Pepper is one of the most popular crops among our Russian gardeners. The fruits of this plant have a wonderful peculiar taste. They are rich in vitamins and minerals. Peppers are used to prepare fresh and canned salads, they are stuffed, put in soups and borscht. In care, this wonderful culture is not particularly whimsical and resistant to diseases. Difficulties for a novice gardener can arise only when growing seedlings. The technology for obtaining strong plants on the windowsill has some of its own characteristics. The vegetable is grown a little differently than other garden crops.
When to plant pepper seedlings
A novice gardener must take into account the fact that at the beginning of growth, pepper develops extremely slowly. Therefore, its seeds should be planted early enough. Before being transferred to the ground, seedlings of this crop should grow in boxes for at least 70-90 days. If tomatoes and eggplants are sown in central Russia in mid-late March, then pepper should be planted at the end of February - in the 20th. In the southern regions of the country, seedlings can be planted earlier - at the beginning of the month.
The answer to the question of when to plant pepper seedlings also depends on the variety of this plant. Some varieties can be sown early. Such pepper is less sensitive to lack of lighting. But still, it is not recommended to plant seedlings before February 15.
What you need to know
The question of how to sow pepper seedlings and care for them properly comes down to the obligatory observance of some important recommendations for growing this crop in the early stages of development. Strong, he althy, potentially productive plants in boxes can only be obtained under these conditions:
- Compliance with the correct temperature regime. Sharp cooling or overheating of plants should not be allowed in any case. Otherwise, the pepper stalk will become stiff and stop growing in thickness. This will greatly affect the yield. It is also impossible to allow the temperature to drop below +13 degrees. Otherwise, seedling development will stop.
- Be careful when picking. Pepper roots are very tender and break easily. It is impossible to deepen it when carrying it into cups to the cotyledons, like seedlings of other crops. This plant is very sensitive to root rot. Buried peppers become sick and stunted.
- Water seedlings should be moderate. Pepper does not tolerate drying out and reacts painfully to overflows.
That is, for the successful cultivation of seedlings of this crop, you should simply provide the plants with uniform conditions without abrupt changes and stress.
Choice variety
Of course, a novice gardener should not only knowhow to sow pepper for seedlings, but also which variety is better to choose in this or that case. In our country, both early varieties of this crop intended for salads and canning, as well as medium-early and late ones, can be grown. The most popular among domestic summer residents are the following varieties:
- Atlant. These are mid-season peppers intended for cultivation both in open ground and in greenhouses.
- Early ripe fat baron with very sweet fruits. The growing season for this variety is short. Therefore, it is not necessary to sow it in February. You can plant seedlings even in early March.
- Eskimo F1. A very early pepper with a spreading bush and thick fruit walls.
- Star of the East golden F1 - very productive early hybrid.
- Isabella F1 is a mid-season variety with a very powerful yet compact bush.
Late varieties of pepper, such as Nochka F1, Paris F1 and others, are usually grown only in the southern regions of the country, that is, where warm weather lasts at least until mid-autumn.
Seed selection
With the question of when to plant pepper for seedlings and which variety to choose, we figured it out. Next, let's talk about how to properly prepare the planting material of this culture. Of course, pepper seeds should be selected first. Planting material purchased in a store is usually of sufficient quality - almost all seeds from bags germinate. If they were collected in the fall on their own, you shouldsorting. To do this, a 4% solution of ordinary table s alt is poured into a glass and the seeds are dipped into it for a couple of hours. Empty, non-germinating grains will simply float to the surface. They need to be collected and thrown away. Heavy seeds with germs will sink to the bottom of the glass. They are taken out and dried on a piece of thin clean cloth.
How to properly pickle pepper seeds
Such a procedure as planting pepper seeds for seedlings will be much more successful if the grains are pre-treated with fungicides. Etching will prevent the development of various kinds of viral and fungal diseases. For processing, the selected pepper seeds are placed in a gauze bag. Then the fungicide solution is poured into the jar. It can be, for example, "Fitosporin-M", "Maxim", "Vitaros", etc. Soaking is carried out according to the instructions attached to the drug. You can also not spend money on fairly expensive products and simply treat the seeds with a thick solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour.
After dressing, the planting material should be thoroughly washed without removing it from the bag.
