Chili planting tips

Perennial pepper varieties (Capsicum chinense, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum pubescens) have a long growing season, sometimes lasting more than 100 days. For this reason, cultivation should start significantly earlier than for one-year-old domestic varieties (Capsicum annuum). It is best to start the first steps in early December.

The first step is to remove the faulty eyes. The seeds must always be clean, free of pepper residue of all sexes. As a second step, we select the germination pot, which is completely washed and disinfected (I usually use a DVD box for this purpose). I soak the seeds in water at room temperature for approx. For 3 hours. I put the seeds out of water between two moistened clothes (in the case of textile material, choose one that is densely woven so that the germ cannot hide between the fibers). After placing the seeds between the two dresses, I seal the germination pot and place it in a dark, warm place. Under no circumstances should the seeds be placed in a place where they receive direct sunlight, such as near a window or heater. The ideal temperature for successful germination is 25-30°C and an optimal humid environment. It is very important that the seeds are always moist, because once they dry out, germination will fail. Never use any kind of formula for germination, only clean water! For these exotic peppers, germination can take longer, so be patient. There is no need to despair, there are times when this time can be 2-5 weeks. When the seedlings appear, the seeds are ready for planting. As a first step in planting, get seedling pots, if this is not possible, then a 1dl plastic cup is also suitable, only then pierce the bottom so that the water can flow out of it and the hair roots do not rot. Never use large pots for the first planting, because then our plant will develop more slowly, as in this case almost only the root will develop. If we are already at the planting, we have come to one of the most important things, which is the earth itself. It is not worth making compromises here, we only use the best quality PLANT soil, we can also use common flower soils later, we make up for the missing nutrients anyway. I usually disinfect all land before use, which covers so much that it is heat treated, so all microorganisms, fungal spores, etc. are destroyed. Before planting, the soil must be sieved so that no large lumps of land and other debris that do not have much to look for next to our seedlings remain in it. These specially seedling soils, in addition to the other microelements, contain slightly higher amounts of phosphorus, which is essential for the development of a strong and healthy root for peppers. If we still cannot obtain the said seedling land, there is no need to doubt it. Alternatively, we can use plain common potting soil, but in this case we need to make up for the missing nutrients. For this, I recommend a formula called FERTICARE 15-30-15 Starter, but only once every 10-15 days. This has already been proven to be effective, of course other things can be used, there are already organic foods that outweigh the effects. Planting: Since we already have soil, a planting pot, or a nutrient solution, plant the seeds. Put the soil in the planting pot, but do not fill it, up to a maximum of ¾, put the germinating seeds on it, preferably with the germ down. If this is successful, cover them with earth to a maximum thickness of 5 mm and do not press them down under any circumstances. Of course, this is followed by the unavoidable watering, which is best done with a small sprayer. Once we’re done with that, we just have to “just” put them in the right place to start developing. The right place in any case should be a place rich in draft-free light, preferably at almost constant temperature, as these, as I have mentioned a few times, are exotic varieties and don’t really like our winter weather. This place can be a greenhouse, a foil tent or a windowsill near the radiator, the point is humidity, temperature and LIGHT! In a very short time, our tiny two-leafed plants will appear, striving towards the light. If there is little light, our plants will grow long thin stems, and if we are not careful, they will fall by their own weight. The important thing here is that we didn’t fill our little glasses, so there is room left to fix this mistake! When the stems are stretched we fill the pots with earth and provide more light to the plants. We continue to grow our plants as described above until another 2 foliage develops. This is when we arrived for the first transplant, transfer to a larger planting pot or a 2dl perforated plastic cup. When transplanting, transplant the plants together with the entire ground around the root, taking care not to damage the roots! Fill our glasses halfway with earth, then place the plant with the earth and fill it with earth on the missing part. We can still use the same land we used for the first planting. Now that the transplant has been successful, we can start to encourage our plants to grow faster and better, which means that feeding can begin, but only 1 week after the transplant. Remaining with the variety mentioned above, I still recommend one of the Ferticare products and this is FERTICARE 24-8-16 II. It is best to make a solution by mixing a teaspoon of FERTICARE with 2 liters of water, which should be watered once a week, preferably at the same time. Of course, the other irrigation should be done with clean water. In the nutrient solution, great care should be taken to never pour it directly on the leaves because they don’t really like it, the leaves will burn and die. From now on, we will grow our plants in this way even if the roots do not fill our pot and it will not hide at the bottom. Then, we arrived at the penultimate planting, again in a larger pot, which could be a medium-sized pot with a capacity of about 1 liter, or a plastic cup. The transplant is performed in the same way as before, but the medium is used only once every 10 days. If we’ve gotten this far, we’ve already done something right, and we can almost feel the tearfully fantastic taste and power of the Habaneros, the Jolokias, the Reaper in our mouths, so just keep going! After a short time when the weather is right, we arrive at the planting, which can be open field, open field, potted, foil, greenhouse, etc.