Will this idea work?

[Mitzi]

Oh and in terms of how long can you keep the seeds, it depends where you are storing them. If they are somewhere cool and dry in an airtight container they can keep for quite a few years but if you have fluctuating temperatures or damp conditions they won't last long (maybe a year.) I have had good germination rates from some 2014 seeds this year but they have been kept (not by me) in ideal conditions.

[veggiechicken]

Vanilla is commonly used (especially in computing ime) to refer to something plain, without bells and whistles, so I understood what you meant by that.

Thanks Mitzi. Reefer and I clearly don't speak the same language, not just with vanilla but using tap water for plants, not drinking it.
I'm leaving this to someone who's on the same wavelength to help - as I'm not!

[Reefer123]

Some seeds have germinated

Some of the seed i watered have come to life
https://imgur.com/sFBzTk1

[Reefer123]

I managed to get 10 liters of seed and cutting compost from aldi as all the other places were selling 50 liter bags.
and since im a cheapskate i bought some yogurts to use as planters
https://imgur.com/ZCepaox

[Reefer123]

i germinated the seed with the carbonated water.

[Reefer123]

Vanilla is commonly used (especially in computing ime) to refer to something plain, without bells and whistles, so I understood what you meant by that. I've seen people using all sorts of stuff to grow chillies but I've not seen carbonated water so that will be interesting. Would be even better if you used it for half your seedlings and tap water for the other half.

Don't grow them in chicken manure! It is far too concentrated a fertiliser to use as a growing medium. By all means when potting up into final pots (if they are going outdoors / greenhouse etc.) add it to the potting mix. But it does stink so best not to use it indoors.

Multipurpose compost is fine although I do mix extra perlite into it to make it more free-draining. Last year I tried "seed and cutting compost" but it seemed too dense for my chillies. I won't use it again. Think it was a John Innes one. I am using Biobizz Light Mix (your hydroponics shop probably stocks it - that's where I get mine) for my first potting up (1 litre pots) but it's a bit pricey to use it for the final pots so I'll be using multipurpose compost plus perlite again, I expect.

i will do the half with carbonated and half with tap water mitzi thanks for the idea

[Reefer123]

i will do the half with carbonated and half with tap water mitzi thanks for the idea

And yes this compost i got today does seem alot lower quality than the one overwintered plant is in but its all i could get without buying a 50 liter bag

[hop-a-long]

Congrats on getting the seeds to germinate! The kitchen paper method is great, I used to just plant the seeds up in pots and then be constantly digging them up after a week or two to check on them! Now you know they are ready to plant.
I admire your experimental nature with the carbonated water! It will be interesting to see how the two compare. Just to let you know, the pH of carbonated water is usually down around 4, tap water is more often around 7 to 8. On first thoughts I would be wary of the acidity of the carbonated water, but hey, worth a try and maybe the extra co2 from the bubbles will give the plants an extra boost! Best of luck and keep us posted!

[Reefer123]

Congrats on getting the seeds to germinate! The kitchen paper method is great, I used to just plant the seeds up in pots and then be constantly digging them up after a week or two to check on them! Now you know they are ready to plant.
I admire your experimental nature with the carbonated water! It will be interesting to see how the two compare. Just to let you know, the pH of carbonated water is usually down around 4, tap water is more often around 7 to 8. On first thoughts I would be wary of the acidity of the carbonated water, but hey, worth a try and maybe the extra co2 from the bubbles will give the plants an extra boost! Best of luck and keep us posted!

Thanks, i used carbonated water on all the pots before planting the seeds so i will switch to the tap water / carbonated on next feed if the plants grow

[Reefer123]

It's hard to say- they just need to be kept moist to start germinating, but once they're germinating, they really do want to be potted up. Chilli seeds are generally slow and unpredictable to germinate, so it could be anything up to a few weeks.

Can I ask why you're planning on watering with carbonated water?

To be honest its just because i have a lot of it. I used tap water of my overwintered plant so i suppose its more of an experiment than anything
I read that tap water has a lot of calcium in it which the plants don't like but that maybe a usa water thing

[Scarlet]

This article says that it will give your plants a boost.
How to Water Flowers With Sparkling Water | Home Guides | SF Gate
Would be a good experiment....do a few of each, see if it does make a difference.

[Reefer123]

here's a bit more info

The Effect of Carbonated Water on Green Plants

Lindsay Danzell and Jessica Greenberg

CU Boulder, Fall 2002

If plants are fed carbonated water for a period of time then it should grow faster than plants given regular tap water. This is because most plants absorb nutrients dissolved in water through their roots. Club Soda or carbonated water contains macronutrients essential to plant growth. Those macronutrients are: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, and sodium. Given proper nutrients, plants should grow at a faster rate than those who do not acquire as much of the nutrients.

We used six Helzine soleirolii, commonly known as Baby’s Tears, plants to conduct our experiment. The plants were divided into two groups, A and B. Both groups were placed in the same amount of sunlight and given the same soil. The plants were fed according to florist instructions. However instead of plain tap water, group B was fed Club Soda. Every day at 7 pm each plant had one of its shoots measured and recorded. This continued for ten days. At the end of the experiment, data was arranged and compared.

The average shoot of the plants given tap water grew 67% (n = 3) of their original height, whereas the average shoot given carbonated water grew 170% (n = 3) of their original height. In performing the t-test, the value of t was 0.135.

The difference in growth rates between treatments supports our hypothesis. Plants given carbonated water not only grew faster but also developed a healthier shade of green in comparison to plants given tap water. Although the t-test did not prove significance in this experiment, we feel that the growth rates are enough to support the hypothesis. Carbonated water is effective in promoting growth over a ten day period for Helzine soleirolii. Further experimentation to confirm our hypothesis should include different species of plants and a longer time period for observation. Nutrients dissolved in water may be more accessible to green plants because they are easily absorbed, as opposed to absorbing nutrients through soil which involves water dispersing through the soil and then carrying nutrients to the roots. The nutrients in the Club Soda are like a double dose of essentials for plants.

[Mitzi]

Fascinating!

[Chris11]

here's a bit more info

The Effect of Carbonated Water on Green Plants

Lindsay Danzell and Jessica Greenberg

CU Boulder, Fall 2002

The Effect of Carbonated Water on Green Plants

That looks like some sort of high school student project, it's definitely not an academic study. The experiment was only conducted on a total of 6 plants, and the writers refer to Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen as macronutrients, which of course they are not.

If you used carbonated water, the biggest difference would be the acidic pH compared to tap water. Similarly, rain water pH is lower (more acidic) compared to tap water.

Depending on the plant, some prefer lower pH, (and therefore rain water), potatoes being a good example. But carbonated water would be far more acidic than rain water, and I can't see it being of any good to the plant.

[Reefer123]

The Effect of Carbonated Water on Green Plants

That looks like some sort of high school student project, it's definitely not an academic study. The experiment was only conducted on a total of 6 plants, and the writers refer to Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen as macronutrients, which of course they are not.

If you used carbonated water, the biggest difference would be the acidic pH compared to tap water. Similarly, rain water pH is lower (more acidic) compared to tap water.

Depending on the plant, some prefer lower pH, (and therefore rain water), potatoes being a good example. But carbonated water would be far more acidic than rain water, and I can't see it being of any good to the plant.

i will just try it on a couple of them then. I planted 12 seeds so ill just feed the others with tap water and maybe a small amount of chilli focus.
My overwintered plant had its first feed of chilli focus on wednesday and seems to be doing ok

https://imgur.com/CI2OCXv