Posted: 4/19/2009 9:48:10 PM EDT
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I planted my first SFG about two weeks ago. I made two 4'x4' boxes. One is filled with yellow corn, white corn and bell peppers. The other one is filled spinach, brocolli, carrots and jalapenoes. Everything was planted two weeks ago and everything is coming in really nice except the for peppers. Is there a reason that the bells and jalapenoes have not sprouted yet? I just think they should have sprouted by now, any ideas why they haven't?
Maybe I just need to be patient? 
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Quoted:
I planted my first SFG about two weeks ago. I made two 4'x4' boxes. One is filled with yellow corn, white corn and bell peppers. The other one is filled spinach, brocolli, carrots and jalapenoes. Everything was planted two weeks ago and everything is coming in really nice except the for peppers. Is there a reason that the bells and jalapenoes have not sprouted yet? I just think they should have sprouted by now, any ideas why they haven't? Maybe I just need to be patient? 4-6 weeks germination for hot peppers, some longer. I've had some go 8-10 weeks (Chitelpins). They need light and warmth for germination. Warm season crops, let the ground warm up a little. Patience weedhopper. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I planted my first SFG about two weeks ago. I made two 4'x4' boxes. One is filled with yellow corn, white corn and bell peppers. The other one is filled spinach, brocolli, carrots and jalapenoes. Everything was planted two weeks ago and everything is coming in really nice except the for peppers. Is there a reason that the bells and jalapenoes have not sprouted yet? I just think they should have sprouted by now, any ideas why they haven't? Maybe I just need to be patient? 4-6 weeks germination for hot peppers, some longer. I've had some go 8-10 weeks (Chitelpins). They need light and warmth for germination. Warm season crops, let the ground warm up a little. Patience weedhopper. What he said.... |
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Quoted:
Wow, for some reason I thought germination was one to two weeks  .
Thanks for the replies You can get them to germinate faster by getting some of those plant starter trays with the lids and some miracle gro. I place them in the kitchen window where it's always warm and gets lots of sun. Had plants in about 7-10 days. If you sow seed outside expect a lot longer. I've seen plant growth slow substantialy when I moved them outside. |
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Each seed packet will tell you germination time. Each type of seed is different. AND the conditions ––soil temperature, etc––will affect it as well and cause the expected germination time to vary. Col. is right. Patience..... If it goes a week longer than what it says on the seed packet, then you start to fidget. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Wow, for some reason I thought germination was one to two weeks .
Thanks for the replies You can get them to germinate faster by getting some of those plant starter trays with the lids and some miracle gro. I place them in the kitchen window where it's always warm and gets lots of sun. Had plants in about 7-10 days. If you sow seed outside expect a lot longer. I've seen plant growth slow substantialy when I moved them outside. Do not fertilize seeds or use a starting medium that includes fertilizer. Make your own from 50/50 fine screened peat and vermiculite. I don't even like the stuff that has Lime in it. All you'll do is grow algae and mold. Once your seeds are up and form their second set of leaves ("true" leaves) you can apply a dilute fertilizer, like a 10% solution. You don't really need to and you really don't want them going gangbusters while they are still in their cells. Fertilize when they're in the ground. (ETA) Looks like you direct sowed everything. That will take even longer. Cool nights and cold soil will slow things down. I do it this way: 
My Tobacco crop coming up. 
Potted up and yet to be thinned again, damn those tiny little seeds. 
