Tomatoes are sprouting, but Peppers are Not!

[paul678]

Ok, so I'm using a Jiffy windowsill greenhouse I got from Home Depot, and
the six tomato peat pellets are all sprouting nicely after I move the tray to
my bedroom, where I have a space heater on most of the time (I live in Arizona).

However, the six bell pepper pellets are doing nothing so far (about 3-4 days).

Do the pepper seeds take longer to germinate? Or do they need more warmth
than the tomatoes?

Also, any advice from this point out? The instructions say to move to a sunny
location after all seeds have sprouted: Does this mean indirect sunlight?
And then after first true leaves have formed, to cut back all but the strongest
seedling in each pellet.

Thanks for any advice!

[Rairdog]

Welcome! Here is a great tool for sprouting temps and how many days to germinate.

http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html

[applestar]

Peppers need more warmth AND take longer.
IT'S BEST NOT TO KEEP THEM IN THE SAME TRAY.

The sprouted seedlings need direct sunlight -- not after all seedlings have sprouted but as soon as the very first seedling sprouts -- and as much of it as they can get unless your noonday sun through the window is extremely hot -- it's very difficult for me to imagine that it could be at this time of the year when it's freezing outside here....

BUT!!! make sure to take the clear dome off or they will cook inside. If there are any Unsprouted, you can loosely cover those with a clear plastic wrap.

...how many seedlings are you seeing per pellet? You should already limit to no more than 3, IMHO.

[imafan26]

Tomatoes will germinate even at 50 degrees. Peppers need at least 65 but prefer 70-80 degrees. Use a heat mat to start earlier or you will need to wait until it gets warmer. Peppers that germinate in the cold will grow very slowly and are very susceptible to dampening off so you need to be careful with the watering.

[paul678]

Peppers need more warmth AND take longer.
IT'S BEST NOT TO KEEP THEM IN THE SAME TRAY.

The sprouted seedlings need direct sunlight -- not after all seedlings have sprouted but as soon as the very first seedling sprouts -- and as much of it as they can get unless your noonday sun through the window is extremely hot -- it's very difficult for me to imagine that it could be at this time of the year when it's freezing outside here....

BUT!!! make sure to take the clear dome off or they will cook inside. If there are any Unsprouted, you can loosely cover those with a clear plastic wrap.

...how many seedlings are you seeing per pellet? You should already limit to no more than 3, IMHO.

Ok, thanks much. I've separated them, and put the peppers closer to my
space heater! Hopefully it will be enough.

The instructions say the seedlings need to be "hardened" first, in the shade first, before
being gradually exposed to full sunlight.

There are about 2-3 seedlings per pellet.

When I transplant these, do I need to remove the netting around the pellets? Or are they designed to disintegrate?

[imafan26]

You can plant the whole thing, it is designed to degrade. Roots will grow through the netting.

[rainbowgardener]

I have never used peat pellets and don't really know what they are like, so can't comment about the netting (I think people at least cut it, to help it not be too restricting). But I have used peat pots in the past. I have learned from experience not to plant anything in them. They are supposed to be biodegradable, but at least in my circumstances, they don't biodegrade in any reasonable amount of time and in the meantime they keep the plants from rooting out in to the soil and smother the roots. Stuff dies, put in the ground inside a peat pot. I just peel them off to put the plant in the ground.

[pepperhead212]

I'm with you, rainbow - those peat pots are worse than just about anything! I learned this in my first couple of years, and couldn't figure out why some plants were simply not growing like some others of the same variety! I dug them up, and lo and behold, the peat pots had just a few roots growing through them after about 6 weeks from transplant. I salvaged them by removing the peat pots carefully, and the plants caught up, eventually. I never used them again.

Peat pellets and coir pellets I use for some things, like squash, cukes, and other large seeded things, that won't be inside very long - maybe two weeks, if that. Otherwise, even the large ones are not big enough for peppers or tomatoes, and they dry out very fast.

[Susan W]

Paul, I'm trying to see what you are doing. I for one use peat pellets (not to be confused with peat pots). I use the small trays, 10 -12 per tray, have many things going on at the same time. Check my thread on seed start that has a couple of pics.

