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Despite the fact that growing heat-loving peppers in Siberia is a difficult task, many gardeners successfully harvest. Of course, for this it is necessary to fulfill a number of conditions, ranging from the correct choice of vegetable variety to the preparation of a place for growing. It is important to know when to plant pepper seedlings in Siberia in order to get fruits in this climatic zone.
What determines the time of planting pepper
In order to correctly calculate the time for sowing pepper, you need to know: how long does the process of germination of grains, seedling growth, the appearance of color and fruits, as well as the desired period for the start of the harvest, take.
The timing for planting seeds depends on:
- From the place where the pepper will grow until the crop ripens: in the open field, greenhouse or greenhouse. It is necessary to transplant pepper to a permanent place when it is not yet flowering (on average, at the age of 60 days from the start of germination). Peppers begin to be planted when the soil is warmed up to a temperature of at least 15 degrees. In a greenhouse, this will happen earlier than in a greenhouse; at the very least, the earth will reach the desired temperature mark in the open field. Accordingly, it is necessary to start germinating seeds for greenhouses earlier than for a greenhouse or open ground (approximately two weeks).
- From the precocity of pepper varieties. Super-early varieties begin to bear fruit in the period up to 100 days from the appearance of the sprout, early-ripening – on 100-120 days, mid-ripening – after 4 months, late – after 5 months. Due to the fact that in Siberia there are not enough sunny days for growing late-ripening pepper varieties, it is worth choosing early or mid-ripening varieties for planting.
When choosing the time for planting pepper for seedlings, the following average indicators should be taken into account:
- The appearance of the first leaf occurs in the period from 15 to 20 days from the moment of emergence.
- The bud appears on the 45-50th day.
- Pepper begins to bloom in the period from 60 to 100 days and blooms for about a week for each flower.
- The first fruit ripens a month after the pepper has faded (80 to 130 days in total from the appearance of the sprout).
An example of calculating the sowing time for pepper seeds: There is a variety for planting that bears fruit in four months from the start of germination, the harvest is planned to be received from August 1. To calculate the date of planting seeds, it is necessary to count back 1 days from August 120. Turns out April 3rd. From this date, you need to count back another 14 days. The required date is March 20th.
The weather in Siberia is not stable, and a situation may arise when the seedlings are ready for transplanting into the greenhouse, and the ground temperature is below +14. If you wait for favorable conditions when planting, the pepper will outgrow, which means it will be worse to take root in a new place and will not have time to bear fruit in a short summer period.
When planting seeds, the lunar calendar is very popular among gardeners. According to him, you need to plant pepper on those days when the moon is growing.
Varieties of peppers suitable for growing in Siberia
Peppers need warmth and light. Under Siberian conditions, these indicators are clearly not enough for a good yield of pepper. Recently, however, varieties have been bred that are more resistant to frost.
Varieties of peppers that have proven themselves well when grown in Siberia:
- Early ripe: “Siberian Prince”, “Tusk”;
- Mid-season: “Siberian format”, “Siberian boots”, “Eastern Bazaar”, “Siberian bonus”;
- For open ground: “Gift of Moldova”, “Cardinal”, “Orange Miracle”.
When buying seeds in the store, it is important not to lose sight of their expiration date (usually up to four years). It is better when the seeds are fresh, because the longer they are stored, the less they germinate.
Useful video on when to plant peppers:
Preparing for planting
Before planting pepper, you need to properly prepare the seeds, soil and containers for seedlings.
