Content
Pepper is considered a bit of a capricious plant, which is why many are afraid to grow it. In fact, everything is not as complicated as it seems. Caring for him is almost the same as for other vegetable crops. You just need to remember that pepper loves warmth, and it is not possible to grow it outdoors in every region of Russia. In the northern regions, this vegetable is grown in greenhouses, but the inhabitants of the middle lane are more fortunate, and you can safely grow pepper right in the garden.
The best yield can certainly be achieved in greenhouse conditions. But if this is not possible, open ground is also good. The main thing is to take into account some important nuances. So we will consider all the secrets of growing pepper in the open field, from preparing seeds for seedlings, to planting pepper seedlings.
When to start sowing seedlings
Sowing time depends primarily on the selected variety. The seed packages indicate when the pepper should be planted on seedlings.
Usually seedlings for open ground grown later than for the greenhouse. It is necessary to determine when the frost ends and the soil warms up well. We will build on this date, deciding when to plant seeds for seedlings of peppers. Early ripening varieties of peppers are sown 2 months before planting in the ground, mid-ripening ones - 65–70 days, and later ones should be planted no earlier than 75 days before planting in the garden.
Seedlings for open ground can be planted in early June, when there are comfortable conditions for good plant growth. But peppers can be planted in the greenhouse from the end of April.
These calculations are very important. Sowing seeds later, you run the risk of not waiting for the fruit on time. But even worse, sowing ahead of time. In this case, before the time of disembarkation, the seedlings will become high and spreading, and ovaries or flowers will appear on it. It would seem that this will only speed up the ripening time of the pepper. But the opposite is true, when transplanting, the plant will fully and completely devote all its strength to the restoration of the root. And the resulting ovaries are likely to fade, or the fruits will ripen very slowly. Fruiting will be greatly slowed down due to the long development of the ovaries that have already appeared.
Preparing seeds for sowing
Many people harvest seeds themselves in the fall, in this way it is possible to collect seeds from the harvested crop from year to year, and not spend money on purchased ones. But, if you are planting pepper for the first time or want to try a new variety, then in specialized stores there is a huge selection of different types of pepper.
Consider the packing time when buying seeds. Remember that seeds suitable for planting should be no more than 3 years old. Germination decreases in the fourth year. Usually, the packing date is indicated on the packaging, and not the collection of the seeds themselves, so their suitability is reduced by another year. Take only those that were packed no more than two years ago.
To start sowing with peace of mind, you can check the germination of seeds. This procedure will help separate viable seeds from those that cannot germinate. This is done using a saline solution, which can be prepared by combining:
- 1 liter of water;
- 2 tablespoons of salt.
Stir the solution well so that the salt dissolves completely. We lower the pepper seeds in a container with water and wait until they begin to separate from each other themselves. Viable seeds will remain at the bottom, and dead ones will float. Some do not use this method due to the fact that, along with bad seeds, they are simply very dried. However, this method is still effective and very simple. After separation, the upper seeds must be collected with a spoon, and those that are at the bottom must be filtered, rinsed with clean water and dried on a sheet of paper.
You can also just sort out the seeds with your own hands. Small and too large ones are thrown away, leaving only medium-sized seeds.
Sowing seedlings
Before planting, the seeds should be soaked for several hours or a day to soften them. Now you can start sowing, but first we will determine what is better to plant the seeds. For such purposes, several options are used: boxes, individual cups and pots, special peat tablets.
The last two options are most suitable for seedlings of peppers. It is much easier to plant peppers from separate containers, and without harm to the plant itself and the root system. Seedling boxes are not so good to use, as removing the seedlings from the box can severely damage the root and thin stem. Alternatively, you can spend Picking in separate cups, but it will take longer. Moreover, pepper does not respond very well to transplants.
It is advisable to pick a pick only if you bought a new variety of pepper and do not know for sure whether it will rise well. Then instead of wasting space on the windowsill and cups, you can sow seeds in one box, and after they sprout, transplant the strongest shoots into separate containers. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the root. The plant should be removed with a large amount of soil, and in no case should the soil be tamped in a glass.
So, in each glass, to a depth of two centimeters, we place 2 or 3 seeds. Try to keep them not too close to the surface so that the root system can develop normally, but not too deep so as not to drown out the sprout.
Before sowing, the soil must be moistened, but carefully so as not to turn it into a swamp. You can use a sprayer. If you are planting seeds in a box, it is important to maintain a distance of up to 7 centimeters. At first, containers with seeds need to be covered with a film, to create the effect of a greenhouse.
