# Will chili powder in soil kill seedlings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294 "2019-10-05T01:43:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/1 "2019-10-05T01:43:20Z")
Short version: Will chili powder in soil kill seedlings? Longer version: I prepared two rectangular planters on our balcony with potting mix and bunged some coriander seeds in. And of course, our cheeky kitty decided it looked like a WONDERFUL litter box! So I applied liberal amounts (read: shitloads) of chili powder and so far it has worked to deter said kitty from using them. From all the digging I doubt any of the seeds will now germinate, so thinking of just getting some seedlings and planting them in the boxes…but I want to keep the chili powder going to make sure she doesn’t think the coast is clear for her to re-establish her shitter box. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/2 "2019-10-05T03:47:27Z")
Answer: Very unlikely. The plants would be more likely to die as a result of being overfertilized by the cat. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/3 "2019-10-05T03:54:08Z")
I once tried liberally sprinkling cayenne over tulip bulbs to deter squirrels from digging them up. Didn’t hurt the bulbs a bit. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/4 "2019-10-05T11:51:11Z")
Coriander is very easy to germinate and grows fast too. I would suggest you start the seeds in 4-6 plastic cups and then transplant them to your pot when they are a few weeks old. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/5 "2019-10-05T12:53:24Z")
People think of capsaicin (the active ingredient in chilies) as causing chemical burns, but actually it just fools the heat receptors. And not even all heat receptors, just the ones in mammals. With anything other than a mammal, there’s no reason to expect capsaicin to do anything in particular, any more than any other random organic molecule. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/6 "2019-10-05T13:42:25Z")
I’ve used pepper and garlic powder to deter burrowing animals at sites of new plantings and it didn’t have any noticeable effect on plant growth. It didn’t much bother the chipmunks or whatever else was digging either. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/7 "2019-10-05T23:45:58Z")
Thanks all for the reassurances, I’ll give it a burl. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294/8 "2019-10-06T01:30:57Z")
You can put some chicken wire at soil level and secure it to the planter. Kitties don’t like that.