I have a cayenne pepper plant and I just got a bunch of seeds from it yesterday and I'm drying them right now, probably 2 weeks for it to completely dry. I have a plastic egg carton and I'm planning to reuse it for planting pepper seeds. I'll do the following things to it, can you let me know if I'm doing it right or not please

1. I'll punch a small hole at the bottom of each egg holder in the carton for drainage
2. Fill it with soil and put the seed in (1/2 inch deep). The egg carton has a cover so I'll put the cover on so it's like the seed is in a greenhouse because it will be hot in there.
3. Water the carton and check it every week to make sure that the soil is moist. If not then give it some water just enough so the soil is moist

I have two questions

1. Should I punch a hole at the top of each egg holder so there's air ventilation or it's okay to have it completely sealed?
2. Given my zone, the weather can go down into the low 50s at night now, can I put the egg carton outside in my backyard where it will have sun during the day?

Thanks

Andy, I wouldn't plant the seeds quite that deep - maybe 1/4" (at most). I don't think you need to punch holes in the top of the egg carton, but once the seeds sprout you should leave it open. You'll also need to move the plants to somewhat larger pots/containers quite quickly, there isn't much room in the sections of an egg carton. Also, I would leave the egg carton inside in a warm area at least until the seeds have sprouted. Ideally, pepper seeds should be around 65-75° for germination.

Weedwhacker said:Andy, I wouldn't plant the seeds quite that deep - maybe 1/4" (at most). I don't think you need to punch holes in the top of the egg carton, but once the seeds sprout you should leave it open. You'll also need to move the plants to somewhat larger pots/containers quite quickly, there isn't much room in the sections of an egg carton. Also, I would leave the egg carton inside in a warm area at least until the seeds have sprouted. Ideally, pepper seeds should be around 65-75° for germination.

@Weedwhacker Should I open the lid to check to see if the soil is moist every week or not? If it's not moist then add water?

You definitely need to ensure that they stay moist... what "medium" are you using for starting your seeds? potting soil? seed starting mix? I use potting soil myself - which holds the moisture quite well if covered as your egg carton will be. Seed starting mix might dry out a little quicker. I would check them every few days if possible - you should be able to expect the seeds to start sprouting in 8-14 days.

Once the seeds sprout, they will need light of course; but I think if you place them outside in the egg carton that small amount of soil is going to dry out extremely quickly; at that point you might want to divide the egg carton in half (cross-wise) and cover each part with the top part of a plastic milk jug that has had the bottom cut off, or something on that order. And, again, you will need to transplant them to something larger (plastic drinking cups work well, if they have drainage holes made in the bottom) as they start to grow.

@Weedwhacker I only have potting soil at home so I'll use it. I think I'll use a bigger pot and put more than one pepper seed in there and put a plastic bag over it. I'll put it inside my house for warmth. I'll open it up every week to check for the soil's moisture. If it's dry then I'll add more water to make it moist.

Once they sprout then I'll remove the plastic bag and move them outside so they get some sun.

My timezone, the temperature can go down to lower 50s now. Should I leave them outside once they sprout or still keep them inside the house until they grow a little bit taller? Or put them outside during the day since it's warm outside and bring them inside at night?

If your low temps are lower 50s, I would say you can leave the plants outside once they get going. (Where I am the temperature can go that low in mid summer, LOL)

I would also suggest protecting them from the direct sun and the wind for at least a week or so once you start putting them outdoors; the young seedlings are very tender and need to be "hardened off" gradually.

Sandy won't lead you wrong! Now, for my warped thoughts...

Good move on going bigger for your seedling containers. I use 20-ounce Styrofoam cups to start my seeds in. The cups are big enough so that I don't have to "pot up" to a largest container as the seedlings grow. What I *do* have to do is decide what I want to do with multiple seedlings in each cup. I plant three seeds per cup, figuring I'm going to get at least one seedling out of the bunch...I usually get three. So, once the seedlings have a couple of sets of true leaves I have to make a decision on which seedling to allow to grow on in the cup and...what do I do with the other one or two seedlings. If the extra seedling(s) look good I may carefully dig them out, doing my best not to disturb the the best seedling that will remain in the cup. Once I've removed the extra seedling I will transplant it to another cup and let it grow on to make me another plant for me to either plant or give away to someone for them to grow. But, what if the other seedlings don't look that good or if I don't want to worry with digging them out?....it's a cruel world out there...I take a pair of scissors and snip them off at soil level. Pulling them up *might* disturb the remaining seedlings roots so..."SNIP".

When I first started growing from seed I used a peat-based "seed starting medium". It was supposed to keep bacteria and fungus away from my precious seedlings, protecting them from disease and all kinds of hoodoo things. Well, I found out early on (for me, and everybody is different) that the seed starting stuff didn't work. It seems it has no nutritional value for the seedlings and you have to carefully feed the tender seedlings to get them to grow. So, after that first time with the seed starting whatever I've using some good potting soil ever since. Good potting soil has plenty of food for the baby plants to strive on...it doesn't have to be anything exotic. Now some people will say that all they use is a sterilized seed starting medium and have great success, and I don't doubt that but it's much easier for me to use regular, good ol' potting soil. Your potting soil is fine!

