6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

Dave = Patience Of Job ..........

Agree, Dave is an asset to GW.

before using liquid smoke, i would read the ingredients
make sure its not for food, it may have oils or something damaging.

certian species need those chemicals to germinate

good info on species etc...
http://finebushpeople.co.za/smoke_primer.html

http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/2003guidelines/group1/Smoke%20Infusion.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: http://finebushpeople.co.za/smoke_primer.html

There is good articles on the net about forest fires releasing seeds to germinate: http://creationrevolution.com/2012/06/plants-that-need-fire-to-survive
http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/2003guidelines/group1/Smoke%20Infusion.htm
Also another one about Austrian plants requiring the same treatment: abohttp://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/88/2/259.full.pdfut
As I mentioned in a previous posting Gibberellic acid may have similar results.

Peppers are tricky LullabyF360. I am growing some bolivian rainbow chiles right now , Heres what I do. I use promix bx potting mix which is sterile, it is a bit chunky so I use a wire colander to make the perlite chunks smaller. Direct seed into a small plastic pot or or flat or cup with holes in the bottom for drainage, wet the potting mix and plant 1/4 inch deep. It is a must to use a heat mat for starting seeds. I use a great mat made by agritape, It has a copper probe and therostat to provide stable heat. Peppers germinate best between 75 and 85 degrees. I use a jiffy flat with a plastic top to hold in moisture, but plastic wrap will work. As soon as they come up I place them under a shop light that has 2 4 foot bulbs.Remove plastic wrap or cover. I use a phillips plant bulb, you can get the fixture and bulbs at home depot. I give them light 24 hours a day with the light several inches above the seedlings, the promix has enough fertilizer to get the plant along for several weeks, when I get at least 4 to 6 leaves I start giving them just a little food, I use bat guano with a NPK of 8-4-1 Fish emulsion mixed at 1/4 to 1/2 strength with get them growing good. Let the seedling almost dry out in between waterings. Let me know if this helps! Winston

I have been growing them for a year. I ordered from online (dunno where it was) and they sprouted easily. They were slow growing last season and I hae been overwintering them on my sunporch along with all my other exotic hot peppers. My question is they have almost no purple coloration on the stem and bright green leaves. Is it nutriet or light thats causing this? Is there a specific nutriet to add to soil to make them really purpley?

I missed the clue for tuberous then...I assumed the easier wax :)

Shirley,
I grow them every year. Instead of starting in the greenhouse I begin indoors under lights so that I can monitor them. They are not difficult to germinate but as soon as they do you have to get them in good light quickly.
Don't be in a hurry to pot them on. They grow very slowly for the first six weeks and if they don't get the required light they just disappear. Keep them close to the source. Once they get past the tortoise stage I move mine into the greenhouse, but they should be fine indoors too if you have room to grow them on.

Hi digdirt - don't know if you noticed this is an old thread originally from March 2012 which has been revived.

No I sure didn't. Thanks Flora. :)

Dave

I know this to be true, but is it true even for plants like tomatoes and peppers that languish in cool night temps?

BTW I'm 36 and have been gardening since I was 10. Wasn't as good of a way to pick up girls when I was younger as I thought it would be...haha.

but is it true even for plants like tomatoes and peppers that languish in cool night temps?

Again the important distinction is between AIR temps and SOIL temps. Tomato plants don't languish in cool night temps IF they are growing in warm soil - one reason why using black landscape fabric mulch on the soil for example can allow for much earlier transplanting.

We all try to force top growth as it is the most visible sign of plant development. But we have to remind ourselves now and then that the focus early in a plant's life isn't top growth. It is root development. Bodacious top growth without the root development needed to support it only leads to stressed plants with all sorts of problems and poor production down the line.

So while a plant may appear to be languishing at times - in that there is minimal top growth to be seen - that doesn't mean it isn't thriving at the root level.

Dave

SEED STARTING FOR THE HOME GARDEN
I have discovered a cheap, simple method of starting flower and vegetable seeds for the home garden. It utilizes the principle of capillary action and a moist newspaper mat. To construct such a device, the following items will be required:

1. A roller paint tray obtained from the paint department of a box store.
   2. A 5-foot length of 1ü inch PVC pipe obtained from the plumbing department of the same store. This needs to be cut into 25 2-inch cylinders and then filled with a good seed starting mix.
   3. A 6-inch piece of I-inch PVC pipe to be used as a plant ejector.
   4. A half dozen sheets of newspaper.
   Lay the newspaper on the sloping part of the paint tray with several inches immersed in the paint holding well. Fill this well with water and watch as the newspaper mat slowly becomes saturated as it draws up water. Plant a few seeds in each mix-filled cylinder and tamp lightly so the bottom of the mix is in contact with the wet newspaper. It will soon start drawing up moisture via capillary action and become damp. Keep adding water to the well as needed.
   Using short pieces of an old venation blind and a lead pencil, identify each cylinder with name and date of planting.
   In a week or two, the seeds will germinate and green leaves will appear. When about 2 or 3 inches tall and ready to transplant to a larger container or the garden, use the 1â ejection tool. Place this over the green leaves of the sprouted seedling. It will telescope nicely into the 1üâ planted cylinder. Pull up on the planted cylinder and the seedling will be bottom ejected without disturbing the roots. Add fresh planting mix around the new, larger container and place in a bright-lighted window for further development.

thanks for the info Billyoscar :)

For me a little to complicated because the house is on remote and almost deserted Island haha. I will have to do it directly into the soil.

But thanks for the input.