How to Grow Capsicum from Seeds

Capsicum plants are one of the easiest plants to grow from seeds, even if you’re just growing capsicum plants in pots on your balcony or in your garden.

Growing chilli peppers is so simple and straightforward that you’ll be able to do it even if you’ve never grown any plants before, which makes this an ideal project to undertake as part of your beginner gardening activities.

Follow these simple steps to learn how to grow capsicum from seeds in no time at all!

What You Will Need

To grow capsicum, you will need a few things:

A packet of capsicum seeds. You can plant seeds from store-bought capsicum too!
A small pot or seed tray
Nutrient rich soil
A water sprayer
Pest control
Fertilizer

First thing’s first

Choose a good variety of capsicum seeds that have good germination yield. I like to choose capsicum varieties that are disease resistant.

Choose a good spot for planting capsicum since it is sun-loving plants which preferes sunny spots to grow. Plant capsicum in a sunny spot that receives 4 – 5 hours of direct sunlight everyday.

Prepare a good potting mix. Capsicum loves nutrient rich soil.

Step one – germinate your seeds

The first step in how to grow capsicum is to soak the seeds in water overnight. When selecting seeds, I choose seeds that sank to the bottom and discard the floating seeds.

The next day, plant two or three seeds about an inch deep in your potting soil.

Cover your container with plastic wrap, and set it in a warm place indoors with plenty of light.

Check back after 5 to 10 days. Capsicum can take up to 14 days to germinate!

Once you see sprouts, thin out any extra plants. You will want only one seedling per cup and move your seedlings into larger pots with individual drainage holes.

Then it’s time for phase two of how to grow capsicum: nutrient-rich soil.

Step two – Potting Up Capsicum Plants

After 2 weeks, the capsicum seeds will start germinating. Here are pictures of germinated Capsicum.

Place your seedling in a pot of well-drained, fertile soil and cover with about 5 mm of soil.

Water well and place in a warm, sunny position.

Check every day and be prepared to offer water regularly.

Young capsicums can be transplanted once they have several sets of true leaves, which appear after about five weeks.

Ensure you regularly inspect your plants and apply organic insecticides or biological controls if necessary.

Work hard – grow big – sell more : If you want big capsicums, give them plenty of space and nutrients to help them grow quickly.

When fertilising make sure that you mix it into the top 10 cm of soil and keep it away from their roots as it can burn them.

It’s also a good idea to mulch heavily around your plant’s base so that it keeps moisture around its feet and restricts weed growth.

Protecting your baby capsicums is really important in helping them reach maturity. Capsicum plants don’t like frosty nights or dry days, so ensure that there is always plenty of water available until they are fully grown.

Step three – Harden off your plants

When your plants have at least four or five sets of true leaves, it’s time to prepare them for life in a real pot.

It’s important that you don’t take too big a jump when you transplant them, so stick with pots just 1-2 sizes bigger than what they currently are.

Always transplant in the evening so that the seedlings could have a longer time to adjust to its surroundings. Most importantly, to avoid water losses through transpiration.

Fill their new pots with soil and ensure there is enough space between each seedling; you should be able to fit your finger between their stems.

Water well after planting. We find watering all around really helps encourage capsicums to grow upwards rather than spreading outwards.

You can do multiple waterings per day if need be. Make sure there’s some time between each session as waterlogged roots will suffocate themselves and eventually slows their growth.

Ensure they get plenty of light too.

Keep an eye on your growing plants: Once they’re in their final pots we recommend keeping an eye on them—they may seem happy right now but root damage can set in after a day or two, which is why it’s always worth checking on them at least once every couple days.

How to Nourish and Care To The Plant

Ensure that you water your plant every day.

Capsicum plants use nutrients from the soil as they grow,therefore it is important to replenish organic nutrients in the soil by feeding them organic fertilisers after the third or fourth week of planting them.

Sometimes the weather can be windy. To prevent the plant from blowing down by the wind, use some garden stakes to hold the plant upright.

How To Keep Pests and Disease Away From Capsicum Plants?

The most common disease in the capsicum plants are related to the fungus. You may notice that the plants may be discoloured and develop spots. Sometimes, the leaves were turning yellow and dropping.

Here are some tips to keep pests and disease away from capsicum plants.

Rotating your vegetable crops to prevent buildup in the soil of disease or insects.
Remove infected parts. If needed, remove the affected plants to prevent the spread of the virus.
Provide adequate fertiliser
Spray with natural fungicide. Pure neem oil mixed with castile soaps is believed to keep aphids away.
Avoid wetting the leaves when watering
Keep weed under control.
Plant resistant capsicum varieties