Sweet pepper will have time to give good harvest only if the seedlings are planted on permanent place at the right time. Planting should not be rushed or delayed, since both immature and overgrown pepper seedlings will not grow into fertile bushes.
For peppers, it is very important that the weather is warm. At +13°C their growth stops. If such a coolness lasts for several days, the bushes will need at least 10 days to restore their vitality. If the temperature drops below + 10 ° C, the plantings may die completely.
Favorable days for planting seedlings bell pepper a permanent place is not reached until the time when the daytime temperature is firmly established at + 17 ° C, and the night temperature does not fall below + 15 ° C. Seedlings are transferred to the greenhouse 2 weeks earlier, but the temperature under cover must be maintained at about + 20 ° C.
It is the period when you can fearlessly transplant seedlings of peppers to a permanent place, and they take it as the starting point of reference when determining the time for planting seeds.
For calculations, the time it takes for pepper seeds to germinate is also important. This period depends on the temperature in the room where the seed is located.
Germination rate of pepper seeds:
Providing pepper seeds desired temperature and properly preparing them for planting, you can be sure of the rapid germination of seeds.
The vegetative period of peppers is long. Approximate time that passes for varieties with different ripening dates:
These periods must also be taken into account when determining the time for planting pepper seeds.
On packages with seeds, manufacturers indicate the period of biological or technical ripeness, and sometimes both. The difference between the two types of ripeness is about thirty days.
Biological ripeness is the time that passes from the emergence of seedlings to the full formation of fruits with the ripening of seeds in them. As for pepper, it is not necessary to wait for this period: it can be eaten already at the stage of technical ripeness, as soon as it grows up. But not all varieties by this time have time to gain the declared mass and completely color.
There are varieties of pepper early, medium and late ripening. Their seeds are sown at different times.
Fruit ripening time:
The rate of formation of pepper shoots ready for planting in a permanent place is also different.
Age of seedlings for transplanting to the site:
Based on these data, the time of sowing sweet pepper seeds is determined. Late ripening and mid-season varieties sow in February, early-ripening - in March. But this is on average.
The exact calculation is made according to the scheme:
| Planting time for seedlings in a permanent place | — | Age when seedlings are ready to transplant | — | Seed germination time | = | Date of sowing seeds |
Since the timing of planting pepper seedlings in the beds depends on the onset of warm weather, the time for planting seeds for seedlings for regions with different climates is not the same, and it also changes from year to year.
The regions of Russia are very different in terms of weather conditions. When peppers are already in bloom in one area, they are just getting ready for planting in another. This is important to consider when determining the timing of sowing seeds.
Terms of sowing pepper for seedlings by region:
There are dozens of types and varieties of pepper. You can find fruits for every taste and for various applications: for eating fresh, for canning or stuffing.
Peppers can be:
The shape of the pods can be elongated, round, flattened. By color, you can find varieties of pepper with fruits of all shades of green, yellow, red, purple.
When choosing seeds, first of all, you should consider:
For open ground, early ripe, undersized, determinant varieties with low bushes are suitable. Such peppers are resistant to diseases and short-term cooling, and their fruits ripen together.
In greenhouses, it is better to plant semi-determinate early ripening peppers with bushes of medium height. Indeterminate varieties grow well in heated greenhouses.
Mid-early peppers often have small fruit size, but are very tasty. They make excellent preparations for the winter.
For the northern regions, only early-ripening varieties of pepper are suitable, which manage to produce a crop in a short, cool summer. Peppers of late varieties in the northern regions should be grown only in heated greenhouses, otherwise you may not wait for the harvest before the onset of cold weather. Hybrids grow well in the Northwest: they produce many fruits and are less whimsical to weather changes.
In the south, you can grow any pepper. But it is better to choose those varieties that have hot weather the process of formation of ovaries is not suspended.
| Varieties | |||
| early ripe | Mid-season | ||
| Southern regions | bianca | Miracle Volzhanin Neoplant |
Pomegranate Aristotle |
| Central regions | Cardinal | Alesha Popovich Bulgarian Orange Pilgrim |
black cardinal Bell |
| Ural and Siberia | orange miracle | Victoria red shovel Belozerka |
Bogatyr yellow bell |
| Northwest | Actor Pinocchio tomboy |
Antey Tenderness Gift from Moldova Chrysolite |
— |
Information about the adaptability of a variety to growing in a particular region and whether it should be planted in open or closed ground is always on the seed bag.
If the climate allows, you can choose several varieties of peppers with different ripening dates. Then you can harvest the fruits throughout the summer season.
The key to a good harvest is healthy, strong pepper seeds and their competent preparation for sowing. It consists of several stages. They can be used in combination or used partially. It all depends on the quality of the fruits that were selected for seeds and, proper storage planting material.
Healthy pepper seeds are clean, without impurities and damage, light yellow, their diameter is 0.2–0.4 mm.
When buying planting material, you need to take into account that in peppers its germination rate is about 80% and lasts up to four to five years. But on a bag of seeds, not the date of collection of the seeds, but the time of packaging may be indicated. Therefore, it is best to buy those whose expiration date does not end in the current year.
