope to see some tomatos popping out..petalfuzz wrote:Temps too cold! Also misting only may not have been enough water. Did you soak the dirt/peat throughly after sowing the seeds?
A lot of folks get great results by wrapping the seeds in damp paper towels and then putting the towels in plastic bags. Put somewhere warm (top of fridge) and check daily for root tips emerging. Plant the seeds that have sprouted. Keep the soil moist but not soggy and provide 16 or more hours of light per day.
Remember that when talking about germination temps, it's ultimately the temp of the soil that is important, not the air. Use warm water to wet the soil for the tomato and peppers; set on heating pad, on top of fridge or some other warm place if your room is cool. And keep moist, but not soggy. Peppers are slow to germinate, so have patience.
I have success germinating bare seeds on moist paper towels in jars. I put the jars on top of the refrigerator where it is warm. When they germinate, I transfer them to the soil in the starter cups, cover with a little more soil, and water. This works well for eggplant, tomato and peppers. Once you can see them poking out of the soil, basement temps should be okay under light.
After that, don't ask me how best to grow them and transplant outside for successful harvest. I'm still trying to figure that out
After that, don't ask me how best to grow them and transplant outside for successful harvest. I'm still trying to figure that out
I don't care for peat pots at all. If you use them I suggest that you wet them slightly and place them in a clear plastic bag with your seed in place and they will come up for sure without you doing anything else! The clear bag allows the seeds to get light as soon as they sprout and can stay in the bag for a week!or more! When I cover my boxes with plastic the seeds come up but if I do not cover the box the peat moss crust and seeds have a harder time coming up! The clear bag creates a tropic climate inside and the seed loves that!