Proper sowing is crucial for the development of pepper plants. We'll tell you the most important care steps so that your pepper sowing is also successful!
What is needed?
If you want to grow peppers from seeds, you only need a little special equipment. Because much of it can be found in most households anyway and can be used for other purposes for sowing. Only with the substrate is it recommended to use special cultivation soil or to fall back on the seed substrate. This offers the ideal conditions for the cultivation of paprika plants, because it is less nutrient-poor than ordinary vegetable soil and thus stimulates the roots to grow. In addition to the substrate, the following utensils should also be available for sowing peppers:
- Container: egg carton, coconut soaking pot, peat or yoghurt tub
- Mini greenhouse or foil
- Seeds
- Camomile tea
Seeds
With regard to the seeds, the hobby gardener has two methods
Selection, because he can purchase the peppers as well as extract them from existing peppers. The latter is very popular: On the one hand, there are no additional costs and, on the other hand, the effort required is very low.
The best way to get the seeds from peppers is as follows:
- Cut the pepper lengthways
- Carefully remove the inside with a knife or spoon
- Place the pepper seeds on a kitchen towel to dry
- Let dry in a sunny place for 3 to 5 days
- Store the dried seeds in a paper bag in a frost-free place
Anyone who decides to purchase the seeds can do so from various specialist dealers both online and on site. To determine whether the pepper seeds are in perfect condition, they should be checked for certain quality characteristics
will:- Firm, not pressure sensitive
- Ocher yellow color
- 2 to 3 mm in size
The optimal conditions
Successful seed germination depends on various factors. Because both the time and the location as well as the temperature and light conditions are decisive for this. A date between the end of February and the beginning of March has proven to be the optimal time, as this gives the plants enough time to ripen and produce fruit by the end of the season. A location that is as bright and warm as possible offers the best conditions.
- Heated greenhouse
- Windowsill on a south window
- Winter garden
- Temperature: approx. 25 degrees Celsius
- If it is too cold, germination will not take place
Info: Many hobby gardeners swear by sowing according to the lunar calendar and sow peppers at the beginning of March in the waxing phase of the moon.
preparation
If the necessary equipment is available and the location and time have been selected, hobby gardeners can start sowing the pepper seeds. But instead of putting the seeds directly into the soil, it is worth soaking them for several hours. Because through this process fungal spores should be killed and the seedlings grow healthier and stronger.
- Provide chamomile tea or water
- Soak the pepper seeds in it for around 24 hours
- Put in a dark place out of direct sunlight
Sowing instructions
After the pepper seeds have been prepared for sowing, they can be sown in the next step. For this purpose, a seed tray (or an alternative, such as an egg carton) is first filled with potting soil. The seeds can then be used as follows:
- Distribute the seeds evenly in the container
- Press about 1 cm deep into the earth
- Put a thin layer of soil on top
- Gently press the substrate
- Moisturize thoroughly
- Close the vessel or cover with foil
When the sowing is done, the container can be placed in a warm and bright place. A sunny window sill offers the ideal conditions for this. The seeds should by no means be left to their own devices, because they have to be cared for accordingly from now on.
However, the maintenance measures are manageable and are structured as follows:
- Remove the foil several times a day
- This prevents the formation of mold
- Keep soil moist, but not too wet
- The substrate should remain crumbly
Note: The germination time depends on the site conditions and can take up to three weeks.