Pre-planting peppers & chili: Tips for healthy young plants
Grow your own peppers & chili
Peppers and chili peppers are slow-growing, heat-loving cultivars. You should pre-cultivate them, as they can only be planted outdoors from mid-May. If you only sow them as seeds outdoors in May, they will probably not bear fruit before the end of the season. In addition, young plants are already better protected against pests and less susceptible to diseases.
Growing peppers and chili peppers: Cultivation soil and pot size
Use low-nutrient, peat-free, sterilized potting compost. This will allow your plants to develop strong roots and prevent them from being supplied with too many nutrients straight away. Small pots with a diameter of around 7 - 10 cm/2.7 - 3.9 in are well suited for growing peppers and chili peppers. Sow the seeds approximately every 2 - 3 cm/0.8 - 1.2 in in the sowing soil. Once your plants have formed their first pair of true leaves, you should prick them out into larger pots.
Sowing peppers & chili - the best time
The first varieties are pre-grown from the end of January (or if your plants are allowed into the greenhouse early). However, cultivation is usually started between mid-February and the beginning/mid-March. When exactly you should start propagating depends on:
- Which variety it is
- Whether you have a greenhouse
- The climate in your region
Light germinator or dark germinator - the right sowing depth
Most bell pepper and chili varieties are dark germinators. However, there are also a few varieties that are light germinators. However, the sowing depth for peppers and chilies is normally between 0.2 and 1 cm/0.08 and 0.4 in. As a rule of thumb, the sowing depth should be about three times the size of the seed. It is best to pay attention to the information on your seed packets.
Peppers/chilli - germination period and germination temperature
For germination, the temperature should be at least 20 ° C/68 ° F, but ideally 25 °C/77 ° F. The lower the temperature, the longer the bell pepper and chili seeds will take to germinate. In some cases, this can take up to 4 weeks, but it is usually between 2 - 3 weeks. Germination rarely occurs after just 10 days. Once your seeds have germinated, however, you should keep the seedlings a little cooler. The temperature should be around 18 ° C/64 ° F.
Pepper/chili seeds do not germinate - what to do?
The most common reasons include too low a temperature, too much or too little moisture, poor germination or incorrect sowing depth. Make sure that the plants have enough space to grow and that they are watered regularly.
The right location
Peppers and chilies need plenty of sunlight to develop. The ideal location for the plants is therefore in a large south-facing window or in a greenhouse. If you don't have a suitable location with sufficient light, plant lamps can help.
Peppers/chilli are moldy - what you should do
High humidity is important for cultivation. Indoor greenhouses are often used for this purpose. Unfortunately, this often leads to mold if the ventilation is too low. You should therefore remove the cover for 10 minutes every day and stop watering until the soil is almost dry. Horsetail decoction can also help to combat mold.
