Pro-Mix to start seedlings

[rzr]

I started my seeds with Pro-Mix (about 1/2" under). About 10 seeds to start. 3 of my 4 hybrids came up, 1 hybrid and 6 herlooms have not come up yet. It has been 22 days now. It has been steady 69-70 degrees in the house.

Could they just be slow? Or could it be the mix? Pro-Mix has no compost and is 75-80% peat moss, and the rest vermiculite, limestone, and perlite.

Any ideas?

[dcarch]

Try 75 degrees.
Let's hear from other before you do it.

dcarch

[Mischka]

There are some key factors involved here:

• Age of seed.
  
• Ambient seedling mix temperature.
  
• Seedling mix moisture level.
  
• Depth of planted seed.

Successful germination depends on maintaining the correct balance of soil moisture. If it is too dry, seedlings will not germinate at all. Too wet and they will rot before they germinate.

I never plant my seeds deeper than 1/4 inch below the surface. I don't want the seedlings to expend all of their stored energy just to reach the surface. It's also a good idea to NOT press down too hard after planting your seeds. It's easy to compact moist soil to the point where it will become dense as a brick as it dries out. You seedlings will never see the light of day.

I use seedling heat mats under my flats and keep their thermostats set to 77 degrees F.

Seed age usually isn't a problem unless the seeds were stored under excessive heat ot high humidity. More often the problem lies with improper fermentation of seed.

Pro-Mix, Metro-Mix and Jiffy-mix are all good soilless seed starting mixes.

[Lee]

Are you saying you covered the seeds with 1/2" of
the ProMix medium you planted them in?

If so, I suspect that you would have better success if they were planted no more than 1/8".

Barely covered has always worked best for me.

Lee

[Dave_Z6]

I've used Pro Mix for several years without any germination problems in general. As Mischka and Lee said, I just barely cover the seed .
Make sure the seeding mix is room temperature and pre
moistened with warm water. I also use a heating pad on low . This really helps. There seems to be one or two varieties each year that fail to germinate well or at all.
In these cases I reseed in seven days and then usually get better results. I don't know why this happens but it just does. Bottom heat is almost mandatory for me to get peppers to germinate.
Water from the bottom only if you can.
I also use Pro Mix for my second transplant into quart pots.

[shelleybean]

I agree that your seeds are probably a wee bit too deep. Just barely cover them.

After that, I just mist that mix over the seeds with a spray bottle, just to get good contact between the mix and the seeds. I don't push with my fingers. From there on out, I pour all the water into the bottom of the tray and let the plants wick it up.

[rzr]

I think I know the issue then.

The first thing is that the temperature is around 70 degrees constantly and they are not in the best sunlit areas (about 1 hour a day direct sunlight, 6-7 hours indirect).

Secondly, when I planted them, my brother had told me to wet the soil beneath, then when covering the seed, gently pat the soil down on top of it. This was probably my main problem, aside from going 1/2" deep.

I am going to find a way to increase the heat on them a little.

[feldon30]

No germination problems here at ~70 degrees. Plastic wrap over the tray/cell for a few days might be beneficial next time around.

I agree 100% with the seed depth suggestions.

[rzr]

Speaking of plastic wrap. I have actually just started to do that and think I will do all the plants.

So two questions actually,

1) I started them off in around 4 to 5 inch high plastic containers, where is the plants leaves are about 3 inches from the bottom, which means they have a couple more inches before they reach the top of the container. Can I completely cover that with plastic wrap?

2) In either case, whether the plant has come up or not, should I poke a hole in the wrap or keep it completely closed with say a rubberband around it? (I am using the tops of these containers as the bottom drip bowl, and there are holes at the bottom of each container.)

[shelleybean]

You only want the plastic or the dome over the container while you're waiting for the seed to germiante. As soon as that happens, either remove the pot to an open tray or remove the plastic from the pot where the seed has germinated. You need good air circulation once the plant sprouts, otherwise you risk damping off, a fungal problem that can kill your seedlings. I use a dome and there isn't a vent of any sort, but I do keep a close eye on them and move them to a tray without a dome as soon as they're up.