Chillies - growing and overwintering 2019

[dave_100]

I'm going to sow my seeds tomorrow, does anyone have experience with pre soaking them overnight first to aid /speed up germination?

[Scarlet]

It's personal choice, soaking in warm water may help. I don't bother normally, if it was old seed I might.

[Small pumpkin]

I've done it in the past. Personally I've not noticed it make any difference to not soaking seeds. So I don't bother anymore.

[Philthy]

I just love the way you support them....I just bung a bamboo cane in the pot and grab some string!

Well, it's two fold tbh, it's partly because I'm a tidy freak and sprawly, wild growth I find mildly disturbing , but mostly it's because I have decent height in my GH having stuck it atop a low wall and then lowered the ground level a bit also. So if i train the plants upwards using canes and rings, I still achieve extensive growth (and decent cropping) but it's all contained within a narrow area. Big plant, small footprint = more space, more big plants
Also it makes the plants a lot easier to prune down at the end of the season should I want to keep them going for the following year.

I used to pre-soak seeds but also no longer bother. The husk isn't particularly tough unlike some. With chilli seeds you can use warm water or you can obtain saltpetre (Potassiam Nitrate) which is a powder that you add to water at a ratio of something like third of a teaspoon in a litre (don't quote that though), which is recommended to aid germination as an overnight(?) pre-soak. Supposedly it 'cleans' the seeds by removing any fungi present, but then if those microbes are in your compost anyway it seems a little pointless.
My thinking is the environment the seeds are being sown into would be a permanently moist one anyway. I've discovered over the years consistant temperature to be a much more influencial factor on successful seed germination.

But why not do both? Pre-soak a couple of seeds per variety you plan to grow, and sow another couple per variety direct, and then you'll know if there's any variation

[Mitzi]

I'm going to sow my seeds tomorrow, does anyone have experience with pre soaking them overnight first to aid /speed up germination?

I have soaked all mine this year, some in warm water and others in diluted chamomile tea. I’m not sure if it makes a difference or not but I’m convinced that the ones that float and don’t sink will not germinate.

[Scarlet]

but I’m convinced that the ones that float and don’t sink will not germinate.

Tomato seeds do the same - I always bin the floaters when seed saving.

[Tripmeup]

Soaking seeds is not something I do so can't express an opinion really.. What I do know tho is that it would be one more way for me to forget to label and mix seeds up given I sow a few varieties at a time

[dave_100]

I didn't bother presoaking in the end, got mine sown today and in the heated propagator, see pic. I know they need to stay warm and moist, how often do others find they need to water while waiting for germination?

[benb89]

I didn't bother presoaking in the end, got mine sown today and in the heated propagator, see pic. I know they need to stay warm and moist, how often do others find they need to water while waiting for germination?

I massively over watered them at first and had to start again on a few. So I looked around and saw somewhere, may even have been in here, about pushing your finger into the compost and if it feels moist it's fine but if it feels dry to then water. This seemed to work for me. Just whish I'd seen it before I started

[Scarlet]

If you water from the bottom it helps. Stand them in a tray of water when they feel heavier take them back out. It is one of those things that's trial and error unfortunately as Ben has found out.

[Tripmeup]

Turned on my lights and have some of my plants under them now
More on the windowsill too..
Need to pot a few on too..

[dave_100]

So having my chillies germinate is definitely as satisfying as I hoped it would be! My first popped seeds ever.

So I've moved them to a "sunny" windowsill, but the next few days are forecasted to be gloomy, presumably they will be okay but just get off to a slow start? Shame the weather isn't the same as last weekend!

[Mitzi]

All my seedlings in pop bottles and porridge pots are currently sitting in the bath having had a good spray with SB Invigorator. Think I will need to do it a few times to get on top of the aphids. The smaller seedlings still in Jiffy7s aren’t affected thankfully.

[Small pumpkin]

Only another 2 months and the chillies can start going outside
Then I can have my dining room back

[Scarlet]

That's only 8 weeks. Stop moaning this is the best time of year