Seed preparation
- All unsuitable seeds should be removed.: with visible damage, frail. There are several ways to identify quality beans. The fastest: prepare a saline 5% solution, place the seeds in it for 10 minutes – the weak ones will remain on the surface. The best way: at any time (before the planting season), plant a few seeds from a bag for testing without germinating them. As a result, by how many seeds have sprouted, it will be seen whether the material is of high quality. You will also know exactly when to sow and how long it will take for a sprout to appear;
- Seeds suitable for planting must be processedto avoid contracting fungal infections. To do this, the seeds are placed in a bag of gauze and soaked in a thick solution of manganese for half an hour. After treatment, the seeds are thoroughly washed without removing them from the gauze. Seeds of some firms are sold already processed, you should carefully read the annotation;
- Start seed germination (if there is no certainty that the seeds will sprout). Put the seeds (separately from each other) between a damp cloth folded in half. To prevent the liquid from evaporating too quickly, the seeds must be covered. Put the seeds in a warm (+25 degrees) place. It is necessary to ensure that the seeds do not germinate more than 1 mm, otherwise, during sowing, the tip can easily come off. If this happens, the harvest may not be obtained.
Other ways to increase seed germination
- heat activation. A month before planting, you need to put the seeds in a linen bag and hang it near the battery, or put it in another warm place;
- Soaking in melt water. After treatment with potassium permanganate, the seeds are placed for a day in melted (warm) water. Then you need to put them in a saucer and in a plastic bag, previously wrapped in gauze. Cover the bag, but do not tie it so that there is air access. Put for germination in a warm place (but not on the battery). Seeds germinate on average in a week.
- Ash soaking. In water with wood ash (in the proportion of one tablespoon per liter), the seeds are placed for one to two days. Further, germinate in the same way as when soaking in melted water.
- oxygen saturation. You need to immerse the seeds in water, and with the help of a compressor (an aquarium will do), supply air there. Process two weeks before planting during the day.
- Seeding of seeds. It is necessary to treat the grains with a nutrient solution, wrap them in a damp cloth and place them in the refrigerator for two days (lower section). Then leave it in the room for 12 hours, and put it back in the refrigerator for two days.
How to prepare the soil mixture
Pepper seeds require loose, fertile soil to grow properly. You can take ready-made soil for peppers, sift and add pre-washed sand (in a ratio of 0,5 / 3 sand to the ground). You can mix the soil yourself: one part of the washed sand and two each of peat and humus (or rotted compost). Instead of sand, you can put ash. All components must be thoroughly mixed. You can add fertilizer.
Many sources recommend: when to plant – to disinfect the soil (folk methods or with the help of special preparations). However, this issue causes a lot of controversy about the appropriateness of the procedure, since, along with the pathogenic flora, the beneficial one is also destroyed. If you are disinfecting, do it in a container for seedlings. Sowing of seeds should be started one day after soil treatment.
To prevent stagnation of water in the soil, the container must be with holes through which excess liquid will be removed.
Sod should be taken from the land on which perennial grasses grew. Humus is better to use three years ago.
Seed sowing
Peppers have a weak root system: the roots break easily and grow poorly, as a result, the seedlings are hard to transplant. Therefore, it is desirable to plant seeds immediately in the container where they will grow before transplanting into the ground. It is good if the container is at least 0,5 liters and 11 cm high.
When planting, you need to make sure that the seed sprout is directed upwards. It is necessary to cover the seeds with earth by at least 3 mm, otherwise the root system will form too close to the surface.
You need to plant in the ground, the temperature of which is not less than 25 and not more than 30 degrees. Pour warm (preferably melted) water, cover with a transparent material and place in a warm sunny place. For pepper, heat is the most important condition for yield. He needs it at all stages of development, starting with planting seeds. At ground temperature from +25 to +30 sprouts appear in a week, at +20 – after two, at +18 – after three weeks, at +14 – after a month. If the temperature is lower, seed growth stops.
At the moment when sprouts appeared from the seeds, it is recommended to lower the temperature of the earth to +16 degrees – in this way, the root system of pepper will be strengthened. After two leaves grow – raise to +22, and after picking – up to +25.
Peppers also need light to grow. With sufficient light, the flower is formed on the fork after the 9th leaf. If there is little light, another sheet appears in this place. Thus, the harvest time is delayed, which is unacceptable under the conditions of a short summer. In case of insufficient lighting of peppers in Siberia, you can place a fluorescent lamp 6 cm above the seedlings and turn it on up to 15 hours a day.
