Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I recently received a packet of Chili seeds from my grandmother who have successfully grown some, these seeds are from a Chili she harvested from the plant she grew. My problem is that I can't seem to get them to grow, I've been watering them for a week but there doesn't seem to be any signs of growth. I'm growing them in nursery pots.

In article ,
JCeldran_0611 wrote:

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I recently received a packet of Chili seeds from
my grandmother who have successfully grown some, these seeds are from a
Chili she harvested from the plant she grew. My problem is that I can't
seem to get them to grow, I've been watering them for a week but there
doesn't seem to be any signs of growth. I'm growing them in nursery
pots.

Even under ideal conditions (soil temp of 27C to 29C), chili seeds need
about a week and a half to 2 weeks to germinate.

--
Welcome to the New America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg
or
E Pluribus Unum
Green Party Nominee Jill Stein & Running Mate, Cheri Honkala
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/13/green_party_nominee_jill_stein_running


If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us a candidate.

JCeldran_0611 wrote:
Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I recently received a packet of Chili seeds from
my grandmother who have successfully grown some, these seeds are from
a Chili she harvested from the plant she grew. My problem is that I
can't seem to get them to grow, I've been watering them for a week
but there doesn't seem to be any signs of growth. I'm growing them in
nursery pots.

If I understand you the seeds are not germinating. They need to be warm
(not hot) and damp (not wet). In general warm season plants like chillis
need warm conditions to germinate their seeds too, there are some seeds that
sprout in cold soil but not many. As Billy says wait a while yet before
giving up. If you have them in good conditions and none have sprouted in
three weeks the seed is no good.

D

Is there anything I can add to soil to increase its chances of fertility?

JCeldran_0611 wrote:
Is there anything I can add to soil to increase its chances of
fertility?

The soil fertility is not relevant to germination. The main needs are
suitable temperature and moisture and in a few cases light (or dark). There
are a few weirdos that need triggers like smoke but chillis don't.
Germination is the process, under the control of the genes of the seed,
where the food stored in the seed is converted into a seedling that is
capable of doing photosynthesis and making its own food independently. It
is only once you have a seedling that is able to take up minerals from its
environment that soil fertility matters.

The texture rather than the fertility of the germination medium is a factor
as over heavy soil may bind tiny roots and shoots physically stoping them
from developing properly. This is why seed-raising mix has a light open
texture. If it is a problem it is too late to alter the texture of the
medium for the batch you have started.

D

Generally speaking home-grown chillis seeds won't produce the same plant that grew them, unless your grandmother did what was necessary to avoid accidental cross-pollination.

Are you in the southern hemisphere or the tropics? If not, it is a funny time of year to be sowing a chilli. In the temperate northern hemisphere, they are normally sowed Feb-April. The thing is that if you sow it now, it will be producing chillis Nov-Dec and you need to have sufficient light and warmth in the last quarter of the year for them to grow, or in fact they will go dormant. Although maybe you are somewhere warm enough to overwinter it and get a head-start for next year.

There is beginners advice on growing chillis here.
Chillis Galore

Soil fertility does not help the seeds germinate, in fact people sometimes germinate chilli seeds in inert media.

In article ,
JCeldran_0611 wrote:

Is there anything I can add to soil to increase its chances of
fertility?

N: 18.37 lb. chicken manure/ 100 sq.ft. (2.88 oz/sq.ft.)
P: 3 lb. rock phosphate or (bone meal/ 100/sq.ft. (.48 oz/sq.ft.)
K: The late Bernard G. Wesenberg, a former Washington State University
Extension horticulturist, recommended using one gallon of ashes per
square yard on loam to clay-loam soil, and half as much on sandier soils.
Seaweed extracts may be good for growth by providing micronutrients, and
growth hormones.

Your garden soil shouldn't be more than 10% (by volume), or less than 5%
(by weight) organic material.

Garden soil should be 30% - 40% sand, 30% - 40% silt, and 20% - 30%
clay. You can check your soil by scraping away the organic material on
top of the ground and then take a vertical sample of your soil to 12 in.
(30 cm) deep (rectangular or circular hole). Mix this with water in an
appropriately large glass (transparent) jar. The sand will settle out
quickly, the silt in a couple of hours, and the clay within a day. The
depth of the layer in relationship to the total (layer/total = % of
composition) is the percent that fraction has in the soil.

Garden soil needs a constant input of nutrients, i.e. carbon, e.g. brown
leaves, and nitrogen, e.g. manure in a ratio of C/N of 25. This is the
same ratio you will what in a compost pile.

I know you are in a pot but the same rules apply.

--
Welcome to the New America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg
or
E Pluribus Unum
Green Party Nominee Jill Stein & Running Mate, Cheri Honkala
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/13/green_party_nominee_jill_stein_running


If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us a candidate.