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February is just around the corner! And at the end of February, it is already necessary to begin preparations for sowing pepper seeds. Since bell pepper of any variety is somewhat “stubborn” in terms of seedlings, it is better to sow it early than to grieve about the non-germination of seeds later. It happens that shoots have to wait three weeks, if not more. From how the seeds were sown correctly, sometimes, not only the harvest, but also how resistant the seedlings will be to diseases and bad weather depends. In this regard, you should pay attention to the variety of pepper Red shovel. How it looks can be seen in the photo below:
Variety description
Pepper Red shovel refers to early ripe varieties, fully ripens by about 100-110 days. It grows both in a greenhouse and in an open garden. Red fruits with thick walls (7-8 mm), weighing 120-130 grams, sweet, juicy, with a pronounced peppery aroma and taste. In appearance, they really resemble a shovel – because of their flattened shape. Thanks to this form, it is very convenient to preserve it whole, since the jar contains much more fruit than other varieties of pepper. A characteristic feature of the Red Spade pepper variety is the amicable ripening of fruits, which usually have up to fifteen pieces on a bush. The bush is compact, of medium height (from 50 to 80 cm), due to the abundance of fruits, a garter to a support is required. From 1 square meter, approximately 4-5 kg of pepper is obtained. Resistant to pests and diseases.
Growing peppers through seedlings
One of the differences between the sweet pepper variety and other vegetable crops is the long growing season. Therefore, according to experienced vegetable growers, early varieties of pepper are most suitable for growing in central Our Country, for example, such as Red Spade pepper. This pepper makes it possible to harvest already on the hundredth day after germination, but on condition that it was planted in the ground through seedlings.
Advantages of the seedling method
- seed germination increases due to the creation of favorable conditions for them;
- there is an opportunity to grow the most valuable and rare varieties of pepper in a region with an unsuitable climate;
- harvesting occurs at an earlier date;
- obtaining real savings due to the reduction in the volume of water for irrigating the beds, it becomes possible to use a smaller area for planting, no need to spend effort on thinning the beds;
- the aesthetic component – when planting seedlings, the beds are immediately formed according to the wishes.
What is needed for sowing seeds
The main feature of bell pepper is its thermophilicity. Despite this, the gardeners of our country quite successfully grow it on their plots, even in the northern regions. But in order to succeed, you definitely need strong, healthy seedlings. And for this you need quite a bit:
- good, fertilized land (if not stored in the fall, store-bought is quite suitable);
- containers for sowing;
- properly prepared seeds;
- peat pots or disposable cups;
- a great desire to get a rich harvest and some free time.
Necessary procedures before sowing
- Pickle pepper seedsto decontaminate them and in the future not have problems with pepper diseases. Seeds should be poured with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, hold in it for half an hour, drain the water and dry them.
- Test for germination. It is better to spend it now than to guess later – they will ascend or not ascend, and if they ascend, then how much? It is very simple to do this: you need to spread the seeds on a damp napkin, put another napkin on top and put it in heat, constantly checking that they do not dry out. After 7-10 days, the seeds will hatch, and it will become clear which of them are suitable for sowing.
- Seeding of seeds. For 10-12 hours, put a plate of seeds in the refrigerator. This will enable future peppers to safely survive all weather changes.
Seed sowing
Immediately before sowing, the soil should also be disinfected by watering it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Now you can start sowing. To do this, you need to make grooves, the depth of which is not more than 1 cm and decompose the hatched seeds of the Red Spade pepper 2 cm apart. Carefully close the grooves with soil, pull the film over the container and put it in heat until shoots appear. When the first shoots come out in a week, you should definitely remove the film so that they do not die, and rearrange the container with the seedlings to a lighted place, most likely it will be a windowsill. Before that, you need to make sure that the glass does not pull cold, since the temperature regime is a very important component when growing pepper seedlings. The required temperature for good seedling development is from 20 to 25°C.
Picks
When 2-3 true leaves are formed on the plants, picking is carried out. Its goal is to give the sprouts a large area for development, while removing all weak and small sprouts. Since the pepper does not like it very much when it is touched for nothing, the transplant should be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the roots. One seedling of the Red Shovel should be planted in one cup. You should not bury the pepper sprout, it is better to plant it flush with the root, this will stimulate the plant to develop a strong root system.
Feeding pepper seedlings
To support the plants, you can feed: the first time 13-14 days after planting, the second time – 10-14 days after the first feeding. To do this, you can make the following composition: saltpeter – ½ gram, superphosphate – 3 grams, potash fertilizers – 1 gram; dilute in 1 liter of settled water. For the second top dressing of Red Spade pepper, the same fertilizers are used, but in double size. You can make a third top dressing, it is carried out just before transplanting into the ground: the composition of fertilizers is the same as in the second top dressing, but potash fertilizers increase to 8 grams.
If seedlings of the Red Spade variety pepper grow slowly, used tea is used, from which the infusion is prepared: for 3 liters of boiling water – a glass of sleeping tea leaves, leave for 5 days, drain and pour over the peppers. You can not get too carried away with feeding, fragile seedlings can simply burn out. And you can completely refuse top dressing. If pepper seedlings are in comfortable conditions and the temperature regime is observed, then it will please with its strength and growth anyway.
To protect pepper seedlings from diseases such as blackleg, water and feed the plants should be little by little in the morning, since excessive watering just provokes the appearance of blackleg and root rot. Be sure to loosen and weed the soil, doing it very carefully, without disturbing the plants.
Planting pepper in the ground
So, the age of seedlings of Red Spade pepper is already 2-2,5 months. It’s time to plant in the ground. But before that, it would not hurt to temper it. This is done very simply: within 3-5 days, containers with seedlings should be on the street or in a greenhouse with open frames for several hours. But this is provided that the temperature outside is not lower than 15 ° C and there is no wind.
Before planting, the soil under the seedlings of Red Spade pepper should be well shed so that the transplant is painless. Then carefully remove each plant from its cup, if possible, together with the ground, and plant it in the prepared holes in the garden, the distance between which is not less than half a meter. No need to plant red shovel pepper too deep – hit the soil should be up to the root collar.
If the Red Spade pepper is planted on an open bed, to protect it from possible frosts, it should be covered with a film or covering material, having previously installed arcs. It is acceptable to use plastic bottles with a cut off bottom or paper caps.
Despite the fact that Bulgarian pepper is a self-pollinating crop, insects often pollinate plants.
Growing your own seedlings of any variety of pepper is interesting and informative! This is the key to understanding the life process of the plant and the ability to get a good harvest of exactly the variety of pepper that was sown.
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