In central Russia, as a rule, peppers are grown only through seedlings. In another way, this heat-loving plant in open ground will not only not have time to bear fruit, but also to bloom.
It is better to obtain pepper seedlings without picking - immediately in individual pots or peat tablets. This is due to the fact that, unlike most other nightshades, it tolerates transplantation very poorly, which can delay its development for a long time. It is very important that the soil in cups or pots does not dry out during the entire growing period.
Most experts agree that seedlings should not be older than two months. Plants must have at least 10 true leaves on a trunk about 30 cm high. Overgrown seedlings take much longer to take root; leaves may turn yellow and fall off, not to mention the first ovaries.
The easiest way to take root is seedlings grown in pots of such a size that by the time of planting, their roots do not have time to absorb the entire volume of the earthen coma provided to them. The reason for this is quite understandable - small roots are not damaged during transplantation and transhipment, and plants do not waste energy replacing them with new roots.
If pepper seedlings bloom before planting in open ground, then it is better to remove the flowers. Otherwise, a noticeably smaller number of ovaries will form on the bushes. Sometimes peppers transplanted into soil do not bloom at all. This happens because all the plant’s energy is spent on the formation of roots, for which there was not enough space in the small volume of the pot. There simply aren’t any left for flowering and ovary formation. Or in the short summer there is not enough time after the required volume of the underground part is reached.
It is recommended to plant peppers in open ground on a cloudy day and, if possible, in the morning. The average daily temperature should be 14 – 15 °C. It is very important that the soil for this crop is deeply cultivated in the fall. The required interval between individual bushes is about 30 cm, and between rows - 50 cm. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to care for the subsequently overgrown plants.
The root collar of the bush after transplantation should be above the ground. If this condition is not met, it almost stops growing. The soil around the trunk can be mulched with organic materials or paper. Mulch will protect it from drying out and compacting after watering and rain, slightly smooth out temperature fluctuations, and also save you from the endless work of weeding quickly emerging weeds.
A bed for peppers should be chosen in a place well protected from the wind. The soil is more suitable: sandy loam or light loamy with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. When digging in the fall, they usually add a bucket of compost for each square meter of planting area and superphosphate - 20 - 30 grams. If fertilizing is carried out in the spring, then instead of compost, humus is more suitable, and superphosphate - a glass of ash.
All types of peppers do not tolerate fresh manure, but liquid feeding from mullein is very desirable for them. Mineral fertilizers should be chosen that contain magnesium: dolomite flour, calimag, calimagnesia. It should be taken into account that dolomite flour and other lime fertilizers are not applied to the peppers themselves - they do not tolerate fresh lime. It is preferable to liming the soil in advance, for previous crops.
Experts consider white and cauliflower cabbage, cucumbers and all legumes, except beans, to be the best predecessors for pepper. It feels great in joint plantings with onions, carrots, eggplants and tomatoes. Like other nightshades, hot and sweet peppers require mandatory adherence to the rules of crop rotation.
In our gardens you can find different varieties of pepper, both bitter and sweet. Their agricultural technology is practically the same, and they get along well side by side with each other. But it should be borne in mind that all peppers, despite being self-fertile, are still prone to cross-pollination, which significantly increases productivity. Therefore, if you plant sweet and bitter varieties side by side, you can get sweet fruits with a bitter aftertaste.
There are two stages of pepper ripeness - technical and biological. From planting the plants in the ground to the start of harvesting, it takes about one and a half to two months. Their fruit formation occurs in waves: they bloom, bear fruit, then rest and begin to bloom again. Therefore, leaving fruits that have reached technical ripeness on the branches of the bush means reducing the harvest by 20 - 30%.
Of course, in the southern regions, growing peppers in open ground is much more convenient and simpler. But even in the middle zone, this task is quite feasible if you put in the effort and spare no effort.
Young sprouts of vegetable and flower seedlings are already green on the windowsills. Let's look at the main problems that you may encounter when growing seedlings.
So, let's look at the tips that the professionals give:
WHAT TO DO, IF: Black midges fly over the seedlings
ADVICE: Black midges - fungus gnats or sciarids - are small, black insects. First of all, reduce watering the plants so that the top layer of soil has time to dry out before the next watering. Sciarids are attracted to soil where the process of rotting or decomposition of organic matter is actively underway. With long and intensive reproduction, midges no longer pay attention to the dryness of the soil. If you lightly knock on a pot of seedlings or shake the pot, a flock of midges will fly up above the surface of the ground, this is a sign that there is a clutch of eggs in this soil. In such a pot, it is better to immediately replace all the soil. In the top layer of soil you can see whitish, translucent larvae with a black head, up to 5 mm long, and in the thick of the roots - whitish grainy formations that crumble if you squeeze them harder with your fingers - these are pupae or skins from pupae after the emergence of adults. If there are not many pests, then you can try to poison them without replanting seedlings with flying individuals and larvae. Spray the seedlings with dichlorvos. To combat field larvae, the ground must be treated with any insecticide (agravertin, actara, actellik, decis, intavir, kinmiks, fitoverm) 2 times every 7 days. After applying the insecticide, do not water the seedlings for 3 to 5 days. The larvae, if you water the soil with an insecticide, crawl to the surface.