Description of the planting process
The container in which the seeds will be planted must be treated with a solution of manganese. Put drainage on the bottom, on top – a nutrient mixture for vegetable crops, then pour the earth so that at least 4 cm remains to the top of the container.
Before planting the seeds, the soil must be watered. If several seeds are planted in one container, they need to be spread out on the surface of the earth at a distance of one centimeter from each other and three between the rows. The same distance is required between the edges of the container and the seeds.
From above, the seeds are covered with the remaining earth. For easier germination of pepper, it is recommended to mix this soil with sand.
Do not forget to install signs with the name of the crop, variety and date of planting. Better to make them out of paper.
To retain moisture and heat, the container must be covered with a transparent material and placed in a semi-dark warm place.
Every day, crops need airing, otherwise mold may appear.
As soon as sprouts appear, the covering material must be removed and the container rearranged in a sunny place.
It is necessary to water the crops with warm water, while making sure that the liquid does not accumulate in the pan. The sprouts are drawn to the light so that they do not lean in one direction, the container should be periodically turned to the opposite side.
Feeding seedlings of peppers should be started no earlier than when the first leaves appear, otherwise all the strength of the pepper will go into the greens. You can feed with liquid fertilizer for indoor plants (two teaspoons per 5 liters of water).
10 days before the seedlings are planted in the ground, you should start hardening the pepper: take it out into the street, where there is no draft, first for an hour, then gradually increase the time. Hardening is necessary for faster adaptation of pepper when transplanted into the ground, as well as to reduce the risk of seedling diseases.
How to plant seeds in peat tablets
Tablets contribute to the proper growth of seedlings, because they contain all the components necessary for this. Pre-germinated seeds are planted in them or dry, if there is confidence in the seedlings.
The required number of tablets is placed in the container, poured with boiled (warm) water. From the liquid, the tablets swell, increasing 5 times and taking the shape of a cylinder. Excess water must be drained.
In the upper part of the tablet, you need to make a recess of one and a half centimeters and place the germinated seed in it, cover it with earth on top. Then you need to follow the same steps as when planting seeds in the soil mixture. The main difference is that when growing seeds in tablets, top dressing is not required.
Watering should be done when the tablet begins to decrease in volume. Water is poured to the bottom of the container, adding as it is absorbed, and avoiding stagnation.
Peppers should be transplanted from the container into pots when the roots sprout through the mesh of the tablet. To do this, it is necessary to fill the pot with earth by 4 cm, place a tablet in the center, carefully spreading the roots over the surface of the earth. Then you need to continue to fill the pot with soil, slightly compacting it. At the end, the seedlings must be watered, starting from the edge of the pot.
Transplant into the ground
The place for planting pepper should be sunny and without drafts, the soil should be neutral acidity, light and without weeds.
When to plant pepper in the ground will tell the appearance of the first buds. The temperature of the earth should be above +14. Seedlings are planted at a distance of half a meter between the bushes.
Transplantation should be done by transshipment, after making holes of the same depth as the pepper grew in the container. It is desirable to add mineral fertilizer to the well (a tablespoon is enough), which contains potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.
After the pepper is placed in the hole, the roots must be covered with 2/3 of the ground, well watered (at least three liters of water at room temperature) and filled with earth to the end. Set label. You can mulch the pepper with peat, straw, sawdust or last year’s compost. If necessary, the bush should be tied up.
Until the pepper is rooted, there is no need to water it. Then, if there is no heat, watering is done once a day only under the root. Peppers should be watered moderately, moisture should not be allowed to stagnate in the soil.
The soil must be loosened 6 times per season. The first time loosening is necessary after the peppers are well rooted.
If you plant different varieties of pepper, you need to do this at a considerable distance from one another to avoid cross-pollination.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that it is quite difficult to grow pepper in Siberian conditions, it is quite possible with the right choice of variety, seed planting time and following all growing instructions.