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wow, for some reason I thought germination was one to two weeks .Thanks for the replies You can get them to germinate faster by getting some of those plant starter trays with the lids and some miracle gro. I place them in the kitchen window where it's always warm and gets lots of sun. Had plants in about 7-10 days. If you sow seed outside expect a lot longer. I've seen plant growth slow substantialy when I moved them outside. Do not fertilize seeds or use a starting medium that includes fertilizer. Make your own from 50/50 fine screened peat and vermiculite. I don't even like the stuff that has Lime in it. All you'll do is grow algae and mold. Once your seeds are up and form their second set of leaves ("true" leaves) you can apply a dilute fertilizer, like a 10% solution. You don't really need to and you really don't want them going gangbusters while they are still in their cells. Fertilize when they're in the ground. Oh, crap, I didn't even see this. Col is right about this too. You cannot make seeds germinate faster with fertilizer. By keeping the soil at the correct germination temp for that seed (often warmer than the ground), you can expect the seed to germinate in the "germination time" stated on the seed packet, rather than it taking longer. If the seeds in the above quote germinated in 7-10 days, that's because they were supposed to. It's true that it will often take longer in the ground (because the ground is colder), and it's true that plant growth often slows when you transplant to the garden, because of the shock, damage to delicate roots which have to re-form, and other factors, PARTICULARLY if you don't harden off the seedlings first. Fertilizer is food for PLANTS, not seeds, and absolutely, for new seedlings, it has to be extremely dilute. You don't give tiny newborn babies big bites of steak. Think of it that way. The seedlings will burn really easily, PLUS, if you fertilize in a "closed" container, like those seedling trays that have a lid to hold in moisture, you're already rolling the dice against fungal and bacterial diseases. It's tough keeping the seedlings from getting diseased anyway with a tray cover and little air flow, even when you know what you're doing. That said, I think trays with covers are a good way to germinate seeds and start plants because they help maintain a consistently moist germinating medium. After formation of true leaves, I DO fertilize with an extremely dilute (maybe 2-3 percent) balanced fertilizer solution, and I water with a mister, rather than a drip, because it's easier on the seedlings and allows for foliar feeding. But that's what I do in a commercial greenhouse. Most home gardeners are not equipped for this, and all that fancy crap isn't all that necessary on a small scale. I would probably spray with a bottle rather than drench the seedling tray, but other than keeping the soil evenly warm, and evenly moist but not too wet, and allowing some air flow as much as possible, I'd just plant the seeds in a soil-less media like pro-mix seed-starter (peat-based growing media as stated above) and wait. You don't have to know all this stuff we say, btw. Don't overcomplicate it, ( I told Buck19Delta about grape varietals and he said I made his head hurt  ). Plant the seeds. Don't let them dry out too much. Wait. God's been doing the rest for thousands of years. It'll probably work, to some extent. Kitties |
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There's always plenty of minutia.
Some stuff comes up fast, some slow. Pansies need dark to germinate, Poppies need light. Some stuff you put in the fridge for a couple of days. Some seeds need to be soaked or scarified or treated. I read a suggestion that since my Chitelpins get eaten by birds and then scattered in droppings it would behoove me to mix up a paste of bird shit and let the seeds soak in that for a couple of days.
Most stuff will just grow fine in the ground all by itself. All this stuff we're talking about is just efficiency and not wasting your time. You got rare seeds you had to mail order from Borneo? Well then, you treat them like jewels and get all scientific upside their head. But if you fuck up and your Green Peppers don't sprout, you just go to Home Depot and buy a couple to plant. |
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Quoted: I read a suggestion that since my Chitelpins get eaten by birds and then scattered in droppings it would behoove me to mix up a paste of bird shit and let the seeds soak in that for a couple of days. You know, there's some really hard-coated seed that I studied in grad school. Darned if I can remember it now, but maybe some kind of water lily or something––that REQUIRES the stomach acid of some bird or animal (some PARTICULAR) bird or animal and I can't remember that either) for scarification. Can't scarify with a file, can't scarify with acid (or they hadn't, at that point), GOTTA BE in a bird stomach. Hey, the bird shit advice might not be too bad.  ETA: Oh, but WHAT KIND of birds do you have to collect the shit from? 
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You folks from KY an TN should definitely be down with tobacky'.
I've grown Nicotiana alata before as an ornamental. It smells like Jasmine, which won't grow up here (too cold). It's also a great diversion crop for your other Solanceae. This stuff is N. sherazi and it's for smoking. I may not even try to cure any but it's my big F you to the gooberment. Just because I can. Plus it has pretty flowers.
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Quoted: You folks from KY an TN should definitely be down with tobacky'. I've grown Nicotiana alata before as an ornamental. It smells like Jasmine, which won't grow up here (too cold). It's also a great diversion crop for your other Solanceae. This stuff is N. sherazi and it's for smoking. I may not even try to cure any but it's my big F you to the gooberment. Just because I can. Plus it has pretty flowers. You mean tuhbaccer? Yup, grew up in the midst of acres of the stuff. Probably ingested enough nicotine to become addicted just from tobacco gum––eating lunch at the local general store during housing and stripping season. (Wash all you want, that gum is NOT coming off without a long time at the sink and a lot of soap) N. alata is incredible, and a gorgeous night bloomer. I'm hoping to add that to the garden this year, if I can find the plants around here. I'm too late to germinate this season. Also a site that's right for it (I have a yard full of Juglans nigra), along with some moon vine. I've been itching for a white garden, ala Gertrude Jekyll. |