QUESTION: Why pepper seedlings become crooked ?
ADVICE: The solution to the problem of seedling curvature is the systematic rotation of the seedlings around its axis. The seedlings on the windowsill are always reaching for the light. And light comes to the seedlings only from the window. Therefore, the seedlings always bend in one direction. Deceive her by periodically turning away from the window. Rotate the seedlings 1-2 times a day around its axis by 180 degrees and you will never have the problem of curvature of the seedlings.
QUESTION: What to do, if pepper seedlings bloomed ?
ADVICE: If the seedlings have bloomed, but it is too early to plant them in open ground, then simply tear off the flowers (buds). Cut it off constantly, right up to planting it in open ground. If the color is left, the seedlings will grow poorly, since they will devote all their energy to setting fruit. You will not be able to achieve normal fruit ripening; you will only overload the plant itself, which will stop actively growing due to the appearance of fruits.
QUESTION: What to do, if eggplant seedlings wither and then dies? We pulled the limp plants out of the ground - the roots were good, powerful, and not damaged. There are no spots on the leaves either.
ADVICE: If the leaves of eggplant seedlings wither in the sun during the day, and by the morning they become dense and elastic again, then this is normal. If we do not take into account diseases of the root system (according to your descriptions there are none), then there may be several reasons: Very bright sun - it is necessary to cover it with thin tulle. Possible acidification of the soil from excessive watering (the soil has a musty smell). It is also possible that there is no temperature balance between the above-ground and root parts. If the leaves are in the sun, and the container with the root system is in the shade (of the same window sill), then the leaves evaporate moisture very actively, and the cold roots cannot keep up with them. The same problem can also be attributed to the case when cold draft air from the cracks of the frame “moves” through the containers with roots. Wilting is also possible when the window sill is ventilated - the active movement of cold air has a detrimental effect on the green mass of seedlings. Perhaps the roots of the seedlings do not have enough air (the soil is too tight or overwatered, it is also possible that there are no drainage holes or they are too small). The top layer of soil needs to be loosened well, the drainage holes widened and watering reduced. Perhaps the seedlings feel a lack of potassium. Add some ash to the top layer of soil.
WHAT TO DO, IF: Seedlings cannot shed the seed coat
ADVICE: If you wet the “cap” several times during the day, it will fall off on its own. You can help the plants and carefully remove it with a needle. Do not remove the dry seed coat with your hands - the seedlings may die.
WHAT TO DO, IF: Shoots are uneven
ADVICE: It is necessary to use only a light substrate for sowing seeds, preferably based on milled high-moor neutral peat or very fine vermiculite. In this case, the thickness of the mulch layer should be approximately equal to the thickness of the seed itself.
WHAT TO DO, IF: Seedlings are lodged
ADVICE: If at the same time the basal part of the stem becomes thinner and darkens, the seedlings are affected." black leg"This disease is caused, most often, by fungi of the genus Fusarium. The cause may be hypothermia of the soil (if the container with seedlings is on a cold windowsill), excessive watering, dense crops or contamination of the substrate (if it has not been previously steamed). At the first signs of damage, you should remove diseased seedlings with a small lump of earth, stop watering (until the soil is completely dry), add calcined sand to the stems. After drying, it is recommended to water with potassium permanganate or the preparations "Topsin", "Fundazol". However, the most correct way is to re-pick the seedlings into a new one, steamed soil and follow the watering rules in the future.
WHAT TO DO, IF: After picking, the plants do not begin to grow for a long time
ADVICE: Often the cause of this phenomenon is errors during picking. For example, the seedlings had long roots that were not pinched when picked, and when planted in the substrate, the long roots bent or became entangled with each other. This most often leads to their rotting and retardation in the growth of the plant itself or even its death, in particular, from various fungal diseases, the pathogens of which penetrate through the damaged root system. It is possible that during transplantation an air cavity formed around the roots if the soil around the seedling was not compressed enough. Then some of the suction root hairs dry out and the root system does not function at full strength. Some plants do not tolerate picking well. For example, all species with a taproot system - poppies, lupins, gypsophila - are best sown immediately in open ground. Peppers and cucumbers do not tolerate transplantation well. It is better to sow the seeds of these crops at once in separate pots of several seeds. As the seedlings grow, they are thinned out by cutting off weak plants with scissors.
