In my experience the temperature is most important. Sweet peppers emerge more quickly than hot peppers. I start my peppers and tomatoes in Jiffy peat pellets using the greenhouse covered trays. I soak the pellets until they are saturated. I scratch the pellet top with a toothpick, then drop a seed or two on each pellet. Gently pressing on the seed on the pellet covers it. Cover with the clear lid, but prop open with a pencil across one corner of the tray. I put the tray on a heat mat, for peppers I set the thermostat to 85 degrees. I stick the thermostat sensor pod down into an empty pellet in the tray. That ensures the soil temp is actually what the mat is set to produce. Sometimes it takes hot peppers two weeks to sprout on the mat. The general rule is the hotter the pepper, the slower the germination. I'm sure there are exceptions... I don't grow that many really hot peppers.
David R
