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Growing Peppercorns From Seeds

Pepper seeds are real rarities – but be careful, if you buy pepper seeds in specialist shops or on the Internet, you should plant them as soon as possible. They can only germinate for a limited period of time.

Sow pepper

Before you can sow pepper, you first need the right seeds. Unfortunately, it is not possible to grow a pepper bush from commercially available dried black or green peppercorns. These spice grains are pre-treated, some are also fermented, and are therefore no longer germinable. However, you can get fresh seeds from specialist retailers as well as online. Pepper can be sown all year round, provided it is warm and bright. As a tropical plant, it needs temperatures of at least 25 °C and humidity of at least 60 percent to germinate, which is why the plant is best kept in a heated greenhouse or conservatory. And this is how it should work with growing your own pepper plants:

Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for a few hours.

  • Meanwhile, mix three-quarters of fine potting soil with one-quarter of sand – both made as germ-free as possible.
  • Usually, potting soil is steamed in a special pot, but you can also use the microwave.
  • Don’t be surprised though, the process stinks.
  • The substrate mixture comes in a cultivation container and is slightly moistened with a spray bottle.
  • Now let the soil rest for at least half an hour.
  • Press the pre-swollen seeds, which have been dabbed off with a kitchen towel, about a centimeter deep into the soil.
  • Cover the culture vessel with glass or clear plastic.
  • Put it in a bright and very warm place, but not in direct sunlight.
  • Keep the humidity high with a spray mist.

It can take a few weeks for the young pepper plants to stick their heads out of the ground – if it works, after all, pepper also germinates quite irregularly. The plant is usually propagated by cuttings.

Properly caring for pepper

It has already been mentioned that the pepper plant likes it warm and humid. Otherwise, the plant does not prefer full sun, but a partially shaded location. Caution is advised when watering because the exotic does not like too much water at once. It is better to water little, but regularly. The soil must not be wet, just slightly damp. During the vegetation period, you should fertilize once a week with a liquid container plant fertilizer, and in winter only once a month.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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