Chilli Germination in Heated Propagator?

[menai_terrace]

Having recently moved house to a place with approx. 1m square, I decided to concentrate on a few specific varieties of chilli for maximum cultivation satisfaction. I selected Orange NuMex, Sweet Chocolate and Belpicen from The Chill Seed Company, and followed their advice on germination:

http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/growingchilliesfromseed.pdf

...which basically suggests soaking the seeds in germination solution, then placing them between damp folded kitchen paper in a food bag, left to germinate in a warm place. I bought a heated propagator, which appears to be doing the job.

My question - the squares of kitchen paper are currently resting directly on the base of the propagator, where the heat originates. Would this be too warm for the seeds, or is it a case of the warmer the better? The paper feels pretty hot, and elevated corners dry out relatively quickly.

Any help to reassure a paranoid potential chilli-parent very much appreciated x

[BrideXIII]

most chilli seeds germinate at 65 - 70 degrees

they do like a steady heat

not sure i would do them in kitchen paper on top of what is really direct heat though, that could be a bit too direct

i have germinated 24 varieties out of 28 this year in moist compost , in propogators unheated but over radiators or warm windowsills..... the 4 that failed? ce la vie?

thats me trying hard this year


last year i just bunged em in pots, forgot to water them so many times its untrue, didn't re=pot at all, just showered the white fly off and killed the ants, generally neglected them ( if they had been children i would have been jailed for life), and had a bumper crop..............what can i say?

[starloc]

You dont realy need `germination powder` , i germinate loads of seeds in bits of damp folded up kitchen roll in plastic bags on the base of the heated propergator set to hold the compost in seed trays at 28C so the base is quite warm, its the best way for things like citrus seeds, they do feel very warm, they seem fine, watch they dont dry out though
to do chillies, i just stick the seeds into small module trays in a mix of perlite/compost (50/50) in the propergator and water them every day as they dry out quickly, i find they germinate well at 28C,
Even out of the propergator in a 16C at night 25C in the day room with gowlights they germinate just the same
Some verietys will germinate in a few days if the seeds are fresh from a chillie, but dry seeds a couple of weeks most times but some take nearly couple of months even with the heat
I havent tryed any `germination powder` with chillie seeds , it will probably speed up germination a lot, i have used GA3 powder ( gibberellic acid ) with many seeds if they are old seeds and it makes them germinate very quickly ,GA3 powder also is great for spraying on a lot of plants occaionaly to speed the growth and suprsize the plant!, and for spraying flowers on fruit trees to set the fruit without polination), theres a good chance the germination powder could be GA3 or similar

[menai_terrace]

Thanks to you both - Bride - lucky you with the space for 24 varieties!! If things dont pick up in a few weeks I'll transfer into compost and cross my fingers.

Starloc - I think the 'germination powder' was simply about 1g of saltpeter diluted into 3L of warmish water. So you think they're ok on the base then? Its a cheapy heated prop, with no thermostat, so I don't know the exact temperature, but its not anywhere near 28deg.

So I shall leave them be, keep a good eye on them and report back in due course!

Thanks to this lovely helpful community xx

[tamsin]

I did similar (only on top of a hot light). I gave up on them after a few weeks and moved the kitchen roll/bag to one side out the way and restarted with seeds sown in pots in the same place. The second batch germinated in about a week. Same time went to chuck the old ones and they'd just germinated! It must have been too hot and they'd germinated as soon as it had cooled down slightly. So now I've got a few extras!

[selfraising]

I germinated mine in individual pots in unheated propagator which is on a windowsill above a radiator, all germinated. Woudn't bother with the kitchen roll. I've learned to be a bit more laid back about sowing my seeds. Cos the more I tried, the less likely they seemed to germinate!

[Hilary B]

I didn't want too many chillies (no space, and how many chillies can you actually use?) but I put one to a mini-pot of compost in the cheapy heated propogator. The last 3 seeds of a pack I opened last year (all 3 germinated) and 4 seeds from a pack I got at Wisley (not having any of my own to add, I didn't feel I could take anything else, but there were 2 packets of this type and no sign that anyone wanted them) 3 out of the 4 germinated and they are just starting to show 'true leaves', now in the unheated propogator on the windowsill (and I took the lid off yesterday).

[BarleySugar]

I sowed mine directly into compost too, then put in the heated propagator, way back in January. Germination was pretty quick, and the plants are now either in flower, or near to. I wouldn't be bothered with the hassle of kitchen roll, germination solution etc.

[Eyren]

I just bunged mine straight into damp compost in a thermostatically-controlled propagator at about 24 Celsius - nearly every one germinated, apart from the seed from a magazine freebie packet (not GYO, I hasten to add!). Part of the reason I bought the fancy propagator is that the non-thermostat ones usually don't go as high, so I thought it would be better for chillies.

Do you have the paper directly on the base of the propagator? The instructions for mine said to put a layer of damp sand in the bottom - I would think that, thermostat or not, the base would be a good deal warmer than the compost in seed trays.

[menai_terrace]

Hurray!!

Good news - lots of little sprouted chilli varieties!

May well be a bit too hot on the base of the propagator, as a few appear brown and withered where they have sprouted, but got more than enough to pot on.

Thanks for all help and guidance x