Just a reality check...remember, these are my warped thoughts!

When getting ready to plant the seeds put some potting soil in a bucket or something and moisten it up some...its a lot easier to make sure its good and moist in a big bucket rather than after the soil is in a small cup. Pour some water in a stir it up really good, wetting the soil good. Don't add so much water that it drips out when you squeeze a handful of soil, though. Once you've got the moist soil in the cup take a sharpened pencil and stick it into the soil to the depth of the sharpened area...spin it around, wiggle it, etc., to create a planting hole. I do this three times per cup. Then with some seeds spread out on a plate or piece of paper I use the now moist tip of the pencil to "pick up" a seed with. Touch the pencil tip (will have a little moist dirt still on it) to a seed, the seed sticks to it, then slightly "roll" the pencil in your fingers so that the seed rests on top of the point (helps prevent gravity from pulling the seed loose). Move the seed on the tip of the pencil to a planting hold and gently place the seed into the bottom of the hole, wiping the tip against the side of the hole is needed to dislodge the seed. Do this for the other two planting holes. NOW, you might think that the depth of the pencil is too deep. Most pencils sharpen up an area of the tip about 3/4" long. The trick is that you're now going to lightly pinch the soil over the planting holes and then lightly firm it down. I sometimes even drag a *little* bit more soil over the holes...and firm down a tad. The pinching in and firming down actually lessens the depth of the planted seed. It's always worked for me but I'm sure it's not for everybody. The pencil, though, is magic for handling those tiny seeds...and the trick is that each time you place a seed it moistens the tip for picking up the next seed...just remember to roll the pencil so the seed rides on top of the tip as you move it to the planting hole.

You could use smaller cups than the 20oz ones like I do. Even the 8oz work well, and much better than the egg carton. I take the cups and use the same sharpened seed-planting pencil to punch three holes in the side of the cup *right above* the bottom for drainage...not in the bottom, flat area. I've seen cups with holes in the bottom not drain because they sit on a flat area and thus block the holes...with the holes in the sides they can easily drain.

I place my cups in a square plastic container that is more or less the same height as the cups...the cups can be shorter or taller. The container holds any water that drains from the cups but also acts as a humid environment kinda like a greenhouse/germination-house. Once I have the cups planted I'll put them in the plastic container.

Tip: An excellent watering device for seed cups and seedlings is a regular plastic water bottle that you've drank all the water from. Put a small hole in the cap and you can control the water easily by simply squeezing and releasing the bottle...works like a dream. I've gotta give my gardening buddy credit for that little tool!

Ok, the moistened soil is in the cups, the drainage holes are punched, the seeds are planted using the pencil, and the planted cups are placed in the square plastic container. Now take the very expensive seedling waterer (the water bottle) and water the cups, wetting the top of the soil...this insures that the seeds are in a very moist environment...the extra water will drain down. Now spritz a little bit of water into the bottom of the plastic container.

You now "almost" have a nice, moist germination environment. Now take a sheet of plastic and cover somewhat loosely the top of the container. I don't use the hard plastic covers that come with the containers. Currently I'm using some snazzy piece of mostly clear plastic from some bags that ice came in. Cut them open and they work nicely. I usually tape the backside and the front side down...lifting one side occasionally for inspection. The way I know everything is going well moisture-wise is there is a bit of condensation that forms on the plastic sheet that I can see from the outside. I like to check it every few days to start with by opening the plastic. Rarely do I add any more water to this setup...it's almost like it's got it's own little weather cycle...condensing on the plastic sheet, dropping back into the cups at times. There's not a lot of evaporation in there and opening it off and own allows fresh air inside (not sure if it's needed or not, though).

Keep this in a warm place. On top of the refrigerator has often been stated as a good place due to the heat given off by the refrigerator...I'm not sure modern refrigerators still have that feature or not...I don't think mine does. But, somewhere in the 70Fs will be good. They can germinate a bit cooler, but takes longer. Speaking of time to germination, peppers are notorious at taking their own sweet time. I don't think I've ever had a pepper seed to sprout in less than a week, maybe I have but I surely don't remember it. Most of the time it's closer to two weeks, so be patient. Now, if you plant tomato seeds they'll jump up and bop you in the nose in just three or four days sometimes!

That brings us to when the seeds do sprout! This is why you have to check on them regularly. AS SOON AS THEY SPROUT TAKE THEM OUT FROM BENEATH THE PLASTIC!!! Even if you just see a little bit of the sprout poking up above the soil and it's only one of the three seeds...get them out from beneath the plastic!! Germination is complete and now they need light and air!!! The good thing about using individual cups is that you can remove one or four and leave six or ten still beneath the plastic...make sense? But, those new little plants need light and lots of it. Maybe not suntanning strength light to begin with, but some good light. If you leave the new sprouts beneath the plastic for too long they will be long and skinny so get'em out in the real world so they can grow up big and strong!

