How to Germinate Chiltepin Seeds (with seagull excrement)

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Q: Hi Dave:

First of all I want to congratulate you for your site—it’s very useful. I live in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.  I work at a vegetable seed company in the production department.  I was wondering if there is some information about how to germinate chiltepin seeds. I want to establish a crop to export dried chiles to the U.S. but it is very difficult to germinate seeds.  I’ve tried everything: boiled seeds, warmed seeds, and only 10 of 100 germinate.  Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,

Jorge López Rodriguez

 

A: Hola Jorge:

Thanks for your kind comments.  My chiltepins didn’t germinate either, but I have 7-year-old plants in pots so I don’t really need any more of them.  My webmaster, Harald Zoschke, who lives in Germany, devised a method for germinating the seeds that I will share with you.  As you probably know, in the wild, chiltepins are spread by birds that excrete the seeds in a natural fertilizer.  So Harald, who lives by the Baltic Sea, was having trouble germinating chiltepins and went to the beach and collected seagull excrement.  He mixed up a slurry of seagull caca and water, placed the seeds in it and left them for a week.  Then he removed the seeds with tweezers and planted them.  He had very good results.  I would suggest that you probably know some people who keep birds–parrots, parakeets, or even chickens or turkeys.  Collect the caca and give it a try.  I’ll bet it works, so let me know.

Buena suerte,

Dave

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