A Detailed Guide to Growing Chili Peppers from Seed Indoors in Winter
Chili peppers are an indispensable side ingredient in cooking. Anyone with experience growing chili peppers knows that chili pepper seedlings are not tolerant of low temperatures. So, how do you grow chili pepper seeds indoors in winter?
1. Before soaking the seeds to promote germination, first sterilize and disinfect the seeds. Place them in hot water at 50°C-55°C, soak them at a constant temperature for 15-20 minutes while stirring constantly. When the water temperature drops, add hot water to keep the water temperature between 50°C-55°C. After 20 minutes, add cold water to bring it down to 20°C-30°C. Soak in a 10% trisodium phosphate solution for 20 minutes, then rinse clean with plain water. After the seeds are disinfected, place them in water at about 25°C. After that, soak them at room temperature for about 12 hours, then carry out soaking to promote germination.
2. After the seeds have soaked and absorbed enough water, wrap them in gauze, rub them with soap, rinse clean with plain water, and drain off the water, or spin them for 1 minute in a washing machine spin dryer, then place them in a container such as a clay pot.
3. Cover the seeds both above and below with wrung-out damp towels, and place them on a heated brick bed or a greenhouse flue to promote germination. If conditions allow, placing them in an incubator to promote germination is even better.
4. The suitable temperature for promoting germination is 28°C-30°C. To make the seeds heat evenly, turn them over top to bottom twice a day. The towels covering them above and below must be kept moist, and their permeability must be good.
5. Before they sprout, rinse them once or twice a day. After 4-5 days, the germination rate can reach about 70%. When the sprouts are 1 mm long, you can choose a day to sow them.
The suitable temperature for chili pepper germination is 25-30°C. If the temperature exceeds 35°C or is below 10°C, germination will be poor or will not occur. Therefore, when growing chili peppers indoors in winter, be sure to cover them with plastic film or straw to keep them warm, and keep the indoor temperature suitable.