Preparing the soil for growing seedlings
You can buy seedling soil at a specialty store, but if you are not looking for easy ways, you can prepare it yourself. The components are the most affordable, different options are possible. The main components are:
- Peat or peat mixture.
- Sod land.
- Lying files.
- Humus.
- Ash.
- Sand.
The proportions and components may be different. For example, you can combine peat, earth, sand and humus in equal parts. It all depends on the components you have.
And if you buy soil in a store, watch the pH level, which should be indicated on the package. For pepper, the norm will be from 7 to 7.2, since it does not like acidic soils.
So that the soil does not contain viruses and fungi, it must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, or if there are few seedlings, you can warm up the soil using a conventional oven.
Seedling care
Since pepper is a heat-loving vegetable, the most important thing when growing seedlings is to maintain the right temperature. In order for the seedlings to grow and develop well, they must beat from +24 ° C to +28 ° C. If the room is cooler, heating lamps can be used. Not only the air should be warmed up, but also the soil.
The planted seeds should be covered with foil until the first shoots appear. You cannot open the film earlier, so you have to be patient. After germination, the seedlings especially need a lot of light so that the sprouts get stronger and grow well. Cups or boxes of seedlings should be kept on the south side of the house. During the germination period, it is also desirable to illuminate with lamps.
Note! So that the glasses that are closer to the window do not block the light for the rest, you can put them all on a tray, and put a plate under it on the edge of the window sill, which will give the tray the necessary slope. So, the glasses farthest from the window will also receive the required amount of light.
If you notice that the sprouts are becoming too thin and elongated, this means that the seedlings do not have enough light. It may be necessary to leave the lamps on all day. When the peppers are growing in a shared box, the sprouts can interfere with each other's sunlight. In this case, it is necessary to break through the seedlings.
It is very important to keep the soil moist, avoid overdrying and over-watering. Do not water pepper seedlings with cold tap water; it should be 2 ° C warmer than soil temperature.
For the entire growth period, 2 subcortexes must be carried out. For these purposes, manure is well suited, which must be transported with water (1 part of manure to 10 parts of water). The mixture should stand for a couple of hours, and then you can pour the pepper over it. Also purchased top dressing is used, for example, vermicompost.
Hardening pepper seedlings should be started a week or two before planting in the ground. The purpose of hardening is to accustom plants to changes in air temperature and humidity levels. To do this, boxes with seedlings are taken out on an open balcony or on the street, first for a couple of hours a day, and then the time will need to be increased. Pepper seedlings in open ground especially need hardening, because they will definitely have to face different weather conditions face to face.
Planting pepper seedlings in the ground
It is difficult to name the exact date when to plant pepper seedlings in open ground, however, you can accurately name the signs that will help determine whether it is time or not. First, the soil temperature of the soil must be warmed up to +15 ° C. Only then will the peppers take root well in a new place. Secondly, you can plant pepper only when it grows to twenty centimeters in height. Each sprout must have at least 9 leaves.
Choose a well-lit place where strong winds will not hit for planting pepper seedlings. The ideal time to plant peppers is evening. After all planting pepper seedlings in open ground and so it is stress for tender sprouts, and in the scorching sun they will weaken even more. When digging holes, consider the height of the seedling cups. It should be slightly higher so that all the soil from the container fits into the hole.
The distance between low-growing varieties should be about 35-40 cm, and between their rows - from 50 to 60 cm. Tall peppers are planted at a greater distance of about 60 cm between bushes and 60 cm between rows.
Pepper transplant starts with preparing the soil. To disinfect the soil, it is necessary to pour boiling water over the wells in advance, this will also destroy pests. Next, we carefully take out the seedlings from the cups in order to preserve the integrity of the soil. Various fertilizers can be added to the wells. It is not worth deeply deepening the sprouts, as this will greatly slow down growth. Once again, pour water into the hole and carefully cover it with earth. Optionally, you can mulch the bed with peat, this will help to retain moisture and heat in the soil.
The first time after planting pepper seedlings, it is advisable to use film shelters. There is no need to wait for special growth at first, the seedlings will get stronger only after a week.In the meantime, peppers can only be watered with a little water. It is necessary to loosen the soil only superficially so as not to affect the delicate root system.
Conclusion
Planting pepper seedlings in the ground is one of the most important stages in growing this vegetable. A lot depends on where and how the planted pepper will be. So, if you want to get a good result of your work, and grow delicious peppers, you must follow the above rules. Have a good harvest!
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