Heated mat for Tom's and chillies

[smallblueplanet]

I can't afford to leave it on for 30 days but the room temp is just about above 17 degrees. I probably missed the window for getting ripened crops in time for late summer by now.

How fresh were the seeds? Check them to see if they show signs of germinating, maybe they've rotted by now.

I disagree with the comment about chillies taking a long time to germinate. I've grown some of most, if not all, of the five major species of cultivated peppers (genus Capsicum): C. annuum, C. chinense, C. baccatum, C. frutescens, and C. pubescens. And with a heated propagator and fresh seed they were through some as quickly as four days and most usually by 10 days. Some individual seeds did take longer but they were the exception not the rule.

[Jungle Jane]

The first one of my Amy variety of sweet peppers germinated yesterday sowed March 6th,some varieties take longer than others. I think using heat they will germinate quicker. I’ve never used heat & they usually take a couple of weeks. Marb have you given a little water since first sowing,they always need a second little bit of water or they could start growing but roots dry out before popping up. I’ve still got some peppers to sow,times getting on but there is time

[Marb67]

Yes, given more water but don't want to risk damping off. Also, some of the seeds are brand new.

[Marb67]

Well, as nobody is chipping in here anymore I may as well give up as still no chilies bar 3, 2 very thin and wispy looking very sorry. So again, new compost, new seeds, correct temp from heat mat and still I fail.

[Containergardener]

I have had a few chilli and tom fails this yr. Not sure why, even using the propagator. I've always done in little pots before , tried shallow module trays which worked better for some.
All a bit trial and error sometimes.

[Jungle Jane]

Yes, given more water but don't want to risk damping off. Also, some of the seeds are brand new.

If the seeds haven’t germinated don’t worry about damping off yet,they need just enough water to appear above the compost,or the roots dry out before they appear,give a few drops of water a couple of times before germination (the days between watering might vary with a heat mat etc). My seeds (no heat) always need a second bit of water before germinating,with a heat mat does the compost dry out faster? As some seeds aren’t brand new,that might be the thin,wispy seedlings? I don’t know if that helps at all,peppers take long to germinate so the moisture for the seed could be an issue.

[Marb67]

Well the seedlings that have popped up (I have also sown more as backup in the same trays) are starting to curl and wither. It's impossible to grow chillies s I am following all the guidelines.

[smallblueplanet]

Well the seedlings that have popped up (I have also sown more as backup in the same trays) are starting to curl and wither. It's impossible to grow chillies s I am following all the guidelines.

The compost looks too wet to me, the one on the rhs might recover. Maybe you could have tried starting them in smaller individual 'cells'? That also makes it easier to pot them on.

[Snoop Puss]

What's your sowing medium, Marb?

[Marb67]

Def not too wet, and besides they grow naturally in humid conditions. I have potted them on anyway though. The medium is Shamrock high quality Irish peat moss

[Snoop Puss]

^I've just looked up "Shamrock high quality Irish peat moss", Marb, and judging by the blurb I've seen, it seems to be more of a soil conditioner, not a seed sowing medium. The reason why I asked is because it doesn't look in your photo like it would be easy for very fine roots to get purchase, leaving seedlings unstable or unable to access water and nutrients. Does your bag say it's suitable for sowing seeds?

[Marb67]

Sorry, my mistake as its actually Clover multipurpose compost with Irish peat moss added.

[Snoop Puss]

I've just looked that up and, as you say, it says suitable for sowing seeds. I'm a bit fed up with the seed sowing medium I've been buying recently. So soft that it doesn't hold together, and it's either soaking wet at the top and dry underneath, bone dry throughout or totally sodden. I find it very hard to get it just right, even watering from the bottom.

It sounds like you're doing everything right, Marb. New seeds, heated mat and so on. The only suggestion I have would be to add a bit of ordinary soil to your growing medium to get it to hold together better.

[Marb67]

I've just looked that up and, as you say, it says suitable for sowing seeds. I'm a bit fed up with the seed sowing medium I've been buying recently. So soft that it doesn't hold together, and it's either soaking wet at the top and dry underneath, bone dry throughout or totally sodden. I find it very hard to get it just right, even watering from the bottom.

It sounds like you're doing everything right, Marb. New seeds, heated mat and so on. The only suggestion I have would be to add a bit of ordinary soil to your growing medium to get it to hold together better.

Thanks for confirming. I agree, things like compost and seeds are not what they used to be. It seems since covid that a lot of products lack the quality they used to.

I have potted on the 3 chillies I have so far and all the toms which are far more successful. Even out of all the new sweet peas, only 1 straggly seedling has appeared (you can just see it in the oblong seed tray below) I have to say when I used molehill soil last year it was very successful. I shall go and get more and add that to the compost.

[smallblueplanet]

Def not too wet, and besides they grow naturally in humid conditions. I have potted them on anyway though. The medium is Shamrock high quality Irish peat moss

The point about peat, and why some find non-peat composts difficult and dry out quickly, is that peat holds water. Hence where it's been dug up from, peat bogs.

Try going peat free it's better for the environment after all.

Chilli seeds don't want the same growing conditions as tomatoes or sweet peas I would suggest. The plants also don't want to be too humid, unlike say aubergines.