I have a "cherry bomb" pepper plant that I really like. Sweet and just the right hotness. It was difficult to find the seeds, they were expensive, and when I bought them, out of more than a dozen, only two sprouted. I started the surviving plant in an Aerogarden hydroponic garden then transplanted & raised it outside on the porch, so insects had pollinating access.
So now I save and dry the seed when I harvest a pepper. But when can I expect to replant them successfully?
Can I simply take a seed out of a pepper and put it in an hydroponic sponge pod?
Do they need to be dried or frozen to activate enzymes?
Do you think they will sprout or is there some rule about sexual pairs in peppers?
To get new seeds, do I have to pretend I am a bee and spread pollin with something?
Do I have to wear wings and antennea?
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2879
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Welcome to the forum!
As Peter noted, with hybrids you won't get the same pepper, using saved seeds - f2 reverts back to the parents, for the most part. Also, if you had any other peppers nearby, they can easily cross pollinate (you don't have to have two plants for peppers to pollinate, but it can happen easily), so when working with OP varieties you are going to save seeds from, you should ideally isolate the blossom before it opens, then shake it a little, to pollinate it (or use an electric toothbrush), and save the seeds from that (or those) pepper.
Pepper seeds, as a rule, like heat to germinate. I keep mine at 85-90º when sprouting mine. However, I had some old seeds that didn't sprout this spring, and I chalked it up to the age of the seeds. then something strange happened - I had taken the vermiculite, which I had sprouted all of the peppers in, and dumped it in some soil mix I made, and stuck it in my shed, where it sat all summer, sometimes at hot temps over 130º, and totally dried out, as well. In Sept., when I used that mix to start some fall crops, the peppers came up, at room temp - 70-75º, and almost as fast as the brassicas! And just about all of the seeds sprouted. So after this happened, I am tempted to heat treat seeds that won't sprout - what have I got to lose?
As Peter noted, with hybrids you won't get the same pepper, using saved seeds - f2 reverts back to the parents, for the most part. Also, if you had any other peppers nearby, they can easily cross pollinate (you don't have to have two plants for peppers to pollinate, but it can happen easily), so when working with OP varieties you are going to save seeds from, you should ideally isolate the blossom before it opens, then shake it a little, to pollinate it (or use an electric toothbrush), and save the seeds from that (or those) pepper.
Pepper seeds, as a rule, like heat to germinate. I keep mine at 85-90º when sprouting mine. However, I had some old seeds that didn't sprout this spring, and I chalked it up to the age of the seeds. then something strange happened - I had taken the vermiculite, which I had sprouted all of the peppers in, and dumped it in some soil mix I made, and stuck it in my shed, where it sat all summer, sometimes at hot temps over 130º, and totally dried out, as well. In Sept., when I used that mix to start some fall crops, the peppers came up, at room temp - 70-75º, and almost as fast as the brassicas! And just about all of the seeds sprouted. So after this happened, I am tempted to heat treat seeds that won't sprout - what have I got to lose?
Make sure if you are harvesting peppers for their seed that they are mature. I usually dry the pods and then remove the seeds. It is easier, unless I am planting immediately, then I just take a ripe pod, usually one that is red and soft and cut them open and distribute the seeds on the media. I do have to cover my seed trays or the birds will help themselves to the seeds.