One of the most important crops ever is the growing hot peppers, fantastic plants that generate a product loved all over the world, with a spicy and superfine taste. In this guide on how to grow hot peppers you will learn how to grow your passion entirely, from chili pepper seed germination to harvesting, together with Eureka Grow Shop in this informative article. Find out all the secrets about growing hot peppers in pots, growing chili peppers and growing habanero peppers and growing hot peppers at home.
How to Germinate Hot Pepper Seeds?
There are various methods for germinate hot pepper seeds, all of which are valid with an efficiency of 99%, remember that if you intend to plant chilli seeds in winter, the only choice for grow hot peppers will be to use a grow box.
For correct chili pepper seed germination, the temperature, humidity and darkness levels must be constant, otherwise the hot pepper seeds not germinating. Growing thai chili peppers is very simple, in fact hot chilli seeds do not require special attention, but there can be complications if we do not respect the listed parameters:
CHILLI PLANT MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
It is known that the hot pepper seed requires particular temperatures to germinate, in particular the minimum temperature for the germination of chilli seeds is 26 °C, below this temperature the heirloom hot hatch pepper seeds will never germinate in 99.9% of the cases, while the maximum temperature is 32 °C.
For growers living in cold areas, they can use a grow box heating tube, so they can start growing hot peppers without fearing too low temperatures.
HUMIDITY FOR SEED GERMINATION
As for the temperature, it is also necessary to keep an eye on the chilli pepper germination humidity rate, in fact the hot pepper seeds need a particular humidity rate to allow their germination, with very low humidity levels the seeds will never be able to germinate, it will be necessary to find a method including high temperatures and high humidity levels.
We recommend using a germination tray, which also has a lid to keep the humidity high. In fact, the humidity levels must be close to 100% for excellent chili pepper seed germination.
DARKNESS
To germinate chilli seeds it will also be necessary to evaluate the amount of darkness and light to offer to our chilli seeds. There must be absolutely no light during the germination phase of chilli seeds. While chilli plants need a grow lamp to grow and produce hot chillies, chili pepper seeds need total darkness to allow them to germinate in the best possible way.
With the right levels of temperature, humidity and darkness, chili pepper seed germination will be perfect!
Germinate Hot Pepper Seeds: How to Germinate Seeds in a Napkin
Germination method paper towel this is the most common and most efficient technique for germinating hot pepper seeds, we specify that the paper towel must be moist but not excessively wet, place the chili pepper seeds on the wet paper towel and cover them with another layer of wet paper towel.
We wait about 3-5 and we will see our chilli seeds germinate, then we can place them in the pot to obtain a grow chili peppers in pots. Scottex method germination turns out to be the best because it allows you to:
- Germinate seeds that have difficulty germinating.
- Sow a large number of seeds in a small space.
- Maintain optimum temperature and humidity.
This technique is called the scottex method germination which is usually used through the use of a Germbox, or you can opt for grow your own chili peppers kit. In fact, grow your own chili peppers kit generally have a low cost and allow you to buy all the accessories you need for a cayame chilli cultivation with a single click. The seeds must be checked at least once a day and as soon as the root appears it is necessary to bury them with the root downwards, being careful not to damage it.
Germinating Seeds in Water
The technique of germinating seeds in water is widely used by novice chilli growers but also by experts, it is the most used germination method ever! In fact, it turns out to be very simple and all you need to do is insert the seeds in a glass half filled with warm water and keep all the levels of humidity, temperature and darkness constant, the hot pepper seed sprouting after about 3-5 days.
Keep in mind that to germinate the seeds with the glass of water method, growing chillies does not need light, but 2 elements: heat and humidity. The temperature must be between 26° and 32°C with a minimum humidity of 70-75%. It is recommended to soften the seeds and disinfect them by soaking them in chamomile tea for about 24 hours. By doing so, germinating chilli seeds will be much more prone and faster.
Germinating Seeds in Soil
It’s also a great idea to consider seed germination in soil, this too happens to be a very popular method, especially by novice growers. All you need to do is dig a small hole with your finger 5-10 cm in the earth, planting chilli seeds and cover the hole with a little earth (you don’t have to compact it too much to prevent the seed from having too much difficulty germinating), and obviously maintain the levels of temperature, humidity and darkness as explained above.
The true meaning of growing chili peppers is to take care of the young seedlings and after the first transfer it will be time to analyze and act on your plants. In the last repotting, which will be the definitive one, unlike the previous repottings you will have to choose the right pepper pots, large enough to meet the needs of the cultivated pepper varieties.
When To Plant Hot Pepper Seeds?
Finding out when to plant chilli seeds could be taboo for many novice growers, but we can confirm that traditionally chili pepper seeds are sown during the new moon, the lunar phase which favors vegetative development and fruiting. So when asked when to plant chilli seeds, we confirm that it is better to wait for the growing moon.
But if you intend to growing hot peppers at home, it doesn’t make much sense to think about the moon. For correct seed germination, the ideal temperature is at least 22°, but the best results are obtained between 25° and 30°C. This is most likely to occur in April and May which is why March is usually the preferred month to plant pepper seeds. It is recommended to sow chili pepper seeds in a constantly controlled environment.
How to Grow Hot Peppers?
Growing hot peppers is simpler than you might think, first of all we must start from the choice of the soil, in fact in a cultivation of chillies the pepper plants require a draining soil rich in organic substances, for this reason it must be fertilized before starting the cultivation. You can also choose the purchase and use of one of our cultivation substrate, i.e. pre-fertilized soils with top quality organic substances that have pH levels between 5.5 and 7, which are perfect for grow hot peppers.
