YvanFeb 4

About half my chillies have germinated already - some time in the last 36 hours anyway. Chamomile soaked from 25th Jan, planted in pairs in mini pots on 28th Jan and popped into the #HotFridge, germinated circa 3rd/4th Feb.

If there is a race to be won here I guess the prize goes to the Chilli Chump "Kimchi Pepper" seeds — all 4 seeds strongly germinated!

Currently our no-shows are Chilli Chump Naga Morich, and also both Rocoto varieties (Marlene and Costa Rica, also both Chilli Chump, from last year.)

On the superhot germination front we have have a single Naga Morich from Fatalii and a single 7 Pot Brainstrain Yellow from Chilli Chump. That's pretty speedy for superhots really.

#chillies #growyourown #gyo #chilipeppers #peppers

Show threadYvanFeb 4
I plant 2 seeds per pot for redunancy and remove the pots to go onto the "grow light shelf" as soon as one seedling has popped up. If two germinate in a pot I plan to either repot the second one or cull it by the end of Feb. That's a per-variety decision to be made on whether I want to grow more plants/redundancy or just save myself the potting-on hassle. Though I am thinking I may offer spares to my colleagues, a few of them are also growers and chillies do also make fun indoor plants...
Show threadYvanFeb 4

Time to get the next set into some chamomile I guess. We have a few more chillies to go, and then I also start out my eggplants and capsicums at this time using the same method — first half Feb.

Tomatoes get the same treatment but I probably won't start them until the first week of March... they grow so damn fast, there just isn't that much of a rush.

There's other sowing going on as well, but done more simply, and not necesarilly needing the #HotFridge... I'm also about to do various alliums and a few other bits. It all gets pretty busy from this point.

Show threadrooftopjaxxFeb 4
@yvan Why chamomile and not 'proper tea'?
Show threadYvanFeb 4

@rooftopjaxx chamomile is supposed to have some antiseptic/antifungal properties whilst I don't think "proper tea" has the same compounds.

I think the science proving anything either way is pretty limited, but there does seem to be some: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-08802-9

And James Wong also uses chamomile as a disinfectant: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/21/why-terrarium-plants-like-a-cup-of-chamomile-tea-beat-the-mould

I find a plain water soak helps a lot with speedy germination and a chamomile soak doesn't seem to hurt, so I use chamomile. I have never tried an A/B test with other tea varieties myself.

Investigation of the production and antifungal properties of nanocapsules containing chamomile essential oil - Scientific Reports

Our study aims to investigate the production of nanocapsules containing chamomile essential oil and assess their antifungal properties. We have developed a technological process for producing nanocapsules, selected chamomile raw materials, extracted the essential oil, and conducted research on the antimicrobial activity of nanocapsules against four fungal cultures: Candida albicans CGMCC 2.538, Aspergillus fumigatus CGMCC 3.5925, Trichophyton rubrum CGMCC 3.3777 and Epidermophyton floccosum CGMCC 3.3722. Our research revealed significant antimicrobial activity of chamomile-containing nanocapsules against all tested fungi. The zones of fungal inhibition varied depending on the oil concentration and were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The obtained results hold practical significance for the development of antimicrobial agents based on plant oils in the treatment of fungal infections. Further research may focus on the molecular mechanisms of chamomile oil’s action, clinical trials in humans, and the optimization of nanocapsule formulations. These steps may contribute to the development of more effective and targeted antimicrobial agents for combating fungal infections and improving patient health.

Nature
Show threadrooftopjaxx
@yvan OK, there are those, including our favourite Green, that insist it's either the mild acidity or the actual tannin in proper tea that does the trick
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A-T8E4sdM0o
If You Want To Succeed At GROWING CHILLIES? Watch This

YouTube
Feb 4 at 3:49pmWeb
Show threadYvanFeb 4

@rooftopjaxx yeah, I've read/watched content that uses both brown tea and green tea too... but chamomile is the one I've seen the most non-random and at least semi-scientific endorsement for.

Green tea is probably more likely to be effective than brown/fermented tea I gather.

I suspect they probably all work about equally well and that the biggest win in terms of germination is likely to be just from a water soak to soften the seed shell.

Show threadYvanFeb 4

@rooftopjaxx this claims in favour of green tea over other teas: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372109443_Antifungal_efficiency_of_different_forms_of_tea_extract_Camellia_sinensis_against_Candida_albicans_An_in_vitro_experimental_study

I also suspect you'd get better protection against things like "damping off" by misting post-germination than from seed soaking, a la the James Wong article.

Show threadYvanFeb 4
@rooftopjaxx apparently if you're feeling particularly hipster then rooibos is also an option.