How to get pepper seeds at home

Despite the abundance of varieties and hybrids of pepper seeds in stores, many gardeners prefer to harvest their seed material. It is not only a matter of saving finances (although it is substantial), but also that stronger seeds are obtained from our own seeds, adapted to specific conditions.

Their productivity, as a rule, is higher, and their diseases affect less.

But when receiving seeds, it is necessary to take into account some nuances:

• features of agricultural technology;
• isolation of various grades.

Without following some rules, high-quality seed material cannot be obtained. Therefore, our article will be devoted to how to properly harvest pepper seeds.

How to collect pepper seeds for seedlings?

To begin with, in the spring, you need to decide on the collection of your own seeds in order to correctly distribute the planting of pepper. The fact is that sweet pepper in this case can not be grown next to hot pepper, otherwise there will be dusting. By collecting seeds from such fruits, the next year there is a high risk of getting peppers with a bitter aftertaste instead of sweetness.

These types of peppers can be planted nearby.

In order to prevent peppers from dusting, place beds with them at a distance of at least 100 meters from each other.

How to choose the right plant

The next step is the selection of plants from whose fruits seeds will be harvested. What you should pay attention to:

1. Bushes of peppers should be strong, healthy.
2. For harvesting seeds, you need to choose two or three bushes, and take the fruits from each. This will be a kind of safety net in case any plant suddenly becomes ill.
3. The best time for choosing bushes is mid-summer, when the development of the plant, the speed of formation, the quality of the fruits are already visible.
4. It is necessary to select bushes with beautiful, large fruits, which in size, color will most closely correspond to a particular variety.

Peppers should be uniform in size, have the shape inherent in this variety. So, if the cone-shaped red fruits up to 12-14 cm long are indicated in the description of the variety, then such peppers should also be on the bush.

Rules for choosing fruits for seeds

Having chosen the "favorites" from the plants, then they begin to choose the fruits from which the seeds will be taken. And here you also need to consider some recommendations.

It is clear that the best seeds will be in beautiful and healthy fruits. So select them, given that they must grow on the shoots of the first or second level. Typically, in peppers, it is these fruits that are the largest, and they are the very first to reach the state of technical maturity.

They should show all the signs of a "breed":

• appropriate weight;
• the form;
• sizes
• skin color.

There should be no damage to the pepper (dents, cracks, chips).

As you know, the fruits of pepper can be removed for eating already in a state of technical maturity. When does she come? The fruits reach weight, the size of full-fledged fruits, but their color is still green. Such peppers are already suitable for food, but they cannot be used for collecting seeds.

Seeds are collected only from fruits in the stage of biological ripeness, that is, when they change the color of the skin from green to yellow, red, pink, orange. This is an indicator that peppers are fully ripe.

Experienced gardeners usually remove peppers in green, stacking them for ripening indoors. By this they stimulate the formation and ripening of subsequent fruits, which increases the yield as a whole. But when collecting their seeds on those bushes that are selected, the fruits of the first and second level are not removed. They are left to ripen until the end, until the fruits acquire a characteristic color for the variety, and when pressed on the walls of the pepper, a slight crackle will appear.

This is the time from the moment the fetus is formed to its full maturation. In order not to accidentally cut the fruit intended for collecting seeds, it is recommended to tie ribbons or ribbons to the branches.

Opinions about the ripening of peppers on a plant and their harvesting for seeds are different. It is believed that peppers should be allowed to ripen on the bush (as the weather permits), then the seeds will have good immunity and retain their qualities for a long period. At the same time, the material that will be taken from peppers that reach biological ripeness in the room will also be good, but it will lose germination rate faster. Usually gardeners do not store seeds for a long time, for sowing in the spring they use material collected last summer.

Seed production

So, the peppers selected for seed should be on the bush for as long as possible. The remaining fruits can be removed and green, and these - let them ripen only with full ripeness, they can be carefully cut.

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The choice of two or three bushes in this case will be fully justified, since the seed fruits can be damaged (for more than a month of ripening), deformed. Stock will avoid loss and you will always have the opportunity to take seeds, if not from this bush, then from another.

Cut ripe peppers are placed on full ripening and drying in a warm room. The place should be warm, bright (but without direct sunlight), dry. Fruits can be laid out on saucers, not forgetting to note where which grade. This is especially important if several varieties of sweet pepper are grown and confusion is possible.

If there are few fruits, you can cut off part of the pepper with the testis and leave it to be ripened. The rest of the fetus is used as food. As soon as the walls of the pepper become soft, wrinkled, you can gently deliver the seeds. It usually takes up to 10-14 days, but it all depends on the variety of pepper, juiciness and maturity of the fetus, indoor conditions.

Seeds from the fruit are carefully poured onto saucers or paper, and without confusing the varieties, again left for about 12-15 days for complete drying. After that, they can be stored.

Seed storage

After such painstaking work, one thing remains - to properly preserve the seeds until the next year, until the time of sowing. To do this, first prepare paper bags or envelopes, where they put the seeds by grade.

Then put the peppers in a cool and dry dark place. It excludes sunbathing on sachets, as well as storage of seeds in conditions of high humidity. Fatal to peppers and low temperatures.

Getting hot pepper seeds is no different from sweet pepper. But when working with it, you must use bandages or even respirators, do not touch your face with your hands, and after work, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands twice. Failure to comply with these rules will lead to very unpleasant consequences: burning of the skin, burns.

Peppers can be stored for up to three years, but we must remember that the annual germination is distinguished by the best germination rate.

Reviews

Daria, Moscow region

I never tried to take my seeds, I bought all the time. And since I grow a bunch of everything, the darkness leaves money. But the neighbor was interested, she takes her seeds from peppers and tomatoes. Harvests every year are very good.

So she advised me, so for two years I tried to collect seeds. There is no special trouble, I took the largest peppers, left them to ripen, and then removed. They dried on the window, then just took out the seeds, and dried them in a fabric bag. All sprout, 100%.

Irina, Kursk

And I always take seeds from purchased peppers. Last year, I took peppers for the New Year, left the seeds, and dried them in a box. In March, sowed, then seedlings in the garden under the arches grew. What were in the store, and such have grown. So I’ve been growing the grove for about 6 years, no trouble, and I don’t buy seeds specially. I only do this with peppers.

Alexey, Novgorod region

I never buy seeds of peppers and tomatoes in the store. Mother-in-law always took her seeds, well, and I follow her example in the same way. I also harvest hot peppers, they only grow in my far corner of the garden so that I don’t get dusty with sweets.

I have three varieties of pepper, names and I don’t know, the form is different for everyone - they’re bocchat, then there is an elongated one and also like cones. For harvesting, lecho and stuffing we use fruits from different varieties. I harvest a lot of seeds, I also supply relatives, no one complains about germination.