Pepper planting

Bulgarian peppers are not exclusive on the site, but always a welcome and tasty product. Sometimes they are afraid of growing it, believing that the vegetable is too capricious. Yes, and advisers can dissuade, even though they did not grow due to broken agricultural practices and errors during planting. But these errors can be eliminated even initially.

Deadlines

When exactly to transplant peppers into open ground depends on the region. Almost always, gardeners are also guided by the lunar calendar with exact dates. Peppers are usually sown in late February or early March, and transplantation is already planned for the period of stabilization of the temperature regime. In this case, the mark on the thermometer should not fall below +15.

It is also important that by the time of transplantation the soil has time to warm up properly. And the measurement of soil temperature should show at least +10. So, in the middle lane this period begins in the final days of May, in the south the landing is often carried out at the end of April, in the north – at the beginning of June.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that sweet pepper is an extremely heat-loving plant, and the cold can literally destroy it. Young and not yet strong sprouts most often become victims of a cold snap.

Planting seedlings

And for starters, you need to grow strong seedlings at home. And this process is also complex, you need to take into account several factors at once.

Capacities

Many gardeners agree that the best container for seedlings will be one that does not let the sun’s rays through. It should be an opaque material, and therefore not every plastic cup will fit for this business. Natural light is good for the green mass, it needs it, which cannot be said about the roots – their light can destroy. For seedlings, you can use containers, boxes, peat tablets and peat pots, juice boxes and even opaque bags. All this (with the exception of peat samples) must be perfectly clean and disinfected. The bottom should be covered with a thin drainage layer. If it seems that the sun’s rays can still reach the roots, it makes sense to install the container in thick and deep cardboard boxes.

Peat tablets are perhaps the best option. This is practically a guarantee of good seedlings. After soaking, the tablets swell, they are placed in a special tray, one and a half centimeter indentations are made in them, and seeds are already placed there. And then sprinkled with soil and covered with a film. At a temperature of +25, the germination process will begin. About a week will have to wait for the emergence of seedlings. And when they appear, the film from the tablets will need to be removed, and the trays should be placed in warm and bright places. When the fourth true leaf appears on the stalk, the peppers in tablets will go into pots with soil. You can also use cassettes as a container. The sizes of the cassettes are different, but the essence is the same – they are divided into sections, in one section – one plant. The cassettes come with protective covers that let in light but retain moisture.

Soil can be laid in the cells, or peat tablets can be sent there. It will be necessary to water through the pallet.

soil

The quality of the soil should not leave a chance for pests and fungi, and its composition should be suitable for the needs of the vegetable crop. Pepper needs a sterile, loose, nutritious soil mixture with neutral or weak acidity. If it is difficult to organize such a composition yourself, you can buy a ready-made mixture in the garden market and never worry.

But if you want to make the soil yourself, you can listen to the recommendations below.

  • Mix meadow sandy loam with soddy soil and add humus – the first components are 2 parts, the last – 1. And add another spoonful of potassium sulfate and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate to a bucket of this mixture.
  • Mix 2 parts of peat with 2 parts of humus and 1 part of river sand. Sift.
  • Take part of river sand and compost, add 2 parts of turf.
  • In equal proportions, high-moor peat, leafy soil and sand are mixed with a small amount of lime.

Any composition must be disinfected. The store-bought one is sold already disinfected, but the homemade one definitely needs to be disinfected.

Sowing

I must say that it is at the stage of seed germination that problems can already arise. Because it can happen slowly and unevenly. Even the most “quick” sprouts will appear only after 2 weeks. To accelerate germination, seed material must undergo the following procedures:

  • calibration – manual selection of large and whole seeds (dip the seeds in saline, leave only those that have sunk to the bottom);
  • disinfection – rescues ordinary potassium permanganate;
  • treatment with biostimulants – helps to accelerate the emergence of seedlings, and in parallel with their uniform appearance, “Intavir” and “Zircon” will do;
  • bubbling – the seeds will be enriched with oxygen (the grains are collected in gauze tied in a knot, sent to the water with the aquarium compressor turned on, and this lasts 12 hours);
  • hardening – but this rarely happens, because it is safer to carry out this procedure not with seeds, but with grown seedlings;
  • germination – the seeds are placed between two layers of moistened matter, they lie there for a week, the fabric is placed on a saucer, pulled over with a film.

But if the seeds are coated, none of the above needs to be done. Such material is planted immediately, and peat containers do not have to be treated with a biostimulator either. It is better to plant the seeds immediately in separate containers, so as not to subject the peppers to a dive, which they tolerate so-so. Planting material is more convenient to lay out with tweezers after 2 cm, slightly pressing against moist soil. And then planting is sprinkled with a centimeter layer of soil. It remains only to compact the earth a little and cover the boxes with foil.

How to plant in the beds?

This process also requires preparation, and considerable.

Site Selection

The main requirement for him is good lighting. It should also be warm, because the pepper will not stand the draft and cold. Peppers planted next to the fence are also unlikely to give a good harvest, as well as planted next to buildings. The fact is that the buildings will cast a shadow, and this is detrimental to the growth of a vegetable. You should not plant pepper where eggplant, tomatoes, peas or tobacco grew before.

Peppers require fertile, nutritious and light soil. Stagnation of water on the site is a problem, their seedlings are very afraid. The beds should be well dug up, weeds removed, fertilizers applied (mineral or organic), and the day before work, the holes are spilled with water. Well, in the spring, before planting, of course, ammonium nitrate must be added to the wells. About a week before planting, the beds are watered with a solution of copper sulfate.

Methods

First you need to make a landing markup, which will take into account the height of future bushes, as well as the method of watering. And the holes must also be done correctly.

