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| I sowed my peppers and eggplant in cell packs five days ago and cranked the warming pad up to 95F. Both eggplant varieties (Dusky, Pot Black Patio) germinated today so I put them under lights (for a timed 16 hours a day) 1) Should I still keep a warming mat underneath them? If so, what temp? The air temp in my cellar is about 62F-65F. 2) Since the air in my cellar is very dry this time of year (and the fact that it's in the vicinity of the water heater and furnace) is it a bad idea to keep the clear lids on top of the flats to keep the soil moist and trap warm air inside? If I don't do that my cell packs typically dry out in 24 hours. I open the top vent and two side vents of the dome to allow some air to get in. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Heat mats are for germination only. Never keep germinated seedlings on heat mats. It can kill the roots quickly. Same goes for domes. They are never to be left on once germination occurs - better to not even use them in the first place. Nothing causes damp-off to develop faster than domes left in place after germination. For plants, air circulation is vital, humidity in the air is not. And just because the surface of the soil looks dry doesn't mean it is actually dry. The surface moisture content isn't relevant. It is the moisture at the root level that counts. Numerous discussions here about all this that the search will pull up if you want multiple opinions. Dave |
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| Dave, good thing I read your reply just before going to bed last night. I went back downstairs, turned the heat mat off and removed the dome cover. One of my pepper varieties hadn't germinated yet so I hope it still does. I made the mistake of mixing varieties in six-cell packs. The yellow peppers on the LHS of the cell packs germinated but the orange peppers on the RHS of the same cell packs did not germinate yet. Yet another lesson learned. |
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| Yep - no mixing varieties in the same cell packs. If necessary just cut the cell pack into 3 packs. Dave |
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