Germinating Seeds is an essential part to any gardeners growing process. We all know how disappointing it can be to see such a low percentage of all seeds germinating. Why does it have to be so difficult to start pepper seeds, or any seeds for that matter??
I’m going to talk about some tips and tricks that I have learned over the years that that can help you maximize your germination rate, and make sure you get upwards of 90-100% germination on your seeds!

This article covers germination only, if you want tips to growing your own pepper, check out our other article on how to grow the perfect peppers.

Common Mistakes – Thinking Seed Soaking is Necessary for Germination Success

A common misconception is that you MUST soak your seeds in order to obtain high germination rates. Furthermore, that you should be soaking them in a tea to simulate the natural progression through a bird’s digestive tract. While soaking seeds allows you to determine what seeds are viable.

   If you set your seeds in a bowl of water for 24 hours
     -The ones that float are not desirable
     -The ones that sink are good to plant

It has been shown that seed soaking has no real improvement in the success rates for germinating. DaisyDawes created an article testing different soaking mediums for germination success and found there was no conclusive proof that soaking your seeds will help them germinate. In fact, the un-soaked seeds germinated better than those soaked in tea or water.

As you can see germination rates for most were in the 90% regardless of what method was used.

Soaking seeds won’t necessarily improve your germination rates, but it also won’t hurt you too much in the long run.

Common Mistake #2 – Treating Seeds like Plants

A common mistake, one that I’m sure most of us have made, is putting our seeds in soil and watering every day or two like we would a seedling or plant. However, seeds must have a certain level of moisture to germinate. That’s why it is recommended to water lightly twice a day until you begin to see the sprouts. This is dependent on your soil and temperature, just make sure you are keeping the soil moist. There is no need to keep your soil damp 24/7 though, as that can lead to mold and rot.

Another mistake is putting your seeds on a windowsill or under any other light source. Most seeds germinate best under dark, warm conditions, as this simulates being underneath soil. I recommend putting seeds in a closet or on a shelf in your cupboard in order to minimize light. That being said, light will not eliminate your chances of growing seeds, it will just make the process slower and may make it harder.

Remember seedlings and seeds Are NOT the same, thus the conditions and recommendations for growing seedlings do not apply to germinating seeds.

The Best Way to Maximize Your Germination Rates

This is a common, often overlooked way to really improve your germination success, and is SUPER simple to do.

 All you need is:
- (15) Quality Pepper Seeds
- (1) Plastic sandwich bag
- (1) Sheet of paper towel
-  Your seeds
- A bit of water

1. What you want to do is lay your seeds spread out onto ½ of the paper towel.
2. Then fold the paper towel in half on itself.
3. Next, I find its easiest to lightly seal the edges of the paper towel with wet fingers, so it does not open back up.
4. You then want to place the paper towel and seeds into the plastic bag, making sure not to shift the seeds too much, (it is important they stay spread out)
5. Once the seeds are in the bag, lightly mist or spray water into the bag, so that the paper towel is only lightly damp, you do NOT want to soak the seeds.
   
6. It should be uniformly wet to the touch.
7. Next, go ahead and seal the bag and place it somewhere warm and dark. Preferably on top of a grow light or a temperature-controlled room like your closet.
8. The seeds will slowly begin to germinate and after about a week you should notice the white roots begin to take place.
   
9. Let these seeds continue to grow until you begin to see green, then it is time to plant!
   

 

Carefully remove the wet paper towel from the bag, if it rips a little that is fine. Next, once you have the seeds in front of you, cut around all the desirable seeds, you can leave them within the paper towel as this protects their roots from being torn. Finally, go ahead and plant these seeds knowing they are healthy and will soon grow into seedlings.
Within a week of being in the soil, these seeds should begin to sprout and turn into seedlings.

Some things to remember are: brown seeds may not necessarily mean the seed is bad, often it means the seeds are merely mature. Although in some cases it can be a sign of mold or rot, so keep an eye out for them.

Be careful! Your seeds are most vulnerable when being transplanted from the paper towel to the soil so take extra care not to damage them.

Getting Started With This Method

Now that you have this information, it's time to test it out yourself by growing your own peppers!
The paper towel method works well on almost every type of seed, including the quality seeds we sell at Red Hot Seeds. Our organic seeds are hand-sorted to ensure all seeds are healthy and ready to be germinated & planted.