Very low germination rate (just 1 out of 15) across 3 types of chilli :(

[flowerofshona]

You can get a germination accelorator powder you soak the seeds in for an hour prior to sowing them.

[coreopsis]

I sowed all my chillies and sweet peppers at the same time.No problems with chillies but sweet peppers-hardly any germinated.All the seeds were from one supplier.

[trish60]

Thank goodness that i`m not the only one who is suffering poor germination.
I have heated propagators & planted 3 of each variety(5) but only 2 plants have germinated.

[sewer rat]

Another factor to consider - OP (open pollinated) varieties have a much poorer germination rate than F1 varieties.

[gojiberry]

Welcome to the vine. I sowed chillies and peppers at the same time, about six varieties, some are an inch tall and others are only just starting to make an appearance so give them time. Personally I wouldn't give up till you get to the eight week point, unless you can see that they have definitely rotted.

Ian

[nomis]

** UPDATE ***

OK so I ordered a 7 pod heated windowsill propagator thing off ebay.

After just one week I now have the following sprouted:

4/4 twilight's
6/6 Jalapenos
6/6 sweet med style peppers
6/8 rainbow bell peppers
6/6 Scotch Bonnet (seeds saved from market fruit)
0/4 Bhut Jolokia GRRR
4/6 long thin green sweet peppers (seeds saved from market fruit)
0/4 Orange Habaneros (2006 seeds so probably duff?)

All in all that was the best 35 quid I spent in a long time! thank you ebay.

[pjh75]

Well done Nomis,

I'm still struggling with peppers and tomatoes... I have some tomato seedlings now, but nowhwere near as many as I should have, and not a single chilli or sweet pepper has germinated and I haven't done anything different to last year or the year before

[tamsin]

I did my sweet peppers on kitchen roll too, and got 100% germination. They can vary how long they take though. Some were up in a week but the last one I gave up on after 3 weeks - then a few days later I noticed it had germinated.

[Toleman]

I don't use the paper towel method anymore. Found to get too many mouldy seeds. I use rockwool cubes now and they are excellent.

Temperature is a big factor too. 28 celcius is the ideal. Germination rates drop off each side of that. 32 is about the max.

I waited 4 weeks for my Chocolate Bhut's to come up and another has come up after 6.

The Chinense varieties are harder than the annums to get right and take longer to germinate. Stick at it though a reap in the rewards of super hot and super tasty chillis.

Chris