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Peppers are grown from seedlings. This makes it possible to get a crop on time, because the culture has a long growing season. To grow high-quality pepper, you need to correctly:
- sow pepper seeds for seedlings;
- grow seedlings;
- prepare and plant pepper seedlings for permanent residence.
During all these periods, the sown pepper requires certain care and maintenance of the necessary environmental parameters.
It does not matter what type of pepper seedlings you will grow. For bitter or sweet, there are the same nuances of agricultural technology. Some gardeners believe that pepper can be safely sown in open ground and grown without seedlings. But in this case, the vegetables will ripen 20-25 days later, and in case of adverse weather they can linger longer. Therefore, a more reliable method is seedlings.
When to plant pepper seeds for seedlings? Be sure to check the possible date with the lunar calendar and make a simple calculation.
Pepper ripens, on average, 100-150 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Seedlings are ready for planting after 60-80 days, and the seeds will sprout no earlier than 2-3 weeks after sowing. From a favorable day for planting seedlings in the ground, we subtract this entire period and get the day of sowing.
You can sow bell pepper for seedlings earlier. But in this case, you will have to pay more attention to the growing seedlings – to illuminate longer.
Getting ready for sowing
How to sow seeds for seedlings? To get a good result, you will have to pay attention to each stage of pre-sowing preparation. At the very beginning, you need to choose a good variety of pepper for sowing seedlings. It depends on the purpose for which you will grow a healthy vegetable. Some varieties are good for salads and freezing, others for pickling and pickling, and others are great for all purposes. Many people like large-fruited peppers, others are satisfied with the usual variety.
After your choice is made, pay attention to the expiration date. The older the seeds, the less likely it is to get high-quality pepper seedlings.
Then we proceed to the pre-sowing preparation of the selected seeds. The thing is, they’re pretty slow. Many gardeners, in general, do not sow pepper seeds without soaking in growth stimulants. This really helps to speed up the time until the first shoots appear and increase their number. To begin with, review the seeds and remove all those that aroused suspicion with their appearance. Treat selected for sowing with antifungal drugs. To do this, use well-known fungicides – “Fitosporin-M”, “Maxim”, “Vitaros” or ordinary potassium permanganate. Pepper seeds are placed in a gauze bag, and the preparations are diluted according to the instructions.
The next step is to stimulate the seeds.
Some options for stimulating pepper seeds for seedlings:
- Wrap the seeds in a cloth and dip them in hot water (about +55°C). Hold for 15 minutes and move immediately to the refrigerator. Here they will have to lie down for a day. After the procedure, it is necessary to immediately carry out sowing.
- Soak the seeds in a solution of preparations (optional) “Zircon”, “Epin-extra” or “Energen”. You only need 4 drops per half glass of water. Excellent work for these purposes “Silk”, “Novosil”.
After the pepper seeds are selected and prepared according to all the criteria, we proceed to prepare the soil and containers.
By volume, 50 ml or 100 ml containers will suffice. Seedlings sown in one box will have to dive. This will delay the development of the pepper by 10-12 days. And from a glass it will turn out well to transplant a pepper seedling along with a clod of earth. It is necessary to ensure that the root system of pepper seedlings has enough space.
Some gardeners believe that pepper seedlings should be grown without picking so as not to injure the plants. Therefore, they sow the seeds to a depth and simply pour the soil into the cups as the pepper seedlings grow. And others, on the contrary, are sure that one cannot do without a pick.
Soil for seedlings of pepper. It is cooked while the seeds germinate. Ready mix is ideal for those who have not prepared the ground since autumn. A little washed sand (ratio to soil – 0,5: 3) and the pepper will be “very pleased”. Experienced vegetable growers prepare the soil mixture themselves. Observing pepper seedlings tells them which components are most needed. Most often, these are:
- humus or rotted compost – 2 parts;
- peat – 2 parts;
- sand (well washed) – 1 part.
The mixture is sieved, steamed well, some are disinfected with biological products.
Let’s start to sow
How to sow pepper seedlings? The planting container is filled with soil mixture not to the very top. It is necessary to leave a place for filling the earth and careful watering. In order for seedlings to appear with the shell already dropped from the seed, the soil is moistened before planting.
The top layer is compacted and prepared pepper seeds are laid out.
Then sprinkled with a layer of dry earth 3-4 cm and compacted again. A tablespoon is ideal for this purpose. The cups are placed in plastic bags and put in heat. If sowing was done in a box, cover it with a film.
To see the first sprouts in 7-10 days, it is necessary to maintain the soil temperature not lower than 28°С-30°С, but not higher than 35°С. Otherwise, you can destroy the seeds. Proper planting of pepper is the key to your grand harvest.
It is convenient to use shelves or racks for placing landing containers. Some summer residents in the apartment equip mini-greenhouses, which makes it easier to care for small peppers. There are many advantages to such a greenhouse:
- quick assembly and disassembly;
- the possibility of installing additional lighting under the shelves;
- transportability (moves to the cottage at the request of the owner very easily).
