anyone sowed their habaneros yet?

[chris]

Hmm, none of mine are germinating. Think the seed must be old. Has anyone ever chitted pepper seeds before?

[chilli_grower]

Hi Chris,

when did you sow yours? What types?

[PyreneesPlot]

Sowed the first lot today -
Serrano, jalapeno, fatalii, scotch bonnet, cayenne, gambia red and an odd one that was saved from ones sown last year claiming to be big jim, but clearly not! We liked the fruit so we'll se what happens...

They are in an unheated prop next to a window and will go in the airing cupboard overnight.

They won't get much more than 20 degrees except when the sun shines and we have snow/rain forecast for the next week.

[GreenTricky]

Why not just leave them in the airing cupboard until they germinate?

[PyreneesPlot]

Why not just leave them in the airing cupboard until they germinate?

Because the heat fluctuates in there - the water tank is heated by excess energy from the PVs only, so on cloudy days its warmer in the living room (because we light the log burner), but then once the fire goes out in the evenings, the residual heat eventually becomes less than that in the airing cupboard which cools more slowly!

Does that make sense? Its all a fine balance.

I've managed the last two winters this way but am starting 6 weeks earlier as we won't be away in February for a fortnight as usual. The house drops to about 8 degrees when shuttered up in the winter, so far too chilly for the little things!

[GreenTricky]

Yeh it makes sense, was assuming you had a big hot water tank/ immersion heater if you were using a airing cupboard. I have an old airing cupboard but its got a combi boiler so no warmer than any wear else, looking to get a heated propogator or heat mat at the moment just for my chillies

[Tripmeup]

Tonight I sowed:

Cayenne Red
Chocolate Miniature Red
Mila's Bulgarian Red
Satan's Kiss
Jalapeño
Habanero
Anaheim (from self saved seeds)


See how we go...

[binley100]

Yeh it makes sense, was assuming you had a big hot water tank/ immersion heater if you were using a airing cupboard. I have an old airing cupboard but its got a combi boiler so no warmer than any wear else, looking to get a heated propogator or heat mat at the moment just for my chillies

We have a big airing cupboard which has the boiler and the hot water tank in it knew there was a good reason not to get a combi , I've now got padron, fatalli and lemon drop chillies up..

[chilli_grower]

mine are germinating very slowly.

And out of the ones that have germinated, I'd say that only half of them are any good! As the others are a bit deformed!!!

The paper lanterns and scotch bonnets have yet to make an appearance....

[GreenTricky]

deformed how?

[chilli_grower]

no leaves on some of them!

See here:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ght_69412.html

[binley100]

......rocoto and chocolate habs have just joined the party

[SarzWix]

I have an old airing cupboard but its got a combi boiler so no warmer than any wear else, looking to get a heated propogator or heat mat at the moment just for my chillies

I'm in the same boat - our hot water tank is gone and just have the cupboard now. I have a couple of heated props (cheapish ones) and a heat mat. I'm finding the heat mat better for the chillis as it gets a bit hotter than the props, and also I can put it inside the watering tray with the seed trays directly on top of it with a lid over the top and that gets much warmer than the propagators do

[GreenTricky]

Do you have a lizard heat mat or one for plants?

[SarzWix]

I have no idea what a lizard heat mat is?

Heat Mats Warming Cables & Thermostats The first one on this page, the green one, is the one I have