[CH] Starting seeds, lights, etc.

Uncle Steve (chiles@flash.net)
Wed, 19 Jan 2000 12:39:26 -0500 

 Starting the Seeds:
Start at least 10 and preferably 12-14 weeks before the last frost date for
your area. Pepper seeds need a fairly warm temperature, moisture, air, and
light for best germination. Plant roots need air as much as they need
water, choose a light well drained soil to be sure they get both. We use a
commercial peat-lite type potting soil directly from a newly opened bag to
be sure that the soil is sterile. Mold spores are the most threatening to
young plants. Peat-based soils contain a live bacteria that helps to
prevent mold growth. The soil also should be free of salts or excessive
fertilizer, as these can burn the tender root that emerges from the seed.
If you must use garden soil, it can be sterilized by pouring boiling water
through it, being sure to allow soil to drain well before use. Chile seeds
germinate at soil temperatures of 75° - 90°F, 20° - 35°C with 85°F or 30°C
ideal. If you need more heat because of a cold location, the use of a drug
store heating pad or an old electric blanket combined with an inexpensive
dial pocket thermometer works just as well as those expensive plant
propagation mats advertised in catalogs. Use a "test" tray or flat to
adjust the temperature before setting your seeded flats on the mat or
blanket and make sure to use a plastic sheet over an electric blanket.

We also recommend soaking the seeds in a mixed solution of 3 Teaspoon of 5%
Chlorine Bleach and 1 Tablespoon of TSP into one quart of warm water for
15-25 minutes and rinse for 2 minutes under cold running water. This does
two things, kills most seed born disease and helps soften the seed hull. An
easy way to soak the seed is done by placing the seeds in a small sieve and
dipping into a bowl of the mixed solution. Dab the floaters with a finger
to brake the surface tension. Any that will not sink remove. We have found
that floaters generally do not germinate well or produce stunted plants.
Then lift the sieve and rinse under running water.  We use the Styrofoam 9"
X 15" inch, 40-cell trays from A. P. Systems, covered by a clear plastic
dome. It has a water reservoir and wicking mat that makes watering much
easier. You should be able to purchase the kit for about $9.00. Plant the
seeds in a moist, not wet sterile potting medium. The seeds are set on the
surface of the soil, one per cell, and sprinkled with a light coat of soil,
then given a light mist of water from a hand pump sprayer. Cover tray with
clear plastic dome and set on heating mat/blanket.

Do not set a domed flat in direct sun! It can cook the seeds. Remove the
dome once to every other day to let fresh air get to the seeds and mist
spray soil if needed. Some chile seeds take a long time to germinate, but
they should do so using these instructions. So don't give up! Once the
seedlings are up, remove the plastic dome cover, but do not let the soil
dry out. If the seedlings are allowed to wilt, they may not die, but their
growth will be set back.

 Initial Growing Stage:
A day or two after the seeds germinate, a "hook" emerges from the soil, and
soon afterwards the seed leaves unfold. If your seedlings are hull bound
(seed leaves can not emerge from the seed hull) it helps to leave the dome
on, thereby keeping everything moist. Do not pry or pick the seed hull off
until the leaves have fully developed and have extended, otherwise will
damage or kill the seedling. At this point seedlings should have as much
light as possible to produce strong stocky plants.

We set the trays on shelves and suspend (with hook and chain for easy
adjustment) two, four foot, two bulb fluorescent shop lights just an inch
above the dome. The lights stay on 24 hours a day. After germination we set
the trays under the lights on 12 hour shifts. This allows you to double the
number of trays and lengthen the life span of the bulbs by not turning them
off and on. Often we set trays on top of the light fixtures to warm the
soil instead of using a heat pad. We have used the "grow light" bulbs and
found there is no difference in performance over using regular fluorescent
bulbs. A better use of your money is to buy more light fixtures to get more
light instead of the expensive "grow lights" bulbs.