If you have planted several favorite or new varieties, put up signs with the names.
So, it will be easier to provide proper care and observe the characteristics of the variety. You can choose the most suitable for further cultivation. The planting of pepper seeds is completed, now the next important stage is coming – growing healthy and strong seedlings.
Seedlings appeared – we continue competent care
As soon as pepper shoots are noticed, immediately transfer the container to the light, but lower the temperature to 16 ° C -17 ° C. Pour moderately with warm water and put the bowls to the light, if there is no additional lighting.
In this period of development for seedlings of pepper, it is necessary to provide:
- timely careful watering;
- temperature indicators;
- sufficient lighting;
- food.
Another stage that confuses beginners is picking seedlings. Let’s start in order.
First, about watering. Summer residents sacredly observe the rule when caring for seedlings of pepper – do not overfill! Such an oversight leads to black leg disease. But, serious drying of the soil is also unacceptable. The first watering is needed 4-5 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Water is taken warm, about 30 ° C, cooler leads to a weakening of the seedlings. It is good to use settled water and regulate the frequency of watering, taking into account the weather, temperature and soil characteristics. On average, some may have it several times a day, others only once a week. Watering is carried out in the morning, because peppers like drier air than cucumbers. Spraying is done as needed. When airing the room, pepper seedlings are carefully protected from drafts.
Picks
For those summer residents who have never done this – planting seedlings in a separate (or large) container. This technique is necessary for the best formation of the root system of peppers. After planting, the seedlings form lateral and adventitious roots. Time for picking – two real sheets. There are two options:
- with deepening;
- without deepening.
It is necessary to deepen the seedlings by no more than 0,5 cm. The whole process can be described as follows:
Water the soil abundantly and wait until the moisture is completely absorbed. If the soil is dry, then the tender roots of pepper seedlings can be easily injured.
Prepare a container for seating. It is necessarily supplied with drainage so that the water soaks the entire soil and does not stagnate.
Fill it with the same mixture that was prepared for sowing seeds, and pour a weak solution of potassium permanganate. In the middle of the container, a recess is made, sufficient for the roots of pepper seedlings.
Carry out the picking carefully. Care must be taken not to damage the stems and roots of seedlings. Place the roots in the hole, sprinkle with earth and lightly compact. The root neck can be buried no more than half a centimeter.
Gently water the transplanted seedling, holding it with your finger. After the water is completely absorbed, add the soil if it has subsided.
New life stage of pepper seedlings
The next phase of seedling development is coming, and our task is to provide it with proper care. We put the container on the windowsill and follow:
- lighting. Direct sunlight is not allowed. They can burn tender stems and leaves until seedlings are adapted to sunlight. It is better to shade by covering the window glass. Remember to rotate the pots so that the pepper seedlings do not lean to one side.
- Temperature indicators. It is necessary to control not only the air temperature, but also the soil. This is an important indicator for pepper seedlings. It should not fall below 15°C. The outside air is heated during the day to 25°C on a sunny day and up to 22°C in cloudy weather. At night they withstand 17 ° C -18 ° C.
- Water regime. For dived seedlings, one-time watering in 5-6 days is enough. The first time she needs to drink six days after the procedure. Water settles for irrigation, its temperature is maintained at least 25 ° C -28 ° C, so as not to stop the growth of seedlings with cold water. Watering is carried out in the morning.
- Nutrition. During the time that will pass before planting seedlings of peppers for permanent residence, it is necessary to carry out two feeding of seedlings. The first time 14 days after planting, the second – another 14 days after the first time. Feed pepper seedlings in liquid form. It is optimal to combine watering and feeding seedlings. Convenient ready-made preparations that are purchased in the store chain. They are bred according to the instructions. You can prepare your own composition. Humate solution works well.
- If pepper seedlings develop slowly and the leaves become light in color, take urea (0,5 tsp) and water (3 liters). Dilute and spill. A worthy alternative is “Ideal” (according to instructions). In case of violations with the root system, they are fed with superphosphate or nitrophoska. 1 tablespoon of the component is enough for a three-liter bottle of water. The dry fertilizer used for Signor Tomato tomatoes is perfect in this case.
- hardening seedlings. We take them out into the fresh air, gradually adapting them to the conditions of the external environment. The temperature is maintained at least 16 ° C, protected from direct sunlight and drafts.
We examined the main stages before planting in the ground. As soon as the first buds appear, the seedlings are ready for planting.
Be sure to prepare the soil, shed the seedlings and plant with the recommended density. It is important to monitor the state of the root system. It is better to plant with a clod of earth from a pot.
We fill the hole halfway, water it, wait for the absorption of moisture. Now we add loose soil, mulch and put boards with the inscription of the name of the variety. Care for some varieties may vary. This will help you follow all the recommendations. Now our peppers are getting ready for harvest.
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