Hope I can start over with more seeds...

[mrbelvetron]

About two months ago I had read a post somewhere about starting bell peppers from the seeds of a store bought pepper so I thought I'd give it a go.

About three weeks ago I took the seeds from our fajita used bell pepper and let them dry on the counter for a week. I then took the seeds and put them on a damp paper towel, covered them with another damp paper towel, and sealed them in a ziploc baggie with an air pocket. Nothing fancy like the setups I've been seeing on here but I just wondered if I could do it.

It took about 5-6 days but I saw many of them swell up and sprout. The sprouts were barely poking out so I wanted to give them a little longer. 2-3 days later I looked and the sprouts were longer but they seeds had what looked like a white fuzzy mold starting to grow on them. The next day the fuzz grew but so did the sprouts.

I plan on starting over but for future reference should I plant them in my indoor containers right when I see the sprouts come out or do it early, like after they swell up but before sprouting?

Any and all answers are welcome.

[rainbowgardener]

If you are going to do the baggie sprouting method, you need to get them planted in soil as soon as they have any root showing. To me it is just as easy to just plant them in soil in the first place, but in order to do that, you do have to have some way to keep the soil very warm.

[mrbelvetron]

Thanks for the quick reply. We had an abnormal freeze (South DFW area) at 16 and 20 degrees last and other freezes the week before that so I knew I couldn't put them outside. I was planning on starting them indoors but got sidetracked for the couple days when the mold started. I've got some new seeds dried and an gonna try again with more attention dedicated to them.

[Aida]

I let some store-brought pepper seeds dry out in the sun for a week or so, and then just stuck them in soil. They germinated better than my store-purchased seeds....

[beakhouse]

Did they produce true to the pepper they came from? I've wanted to try this, but figured the store-bought peppers were some sort of hybrid.

[imafan26]

Most of the store bought pepper (except the colored ones) are probably California Wonders. They are a very old commercial variety and very stable.

Peppers do like a warm soil so if you start them in pots using a soil less mix they should sprout. A heating mat or sometimes the top or side of a warm appliance like a refrigerator works if you have enough light. Water with warm water.

[valley]

mrbelvetron, The peppers you started with were they green or had they turned color?

Richard





Aida, Which was which? The seeds you dried out- were they from peppers you bought and eat? Also the store bought seeds- were they package seeds? Thanks

[Aida]

mrbelvetron, The peppers you started with were they green or had they turned color?

Richard





Aida, Which was which? The seeds you dried out- were they from peppers you bought and eat? Also the store bought seeds- were they package seeds? Thanks

The seeds I dried out were from peppers I purchased at the grocery store and dried, I just took the seeds out after cutting the peppers and dropped them in a plastic box.
They were probably california wonder, your typical bell peppers. Yellow and red bell peppers are just green bell peppers that were left on the vine longer! That is why they are usually a bit more expensive.


The store-bought seeds I purchased online from seedsnow.com, they came in little zip lock baggies with tags.

[mrbelvetron]

mrbelvetron, The peppers you started with were they green or had they turned color?

Richard





Aida, Which was which? The seeds you dried out- were they from peppers you bought and eat? Also the store bought seeds- were they package seeds? Thanks

Richard,

The peppers I started with were red bell peppers. I don't know the variety because the store didn't list them. They were from HEB.

Sorry for the late reply, a three year old and 5 month old twins keep off the computer most of the time.

[mrbelvetron]

Well after I made my first post about the sprouts getting moldy I had forgotten about the ziploc baggie of seeds for a few more days. When I remembered them and got the bag to throw it out I opened up the paper towels and saw this!

March 19th


I planted them in a container and covered them with a light layer of soil and by the end of the first day in the sun I have seedlings poking up.

March 20th


They are a little hard to see and there are only a few in that pic but now I have about 10 little plants coming up with a couple being about 1/2 inch tall! I'm pretty happy with that!

Our lows are now forecasted to stay in the low 40's or higher and we have a couple of 80+ degree days forecasted this week. I hope I'm out of the danger zone but it is Texas and we had a frost in May last year I think so you never know what our weather is gonna do.

[applestar]

So glad you were able to save some!

[mrbelvetron]

This pic is about a week and a half old. They look even better now. At what height should I put them into their own containers?

[gixxerific]

You have plenty of time, don't rush it. Peppers are slow, let them get at least 3-6 inches with a good set of true leaves at the earliest.

Glad you remembered the seeds, amazing how resilient plants can be at times.