Why do my 3.5 week old chili pepper seedlings look so bad?

by ThePlantBarber

15 Comments

  1. ThePlantBarber

    I started these chili peppers on 4/1 and purchased seedling-starting potting mix. The true leaves are barely coming out and they look so small for being the a few weeks old. I have a heating mat, but I turned it off after a week. Was that a bad idea? I’m currently in so Cal so it gets warm and doesn’t get too cold when it cools down. I don’t have a greenhouse or a lot of space, so I feel like I’m limited. Any advice on how to do it better in an apartment would be helpful. I’m pretty frustrated with my lack of progress in the germination process.

  2. Not_You_247

    Peppers are slow to start, your peppers look about what I would expect for less than 4 weeks old. Just be patient, once they get 3-4 sets of true leaves is when they start to grow quicker.

    If the soil you started them in doesn’t contain any nutrients I suggest giving them a light feeding when they start forming their 3rd set of leaves. If it does have nutrients you can wait until you transplant them.

  3. capt_brad

    They don’t look bad! Once they get a little bigger, nip the tip to promote stronger, bushier plants.

  4. 3DMakaka

    1. they don’t look bad at all.
    2. it takes peppers almost a month to grow an inch..

  5. Soil looks suspect to me, what did you use? I started some after you and they’re 3-4x the size, started in peat pods and then pods into pots with fox farms coco loco.

  6. secretbaldspot

    I started mine 5 weeks ago. They are much smaller than yours. Don’t fret

  7. WinterBreakfast7507

    They look normal. The purple color on the jigsaws is normal in my experience.

  8. Diligent_Quiet9889

    They look fine! They are miserably slow the first 2 months then they explode. Tiny bit of nitrogen to green them up so they absorb more light could help in the short term.

  9. Ineedmorebtc

    Too wet soils can cause a host of issues. Don’t water them until they are almost dry. They seem to like it that way.

  10. shandagmc

    Your peppers look like they should for the 3.5 week time frame. 😃

  11. davidgoldstein2023

    I love this sub. Everyone here is so kind and provides so much information.

  12. NCWeatherhound

    They look pretty good for less than a month old. Peppers are notorious about taking their time. You’ll fret over them then … bang! Overnight, they take off.

    Just don’t overwater them

  13. nicolenotnikki

    These look a million times better than my peppers which are older and more pathetic.

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