pointer80
Senior Member
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: northern Michigan

poblano peppers not sprouted yet?

Hello everyone, I have 7 different kinds of peppers planted and most are sprouting but ny poblanos have not sprouted at all? Also the ring of fire peppers only have a few sprouted. They have been planted for about 14 days now. Is this normal for these kinds of peppers or did something go wrong? Thanks all.

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

give it a chance. The hotter the peppers usually the longer the germination time. I don't know why, but the super hots are very slow getting started.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Super hots and some of the hotter peppers need the warmer temperatures to germinate well. It has to be at least 68 degrees at night and it is better if it is closer to 75-80. There are some seeds like chilitepin, fatali, and some of the super hots which will germinate better if you soak the seeds in potassium nitrate first.

Use 1/2 teaspoon potassium nitrate in two cups of water in a glass jar with a lid. Use gloves as the potassium nitrate can be irritating to the skin. Wear safety glasses for added splash protection. Make sure your measuring spoon is not used for anything else. Add the seeds. Soak pepper seeds for about 4 hours. The potassium nitrate imitates what happens in the birds' gut when they eat the pepper seeds. It breaks down the coating around the seeds that protect the germ while it passes through the birds gut. The coating allows the germ to survive and be deposited with the bird poop fertilizer to pop up somewhere else. Many plants have developed this strategy in order to distribute their seeds. If you save pepper seeds or papaya, you have to make sure you rinse the seeds well to get rid of the gelatinous coat before it dries like bubble plastic around the seed. It makes the seeds much harder to germinate when that happens. Drain the seeds. The soaking solution can be used as fertilizer so don't waste it.

Plant the damp seeds immediately. Germination is usually better that way. Not all pepper seeds require this treatment but the smaller bird peppers usually benefit from it. You can just try soaking the seeds overnight in warm water. It sometimes is enough, especially if you don't have access to potassium nitrate.

pointer80
Senior Member
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: northern Michigan

thanks all, great tips

pepperhead212
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Posts: 2852
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I planted 18 varieties of peppers on 4-1, and just got a sprout yesterday from a variety that has new seeds this season. And I soaked them all overnight in a saltpeter solution, and keep them in the high 80s, so heat shouldn't be an issue. And, get this, some of the earliest sprouters were saved seeds of two never know varieties from 2015,2013, and 2012! And almost every single one sprouted! And I had a sprout from a variety with saved seed from 2006! So you just never know with pepper seeds! And don't give up on them.

pointer80
Senior Member
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: northern Michigan

thanks all

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Some of the wild and super hots can take a lot longer to germinate than modern hybrids. Soaking helps, but patience is sometimes needed as it can take weeks for some seeds to sprout.



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