Guarantee a constant temperature of 28°, your task will only be to: keep the soil always moist by covering it with a thin layer of vermiculite. Furthermore, for grow hot peppers there will be a need for an adequate climate with constant exposure to the sun and stable and mild temperatures, although some hot pepper varieties require hotter climates, such as the naga morich, habanero peppers, cayame peppers, calabrian pepper and Carolina Reaper pepper.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Light Bulbs?
Choosing the right pepper lamp is essential to guarantee a lighting cycle of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness, the choice and power of the LED lamp for peppers, but it will all depend on the size of your grow box and in addition you will have to choose some chilli grow lights.
We recommend spacing the lamps 10-15 cm from the leaves of the seedlings to avoid burns. Also avoid 24-hour light cycles as they can stress young seedlings.
How to Grow Hot Peppers in Pots? Find out Growing Hot Peppers Outdoors
Growing hot peppers in pots is relatively simple and will be similar to growing chili peppers in the open field but with considerable space limitations, growing hot peppers in pots is therefore a perfect choice for growers who do not have an outdoor space available and can take care of their chilli plant on the terrace or growing hot peppers indoors in a grow box.
For growing chili peppers in pots it will be extremely important to cultivate a variety of chili peppers characterized by smallness so that they do not grow too much and break the pot. Growing thai chili peppers in pots must be grown with particular attention, first of all we recommend choosing a fairly sized pot, for example 30 cm deep and in diameter.
In addition to the size, we recommend the presence of drainage holes on the bottom of the pot and also the presence of expanded clay on the bottom of the pot under the soil, in this way we will avoid water stagnation and in case of excessive irrigation we will also avoid the danger of root rot which could quickly lead to the death of our pepper plant.
The chilli plant needs 16/8 lighting between light and dark hours, in particular we recommend an LED lamp if we intend growing hot peppers indoors, while if we want to grow chillies on the balcony we will leave the chilli plant outside for the whole day in a sunlit location.
Furthermore, the climatic conditions explained above will be necessary for grow hot peppers in pots and we must remember the daily irrigation with fertilizations using NPK fertilizers.
How to Grow Trinidad Moruga Scorpion?
The Trinidad Scorpion is the fourth hottest pepper in the world and growing it is very simple, let’s start from the fact that the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion needs a very hot temperature to germinate the trinidad scorpion seeds with lots of sun and a pot of at least 20-30 cm between diameter and depth.
It will also be necessary to use a growing substrate pre-fertilized with npk fertilization of organic origin with a layer of expanded clay on the bottom to favor correct water drainage. We recommend the use of a powdered fertilizer to be used as a fertilizer for chillies and a daily watering.
How to Grow Habanero Peppers?
Growing habanero peppers is a feast for the eyes and mind, and once our habanero peppers are ready it will also be a feast for the palate! Habanero is one of the hottest peppers in the world and requires continuous artificial or natural lighting since the habanero pepper requires very hot environments with drained soil.
We recommend growing habanero peppers in the garden in spring when there is no longer the danger of too cold climates during the night, while grow hot peppers in pots can be grown throughout the year if we choose growing hot peppers indoors.
Watering and Fertilizer for Pepper Plants
The soil must always be kept moist, avoiding stagnant water. An indicative quantity of water that we can recommend for a seedling is 8 ml, but it depends a lot on the environmental conditions. A very useful trick that we give you is to weigh the glass, and if it is heavy, avoid watering otherwise you can continue watering without problems. As far as fertilization is concerned, let us remember that fertilizing does not mean putting rubbish in the plants, but it means giving the right nourishment and help for structural growth.
Each stage of pepper plant growth is characterized by a different nutrient! When you start fertilizing your plants, they will grow exponentially, getting bigger and bigger. So much so that the time between one repotting and the next will become shorter and shorter. Remember that small plants in this phase do not need other nutrients, in fact they should not be fertilized up to 1 month after birth.
If the pepper seedlings grow healthy, everything goes well and within a month they will emit 8/10 true leaves in addition to the cotyledons. At this stage, a small glass will be too small and the roots will have covered the entire loaf of earth, therefore you will have to take a larger container and change avoiding making disasters.
Where to buy hot pepper seeds?
It is possible to buy chilli seeds in all major online shops or even in physical stores, the important thing to keep in mind will be the quality of the chili pepper seeds, therefore we recommend buying chilli seeds from reputable sellers who guarantee the great quality of hot pepper seeds.
Indeed, with low quality chili pepper seeds no decent plants will come out and in most cases the chilli seeds will not germinate if they are of low quality!
How to Store Hot Pepper Seeds?
The question of passionate pepper growers is always the same: how to store hot pepper seeds? We are happy to answer this taboo for beginner growers. How to store hot pepper seeds is essential to prevent them from becoming old and unusable due to unsuitable climatic conditions for a long period of time.
In fact, old chili pepper seeds have a very low germination rate, very close to 0%, and in the rare event that they germinate, very poor quality chilli plants will emerge. Chili pepper seeds are best stored in an airtight paper or plastic bag in a cool, dry place. In this way the seeds will remain fertile for about 2 years or more.
If, on the other hand, you want to keep them longer, I suggest you put the bags in the freezer, but the chilli seeds must be completely dry.