How to grow pepper seedlings at home

How to choose a variety of pepper

Peppers, like many other garden crops, are divided into 3 groups according to ripening time:

• early ripe – 70 – 100 days;
• mid-season – 100 – 120 days;
• late ripening – 120 – 160 days.

And these are the dates for the onset of the so-called technical ripeness, that is, when the fruits have reached their varietal size, but have not yet ripened – they, as you know, are green and edible. And until full maturation, another 15 to 20 days must be added to these terms.

This is important to take into account in regions with short and cool summers – in the open field here you can get a crop only from early and mid-ripening varieties. And that is not always the case. The fact is that the optimum temperature for the growth and development of peppers is 20 – 25 ° C (1), and if it falls below 12 ° C, the plant is inhibited in growth. And, for example, in August, the nights are already cold, it happens that the thermometer drops to 10 ° C and even lower. Therefore, the pepper will not grow. The ripening of the crop is postponed by the number of cold days. Yes, but there is nowhere to move away, because after September 5, autumn frosts occur, which will simply kill the plant.

Mid-season and late varieties are best grown in a greenhouse. If not, choose early.

How to grow seedlings of peppers

Peppers are more whimsical than tomatoes, but less whimsical than eggplants. Therefore, growing them is not difficult. But it is important to take into account a number of points.

When to sow seeds

Seedlings of peppers, if they are grown without shelter from frost, are planted on the beds at the end of May. With shelter, you can earlier – May 10. In greenhouses even earlier – after April 25. The optimal age of seedlings is 55-60 days, by which time the plants should have 5-6 true leaves (2). Therefore, for open ground peppers could be sown from 10 to 25 March. 

But! Their seeds germinate for a long time, 12-15 days (3), therefore, this time must also be added to the sowing time. And it turns out that the correct interval will be February 25 – March 10.

Peppers intended for growing in a greenhouse can be sown even earlier – February 10 – 15.

How to grow seedlings

There is always not enough space on the windowsills, so many summer residents sow seeds in boxes or plastic containers – they take up less space. And this is a mistake. Peppers do not tolerate root damage very well, and when transplanting seedlings from a box to beds, this is inevitable. After that, the plants get sick for 2 weeks, which again delays the ripening period of the crop.

Therefore, peppers should be sown immediately in hotel containers. Their roots are small, so ordinary plastic cups with a volume of 200 ml are quite suitable.

What kind of soil do you need

Peppers love fertile soil, store soil for them is not the best option, it often contains only peat. 

It is best to prepare the soil yourself. The classic composition is a mixture of humus, soddy and leafy soil in a ratio of 1:1:1. Turf land can be collected in the summer in molehills. Leafy – in a deciduous forest. Manure is sold at garden centers, but can be replaced with compost.

If you buy store soil, add 1/3 of the humus to it.

Preparation of seeds for sowing

Seeds of sweet peppers for seedlings can be sown dry, without prior preparation. But their germination rate is 80%, therefore, out of 10 seeds, only 8 will germinate. 

In order not to take up cups and place on the windowsill in vain, it is better to germinate the seeds – wrap them in a damp cloth and put them in a warm place. So you immediately reject the unsimilar ones.

If the seeds are old, have been stored with you for more than 4 years, then it is useful to soak them for a day in a solution of Heteroauxin with Zircon – these drugs will stimulate germination. Without them, only 6 seeds out of 10 will sprout.

How to care for pepper seedlings

How you care for plants at a young age depends on their future harvest. Our task is to grow strong stocky seedlings. To do this, 4 important conditions must be met.

Lighting. Pepper is a photophilous crop, so it should be grown on the southern or eastern windowsill. On the north and west windows, seedlings will need phytolamps for 12 hours a day – from 8 am to 8 pm.

Illumination is also desirable in the southern and eastern direction, if the pepper was sown early – in February the days are still short and the sun is inactive, and in such conditions the seedlings are greatly extended. But in March and April, on a sunny window, you can do without lighting – at this time, the plants have enough sunlight.

Temperature. Peppers are thermophilic. Seeds germinate when the soil temperature is not lower than 15 ° C, but if it is in the range of 20 – 25 ° C, they will sprout faster. If the temperature drops below 13°C, the seeds will not germinate. So it is better to put the cups with crops on the battery by laying a cloth on it. But as soon as shoots appear, they need to be rearranged on the windowsill.

The optimum air temperature for the growth of seedlings is 25 – 28 ° C. At lower rates, peppers grow very slowly. So make sure that the window does not blow. 

Watering. Peppers love water, so you need to water them so that the soil is slightly damp at all times. 

But not wet! Excess moisture can cause root rot and fungal diseases, such as black leg. 

It is also impossible to overdry peppers, especially in the later stages of seedlings, when buds appear – they will simply fall off.

Feeding. If you prepared the soil yourself, or added a change to the purchased soil, you don’t need additional top dressing for the pepper – it will have enough organic matter before planting on the beds. 

If you just sowed peppers in purchased land, pay attention to its composition. Some growers enrich the soil with nutrients. In this case, fertilizers are also not needed. But if only peat is indicated on the package, then the seedlings will have to be fed. The best option is any liquid complex fertilizer. They are sold in bottles, have a measuring cap and detailed instructions for fertilizing seedlings. 

When to plant seedlings in open ground and greenhouse

Soil temperature is important for peppers – it should be at least 18 ° C. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the weather. 

It happens that already in early April it becomes warm, and the soil warms up quickly. In this case, seedlings can be planted in early May. Of course, under cover with a non-woven fabric, because frosts in the middle lane occur until June 5th.

With a protracted spring, it is better to wait a little – postpone planting until the end of May, approximately on the 25th.

Popular questions and answers

We asked the most pressing questions about growing pepper seedlings agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.
2. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.
3. Ilyin O.V. and a group of authors. Vegetable grower’s guide // M.: Rosselkhokhizdat, 1979 – 224 p.