Emma Miller
In February it is time to sow sweet and bitter peppers. This culture in Ukraine is grown through seedlings, as our summer is too short to grow peppers in the ground. Pepper seeds are considered very capricious. A significant proportion dies or rots in the ground. And you can find out if all the seeds have sprouted only after 3-4 weeks.
How to germinate pepper seeds using a thermos
You will need a thermos, water, and a cloth or gauze bag. Heat the water to about 40° and pour it into the thermos. The seeds should be wrapped in cloth or gauze, and tied in a knot. Place the sack of seeds in the thermos with warm water. Close the lid of the thermos and leave the seeds for 12 hours.
After that, the seeds should be dried without pulling them out of the bag. Take the bag out of the thermos, wait until it dries out a bit, and then lay it out on a piece of paper. Then place that paper near the radiator. You can’t put the seeds directly on the radiator – they will dry out.
In about a day, the seeds will dry out completely. After that, you can immediately sow them in individual cups.
How to germinate pepper seeds using cotton disks
You will need a cloth and a cotton disk. Wet the cloth completely with water. Sprinkle the seeds on the damp cloth and place the cotton pads on top of the seeds. Then cover the seeds with the absorbent cotton with the same cloth on top. Leave the seeds overnight or for 12 hours.
After that, lightly dry the seeds near a radiator. Then they can be sown.
How to sow peppers for seedlings
Soil for peppers should be light and loose. You can buy ready-made substrate or mix peat and humus equally. Pepper can be planted in individual cups with a depth of 10 cm, or in a large box with a depth of at least 6 cm. If sown in a box, the sprouts will need to be transplanted into separate containers when they develop 2 leaves.
Moisten the soil abundantly with water from a sprayer. It should mold well into a clump, but it should not ooze water. Plant the pepper seeds to a depth of 1 cm and lightly sprinkle the soil on top. If planting peppers in a common box, keep a distance of 2 cm between the seeds.
Cover the seeds with cling film or glass on top. Put in a warm, draught-free place of at least 23°. You can also place them near a radiator. Remove the film after the first sprouts. At the same stage, pepper sprouts are watered with warm water, so that the soil is always moist.
