Paper towel has always been the easiest for me. Screwed it up this year though - let them go too long and they never made it past the initial two cotyledon (sp?) leaves. Also didn’t help that I wasn’t on top of watering, but paper towel will be my go-to for next year as well
this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2023
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Hot Peppers
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Pepper Recipes curtesy of Mike Hultquist
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I have been using paper towels in (open) ziplock bags to sprout, and then transporting to peat pods in a thermostat-controlled germination tray for years. As long as you get the seedlings out of the peat pods within a couple of days of them sprouting so they roots don't grow through the peat pod netting it works very well. I transfer then to double Solo cups with FF Ocean Forest soil. The peat pod provides a buffer to keep the seedlings from getting nutrient burned until they're big enough to handle the Ocean Forest.
I have heard that tea soaking is very effective, but I suspect it isn't really going to make a major difference unless you're working with older seeds or seeds from a variety that would otherwise have lower germination rates. The tea soak is supposed to soften the seed casing to help the cotyledon break out. If you're having good germination rates already, I just don't see the benefit.
That sounds like a good strategy. Why do you keep the ziplocks open, to help combat molding?
To combat molding, and because the seeds need air. It does mean that you have to monitor them more closely though, since they'll dry out faster.
a small pot has worked wonders for me. then you transplant the survivors into a larger crate