[CH] Chlorine Bleach
Celeste or Dave Anderson (Gtoughchile@mail.greatbasin.net)
Wed, 24 Mar 1999 12:32:34 +0000
> Last week or so there was a discussion on soaking seeds in
something
> like bleach (?) to get rid of bacteria before planting them. I am
> planting seeds this afternoon and need to know how long to soak them
> before planting. Also, if I soak them, do I dry them before I plant or
> just leave them wet?
Dave DeWitt and Paul Bosland give a couple of reasons for soaking
seeds in Chlorine Bleach in "The Pepper Garden"
"Some peppers, especially wild varieties such as Chiletepin have a
particularly tough seed coat and are slow to germinate. Growers
should soak the seeds for five minutes in a 10-percent bleach
solution, rinse well and then plant them. This procedure will soften
the seed coat so the seed will germinate more quickly. If the seed
has not germinated in 14 days, the bleach treatment can be repeated."
"Peppers are susceptible to plant pathogens, such as bacterial leaf
spot and tobacco mosaic virus, on the seed coat. Since the gardner
cannot detect such pathogens, a relatively simple procedure has been
developed to remove them. First soak the seeds for one-half hour in a
10-percent (weight to volume) trisodium phosphate (TSP) solution.
(TSP is available at most hardware stores as a wall cleaner). After
soaking, rinse the seeds thoroughly in cold running water. Then soak
the seeds in a ten-percent bleach solution for five minutes, rinse
them thoroughly in cold running water until all of the bleach odor is
gone. Dry the seeds and sow within a month of treatment."
This probably is not necessary with seeds from commercial seed
sellers, but probably is not a bad idea if you are unsure of the
source. Many seed suppliers treat peppers with chlorine
"Georgia treatment" and sometimes with Thiram, a mild fungicide.
Good luck!!
Dave Anderson
Tough Love Chile Co.
http://www.tough-love.com
e-mail Chilehead@tough-love.com