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Depending on the type of chilli you are trying to go there are a few ways you can go about doing this as shown below:
- The first way and easiest way to get your seeds to germinate is to simply put them about 3cm under soil in a small pot in a warm area (around 25 Degree Celsius) and keep the soil damp until you see the seed spurt up through the soil in the form of a seedling. In my experience this can take some time to germinate the seeds and the success rate of this method is slightly lower than the one below.
- The second way to get your seeds to germinate is to put the seed on a piece of kitchen paper, fold it around the seed so that the seed is safe and dampen it with warm water. The damp kitchen sheet containing the seed should then be placed inside a plastic sandwich bag (with a top you can tie) or plastic container with a lid. Fill the bag or container with air (a big blow should do the trick) and seal the container keeping the air inside before placing in the airing cupboard. The reason for this is that it gives the seed a damp warm environment to grow in, whilst stopping the water from evaporating. Check on the seed daily, after only a few days you should see the seed has started to swell up and may even be sprouting, some people prefer to wait until the seed is starting to sprout before sowing into a pot around 3cm below the surface, at this stage light is not important but it is crucial to keep the seed in a warm environment (around 25 Degree Celsius).
Leave seeds in a warm environment until you see a seedling (little plant) shooting through the soil, as soon as you see life light becomes very important so the seedling can grow and stregnthen. It is very important to catch the seedling early to give your plant the best chance at surviving. Try to keep the soil slightly damp but not too wet, I know this sounds tricky but a trick is to keep an eye on the top of the soil, if it starts coming away from the side of the pot, its too dry, If it feels squidgy, its too wet. So try aim for the middle ground.
As not all seeds you plant will germinate it is best to plant more than you require, a good idea is to aim at around 70% germination, meaning 30% of the seeds you plant will fail.
TIP: Remember that in the day a sunny windowsill is ideal but at night the space between curtain and window becomes very cold so its best to move seedlings away from the window at night and move it back early in the day.
Following these steps you should find germinating your plants simple and get good strong, healthy seedlings.
