More Peppers re-potted & Chilli update

The Sweet Peppers and Chillies are doing great so I have had to re-pot six more of the plants from their small pots into the 10cm pots.



Of the hot peppers, Superchili, Masquerade, Krakatoa, and Apache are now in the 10cm pots. Some of these still have two plants per pot as I'm hesitant to 'cull' them until one plant really out performs the other. Barancio and Big Banana sweet peppers have also found new homes in the 10cm pots.



I've been quite surprised on how quickly the peppers  become root bound. Last year they where planted from seedlings into large pots straight out into the greenhouse quite late in the year. As  last year (2012) was my first year growing peppers I did quite a lot wrong, well not wrong really, just did quite a few things that could have been done better.



It's getting a little packed in the light box now, so hopefully the summer will get a move on and come early this year so I can get these into the greenhouse. The only other option is when they start to get a lot bigger is to put them on every available windowsill we have in the house.

Also I have had a couple more seeds germinate as you can see from the picture above, Loco F1, and a Birdseye Chilli. Along with the other peppers that hadn't germinated I had to put these in the airing cupboard to try and increase the temperature which worked for these two but not the others.

I have still not had any germination success with the Goats Ear Chilli/Pepper which came from the Allotment seed swap, which is a pity because I can't really find any reference to this chilli unless it is in fact a Goat Pepper. Still nothing from the Habanaro or surprisingly enough the Prairie Fire which I grew with great success last year. The only Sweet Pepper not to germinate has been the Ingrid.

 

I'll try again at getting these to germinate using the paper towel and plastic bag method. Quote below from www.chileseeds.co.uk

Take 2 bits of kitchen paper, put both bits together and fold in half. Damp the paper (as wet as a wrung-out sponge) In one quarter of it place the seeds and fold it over itself like a sandwich. Place the kitchen paper which is a quarter, inside a freezer bag, catch some air inside and tie a knot in it, like a balloon.  See pictures below. Label the bag and place in a warm place such as an airing cupboard or heated propagator.  Repeat for each variety. Check seeds every 2 days and damp down the paper if they start to dry out. Once your seeds have sprouted you can transplant to small pots i.e. 75 mm. (We use multi purpose compost with vermiculite mixed in to aid drainage.) Add water to your compost and mix well; it should be as moist as a wrung-out sponge before you put it into your containers.  Ideally you want the compost to be in a warm place before planting takes place so as not to shock the seedlings.  Fill your containers 25 mm from the top.  We use a plastic plant label or pencil to pick the seedling up and drop it in the middle of the pot, do not worry which way the seedling is facing it will sort its self out as it grows.  Sprinkle a little compost over the seedling.  Water to settle them in with a spray bottle. Label with a plastic stick label using a permanent marker pen.   As the seedlings grow use a spray bottle to keep them moist.  You can always seal the top with cling film with a tiny hole in. This keeps the seeds warm but they can breath.