How to germinate pepper seeds quickly: tips for gardeners

Sweet pepper is a vegetable that summer residents love to plant in their gardens, because the plant is not too difficult to care for and yields a good harvest. And the pepper growing season begins at the end of winter with the germination of seedlings.

This is because the seeds of the plant have a dense shell and take a long time to germinate. There are several proven ways to speed up the process. OBOZ.UA asked summer residents about the secrets of how to quickly germinate sweet peppers for seedlings.

What affects the speed of pepper germination

A dense shell protects a small plant seed from unfavorable external circumstances. Because of this, during the pepper season, it takes up to 20 days, and sometimes even longer, for the first sprout to emerge.

Peppers need certain favorable circumstances to start the process. The optimal germination temperature should be around 25 degrees. The soil should be moist, and the soil should contain natural substances that accelerate germination. However, certain external actions can also help.

Scarifying

To make sweet peppers germinate faster, you should scratch the seed coat, making it thinner. This way, water will penetrate under it faster and wake up the sprout. You can do this with nail scissors.

It is best to choose seeds that are large enough for scarification. Use the blade of the nail scissors to make a small incision at the pointed ends. But don't go too deep, as this will damage the embryo.

After cutting, put the seeds in warm water (30-35°C) for 10-12 hours. You can add growth stimulants to the soaking liquid to speed up the emergence of sprouts.

Soaking

The soaking procedure can be performed with pepper seeds without scarification. Put selected high-quality seeds in warm water for 12-24 hours and place in a warm place. During this time, the shell will have time to soften and the embryo will be activated. After soaking, you can put the seeds to warm up at a temperature of 40 degrees for 2-3 hours.

Treatment with growth stimulants

Special substances, such as potassium humate or Epin or Zircon, help to speed up pepper germination. Some natural remedies such as aloe juice or honey solution will also work.

Stratification

Keeping the seeds on a damp cloth in the refrigerator for 2-3 days can also work. After that, the planting material is abruptly transferred to heat. This temperature stress can speed up germination.

How to plant pepper seeds correctly

Whichever germination technology you choose, you need to plant the seeds properly afterwards. Here's how experienced gardeners do it:

• the seeds are buried in the ground by 0.5-1 cm;
• Seedlings are kept at a temperature of 25-28 degrees;
• the soil is kept constantly moist, but not wet;
• germination containers should also be covered with foil or glass to create a greenhouse effect.

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