Suggestion is to have one plant variety per tray. I cover minimally, done set to side for a few days, and remove when 1st growth is seen. Then try to get tray in best light possible. Temps vary by variety. Temps for my starting range from 60's night to 70's day. House less than 70, but with additional lights bump it up a notch in the small spaces. As for tomatoes and peppers, not sure. I am going to try a couple of tomato starts from the garden center this spring, and see if I can get a ripe one before the squirrels do. I dislike peppers of any kind, but it seems they need warmth to do.

[imafan26]

You must be watering properly. I gave up on peat pellets long ago. I had a lot of dampening off from them staying too wet. But a few things did survive in them once I put them in a draining tray. The roots do come through the netting, but they did dry out very quickly. I used peat pots a long time ago. I had similar problems to the peat pellets. The pots in a non-draining tray would be so wet they would crumble. The few I did plant out, I peeled first because as mentioned if the pot was put in the ground and it was dry, it took a long time for the roots to break out.

I just use 3.5 plastic pots for seedlings and 4 inch pots for community pots. By the time it is ready to transplant, the soil holds together and so it is not a problem getting them out of the pot in one piece to transplant and the pots for the most part are reusable.

I have a friend who does successfully grow things in the peat pellets but she hardly waters.

[paul678]

Paul, I'm trying to see what you are doing. I for one use peat pellets (not to be confused with peat pots). I use the small trays, 10 -12 per tray, have many things going on at the same time. Check my thread on seed start that has a couple of pics.

Suggestion is to have one plant variety per tray. I cover minimally, done set to side for a few days, and remove when 1st growth is seen. Then try to get tray in best light possible. Temps vary by variety. Temps for my starting range from 60's night to 70's day. House less than 70, but with additional lights bump it up a notch in the small spaces. As for tomatoes and peppers, not sure. I am going to try a couple of tomato starts from the garden center this spring, and see if I can get a ripe one before the squirrels do. I dislike peppers of any kind, but it seems they need warmth to do.

Yes, this is the Jiffy peat pellet tray, with 12 units.

6 for tomatoes and 6 for peppers. I have separated them as per the other poster's advice.

When you say "best light possible", do you also mean for as long at possible for each day? I read somewhere
that tomatoes should get about 6 hours of sunlight each day, and perhaps even less in Tucson, AZ! Also, the instructions say to "harden" the seedlings in the shade first, before full sunlight exposure.

The instructions say that when you see the first true leaves, you should cut off all but the strongest
seedling in each pellet. I assume you can't really save the weaker seedlings, because trying to transplant
them to another empty pellet would probably kill it, right?

Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

[Marlingardener]

Paul, if you are worried about damping off of your seedlings, put 1 tsp. of baking soda in 1 pint of tepid water in a spray bottle, shake well, and gently mist your seedlings.
The hardening off refers to when the plants move outside. I set up two sawhorses supporting a wide board and set my seedlings in the shade outdoors for two or three days, then move the set-up to where the seedlings get morning sun, afternoon shade for another two or three days, and then to full sun for three days before transplanting into the garden.
By all means make at least two cuts in the netting of the peat pellets when transplanting. If at all possible without hurting the plant's roots, peel the netting off, as previously suggested.
For next year (or this fall if you plan a fall garden) Home Depot also has black trays with 9-cell planters in it, and a clear plastic dome. Walmart also has them. I have used three of mine for several years and had to replace the fourth this year. Sterile seed-starting mix is also sold, but I have had better luck with Miracle-Gro potting soil, sifted to remove the bigger bits.
For underneath heat, you can use an old heating pad, the kind used for human aches and pains. It has to be an old one, since the newer ones have an automatic turn-off time (darn!). Or you can get a heat pad for $20 that is made for seedling trays.
Your peppers will germinate, they just take longer. Be patient and enjoy starting plants all on your own!

[paul678]

Haha! The first white seedling from my pepper pellets has emerged! Hurray!

Very excited! The key was placing the tray on top of my space heater! Yes, they
are much slower than tomatoes, but they are gonna come now!

Awesome! Thanks, everyone!

[applestar]

Now the fun begins! Good luck

[rainbowgardener]

My Anaheim chilis mostly sprouted at 8-9 days. I just planted the bell peppers yesterday, but in my past experience, they are a little quicker, more like 6-7 days.