No show chilli and Egg plant

[rary]

If just using peat moss or even peat free compost, I have found that it settles down and becomes quite compact, so as I am not too happy spending money I purchase washed concrete sand, or even better river sand (get it free from the burn side) I mix 1 part sand to 2 parts compost and have found this helps keep an open compost in my pots, of course the ratio of the mix can be adjusted to whatever I find more suitable

[rary]

I use a heat mat over which I constructed a small poly tunnel, as this helps keep the heat in, I also cover all my seed trays individually as well again keeping the heat in, as well as moisture, as far as I know heat mats are self regulating cutting off power when they reach their maximum temperature,so providing adequate cover cut down cost, it is not cost effective to be switching off a heat mat on sunny days as if the soil temperature drops below the the required temperature is stalls germination

[Andraste]

This is what works for me with for chillies & peppers in particular (never grown Aubergines as I don't like them).

Pre-chit as CG mentioned:

• Put the seed between damp kitchen roll then into a sealed container (old takeaway cartons/tupperware work for me - or a sandwich bag type thing)
• Leave in your warmest room - neither chillies nor peppers need light to germinate so it doesn't matter at this stage if they're in the dark or light.
• Check daily for sprouting (bearing in mind it can be quicker or longer than on the packet)
• Transfer sprouted seed to a multipurpose compost at the recommended sowing depth.

I don't own a heat mat or even a propagator (heated or unheated) & don't grow in the sort of quantities or have any trouble growing from seed to make me think it's worth either the initial investment or electric to run them. Anything that likes it warm does just fine on my south-facing kitchen windowsill until overnight temps are high enough for the blow away to come into play. I do have central heating in my home, but the kitchen's quite large & the ambient temp is never as warm as other rooms & at this time of year the heating's only ever on for a couple of hours a day to take the edge off if we're finding it chilly - we don't leave the heating on overnight even in winter.

I've never had any trouble growing chillies/peppers in a standard multipurpose compost. Of course, they will need potting on & regular feeding with a Tomrite style feed as they start to flower/fruit.

Edit to add: I usually start chillies/peppers in Feb as they need such a long time to grow.

[Nicos]

Have you worked out the cost of heating 24 hrs for a month?
Divided by the number of plants which succeed would no doubt be cheaper than buying a few plug plants of varieties you don’t particularly want?
Just a thought…I know you enjoy researching information ?
I seem to recall at 20W it’s about 15p a day?…but that would need checking cos it’s ages since I used mine.

[Nicos]

Chillies( peppers ) do best in pH of 6-7.5 according to this….
https://www.algoplus.net/Downloads/P...erencelist.pdf

Peat compost is more acidic at pH 5…so although it clearly can work, it’s not the ideal compost to start plants off.
Maybe you are introducing too many variables for them to thrive?

As they do need a long growing season to thrive as Andraste says, it might be better not to bother resowing now seeing as it’s April tomorrow…and buy plug plants later on if these don’t come through in a few days?

[Marb67]

I can try used teabag water as I heard here somewhere in the past it helps germination. One of my seeds has sprouted days ago so clearly not the compost. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions though which I will bear in mind for the future.

[smallblueplanet]

I can try used teabag water as I heard here somewhere in the past it helps germination. One of my seeds has sprouted days ago so clearly not the compost. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions though which I will bear in mind for the future.

One? So you waste money on seeds and compost and will try used teabags? Why not just try germinating like most of the rest of us do?

Edit: tomato seedlings in seed compost in a heated propagator. I get upset if fresh seed hasn't germinated in 6-7 days.
No teabags were harmed in the making of this photo

[Nicos]

I agree withSBP Marb.
Tea bags will just retain more water encouraging the seeds to rot.
Don't set yourself up for more failure….how old is your seed too?
No harm experimenting I guess, but don’t be disappointed .
TBH, You’ve resisted buying potting compost and vermiculite for years…why not ask for some for your birthday or something if you don’t feel you can splash out . You’ll produce so much more produce which will pay for itself …so a win win situation for sure

SBP…those seedlings look smashing!

[Marb67]

I do buy high quality plant and seed sowing Clover - Irish Peat Moss which I get for a good price while other nurseries sell it for a premium. £14,99 for a bag of vermiculite ? No thanks, a total rip off from what it used to cost. My toms came up fine without it. I use sieved mole hill soil which does the same.

I didn't say I was sowing in tea bags, I said used tea bag water, which I read some time back in one of these posts works because of the acid in the tanin.

And I have also a plastic cloche seed tray top on them too to keep in the heat.

[Nicos]

Sorry marb…I misread the tea bag water- I thought you were considering mixing in the used tea leaves.

So, if you really don’t want to use vermiculite, then how about Rary’s suggestion of adding sand to the mix ?

[Marb67]

Probably too late now as I have turned the heat matt off. Its ridiculous that so many other seeds (including eggplant) haven't sprung up bar just 1, all the toms came up in the same mix (sieved Irish Peat Moss) which tells me it's nothing to do with the soil. I just think chillies are nigh on impossible to germinate.

[ameno]

They are very easy to germinate as long as the seeds are actually fresh and in good condition, and you give them enough warmth. They need more warmth than tomatoes.
I always pre-germinate my pepper seeds, but I never bother with tomatoes. I just sow those in the pot.

[Marb67]

Well, still no show after 3 weeks so time to give up. A total waste of electric 😔

I've sourced some free sand from the edge of a field up the country lane that spills out from the tall bank. I'll add that to the peat moss as well as coir I got from home bargain. It's a block you just add water.

[Nicos]

Might be worth heating the sand Marb….just incase there are any teeny tiny weed seeds hidden in there…highly likely if it’s from near the edge of a field.
Oven or microwave would do it.

Nice to have a freebie though!

[Marb67]

Oh no I couldn't do that as there might be tiny insects etc. It'll be fine, and if any weeds pop up I'll just pull them out. I suppose though I could put it out on a tray in the greenhouse when very warm in full sun to make sure any are dead.

I've bit the bullet and ordered a 100 ltr bag of pearlite for a fair price. I shall always use this with the Clover peat moss from now on.