Growing hot chili peppers from seed on your own can be a very rewarding experience. This is because most supermarkets stock a very poor selection of hot chili peppers that don’t give you any motivation to eat them. Even though your local store or nursery has a better selection of plants, you will be surprised to know that a huge variety is available when you start growing hot chili peppers from seed. And as the popularity of hot chili peppers continues growing, there has been expanding varieties of plants available.
For people living in areas that have a warm climate all round, hot chili peppers seeds can be sown directly into the garden. Having a greenhouse will even be much better for you and will make the entire processing of growing hot chili peppers from seed incredibly easy. However, if you don’t fit in any of these two categories, it is still possible for you to grow hot chili peppers from seeds as well. A simple, plain approach will deliver results and deliver as per your expectations. The two main ingredients that you will need are seedling/ soil mix and trays/ containers for growing them.
Soil
Having good soil is very important and this will determine your success in growing hot chili peppers from seeds. Fortunately for you, most discount stores or nurseries have a wide range of some very good seed growing mixes that you should consider buying as they work incredibly well. Opting for them makes things much easier as you won’t have to worry about measuring or doing any mixing. But just in case you are interested in making your own mixture, you just need to use 1/3 of good garden soil and avoid using clay soil due to its bad compacting, 1/3 of vermiculite growing medium and finally, 1/3 of the mixture should be sand. Most varieties of hot chili peppers really love sand a lot and you will need to ensure that the growing soil contains sand as well. It is also of paramount importance that excellent drainage is provided as well and all the three ingredients need to be mixed together very well.
Trays/ containers
The next most important thing that you will need to grow hot chili peppers from seeds is the trays or containers. Plastic grow- packs are a perfect option to use for between 6 and 12 plants as well as peat pots or peat pellets. With these containers, you will be able to cover them incredibly tightly with a ‘cling- wrap’ after you have watered your plant. This means that the soil will be able to stay moist for a longer time at incredibly high temperatures. Once the seedlings have emerged, consider removing the cling wrap and put your seedling/ soil mix in the containers. Make sure that you don’t feel your containers to the top but will about ¼ inch so that you can water them well otherwise the water will be running off anytime you are watering your plants.
Location matters a lot
Just like everything else, you will need to choose the most ideal location when growing hot chili peppers from seeds. It is advisable that you find a warm and good sunny windowsill. Remember that for your seedlings to grow properly, you will need to provide them with not less than six hours of sunlight. If you are able to provide more sunlight, the better for you as your hot chili peppers plants are going to grow incredibly fast. It is essential that you coax your hot chili peppers seeds both during the germination stage and also the transplant stage. Always remember that hot chili peppers trace their origins to the tropical environment. With your patience, you will be able to enjoy having a robust, healthy and prolific plant.
Sowing the seeds
Some varieties of hot chili peppers can be very finicky to germinate. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you soak the seeds in warm water overnight and jumpstart their growth. If you are not an organic gardener, another alternative would be soaking the seeds in salt pepper or potassium nitrate over night. The seeds should be sowed at about ¼ inch deep holes and the seeds need to be kept moist and not soaked all through the germination phase.
Hot chili peppers seeds germinate best when they are grown in temperatures above 65 degrees even though the most ideal growth temperature is between 75 and 85 degrees. Since not all homes can boast of having such warmth, it is advisable that you place them at the top of your refrigerator at least until the seedlings emerge. Again, you will also need to be very patient and remember that there are certain varieties which take between 4 and 6 weeks before they germinate. There are some seeds that will show up between 7 and 10 days and it all depends on sunlight, temperature, variety and soil.
When the seedlings start developing their first leaves, use a pair of scissors to snip them off and eliminate the weakest ones. When the next phase of leaves develop, snip all of them leaving only the healthiest one. Some varieties tend to grow a bit tall and it is important that you open your window so that the plant can get some cooler air. Doing so helps in slowing down the growth and leads to the development of a thicker stem and prepares them for transplanting.
Always remember that chili plants are usually very vulnerable and you should take very good care of them. In fact, you will realize that these plants tend to grow rather slowly and being patient is very important. You can also plant several seeds per pot but remember that in the end, you will only need each pot to have one chili plant. When it comes to transplanting your seedlings, avoid disturbing their roots a lot as doing so will really compromise the growth of your hot chili peppers plants.
The Complete Chile Pepper Book: A Gardener’s Guide to Choosing, Growing, Preserving, and Cooking
No comments:
Post a Comment