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Growing any vegetable starts with a seed. But in order for this seed to germinate and begin to bear fruit, it is necessary to do a very meticulous work. Of course, a lot depends on the quality of the seeds themselves, as well as the terms and conditions of storage. Some gardeners simply plant seeds for seedlings in the soil, and get a poor harvest. And you can carry out some activities to prepare the seeds for sowing seedlings. Pepper belongs to the whimsical vegetable crops, therefore, for the strength and fruitfulness of plants, it is important to strengthen from the very beginning. We can say that the preparation of pepper seeds for seedlings is the basis for growing this vegetable.
Pre-sowing preparation will help not only speed up the process of growing pepper, but also increase germination by separating non-viable seeds. They will also get stronger and become more resistant to external factors and various diseases. So, if you grow seedlings on your own, this information will be very useful and informative for you. And applying the knowledge gained in practice, you can achieve even higher yields of pepper.
Features of pepper seeds
Pepper occupies one of the first places among vegetables in terms of thermophilicity. Because of what, it makes no sense to plant pepper seeds immediately in open ground. But at the same time, the pepper ripens for quite a long time, this process can last up to 200 days. Therefore, in order to speed up the cultivation of pepper, it is customary to plant seedlings. Thus, as soon as the frosts are over, already strong sprouts can be planted in the ground, and sometimes even with buds.
But in order to properly and timely sow seedlings, you need to know some features. In order for the pepper to ripen before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to start planting seeds at the end of February. And the pepper sprouts for quite a long time, the first sprouts can appear only after two weeks, and even more. The reason is the shell of essential oils, which covers all the seeds. Also, due to the dryness of the seeds, under improper storage conditions, they may lose their properties. And with long-term storage, the germination of the seed is significantly reduced. After 2–3 years of storage of seeds, only 50–70% of them will sprout.
Importance of preparation
Many people can prepare seeds, but do it inconsistently, or by neglecting some steps. Often gardeners use growth stimulants in large quantities, which is also a mistake. In this case, it is important to strictly observe the proportions and timing. Due to improper preparation, the pepper may not sprout or slow down in growth. And vice versa, doing everything exactly according to the instructions, you can get an excellent result.
Of course, you can not waste your time and sow unprepared seeds, but then the time saved will be spent on a long wait for seedlings. Such a pepper will grow slowly, and will not bear fruit soon. So, let’s consider in detail each stage of how to properly prepare pepper for planting seedlings. Each of these steps is very important, which means that you should not miss anything.
Seed calibration
If you have been growing peppers on your site for more than a year, then most likely you are harvesting the seeds yourself. Also, many use purchased seeds. The most important thing is that their quality is at a high level.
Further, germination is significantly reduced. And five-year-old seeds are generally unsuitable for cultivation.
The preparation of pepper seeds for sowing seedlings begins with sorting and checking the shelf life. Also immediately dress and label pepper varieties if you are growing more than one variety. It is better to set aside stitched seeds immediately, no growth stimulants and soaking will help them. Even if such seeds sprout, the seedlings will be weak and will not give the desired harvest.
Now that everything is sorted and laid out, you can begin the calibration. We select large, not overdried seeds, which are the strongest and most fruitful. This method is often used by gardeners, however, it is not always possible to accurately determine the quality of the material by eye. Therefore, after a visual inspection, sorting is carried out using a saline solution.
To prepare the solution you will need:
- 0,5 liters of water;
- 1 teaspoon of kitchen salt.
Now the components must be mixed well so that the salt dissolves. Next, we lower the pepper seeds into the container with the solution, and wait until they separate themselves. Good seeds will remain at the bottom, while unviable and light ones will float to the surface. We collect unsuitable waste with a spoon, and wash the lower seeds with water from salt residues.
Disinfection of pepper seeds
The next step in preparing the pepper for planting is seed dressing with a 2% manganese solution. This procedure will help to make pepper seeds disease-resistant and strong. This will significantly reduce the care of seedlings after planting in the ground.
The pickling solution consists of the following ingredients:
- 500 ml of water;
- 2 grams of manganese.
Do not be alarmed that the solution turns out so dark, it should be so. Prepared seeds are poured into a disinfectant and infused for 20 minutes. Next, the seeds must be very thoroughly washed and dried.
Saturation with microelements
This stage is optional, because during the growth of seedlings, peppers will be fertilized more than once. But such saturation will only benefit. To do this, you can use purchased mineral fertilizers. But many prefer proven folk methods. To prepare such a mixture you will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 4 teaspoons of wood ash.
The solution must be kept for a day. Next, the prepared pepper seeds are placed in a fabric envelope, and left in the solution for five hours. After that, they should be dried, rinsing is not required.
Aloe juice is also used as biological stimulants. It is in no way inferior to purchased mineral supplements. Such methods will help accelerate the growth of seedlings, and make it more resistant to environmental conditions and possible diseases. After carrying out this procedure, you can immediately plant pepper for seedlings, or proceed to the next stages of preparation.
Soaking pepper seeds
If you are in doubt about whether you need to soak pepper seeds before planting, then keep in mind that this procedure will speed up germination by a week or even two. Many gardeners skip the previous steps, but soaking is a must. Although all preparatory measures are very important, it is by soaking the seeds in advance that you can speed up the process of seedling growth.
For soaking, you need to use settled water, or even better – melted snow. If there is no snow, you can freeze the settled water and leave it for a while so that it completely melts. Rain water is also suitable.
Soaking is carried out using available improvised materials. For these purposes, you can use:
- A piece of fabric.
- Vatu.
- Gauze
- Washcloth.
- Napkin.
You will also need a container for placing pepper seeds. A plastic container or glass plate will do. To cover the seeds, a film or a plastic bag is useful. Now that all the materials are prepared, you can start soaking.
If you are going to grow only one variety of pepper, then you need to prepare a container large enough to fit all the seeds. If you have several types of seed material, it would be better to place them separately. So, in the prepared container we place a cloth (or other material) soaked in water. Excess water that the fabric could not absorb must be drained. Pepper seeds should never float in water. Next, place the seeds on the fabric so that they all lie one at a time, and not in several layers. You can use a toothpick to separate them. Of course, you can place several varieties of pepper in one container, but on separate pieces of fabric. But in this case it is very easy to get confused.
Next, you need to cover the pepper seeds with the edges of the cloth, and place the container in a plastic bag (or use cling film). We leave the container in a warm place, and make sure that the temperature does not drop to +18 ° C. Under such conditions, peppers can rot.
You can plant pepper seeds at different stages. Some gardeners plant just soaked seeds. Others wait for partial germination, which occurs after 7-14 days. Please note that the seeds must germinate quite a bit, otherwise there is a risk of damaging them during transplantation. Soaking will help the seeds germinate after sowing after a couple of days.
Conclusion
So, we examined in detail how to prepare seed material for sowing. These methods will help to grow strong seedlings with high disease resistance. However, this does not mean that without these procedures you will not be able to grow peppers. Many do not want to do such a thorough processing, and use only one or a couple of methods. Most of all, self-harvested seeds need preparation, because often manufacturers themselves carry out the necessary processing steps. The information on the packaging indicates whether it has been carried out. If yes, then you only need to calibrate the seeds.
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