WHAT TO DO, IF: The leaves of the seedlings have changed color
ADVICE: If the leaves turn pale Most likely, the plants do not have enough light or nitrogen fertilizers. The seedlings should be moved to the brightest place or even use artificial additional lighting (per 0.5 sq. m of area, one 40 W fluorescent lamp is needed, located at a distance of 15–20 cm above the tops of the plants). However, experts believe that the quality of seedlings from seeds sown later and growing in sufficient natural light will be better than with earlier sowing and artificial lighting. There is a direct relationship between illumination and temperature - the darker the room, the lower the temperature should be. However, at temperatures below +14 ° C, seedlings stop developing, and heat-loving crops may even die. In case of nitrogen starvation, it is necessary to fertilize the plants with a solution of ammonium nitrate or urea (no more than 7–10 g per 10 liters of water). The appearance of blue-red spots on the leaves indicates that the soil is too cold and phosphorus becomes unavailable to the plant roots. It is necessary to isolate the container with seedlings from the cold windowsill and feed the plants with complex fertilizers. If a dry border appears along the edges of the leaves, this may indicate potassium starvation. In this case, the plants can be fed with potassium monophosphate.
WHAT TO DO, IF: Black flies appeared on the seedlings approximately 3 mm long with long wings
ADVICE: Spray the soil with Fitosporin before planting. Use Fitoverm or Iskra-bio against the fly. Spray tomato stems and leaves with Zircon.
WHAT TO DO, IF: The leaves on the tomatoes are curling
ADVICE: " If the leaves curl downwards - “chicken's foot”, this is not a disease, it’s just that the vein grows faster than the leaf blade. If they curl upward, this is a lack of potassium. Feed with potassium fertilizer that does not contain chlorine.
WHAT TO DO, IF: White flies appeared on tomato and eggplant seedlings .
ADVICE: If the flies are really white, spray with Fitoverm 8 drops per liter. Usually small black ones appear, flying due to rotting organic matter, usually from waterlogging. Stop watering for 3 days.
WHAT TO DO, IF: Pepper seedlings outgrow
ADVICE: The first buds need to be plucked out. They will greatly weaken the plant and will not produce fruit because the volume of soil is small. But it will be possible to replant it again in containers of about one liter. Then you can let it bloom and set fruit. So replant it in the ground already with fruits
WHAT TO DO, IF: The cotyledon leaves of the pepper seedlings have turned yellow and are falling off . And the trunk turned purple
ADVICE: There may be three reasons: a purple stem is an indicator that phosphorus is not absorbed at low temperatures. If it stands right next to the glass, then the pepper is cold. Yellowing and falling leaves most likely indicate that you are flooding the seedlings with cold water. But maybe the plant, in order to maintain its growth point, takes nutrients from the lower leaves, that is, you don’t feed it
QUESTION: How to pick pepper - to the cotyledon leaves or to the same depth as sprouted?
ADVICE: Peppers are planted at the same depth as they grew before transplanting. And the cocktail is sprayed, not watered.
QUESTION: How to properly plant and shape tomatoes?
ADVICE: It is necessary to gradually remove the leaves under each cluster that has begun to fill again; by the end of the season, tomatoes are hanging on a bare stem, and there are 4-5 leaves above the last cluster. Stepchildren must be systematically removed until they are no more than 3-4 cm. Just pluck them out. Tall, large-fruited tomatoes should be grown on one stem. Low-growing (ultra-determinate) varieties and hybrids do not take stepsons, since their harvest is formed on the stepsons, but it is still necessary to remove the lower leaves under the tassels.
Kira Stoletova
If pepper seedlings have bloomed, it is necessary to stop the growth of the bushes. Otherwise, they will not be able to take root in the new planting site and will not be able to provide nutrients for the formation of ovaries, which will lead to loss of yield.
Typically, the situation when pepper seedlings bloom occurs when growing early-ripening varieties. Especially if they are planted earlier than February 20 in the southern regions or earlier than March 1 in the northern regions.
Other reasons why vegetables bloom:
When growing peppers at home on a windowsill, you need to know that if pepper seedlings have bloomed, you should urgently eliminate this problem. The consequences of inaction can negatively affect the harvest.
Consequences of early appearance of flowers on seedlings:
But the worst result is the lack of harvest. This may be due to the fact that when the pepper blooms, all its energy goes into the formation of new shoots and flower buds.