Growth promoters
When to sow pepper seedlings, you now know. Better to do it in February. However, you can get an early harvest with a later planting date. If for some reason sowing was delayed, the seeds should be pre-treated with growth stimulants. In order for the plants to develop well in the future, you can soak the planting material, for example, in Epin (for 12 hours). If this drug is not at hand, it is allowed to replace it with a solution of woodash. It contains a lot of trace elements useful for pepper. For preparation, 2 g of ash is added to a liter jar with warm water and the resulting solution is infused for a day. The seeds are soaked in it for 3 hours.
Gauze sprouting
Before performing such an operation as planting pepper seeds for seedlings, the latter should be germinated, since this culture develops very slowly in the early stages. To do this, a sheet of plywood is laid in a warm place and covered with a piece of soft cloth soaked in water. Pepper seeds are placed on top. Next, a second moistened flap is placed on them. Over the next seven days, carefully monitor that the fabric does not dry out. In about a week, shoots will appear on the seeds. All further actions with planting material should be done as carefully as possible. The shoots of the seeds are very delicate and easy to break off.
After germination, such a procedure as preparing pepper seeds for seedlings can be considered complete. At the next stage, they begin disembarking.
Soil preparation
Of course, only on very nutritious and at the same time loose land can strong pepper seedlings be grown. You can see photos of well-developed plants obtained using suitable soil on this page. While the pepper seeds germinate, you can start preparing boxes for them. Tanks before backfilling the soil should be carefully treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. The soil mixture can be bought at the store. You should acquire land designed specifically for pepper. It would be nice to add a littlesand (0.5 parts to 3 parts of soil). If you wish, you can prepare the soil mixture yourself.
Good seedlings of peppers can be grown on soil of the following composition: 3 parts of humus or oily garden soil, 2 parts of peat and 1 part of sand. It is better to prepare all the ingredients in the autumn, falling asleep in bags.
The question of how to grow good seedlings of pepper comes down to the correct processing of the finished soil. The soil mixture, among other things, must be steamed in a double boiler or spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to remove infection. It is desirable to perform this procedure with purchased soil. Some manufacturers produce poor quality potting soil contaminated with various viruses and bacteria.
The boxes themselves must have drainage holes. Set containers in a shaded, warm place on pallets. The soil is filled in such a way that the distance to the edge of the sides of the boxes from its surface is approximately 2 cm.
Planting seeds
So, how to sow pepper seedlings correctly? Let's take a closer look at this.
Among other things, pieces of polyethylene or glass should be prepared before sowing. They are necessary to prevent the soil from drying out before the shoots of peppers. Plywood with germinated seeds is placed next to the boxes. Landing is done very carefully. It is best to capture the seeds with tweezers. Place them on the ground surface not too often. The distance between the seeds should be at least 2 cm. The shading and thickening of the pepper is not veryloves.
After all the seeds are laid out, they are sprinkled with soil mixture with a layer about 1.5 cm thick. Next, the planted pepper is carefully poured with water at room temperature from a spray bottle. The boxes are covered with glass or polyethylene. Subsequently, it will be necessary to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
Compliance with all the technologies described above is a good answer to the question of how to properly plant pepper seedlings. Plants should not be buried too deep. Pepper sprouts and so for a long time - two, and sometimes three weeks.
Appearance of sprouts
As soon as the loops become visible above the ground, the boxes should be rearranged on the windowsills. Since daylight hours in February and early March are still very short, it is advisable to arrange additional lighting for pepper. It is not difficult to find lamps with the spectrum necessary for the start of photosynthesis processes in our time. In addition, such equipment is not very expensive. Glass or film from the boxes, of course, should be removed.
Irrigation of small seedlings of pepper is done in the morning with tap water that has been settled for a day.
Dive
Plastic cups are best suited for transplanting grown plants. Very strong and he althy seedlings of peppers can be grown in them. Picking dates are determined by the degree of development of the plant. Transplant after 2-3 leaves appear on the peppers. In glasses, plants will develop the soil much better than in boxes.
Perform a pickas follows:
- The day before the operation, seedlings in boxes are well poured.
- The plants are hooked with a finger and taken out, gently supporting the leaf blades, and not the fragile stalk.
- In cups filled with soil mixture of the same composition as in the boxes, holes are first made of such a diameter that the roots of the peppers do not bend.
