How to Germinate Sweet Pepper Seeds
- 1). Plan when to start the sweet pepper seeds. Most sweet pepper seeds are slow to germinate. Some may emerge in a week but others can take up to 21 days to sprout, depending on the growing conditions. Then, the plants need about 70 to 75 days to mature. Sow the sweet pepper seeds indoors eight to 10 weeks before the last frost.
- 2). Select a container to germinate the sweet pepper seeds in. You can use anything from a commercial seed starting tray to an old margarine container. It should have drainage holes in the bottom so if there are none, make a few.
- 3). Add seed starting medium to the tray or container. Fill the container to an inch or so below the top. Seed starting medium is formulated so that young seedlings do not get excess nutrients, which may harm them.
- 4). Scatter the sweet pepper seeds on top of the planting medium. Make sure the seeds are not clumped or crowded together.
- 5). Cover the seeds with soil. Sow the sweet pepper seeds to depth indicated on the seed package, usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
- 6). Water the seeds gently. Use an atomizer so that the soil and seeds will not wash away.
- 7). Loosely cover the container with plastic. Make sure it is not sealed and that a bit of air can get in. The goal is to keep in most of the moisture and warmth but to not soak the seeds or make them very hot.
- 8). Heat the bottom of seed tray gently if the indoor growing area is too cold. Sweet pepper seeds germinate best when the soil temperature is about 70 to 80 degrees. Some gardeners prefer heated germination mats but others have had success putting the seeds on top of a refrigerator or a similar warm area. Don't let the tray get too hot or the heat will kill seeds.
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