Plants may be left under the fluorescent lights or put in a sunny window
(dome removed), or moved to a greenhouse. The first true leaves will
develop several days later. Seedlings may be given their first feeding of
half strength Miracle Gro®, Peters® or Schultz® brand fertilizer (15-30-15,
20-20-20, 20-30-20 at 1/4 teaspoon to a gallon of water) as soon as the
true leaves first show. Not too much, just enough to wet the leaves and
soil. Newly emerged seedlings should have a gentle air flow. The best
prevention for damping off and strength stalks is to have gentle air
flowing around your plants. But you don't want too much air drying them
out, either.

 Transplanting:
Seedlings should be transplanted to a 3 or 4 inch pot as soon as the first
true leaves are fully unfolded, and the second pair of true leaves is just
beginning to develop. It is also safe to leave the babies in the starting
cells longer, but growth will slow when the roots run out of room.
Transplant to Jiffy peat pots, plastic pots or even to waxed milk cartons,
taking care not to disturb the root ball. Soil temperatures should be kept
to a minimum of 70°F for fastest growth. Most good potting soils contain
some nutrients, but a good non-burning liquid high phosphorous fertilizer
can improve root growth which is most important at this stage. Apply
according to package directions about once a week. Phosphorous is the
middle number between Nitrogen and Potassium. A 15-30-15 fertilizer has
twice as much Phosphorous as the other two elements. We use Peters 15-30-15
soluble plant food which is widely available in the United States.

 Hardening Off and Setting Out:
About two weeks prior to planting in the garden, (a week before your last
expected frost), begin hardening the plants gradually increasing the amount
of sunlight and wind which they are exposed to. Any good gardening book
will explain more about this procedure. After the root ball has filled the
container, the only real timing requirement for transplanting to the garden
is soil temperature. Peppers hate cold feet, and will just sit and sulk if
the soil is not warm. Before transplanting, be sure that the soil
temperature is at least 65°F. One trick to heat your soil for peppers is to
thoroughly prepare the soil for planting, then cover the soil with clear
plastic. This will allow sunlight to reach the soil, and trap the heat. You
can start this very early in the spring. A bonus to this is that the warmth
will cause weed seeds to germinate, and then the intense heat will kill the
weeds. Two or three weeks after the last frost, remove the plastic, and set
in your pepper plants without disturbing the soil any more than necessary
to avoid turning up new weed seeds. You may like this alternative to
hardening-off the plants. Cut the bottoms off round, white translucent, 1
gallon plastic jugs (milk containers will work but are flimsy and difficult
to work with). Set the plants in a row. Then center the jug around the
plant and push into the soil about 2 inches, remove cap and mound up the
soil around the outside of jug a few inches. They act like miniature green
houses and protect from wind damage, sun burn, and conserve water by
reducing evaporation. When transplanting from containers, there will be
some root damage which will slow the plants, so try to be as careful as
possible. If you use jiffy pots, cut off enough of the top of the pot
without disturbing the roots so that it can't act as a wick to dry the soil
and plant out. If cutworms are a problem in your area, a paper cup with the
bottom cut out, placed around the stem about 1/2" into the ground should
protect the stem. Fertilize sparingly (1 teaspoon per plant), 4-6 inches
away from the plant with high quality balanced fertilizer like 15-15-15.
Cover the fertilizer with a small amount of soil so rain water will not
splash it onto the tender leaves and kill them. Do not mulch the plants in
early spring. It will insulate the ground so that the sun can not warm it.
Once the warm/hot days arrive mulch to conserve water, prevent weeds and
keep the soil cool.

  ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
               HOT Chile News:
   http://HotChiles.tripod.com/NewsFrame.htm

      FREE YourName@ChileHead web Email:
   http://HotChiles.tripod.com/MailFrame.htm

            The Chile Seed Ring:
    http://HotChiles.tripod.com/CSRing.htm
  ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~