- The plant installed in the hole is sprinkled with soil mixture, slightly compacting it. When performing this procedure, you need to ensure that the peppers are not buried in the ground above the root collar (in any case, no more than 0.5 cm).
- The transplanted plants are watered.
- Cups are installed next to the windowsills, they need to be shaded. After the peppers are accepted, they are carried closer to the light.
It is possible to remove the main root of peppers, but not necessarily. Some agronomists believe that such a procedure can do more harm to a plant than good. The fact is that the main tap root is responsible for the delivery of nutrients in pepper, like in most other crops. But the rapid development of lateral processes will not bring much benefit to plants.
How to feed?
Approximately two months later, pepper seedlings (you can see a photo of grown plants below) process the soil mixture resource almost completely. Therefore, after this period, it should begin to feed. For the first time, fertilizers are applied some time after the pick. In the second - in about a couple of weeks.
The best types of top dressing for peppers are liquid mixtures with a high content of potassium (for example, Mortar or Senior Tomato). You can also fertilize the plants with a weak solution of ash or a tincture of chicken manure diluted with water in a ratio of at least one to twenty.
Transshipment of plants
The hardening of peppers starts a little later than other garden crops. These plants develop, as already mentioned, in the first stages rather slowly. After the tomatoes and eggplants are put on the balcony or taken to the dacha, pepper seedlings can be transferred to glasses or pots of a larger capacity. This procedure should be carried out carefully, trying not to damage or bend the roots. They take peppers from glasses exclusively with a clod of earth.
Terms of landing in open ground
With when to sow pepper for seedlings, we figured it out. It is transferred to the ground approximately 70-90 days after planting in boxes. At the same time, the soil in the garden should warm up to at least +15 degrees. Usually transplantation is done from May 10 to June 25. By this time, the plants should already have about 10 leaves, as well as a few unopened buds. It is impossible to delay the planting of this culture. Bloomed pepper is taken much worse. In addition, blossoming buds can simply dry out. Of course, this will affect the yield.
Like most nightshades, peppers don't handle frost very well. Therefore, over the bed, be sure to install arcs of thickwire or polypropylene thin pipes and fit the resulting frame with some kind of non-woven covering material.
How to properly plant pepper seedlings in the ground
The day before the transfer, the plants are thoroughly shed. The beds are prepared in a well-lit area, protected from strong winds. The lack of light will affect the yield. A strong wind will "wrap" and weaken the plants.
When we de alt with the question of how to sow pepper for seedlings correctly, we also mentioned that this crop feels best on loose soils. Heavy soils, meanwhile, are not tolerated not only by young bushes, but also by adults.
If there is no plot with loose fertile soil in the garden, the soil must be improved by adding humus, peat and sand. As a fertilizer, it is recommended to use ash (1 tbsp per 1 m²), superphosphate and potassium sulfate (1 tbsp per 1 m²), as well as urea (1 tsp per 1 m²).
Dig up the earth for the beds under the pepper on the bayonet of the shovel. The surface of the soil should be carefully leveled. Large clods are broken with a rake, stones are removed from the bed.
Thickness is something that pepper seedlings cannot tolerate. The planting dates for this plant are the end of May or the beginning of June. Peppers are arranged on the bed in rows at a distance of at least 50 cm from each other. In this case, the row spacing should be 60 cm. The plant is carefully removed from the glass along with a clod of earth, set in place so that the root neck remains on the surface, andfill the hole halfway with moist soil. Topping up is done with dry earth.
After all the peppers are planted, the bed is mulched with sawdust or dry grass. Then produce abundant watering.
Growing in the greenhouse
Plants are planted in closed ground in much the same way as in open ground. The only difference is the transfer times. If the greenhouse is heated, boxes can be placed in it already in the middle of spring. After adaptation, the plants are moved to a permanent place. Pepper seedlings in the greenhouse should also be well fertilized. It is best to shed the ground with a solution prepared with chicken manure before planting (200 grams per bucket of water, 1.5 liters per plant).
So, we have figured out in detail how and when to plant pepper seedlings. This culture is not particularly whimsical, and caring for it is easy. However, it is still necessary to observe the established technologies when growing it. In particular, you need to be careful when picking, transshipment and carrying into open ground. It is impossible to deepen the plants too much, as well as to allow damage to the roots.
