As i’ve discussed before there are loads of different ways to germinate chilli seeds and everyone has their favourite method. I usually use a regular propagator placed on top of a reptile heat mat in order to boost the heat delivered to the seeds (it’s also much cheaper than a heated propagator). I did this for the fist week after I planted the seeds then, with a long weekend away planned, I feared the seeds would dry out if i left them and any that did germinate would be short of light and at risk of wilting while i was away.
Instead of leaving them on the heat mat I decided to move the seed tray into my homemade light box. I used a regular plug timer to give the seedlings 18 hours of light each day. The low steady heat coming off the fluorescent tubes kept the temperature at a steady 19 degrees, not far off perfect for germination yet not too hot to dry out the seed tray cells. I also left the clear plastic lid on the propagator to help retain the moisture in the compost.
When I left (about 1 week after planting the seeds) just 3 had germinated so I watered them heavily and left home with my fingers crossed. I’m please to say that when I retuned home the tray was almost full of healthy germinated seedlings.
After planting some chilli seeds in the first week of January it’s now the 29th and despite my little trip away germination rates have been good. As you can see above all of the Aji hot seeds have germinated and 2 of the Rocoto Reds are also up. The Rocotos have been a lot slower than the Aji’s both to germinate and in their subsequent growth.
The Wahaca seeds that I was so sceptical about have excelled as you can see in the shot above. They have all germinated (most of them inside of two weeks) and the seedlings look really healthy and are growing much faster than the Aji’s and Rocoto’s.
I’ll soon have to cull some of the Serranos as there are several seedlings in each cell – it’s not something I enjoy doing (killing chillies!) but it is essential in order to allow the remaining plants the best growth rates. I’ll just snip of the weaker plants at the base of the stem with a pair of scissors rather than try to separate the roots and risk damaging the plants.
So all being well i’ll have a heathy crop of Seranno’s, Aji Hot and Rocoto Reds. Now that the first batch of pepper plants are underway i’m switching my thoughts to what i’ll plant in batch number two….
As mentioned in my last post it’s time to start thinking about growing some chillies in 2012. The first week in January seems to be an excellent time to get some seeds in the dirt and get a really good early start to the growing season.
I mentioned before about the free Serrano seeds I got from Wahaca last week. I’ve seen these before on previous visits but it’s always been the wrong time of year to plant them. Now however s the perfect time to get some germinating so hopefully I’ll have a nice crop of Serrano’s in the summer with which to knock up some good Mexican dishes.
As you can see below they come in a ‘book of matches’ with a couple of seeds stuck onto match like pieces of cardboard. A neat little gift and I’m sure a very effective marketing tool!
To plant them, you simply pull of the matches and pop them into the soil up to the line. Seems simple enough and it was. I’ll be particularly interested to see what the germination rates are on these Serranos. I’m not usually a fan of planting multiple seeds in the same hole as I feel it can harm the roots when you remove the weaker seedling so we’ll see what success I have with these seeds.
I’m using my usual potting mix which has worked so well in previous years.
In addition to the Serrano seeds, I also planted some Aji Hot and Rocotto Red. Again nothing fancy here, I just popped the seeds on top of the compost mix then sieved about 4mm of compost over the top before watering with a fine rose.
Now, if you are planting chilli seeds in January in the UK you are going to have to keep them warm. You can of course go out and invest in a heated propagator. It did pass my mind to treat myself to one the other day however the one i wanted was over £120! I couldn’t really justify that so I use my little reptile heat mat to speed up germination and simply place a regular [cheap] propagator on top of that. These mats emit a very low gentle heat, perfect for propagating seeds, and a fraction of the cost of a good quality heated prop.
As you can see I’ve left the seeds to germinate in our conservatory. After scorching some seedlings last year I’ll be sure to keep an eye on them. I generally tend to pop the vents open on the propagator during the day to prevent build up of mold and close them at night to keep the heat in.
I’ll plant another 2 or three batches of seed sin the coming weeks – it’s never a good idea to have all of the eggs in one basket. Next time I’ll plant some Lemon Drop and Ring of Fire as well as some of the usual Habanero’s and Scotch Bonnets.
Happy Growing and good luck for 2012!
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