Your problem is not enough light. If you use a light meter you will find your lights do not put out nearly enough foot candles for keeping plants for this length of time. Whether you can pinch will depend on being able to pinch above a branch that will grow new stems. Al

Thanks, Al. So, are you saying that if I plant later next year my lights should be sufficient, or do I need to add more lights?

I put one flat, three four inch pots wide, running length wise under one shop light with two bulbs.

It's not only light intensity, but the frequency of the light waves. You'll need to research which kind of fluorescents give off the correct frequency to encourage the kind of growth you are looking for.

Starting too far ahead of when you want the plants will cause an plant too big for transplanting without a check in growth. I don't understand why you started your pansies in your basement in the middle of summer. I regularly start seeds in the summer in an open ended cold frame during the summer when it is too hot in the greenhouse. My cold frame is partially shaded by tree canopies but I get plenty of light. Light from fluorescent lamps is measured in the hundreds of foot candles where outside daylight is measured in thousands. I understand your being surprised by three day germination but that is not unusual, even though the seed package will say 21 days. If I want darkness for seed germination I cover the pots with black plastic and take a peak everyday. Al

The difference in my zone 7b/8 and your zone 9 is our hot, muggy nights. Our daytime temps from mid June to late September average low to mid nineties with 95% or more humidity, and our nights rarely fall much below 75. Only in the last two weeks are we seeing daytime highs below 80. Because of our hot nights many many plants that will do well for you just simply burn themselves out here. Since pansies need cooler temps I just assumed that the basement (or the air conditioned upstairs) was the best place to start the seed. I believe you are right about starting them too soon. I think that next year, I will wait until Labor Day or later. Smaller plants, as you say, transplant into the ground much better. This was my first year, so I am trying to learn everything I can. Thank you so much for your input, Al.

Our nighttime temperatures during the summer are usually in the 50s rarely in the low 60s. We live in the coastal mountains about 50 miles from the sea. Our summer high temperatures are about 10 degrees cooler than the Napa valley highs due to our elevation about 300 feet higher. Pansies are so readily available and cheap by the flat I don't grow them from seed. If I needed more than a couple of flats I might reconsider. Our garden club which needs thousands of bedding plants for a fair display every year buys them by the plug trays. Each plant costs about fifteen cents but they are always timed right and with the fairs prize money we do OK. Good luck with your experiment, let us know how it comes out. Al

It helps a lot to have them right under the lights. I start them as close to the light as possible and don't raise the light fixture until the plant is actually touching the bulb.