How to Plant the Latest Chili Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods
How to plant chili seeds? Chili is a very common ingredient, and some gardening enthusiasts want to grow it themselves. Chili seeds are easy to obtain, but they don't know how to plant chili seeds. In fact, growing chili is quite simple. This article discusses it from two angles, both suitable for home growing.
How to plant chili seeds?
1. Method without pre-sprouting: Some gardening enthusiasts like to pre-sprout chili seeds before sowing. Based on the author's experience and the cases of other gardening enthusiasts, chili seeds can be sown directly without pre-sprouting. Bury the seeds completely, water thoroughly, then use light flooding regularly, keep the soil moist, and just wait for them to sprout.
2. Method with pre-sprouting: Pre-sprouting seeds shortens the germination time and promotes uniform, rapid emergence of seedlings. Seed soaking is also often combined with seed disinfection.
Methods for Soaking Chili Seeds
The main methods for soaking chili seeds include soaking in clean water, hot water, medicinal solution and trace element solution, etc. Let's take a look together below!
1. Soaking in clean water: Soak the seeds in clean water at room temperature, preferably well water, with the water temperature adjusted to 20-30°C. After putting the seeds into the clean water, remove the shriveled seeds, fruit skins and other debris floating on the surface, then change the water and continue soaking. The tools and clean water used for soaking must not have oil contamination, otherwise it will affect seed respiration. The amount of water used for soaking should not be too much; it is best that the seeds are completely submerged or the water surface is slightly higher than the seeds. After absorbing water, the seeds gradually swell. When the seeds are fully swollen, the soaking is finished. Then rub and wash them repeatedly many times to remove the mucilage on the seed coat, and rinse clean with water. After drying, the standard is that they feel crisp to the touch, are not sticky, and do not stick to each other. The soaking time for chili is 8-12 hours. The length of soaking time is related to water temperature; within a certain range, as the temperature increases, the water absorption rate of the seeds also speeds up.
2. Soaking in hot water: Before soaking in hot water, first soak the seeds in room-temperature water for 15 minutes, which can prompt the pathogens on the seeds to activate and make them easier to kill with heat. Then put the seeds into hot water at 55-60°C for 15 minutes, with the water amount being 5-6 times the volume of the seeds. During the hot-water treatment, add hot water promptly to heat the seeds evenly, and stir continuously until the water temperature drops to about 30°C before stopping stirring. Alternatively, after reaching the required treatment time, transfer the seeds into warm water at 30°C and continue soaking for 4 hours. During treatment, keep a thermometer inserted in the hot water to measure the water temperature so it can be adjusted as required at any time. When the amount of seeds is small, you can first put the seeds in a gauze bag and immerse the whole bag in the water during the hot-water treatment; after the specified time, quickly transfer the seeds into warm water at 30°C and continue soaking. When the amount of seeds is large, a fine-mesh basket can be used instead of a gauze bag.
3. Soaking in medicinal solution
When using medicinal solution soaking, the concentration of the solution and the soaking time should be strictly controlled. Before soaking the seeds in the medicinal solution, pre-soak them in warm clean water for 4-5 hours first. After the seeds have been soaked in the medicinal solution, rinse them immediately with clean water several times.
① Copper sulfate soaking: First soak the seeds in clean water for 4-5 hours, then soak them in a 1% copper sulfate solution for 5 minutes. Take out the seeds, rinse them clean with water, and then sow or pre-sprout. Or dip them in 1% quicklime to neutralize the acidity before sowing. Alternatively, after taking out the seeds and drying them in the shade, mix them with a small amount of slaked lime powder or plant ash to neutralize the acidity before sowing. This method has a relatively good effect on preventing anthracnose and scab.
② Mercuric chloride water disinfection: First disinfect seeds that have been soaked in clean water for 4-5 hours with 0.1% mercuric chloride water for 5 minutes. Take out the seeds, rinse them clean with water, and then pre-sprout, sow, or dry them in the shade for later use. This method has a relatively good effect on preventing scab.
③ Streptomycin solution soaking: Soak seeds that have already been soaked in clean water for 4-5 hours in 1000 ml/l agricultural streptomycin solution for 30 minutes, then wash with water before pre-sprouting. This method has a relatively good effect on preventing scab and bacterial wilt.
④ Trisodium phosphate soaking: Soak seeds that have already been soaked in clean water in a 10% trisodium phosphate aqueous solution for 20-30 minutes, then rinse clean with water after soaking. This method has a relatively good effect on preventing viral disease.
⑤ 1% sodium hypochlorite soaking: 5-10 minutes. After chemical treatment, the seeds should be rinsed several times with clean water, then placed in room-temperature water to soak for 8-12 hours.
⑥ Trace element soaking: Soak chili seeds in 0.002% boric acid or 0.02% copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, etc. solution for 5-6 hours. It has the effect of promoting early maturity and increasing yield.