Confused about when to first introduce light?

So here's what I've done so far.

1. Soaked the seed in a shot glass for 24 hours (it sank) so far so good..
2. Placed the seed in a damp paper towel and left in a warm place (it sprouted) so far so good..
3. Placed the seed in a small pot with some new soil about 1/2" down and gently covered. Watered well.

Now I've placed the pot in a propagater with some CFL lights on it.
But I'm not sure if I should be keeping them in the dark until they break the soil??
I've searched but most of the info is about what to do once your seedling breaks the surface.
Should I turn the light off until they break through? Would the light have done any damage?

they don't need light until the get their 1st set of leaves.. I had mine under T5's .. they will break out and do fine..light wont hurt ... don't want them to go under Metal halides or HPS yet.
bottom line it wont matter if you give them light in the begining or not

They are dark in the soil. They need light as soon as they break the surface.

In the future, you dont have to soak the seeds in water AND put them in a damp paper towel. You are doing the same thing twice. Just introducing water into the seed to induce germination.

After a soak in water overnight, plant them about 1/4" into the soil. Water and put them under mild lights (CFL's are fine)

They will break the surface in a week or less.

I might leave them in the dark for a day, with a heat mat, otherwise seedlings are under T5's that are on at least 20 hours a day and about four inches away or so. Once I see them starting to break thru, the fixture gets moved down to just a few inches away from the bulbs. A small fan is turned on to circulate the air around the bulbs and everything stays between 72-75F, but the lights help keep the soil surface warm. Once a seedling sprouts, it will immediately start to put out a pair of true leaves and stretch for the light. More intense light and a balanced spectrum (white light) will give more compact growth.

Next time you can just do this:

bruvvamoff said:

3. Placed the seed in a small pot with some new soil about 1/2" down and gently covered. Watered well.

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I never had much luck with straight to soil, not with my chilli plants anyway.
Soaking and towelling has so far had a 100% success rate for me. (one out of one seed lol)
I'd never put it in the soil until I've seen a sprout, and I've been reading and I think I may have put it in the wrong way (root pointing down)
Oh well, she should find her way.
As for lights, the lights are unusual. It's a photography softbox. Quite ideal, lucky as I have a few of them (photographer)
Each box has 4 x 28w 5000-5500k clf spiral bulbs (I think they are 75w equivalent but it's debateable).
Does anyone else use photography softboxes? They are quite expensive so I imagine most find a cheaper solution.
Anyway they don't kick out much heat at all so I have the seedling in a propagator.
The vents on the propagator are closed, and I'm keeping the soil moist with a few sprays now and then.
Once she pops out I'll switch on the lights.
As with chillis, should I make the plant bend slightly for the light and spin it around now and then so she strengthens her stem?
I'm also worried about aphids, they ruined my vegetables last year and I won't accept defeat.
Anyway I'll keep updated.

I must be lucky. I just put the seeds in soil or coco, get them wet and magically they sprout.
Either Jesus loves me more than some people or some people over think germinating seeds.

Some people are luckier than others I guess.
I just put a thermo and hydro in the propagator and they read 86 degrees F and 55% humidity.
Does that seem OK?
It was at 90 degrees which I thought was too high so I turned off the propagator, now the only heat is coming from the lights and greenhouse effect.
I'm worried that I cooked the poor thing.

Hmmm... seedlings, propagator, green-house effect...Dome? You really don't need a dome at all. The seedlings do not need to be covered.86

86 is okay, a bit warm it just shouldn't be allowed to get much warmer than that.

Nullis said:

Hmmm... seedlings, propagator, green-house effect...Dome? You really don't need a dome at all. The seedlings do not need to be covered.86

86 is okay, a bit warm it just shouldn't be allowed to get much warmer than that.

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Do you think I should remove the cover now or will it shock the seed?
I turned the propagator off and the temp dropped to 82.5.
Would 2 days at over 90 have damaged the seedling, even if it was kept moist?

I personally wouldn't keep seedlings covered, you just don't really want to let them dry out completely. Excess heat causes plants stress, but 90 isn't too extreme. The problem with such warmth and moisture in enclosed areas is that it also provides ideal conditions for bad\parasitic fungi that cause seeds and seedlings to rot as they are particularly vulnerable.

Nullis said:

I personally wouldn't keep seedlings covered, you just don't really want to let them dry out completely. Excess heat causes plants stress, but 90 isn't too extreme. The problem with such warmth and moisture in enclosed areas is that it also provides ideal conditions for bad\parasitic fungi that cause seeds and seedlings to rot as they are particularly vulnerable.

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Good point. I had a nightmare trying to maintain a reasonable temp.
In the end I had it sat in the propagator on a pillow, with no lights and no cover. This meant a steady 82 F.
I just checked and the little thing sprouted, I may have dodged a bullet.
So I hit the lights and I'm ready for the next phase.
Thanks all.