GROWING JALAPEÑO FROM SEED TO TRANSPLANTING PEPPER PLANTS
Jalapeño peppers are plants that grow well in all climates. You can grow them by planting them in a pot and wait for them to grow. If you have an outdoor garden, you can also take advantage of that place as jalapeño peppers transplant well over there. This way you have your homegrown jalapeño peppers, so you won’t have to go to the market and search for the best jalapeño peppers, as you know that homegrown vegetables are grown in a safe environment and are healthy and safe to consume.
At the supermarket, you don’t always find your preference of jalapeño peppers, so growing them at home might be a gift for yourself when at times you need jalapeño peppers urgently, and you have to pick them up from your backyard.
However, growing jalapeño from seed at home is not an easy process, you need to learn the science that results in good quality jalapeño peppers as you won’t want to waste your precious time and energy in growing plants that don’t grow up to the mark and you have to discard them in the end.
This article will guide you with all the steps required for growing jalapeño from seed to the final point of transplanting pepper plants, so you have to read this, and you will know the rules of increasing jalapeño pepper plants at home.
Let’s start with the first step, then well proceed step by step:
SELECTION OF SEEDS
When you plan to plant jalapeño peppers at home, there is a vast variety of seeds available that you need to check and choose the ones that you like the most. The variations are based on the color of jalapeño peppers and the heat content of these chili peppers. Also, there is a vast difference in size and taste based on the colors. Commonly there are red and green jalapeño peppers, but purple and white breeds exist too. It would be best if you chose seeds according to your interest means that which one you often use once you have decided this thing. You can select the seeds that you require and move to the next step.
PLANTING THE SEEDS
You will require these few things in the process of growing jalapeño from seed.
Jalapeno pepper seeds of your choice
3-inch pots
Soilless mix
Water
Natural or artificial light
Thermometer
Balanced fertilizer
The recommended time for sowing your seeds is two months before you have to transplant the pepper plants in your garden. The method is described below
Put two seeds in 3-inch pots that are filled with soil mixture. These seeds should go deeper than a ¼ inch.
Remember to water them every day.
Place these pots in an area, which gets adequate sunlight.
Note that jalapeño peppers require a soil temperature of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit to germinate well.
You can check the temperature of the soil using a thermometer.
The plant should be watered regularly but should not get soggy.
Use a balanced fertilizer in some days so that plant grows without any retardation. However, do not increase the quantity of the fertilizer as this harm the growing plants.
If you have placed the pot on a window, rotate it after every four days so that the light reaches every part of the pant. If both seeds germinate, take out the weaker one, so that the results are amazing and you do not have a compromised plant after so much hard work.
Then during the last week of the two-month plan, bring the plant to the conditions that match with those in the garden. The plant is ready to be transplanted when there are no signs of frost.
LOCATION MATTERS
It is essential to find a warm windowsill, where you always have light reaching your plant. These plants require 6 hours straight where they get direct light. The first set of leaves that grows require checking. Snipping off the weakest one is a step that must be performed, as you will get the best plant for transplant in the later stage if you follow this step as it is explained. As soon as you have healthy seedlings, the plant is ready for transplant then harvesting and at the end comes the exciting part that is eating and having fun with chili sauces and hot recipes that satisfy your urge for homemade spicy food.
TRANSPLANTING PEPPER PLANTS
When you have to keep your plants outside after they have grown into a seedling, this process is known as transplanting. The steps for transplanting pepper plants are as follows:
Do not disturb the roots. Handle the plant with extra care.
Maintain a favorable soil environment.
Transplant the pepper plants in the right depth.
Firstly, you have to prepare the soil by mixing sand and compost. This mixture is good for the growth of plants and gives impressive results. Then fix the roots in the ground, so they are 1 inch below the soil. Jalapeño peppers roots grow deeper with time and make their place. It is better to transplant your plants in the evening, so they are away from direct sunlight at that time. If the weather is hot, the transplants will require more water. However, a cardboard piece can be used as a shade if you think the weather is too harsh for the jalapeño pepper plant to bear.
HANDLE WITH CARE
Always remember that jalapeño peppers have capsaicin in them, so if you ever touch them with your hands, do not put the hands on your face or eyes, as it will irritate your skin. Also, practice washing your hands with soap after touching jalapenos to stay away from any unfavorable circumstances.
THE FINAL WORDS
When you are done with the growing and harvesting job, sit back and watch your jalapeño peppers growing well in every season. It is such a delight using handpicked peppers from your kitchen garden and adding them in your recipes. If you have many jalapeño peppers at your place, you can share them with friends and bring a healthy choice and flavor to their lives too.
Happy gardening to you!