What methods exist:

  • square nesting involves planting two roots in a hole so that intervals of 60×60 cm are observed between seedlings;
  • even rows (created with a drip irrigation system) – a scheme of either 90-50-35, or 70-70-45 cm;
  • in bags – either these are bags with special compost, or even homemade, from sugar (African planting method, mobile garden);
  • in buckets – also a mobile method, if necessary, pepper is sent home, to heat;
  • bouquet – this is the landing of pepper in one hole in pairs.

Which method is better is a difficult question, it is always an individual choice. However, in the country you can experiment every year.

Location schemes

It all depends on the varietal representative. The orientation is this.

  • Standard. Seedlings are planted at a distance of 50 cm. For medium-sized varieties, this is the best option, especially if they have large fruits. By the way, this option is also suitable for chili peppers.
  • Approximate scheme. It assumes greater compactness and is often used in small gardens. The bushes are placed 30 cm apart, and a maximum of 40 cm is left between the beds. This is normal for the culture, it is enough for it to feel free.
  • An association. So it is better to plant low-growing varieties. Several sprouts will go into one hole (usually 2 pieces each). It is customary to plant in pairs in hot regions, because thickened bushes will create a shadow. The scheme itself is 60×60 cm.

It is categorically impossible to plant hot and sweet peppers side by side, because sweet ones will be bitter from such a neighborhood.

Landing technology

The soil with seedlings the day before planting should be well shed with water. This is done so that it is not difficult to get the sprout from the container, and so that the root system is not damaged. What will the preparation look like?

  • Containers with seedlings can be moved from the windowsill to the street. At first this is done for half an hour, but then the time increases. If it’s cold outside, hardening should be delayed until the right time.
  • The best place to adapt seedlings would be a plot in partial shade. But in the shadows she has nothing to do. In the bright sun – all the more, the seedlings do not tolerate it.
  • About a week before planting, you need to spray the seedlings with fungicides.

The disembarkation procedure itself is determined in the morning or evening; this cannot be done during the day.

How to plant peppers in a permanent place according to the rules.

  • Carefully remove the sprout from its container.
  • Place it in the center of the created hole. It is not worth deepening strongly, you need to focus on the level of the root collar – not higher than it. Otherwise, the stem will rot.
  • Sprinkle the place with earth, carefully tamp.
  • Moisten the fresh planting, place mulch on the ground (peat or old leaves).

If the region is northern, it would be appropriate to organize a “warm garden”. At the bottom of the formed “trench” several layers of rotted manure are laid, as well as straw cuts. Then the hole is well spilled with boiling water. Finally, you can send land there and start planting pepper. It happens that on the first day after planting, the seedlings fall. The foliage withers, and sometimes even turns yellow. But there is no need to worry, the process is normal, the plant will soon rise.

But dropping off is not enough, this is just not the most tricky thing. But further care rules will affect how the seedlings behave. If this is a greenhouse or a greenhouse, you will have to maintain the necessary plus 22-25 there, you must not forget about high-quality uniform lighting, as well as humidity. Watering is organized exclusively in the morning. And the first watering will happen no earlier than on the fifth day from the moment of disembarkation. Well, then you will have to water the peppers about 2 times a week. Half a month after planting, fertilizers will need to be applied, these will be mineral complexes. The next top dressing will be only when the peppers begin to bear fruit.

Common mistakes

And, in fact, there are a lot of them. But it’s still worth considering those on which gardeners regularly stuff cones.

  • Variety miss. There are super-early varieties, there are early, mid-season and late. Early ripening takes 100 days or a little more, super early – less than 100 days, late – 135 days. And here it is necessary to clearly assess the climatic conditions of the region. But all dates are calculated approximately, with a good forecast, predictable weather conditions. In fact, the sprouts may hatch late, and the weather will make its own adjustments, and being very thermophilic, the pepper will slow down growth in the cold. So early and very early varieties grow successfully in open ground, all the rest are only for greenhouses.
  • Wrong seeding. You can even select the material in a wrong way, miss out on really good samples. For example, seeds are over 3 years old and have not been treated with biostimulants – these can take too long to germinate. In a word, the seeds need “doping”, and it is a little presumptuous to hope that everything will hatch in time without it.
  • Lack of heat. Containers with seedlings should only be in a warm place, nothing else. Pepper is a southern theme. It should not blow from the windows, the window sill itself should not be cool. Cold soil will make it difficult for peppers to take water and nutrition from it, they will lag behind in growth. And in the beds, the principle is the same – if the temperature drops below +15, it is better to cover the plants with a non-woven fabric. And the inter-bed space is covered with black polyethylene. Peppers need to be watered only with warm water.
  • Pick. You can dive, but this is a dangerous manipulation. This particular culture does not tolerate it well. It is better to immediately sow the seeds in different cups. After picking, the roots are injured, the plant becomes weak – it wilts, turns yellow, or even completely stops development.
  • Landing in the shade. They can’t even stand partial shade, give the peppers the sun. This is a very photophilous culture that loves to soak up the sun. If you look at the elongated seedlings of peppers, this is an example of planting in the shade or partial shade.
  • Deepening in the ground. Plant it exactly the same way as it grew in the container. This can be compared to planting fruit trees, the principle is the same. Otherwise, the pepper will “slow down”, grow poorly.
  • Very deep cutting. The culture really loves loosening, and it can be done after each watering. But only to break the soil crust, nothing more. The roots are high, and if you overdo it, you can injure the root system.
  • Undead. Pepper loves both phosphorus and potassium, and will react negatively to the lack of these elements. Almost everything is possible, except for fresh manure, which will give rotten fruits.

Otherwise, it is enough to adhere to the deadlines, choose the right place and prepare it (taking into account the predecessors), and there will be neither immature nor overgrown fruits. Well, of course, if pepper care is established until the very moment of harvest.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →
Exit mobile version