There is often not enough space for growth, because... At the time of early flowering, picking has not yet been carried out. As a result, the roots may begin to intertwine, and the plant will simply wither before being transplanted into the ground. Due to a poor root system, the bush will not be able to take root. Later, you will no longer have the strength to form more flowers and ovaries. And there will be no nutrients left for the fruits.
Another option is for the yield to decrease when the weight of one pepper increases by 1.5 times. The fruits will lose their juiciness, fleshiness and delicate flavor. Some may dry out. Their immunity will decrease, and the risk of contracting diseases or pests will increase.
The following measures should be taken:
But there is an exception to the rule - if one bush is selected to receive seeds, then the flowers should not be removed from it. You need to act according to the first principle - simply transplant the plant into the ground in the form it will reach before planting. Cover the seedlings with lutrasil and add a hydrogel to the soil that retains moisture.
It is enough to follow the basic rules for planting peppers. Initially, the variety is selected in accordance with the climate characteristics of the region. For the southern regions it is better to choose early and mid-ripening varieties, for the northern regions - mid- and late-ripening. You should first find out when to plant seeds and transplant seedlings into open ground of a certain variety.
Don't forget about the quality of the soil. It should be rich in nutrients. It is better to choose soft soils. The worst option is acidic soil, where the plant can wither. If there is no other choice, liming must be carried out.
It is important to pay attention to the temperature regime. Only until the first leaves appear, you need to maintain a temperature at home of 23-25 °C. After this period, be sure to reduce to a maximum of 20 °C. To do this, the room is often ventilated or the pots with sprouts are moved to the corridor, cellar, or pantry.
When planting peppers in the ground, do not deepen them under any circumstances: these are not tomatoes.
If the grown seedlings have bloomed and set fruit, it’s okay, in a greenhouse the plant “comes to its senses” very quickly and the fruits that have set begin to grow intensively; I don’t plant plants with flowers and ovaries in open ground.
In the spaces between the rows, be sure to plant bushes of low-growing varieties of “good neighbors”: calendula or marigolds: get rid of pests, both leaf-gnawing and soil-borne. You can plant basil and coriander for the same purposes. Coriander and parsley blooming between the rows attract pollinating insects to the pepper.
A good bait for insect pollinators of peppers is the skins of bananas and apples.
During the growing season, peppers need to be pruned: very elongated shoots are shortened, all shoots below the main fork of the stem and branches inside the crown that are shaded, because nothing will grow on them anyway.
Regular harvesting encourages plants to form new fruits. The more often you harvest, the more abundant it is.
10 rules for a good pepper harvest
To get a good harvest of sweet peppers, you don’t need mountains of chemical fertilizers, endless loosening and weeding. Growing organic peppers without extra effort is quite possible, if you take into account some of the features of this plant. Do you know what peppers like and what to avoid? Are you sure you are planting your seedlings on time? Do you think peppers need picking? If the answers to these questions are difficult, you are in the right place. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the rules for successfully growing peppers. And those who know the strengths and weaknesses of this vegetable never have problems with the harvest.
1. We comply with sowing dates
Usually (even very often) it is recommended to plant peppers as seedlings in early February. However, even in the northern regions and the Urals, February seedlings will not be ideal. Peppers planted early age faster and do not show all that they are capable of. Therefore, it is better to sow pepper seeds for seedlings in early or mid-March.
2. Germinate the seeds
You need to sow seedlings with pre-sprouted pepper seeds. Thus, seedlings appear within 2-4 days and the seedlings quickly begin to grow. Germinating seeds is not difficult at all. Just put a cotton pad on a saucer, put pepper seeds on it, cover them with another cotton pad and sprinkle water on top. It will be very good if you add an organic growth stimulator (aloe juice or HB-101) to the water. The saucer with the seeds should be placed on the refrigerator in the kitchen or on a shelf in the bathroom and do not forget to check the seeds twice a day and, if necessary, spray with water.
After three to four days, the pepper seeds will sprout and be ready for planting as seedlings.
3. Plant in individual opaque containers
Pepper is an “egoist” and an “ardent supporter of individuality,” so it is better to immediately abandon growing seedlings in a common box. It is recommended to grow pepper seedlings in individual cups or peat tablets. Moreover, a maximum of two seeds are planted in each glass (tablet). We also draw your attention to the fact that containers for seedlings should be opaque - the roots do not need extra light.
4. Do not bury the seeds
It is very important not to bury pepper seeds when planting. They should practically lie on the surface. It is enough to sprinkle them with a little soil. The optimal sowing depth for pepper is 2 millimeters.
