Can anyone please help with what's gone wrong?

I sowed six seeds each of four varieties at the same time indoors in early Feb on a sunny windowsill (it was only a cheap propogator) Habaneros, Ring of Fire, Jalapenos and Tabasco. The Habaneros were the first to germinate (one only took 4 days) but they either halted at an inch tall or the leaf part got stuck in the seeds while growing.

Everything else germinated and is growing fine, the Rings of Fire and Jalapenos are now about 2-3 inches tall, with the Tabascos just under 2 inches. It's just the Habs that went wrong. I remember from years ago when I tried growing chilies that they occasionally got stuck in the seeds, I also remember if you try too hard to get them out they usually break off. Any tips on this? Thanks.

Out of about 15 Chocolate Habanero seeds I sowed earlier this year all but two or three germinated. However, many either failed mid-germination or grew up weak and spindly and showed no signs of further growth. Out of those 15 seeds, I now have only two seedlings that have survived but both are growing extremely slowly and have only just developed their first true leaves. That said, it might just be that the habs are slow growers and that they need slightly warmer temperatures to grow than other varieties, though I could be wrong there.

As for the seed case getting stuck, moistening it a little can sometimes help the seed leaves free themselves.

Thanks. I was thinking similarly, i.e. the growing conditions have to be spot on and there not as forgiving as other chilies. I might try to germinate a few more after soaking them first, but I guess it's getting too late in the season to get a good crop from them.

I've attached a few pics, not great resolution but you can easily see the difference in size. Left is the 2 remaining Habaneros, middle is Tabasco (though the nearest doesn't look too healthy) and right is 3 of the Rings of fire (the other 3 have been potted on and are larger than the largest seen here.)

Habaneros can be very temperamental. I grew six hot chocolate plants last year in Greece and they really seemed to thrive on the light and heat over there even during August when some other varieties were struggling to cope.

If you started them in February I'm guessing that they simply didn't get as much light as they wanted. It's tricky because habs need to be started early to reach maturity over here before it gets cold again.

From what I've read on the forum those who meet with the most success with hotter varieties use UV lights.

Thanks Sean
I'll look into lights for next year. In hindsight I should have put them in the greenhouse by day during the good weather in march and bought them indoors at night, that might have given them a boost. My local garden centre has got some Scoth Bonnetts for just under a pound each, so I might grab a few of those instead.

The Paper Lantern Habaneros that I sowed in January came up much more spindly than yours. I honestly thought they were all doomed to fail... But no. Just persevere, and they should come away. Even if the embryonic leaves are a bit warped, once the plant gets some small true leaves it should take off.

I found that my seedlings sat and did very little in their coir plugs in the propegator. I tried adding a little Chilli Focus (fertiliser) and they put on a growth spurt and developed their true leaves very quickly. I repotted them into individual pots and watered them, and once again they went nuts.

Contrary what I'd read, I don't think those coir plugs have much in the way of nutrients in them. Get some Chilli Focus and start giving the seedlings small amounts. It worked for me.

As for germination issues, it seems that soaking seeds in cold, weak tea for a few hours prior to sowing works wonders. Have a read of this thread:

www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/forum/9-g...illies/2058-how-long

It worked for Stef as well (pages four and five).