Starting peppers from seed...part 2

Ok! I have now realised this will be completely unmanageable in one post, so I am splitting it into two. Part 1 was all about germination, Part 2 (this one!) will be about planting and getting them growing, and maybe there'll even be a Part 3 on getting them outside. (Ok, I'm splitting it into 3.)

My computer is still roasted, but I've managed to find a temporary solution. So let's get on with it!

If you've had your peppers in a nice warm place, you should start to see little white roots emerging from the seeds after a week or so (be patient, this can take a looooooong time for some varieties like C. chinense and most of the wild cultivars of the other Capsicums). If you have nothing after a month, your seeds may be in deep dormancy (or REALLY deep dormancy, i.e. dead), or the spot you have may not be warm enough: remember that around 85F is optimal.

The first thing to do once you have roots is to make sure the soil in your pots is nice and damp (with warm water, of course) and make a little hole for each seed. I make holes with the back of my tweezers, since I'll be needing the front bits in a second.

Then you gently remove your pepper seeds from the bag (put the bag back after, so more seeds can germinate). Be super careful about the root -- if it breaks, you're done. I grab the seeds at the back end as far from the root as possible, and don't squeeze to hard (but don't be so wimpy that you drop it, which is worse).

If your seed is farther along (i.e. you weren't checking them every day) you can still take them out by scootching the tweezers under the stem and carefully lifting them. Watch-out here though, because the root hairs can embed into the paper towel if you wait too long. Don't tug on the stem if this happens, just use your tweezers to tear the paper towel out around the roots so that the paper comes with it -- that way you don't damage the roots, and the paper just decomposes in the soil as the pepper starts growing.

Place your seed into the hole you made, and make sure the root points down. The seed needs to be just below the surface -- deep enough so that the seed coat can be pushed-off, but not so deep that it can't make it out of the dirt. (Note -- if the seed coat doesn't come off it's not the end of the world: I've seen peppers pop them off after they emerge. You can help this along though by keeping the seed coat moist by spraying it now and then so it doesn't dry out and entoomb your little pepper leaves.)

I cover my seeds with fine sand at this point. It drains well, doesn't from a crust, and is heavy enough to help the seedling shed the seed coat. There is usually enough moisture in the soil to dampen the sand once it is poured in (go very slowly though, since big gobs of sand have been know to fall out on the peppers of inattentive people). You can also just use the soil you have in the pots, but I find that peaty stuff can lift up with the seed coat causing stressful remedial efforts like the misting above, so it isn't as good as sand.

Once the seeds are planted, get them under some lights. I use 4 foot fluorescent light fixtures from Canadian Tire. They're cheap to buy, energy efficient, provide a little warmth, and they work really well. Make sure the pots are as close to the lights as possible to ensure maximum brightness -- as you can see, this takes some engineering sometimes. You could grow them on a window sill too, but I find the sunshine is too unreliable around these parts at this time of year (and window sills are too cold) to keep the peppers in a state of optimal health and growth.

After a few days, your seedlings should make an appearance and you're off to the races. Keep the soil damp (but not soaking wet) and gradually move the plants lower as they start to grow (but always try to keep the leaves only a few inches away from the lights).

In a couple of weeks, the seedlings can be pricked-out to grow in individual pots. It's better to do it that way than to start in big pots from the beginning because there is a tendency for the soil in the bottom of a larger pot to get all compacted and gross before any roots get down there. If that happens the pepper won't thrive (they don't like cold wet feet -- who does?), so it's best to move them gradually to a larger pot and keep them chugging away in perfect rooty bliss. I'll post the potting-on process once the time comes. 'Til then:

Peace through peppers!