5. We dive by transshipment
We have already discussed the importance of picking to improve the quality of seedlings, but what about peppers that do not like transplanting? For them, the standard picking and digging procedure is not suitable: they will immediately stop growing for two weeks. There are two alternative ways:
First— immediately plant the seeds in large containers (500 ml cups). Then no picking is simply required.
Second- we sow the seeds in peat tablets or small paper cups, and then simply transfer them to a larger container, without disturbing the root system of the young seedlings, and cover them with soil.
6. Water the seedlings during
When growing pepper seedlings, the most important thing is to not let the soil dry out. Skipping watering and allowing the pepper leaves to wilt means missing the harvest in the future.
7. Choosing the right place for pepper
Pepper loves neutral, fertile soils, warmth and light, but is not very happy with drafts. So for the garden bed we choose a well-lit and warmed place. If there are doubts about the fertility of the soil, then prepare compost in advance to fill the holes with it when planting seedlings.
8. We grow peppers in warm beds
And once again... pepper is very, very heat-loving. The optimal temperature of the ground and air for it is 26°C. Peppers in particular like to keep their roots warm. What else can provide “warmth from below” if not a warm bed? Even when growing peppers in a greenhouse, it is better to plant them in a warm bed. In addition, pepper is sensitive to temperature changes, so many gardeners place “heat accumulators” - plastic bottles with water - in their garden beds. During the day, bottled water heats up, and at night it releases the accumulated heat to the garden bed. Instead of bottles, you can use large cobblestones.
9. Water, feed, mulch
Just like when growing seedlings, adult pepper plants should not be left without moisture. Pepper loves moisture, but it should not be overwatered. So we turn to our favorite way to maintain normal soil moisture - mulching. After planting the pepper in a permanent place, when the first weeds appear, mulch the beds with a layer of 20 centimeters. Apply mulch under the peppers about once every three weeks. This technique will protect the soil from drying out, and you can water it less often.
It is advisable to feed the peppers once a week. The best organic fertilizers are ash infusion (2 cups of ash per 10 liters of water) and nettle infusion with the addition of manure and EM preparations. Before flowering, feed with herbal fertilizer, and after flowering with ash. If you have nothing against mineral fertilizers, then you can feed them.
10. Forming the pepper
Pepper seedlings should not have flowers. If the seedlings have bloomed, feel free to pick off the first flower: at this stage it is important for the plant to direct all its energy to rooting and growth, and not to flowering.
After planting in the ground, we wait until each bush has three or four branches, and pinch off the branches after the fifth leaf. At each branch we leave as many ovaries as we need, tearing off the extra ones. In this case, the pepper will have time to fully ripen. On tall peppers, you can remove all the lower leaves.
In September, we leave only those fruits that have managed to set, we pick off all the flowers to give the last autumn harvest a chance to grow and ripen.
By the way, low-growing peppers do not need shaping.
Did the pepper seedlings bloom before being planted in the ground? What to do in this case? This is a real problem for summer residents. After all, seedlings bloom in cups, but it’s still quite early to plant them in the ground. Will the plant die when transplanted? Let's consider these issues in detail in the article.
Did the pepper seedlings bloom before being planted in the ground? What to do in this case?
Perhaps you planted pepper seedlings, but did not expect them to bloom at home. What to do then? Flowers can be left only if the weather outside is favorable. If the air and soil temperatures have not reached the required temperature indicators, this is not necessary.
If pepper seedlings bloom before planting in open ground, experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the flowers. Why? The thing is that such ovaries greatly inhibit growth, and this, in turn, takes away a lot of strength from the pepper seedlings. These small plants have yet to be transplanted into the ground, then they need strength to take root in the soil.
If you notice that a small amount of pepper is blooming, it is wise to reduce the temperature in the greenhouse, for example to 15 degrees plus. Thanks to this, the processes of growth and development of seedlings slow down, and the summer resident will gain time.
If pepper seedlings bloom before planting in open ground, experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the flowers
There are still heated debates between summer residents regarding this issue. Some leave the flowers of the seedlings alone, while others strongly recommend cutting them off if the pepper seedlings have bloomed. As the practice and experience of successful gardeners shows, peppers planted without flowers always have much more fruit.
But what to do if the pepper seedlings bloom? We offer you several options to choose from. Here are some of them, namely:
Of course, pepper seedlings must be fed. The first feeding is carried out a week after picking. A solution of Kemira or Planta is suitable for this purpose. Some summer residents use nitrophoska. Dry bird droppings and mullein solution will also be excellent fertilizers for plants.
