The germination of pepper seeds depends on storage conditions: temperature, humidity, the presence of aggressive substances nearby, the possibility of fungus, mold and other destabilizing effects that can spoil the seed material before it is useful for its intended purpose.
Influencing factors
Factors affecting the germination of pepper seeds are as follows.
- With long-term (more than 25 days) exposure and long-term (more than 2 seconds) heating of seeds in water with a temperature of about 55 degrees, as well as in case of violation of their sowing conditions, germination decreases sharply.
- Seed material that has lain for half an hour or an hour in water with a temperature of 26-28 degrees can be sown for 20 days, and immersed in water with a temperature of 36-38 degrees (at the same time) – 3 days.
- Seedlings of pepper, obtained in conditions other than those recommended, appear only after a few days.
- During the pre-treatment period, it is necessary to monitor the humidity and temperature of the seed stocks. If the humidity is insufficient, the embryo becomes lethargic and sometimes dries up.
- If the humidity is too high, the seeds often become moldy and lose their germination: the embryo rots and dies.
- Monitor storage temperature. An interval from -1 to +30 is allowed, with a significant violation of this condition, the seed material easily becomes unviable.
- Moderate moisture is achieved by carefully monitoring the temperature around the seeds. It also helps to store them in sealed conditions, for example, in a bag or a jar with a ground stopper.
There are cases when a weakened embryo gives unstable seedlings that cannot fully develop further, as a result, the plant dies without bringing any crop.
How long can seeds be stored?
Seeds of bitter and sweet (Bulgarian) peppers are stored for at least a year if used properly. For comparison: seeds of cucumbers, eggplants and tomatoes are good for 3 years. A bona fide manufacturer will indicate the expiration date and collection date.
Most vegetable crops require 7 to 40 days to successfully germinate, depending on temperature and humidity. In a greenhouse or greenhouse, this process can be significantly accelerated: there is no sharp overheating of the soil due to the light-scattering walls of the protective structure. The soil is not subjected to a constant and massively enhanced attack of weeds.
Seed germination increases with moderate lighting. Only ripe, healthy and unspoiled peppers are suitable for seeds, and they must be harvested by hand. The material must be dried before sowing. On average, the germination rate of freshly harvested grains is 80-95%. Seeds can be dug up after they germinate. The germination of these grains during transplantation will average 70%. After a few days, they can be transplanted to the garden.
Seeds must be sorted before sowing. To do this, they are scattered in paper bags and determined for germination. Seeds that have lost a lot of size or darkened are best thrown away: defective pacifiers will definitely not germinate. They don’t sink in a glass of water.
The maximum period of preservation of embryos in seeds is no more than 3 years, after this time only 30-40% of all harvested units remain alive, so it makes no sense to save them for future use.
Is it possible to plant expired material?
Pepper seeds, planted for 4-5 years, sharply reduce the percentage of germination. It will be no more than 10% at best, at worst it is pointless to wait for the harvest. Taught by the bitter experience of previous generations of summer residents, modern gardeners do not waste time on obviously useless work: attempts to germinate old seed. It is not recommended to use specimens collected more than 2-3 years ago for sowing and growing.
Recently, scientists have learned how to get high yields using old pepper seeds: they retain a lot of nutrients, but they require careful care.
However, this approach requires almost laboratory conditions protected from destabilizing environmental factors.
Expired material is suitable for planting if seeds that do not inspire confidence have appeared on the nearest shelves in the last three years. For example, a variety resembling tomato F1, which does not produce self-propagating seed material, which, under greenhouse conditions, can be restarted as many times as desired.
Most summer residents claim that old pepper seeds are not suitable for seedlings. But you can always remember that aged, stale grains will someday definitely sprout. This is very economical: planting material, as a rule, is not cheap. To select viable instances, do the following. Wait for stable and warm weather in spring.
If you have a full-fledged greenhouse with the ability to control the microclimate, then you can skip this step.
- Soak the seeds for half an hour in warm water (30 degrees).
- Wrap in a cloth and place on a plate, moisten them periodically, but do not fill them. They should breathe, not suffocate.
- Keep them in a warm (+20 degrees) place away from direct sunlight for a week.
- Having achieved shoots, carefully transplant them into the ground. Discard any seeds that have not risen.
The subsequent care of the newly planted pepper must be provided in full: daily watering, regular feeding of plants and spraying them with folk remedies from pests.
