Chili peppers originated in South America and were introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty. Now they are cultivated in many regions. For chili pepper cultivation, proper seedling raising and germination are crucial. So, how exactly do you germinate chili pepper seeds ? Let's find out below.
1. Soak the seeds
Select chili seeds and soak them in an environment of 40-55℃ for 5-6 hours, then remove and dry them. Alternatively, a seed soaking agent can be made using trace elements such as copper sulfate and zinc sulfate, and the seeds can be soaked for 7-8 hours.
2. Standard germination
After soaking the seeds, the chili seeds can be wrapped in a cloth, placed in a basin, covered with a damp gauze, and germinated in an environment of 28-30℃. They can be rinsed with warm water twice a day, and will germinate in about 4-5 days.
3. Variable temperature germination
Wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and maintain a temperature between 28-30 degrees Celsius for 16-18 hours daily. To ensure even heating, turn the seeds twice a day. Once the seeds have almost germinated, place them in a 10°C environment for low-temperature hardening.
4. Germination in a constant temperature incubator
After soaking and sterilizing the seeds, wrap them in sterilized gauze. Note that the gauze should generally be sterilized beforehand. Place the gauze bag containing the seeds directly into a 30℃ constant temperature incubator. Generally, germinate the seeds in the 30℃ constant temperature incubator for 5-6 days. When the germination rate reaches 70-80%, the seeds can be taken out and sown.
5. Precautions
Chili seeds require a high level of oxygen to germinate. Therefore, the breathability of the gauze must be improved to ensure that the oxygen content in the air is greater than 10%, otherwise they will not germinate easily.
