some varieties like to “close” their leaves up at night. While I’m not a botanist and can only presume what’s going on, I have a few theories based on what other gardeners are saying as well: Their role is to nourish and support the young plant through photosynthesis until the true, larger leaves emerge. The first set of leaves, known as the cotyledons, are not true leaves. This may also look like something’s wrong with your pepper seedlings, but before you worry too much, know that the next leaves usually grow normally. When the “helmet” head situation is more severe, the pepper seedling’s growth may be stunted. In most situations, the tip of the leaves will break inside the seed husk but that’s okay. Then, using your fingers or tweezers, carefully remove the hull, trying not to hurt the leaves inside. What you can do is mist the seed husk and keep a dome on top for a day or two to preserve humidity and moisten the hard hull. This second situation usually kills that particular seedling. You’ll probably notice two situations: the seed husk is stuck on one of the leaves, or the seed is completely obstructing the first set of leaves from getting out. Sometimes, the leaves manage to escape on their own, but most often, they’ll need your help. Your pepper seedlings will look like they’re wearing a “helmet” of seed husk on top of their first leaves. Then, observe how many of the seeds are still viable. Line the seeds inside a wet paper towel and place the towel inside a ziplock bag to prevent evaporation. However, you can still test your old seeds and try to sprout some of them to figure out their germination rate. If the pepper seeds are older than two years, you won’t get much germination. You’ll want to buy your seeds from reputable companies that test germination rates every year before selling seeds. Seed quality and seed age: These two factors are closely linked because as pepper seeds get older, their germination rate dramatically decreases. Some gardeners even go as far as sprouting the seeds before planting them. Humidity: While pepper seedlings hate to be overwatered, the seeds need to be constantly moist as they germinate. Typically, the seedlings will emerge after 7 to 10 days, but if the conditions aren’t right, they won’t germinate for weeks, if at all. Pepper seeds will not germinate under 55☏ (12☌). You can accomplish this by heating your grow room or placing a heat mat underneath your trays or pots. Soil temperature: Ideally, you want your soil temperature (not air!) to stay between 70 to 85☏ (21 to 29☌). Pepper germination has a lot to do with soil temperature, humidity, seed quality, and the age of your seeds. Peppers are often slow to germinate, and this can happen for many reasons. 
Here are the main pepper seedling problems I’ve noticed when growing peppers indoors:Īre you struggling with similar issues? Read on, as I’ll explain and analyze each problem in detail. None severely impacted the growth of my seedlings, but I wanted to understand what was happening nonetheless. Later on, I invested in powerful grow lights, started my peppers and other heat-loving plants super early, and faced many problems that I wasn’t familiar with.
The downside to this method was a late harvest. This meant starting them late in the season and transplanting them to their final location when they were still young seedlings. I’ve started peppers in cold frames in previous years because I didn’t own a greenhouse or grow lights, and my windowsills didn’t get enough light. In the meantime, a lot of things can happen to your pepper plants. It can take up to 12 weeks of dedicated care and attention until you’ll be able to transplant your seedlings outside. If you’re growing pepper plants from seed for the first time, you’ve embarked on a long journey.
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