Anyhow, for some reason I woke up very long-winded. Take what you want of all this. Scratch your head and say "this guy is kinda weird" (you won't be the first person to say that! ). But, no matter what you do, have fun with the adventure and be amazed at what God creates from a tiny seed!!!

Best wishes!!!!
Ed

Thanks for all the replies. They are very helpful since this is my first time seedling pepper plants. I have one right now that I planted last year and it still have some fruits on it so I don't think cayenne pepper plant is annual right?

That leads to my last question. Do I need to replant new cayenne pepper plant every year?

Thanks
Andy

Well, now I'm nearly speechless!

Andy, don't be put off by the somewhat rambling nature of Ed's post - there is actually very good advice in there, and what he described is almost exactly the way I start my seeds. (Although I've never used a water bottle with a hole in the cap for watering plants, so I can't vouch for that one.)

If your cayenne plant is still thriving, there wouldn't be any need for starting a new one (unless you just want to). I have relatives in Florida who have kept a couple of jalapeno plants (which I originally gave them to take home) going for several years now.

@Weedwhacker. Thanks. I'll seed today. Wish me luck :). I'll post back the result if my seedlings ever sprout. I hope so. I don't have a green thumb :)

Another question please. Here's how I get the seeds. Can you let me know if I did it correctly please?

1. I let some peppers really get wrinkles since February
2. I removed the seeds and put them in a plastic container and leave them in my backyard (that area has both shade and sun) to dry, it's been 3-4 days now.
3. I'll seed them today

Thanks

Weedwhacker said:Well, now I'm nearly speechless!

Andy, don't be put off by the somewhat rambling nature of Ed's post - there is actually very good advice in there, and what he described is almost exactly the way I start my seeds. (Although I've never used a water bottle with a hole in the cap for watering plants, so I can't vouch for that one.)

Sandy, you might've got me started doing it that way. Seems I found some plastic containers and there were these unused cups and those ice bags and I had this vision. Hmmm, maybe it was the mushrooms on the pizza, I thought they tasted kinda funny.

Anywhoo... If you try for the water bottle just a small knife-point of a hole...that's my technical description of the size of the hole.

Drying seeds. Though I'm not really a seed saver I believe the standard is to dry them to the point where they will snap in half when bent...rather than just bending.

My question is... How in the world do you manage to bend a small pepper seed? Tweezers?

Andy, did the seeds come from totally ripe peppers? I would say that is the most important factor in saving the seeds; i don't really think it would be necessary for the seeds to be completely dry if they are going to be planted right away, but I'm not sure about that - maybe someone else will let us know the answer! It IS, however, very important for them to be dry if you plan to store them for a while.

Weedwhacker said:Andy, did the seeds come from totally ripe peppers? I would say that is the most important factor in saving the seeds; i don't really think it would be necessary for the seeds to be completely dry if they are going to be planted right away, but I'm not sure about that - maybe someone else will let us know the answer! It IS, however, very important for them to be dry if you plan to store them for a while.

Yeah, the peppers are completely ripe and to make sure it's 100% ripe, I left it there on the plant for a long time until it has wrinkles. I left the seeds outside for a week to make sure they are very dry.

I planted 36 seedlings today. I only need one so the other 35 are backups :). I still have a lot of seeds left and I left them in a plastic container with holes in the cover for air ventilation in my backyard for them to keep drying just in case these 36 seedlings don't sprout.

The next plant I want to propagate is my established Arabian Jasime. I want to have another but I'll open a different thread for it because my first attempt at propagating Arabian Jasmine plant last year failed miserably :)

I'll let you know if I see any pepper seedling sprouting in a few weeks. I hope so.

Weedwhacker said:Andy, did the seeds come from totally ripe peppers? I would say that is the most important factor in saving the seeds; i don't really think it would be necessary for the seeds to be completely dry if they are going to be planted right away, but I'm not sure about that - maybe someone else will let us know the answer! It IS, however, very important for them to be dry if you plan to store them for a while.

For some reason I've been thinking the seeds need to dry out a bit (at least) before they could germinate but your statement made me think (I do that sometimes) about tomato seeds germinating *inside* the tomato fruit. You can't get any greener than that! We definitely need them dry for storage. Thanks for that mind tweek.

Andy2019 said:
I planted 36 seedlings today. I only need one so the other 35 are backups :). I still have a lot of seeds left and I left them in a plastic container with holes in the cover for air ventilation in my backyard for them to keep drying just in case these 36 seedlings don't sprout.

I'll let you know if I see any sprouting in a few weeks. I hope so.

I like the redundancy!!!

That's a lot of backup plants!

25% of my pepper plants germinated using potting soil. They don't have 2nd set of leaves yet. I put them outside in my backyard but not in direct sun light and mist the soil every day to keep it moist. It will come down to the 50s at night the next few days so hopefully it's okay.

How long does it take for it to develop 2nd set of leaves and ready to be transplanted into bigger pot please?

Thanks