Large domestic and all foreign manufacturers fully prepare the seed material for planting: they are disinfected, covered with a nutrient composition. Their packaging indicates that the seeds are coated, encrusted or processed in another way. Such processing will only spoil the seeds, because it will destroy the fertilized shell.
Those who want to grow peppers from their seeds need to take planting material from the fruits of healthy plants.
The best yield comes from seeds that are taken from peppers grown close to the stem. They must be fully ripe and harvested in the first decade of September.
First, weak, damaged, discolored seeds are selected. Healthy bushes will not grow from diseased raw materials. Small and light ones may not be similar, since the embryo has not formed in them.
One way to identify a weak inoculum is to soak it in salt water (a teaspoon per glass of water). Full-weight seeds will sink, empty ones will remain on the surface.
When checking the grains in this way, it must be taken into account that well-dried germinating seeds will also be lighter than water. Therefore, the method of testing seeds by soaking in saline cannot be considered absolutely accurate.
Planting material may be infected with fungi or viruses. Disinfection helps to get rid of pathogenic microorganisms.
There are several ways of antimicrobial treatment:
Modern chemicals safe and made using biologically active substances.
After disinfection, the seeds are washed and dried.
Nature has provided the embryos with a complete set useful substances, but supplemented feeding awakens them to life faster, stimulates growth, gives strength for development. enrich seeds nutrients possible in several ways.
This can be soaking before sowing in solutions of organic growth stimulants:
After soaking, the seeds must be washed and slightly dried.
Seeds impregnated with fertilizer solutions should be planted no later than two days after treatment, since their sowing qualities deteriorate over time.
Germinate seeds in order to accelerate the emergence of seedlings. You can ignore this stage, but swollen seeds give faster and more friendly shoots.
Germination process:
The time to sow the seeds comes as soon as they swell and the first sprouts appear on some of them.
Do not wait until the sprouts become large. They can intertwine, and when landing it will be easy to damage them.
The choice of soil must be approached responsibly. You can buy land in a store, but you should buy one that is marked "For seedlings vegetable crops". Such soil contains all the necessary components for the formation of strong seedlings.
Still, it is best to prepare the soil mixture yourself.
The soil for peppers is required to be neutral in acidity (6–6.5 pH), loose and well retaining moisture.
Variants of soil mixtures for growing seedlings of peppers:
Land from the garden can be taken from the garden on which nightshade crops have not grown in the last 3-4 years. This is necessary to prevent possible diseases.
To destroy pathogenic microorganisms and pest larvae, the soil is disinfected.
Soil disinfection methods:
The soil is disinfected 3 days before sowing seeds.
After disinfecting the soil, fertilizers can be applied.
These can be (1 tablespoon per bucket of soil mixture):
You should not apply all fertilizers together, just choose 1-2 containing different mineral components.
You can add a handful of ash, lime and double superphosphate to a bucket of the mixture.
When growing seedlings of pepper with subsequent transplantation, you can sow the seeds in a common wooden or plastic box. Its depth should be 10–15 cm. But it will be difficult to transplant shoots from such a container without damaging the roots.
It is preferable to plant pepper seedlings immediately in a separate container. It can be peat tablets or cups, special containers or cassettes, any plastic utensils.
The container for seedlings of peppers should be:
When transplanting peppers to a permanent place from separate containers, it is easier to ensure the safety of the root system. Growing in separate pots is convenient for vegetable growers and less traumatic for sprouts, since picking is not required in this case.
The container for planting peppers for seedlings is washed with a solution of potassium permanganate. A layer of drainage is poured at the bottom. The containers are filled with prepared soil mixture in such a way that 2 cm remains to its edges.
Pepper needs large space for growth. With this in mind, bell pepper is planted for seedlings both in boxes and in individual containers.
In a common container, pepper seeds are planted in grooves, the distance between which is 2–4 cm. Seeds are planted 1.5–2 cm apart. The embedment depth is 1 cm, a little loose earth is poured on top.
2-3 seeds per hole are planted in separate containers, as some of them may not sprout. If you sow later, time will be lost. When sprouts appear, the strongest is left in the pot, and the rest are pinched off.
Boxes with sown seeds are covered with foil or glass and placed in a warm place.
The temperature should be maintained at:
The film is removed from the boxes as soon as the first seeds begin to hatch.
If set up for pepper seedlings right conditions and provide proper care, its cultivation will not cause problems.
These vegetables require:
Place seedlings of peppers on the lightest window sill. Landings are illuminated in February - March with blue or purple light, only in the mornings and evenings. Pepper is a plant with a short daylight hours, that is, at night the lamps must be turned off.
Peppers planted in a common box dive at the age of two to three true leaves. Do this as carefully as possible, taking out seedlings with a clod of earth. Pinching is not only not required, but also harmful to peppers - this vegetable recovers for a long time even after transplantation.
Feeding seedlings begin when 1-2 pairs of true leaves bloom. Do this necessarily on wet soil. IN further landing should be fertilized every 10-12 days.
Composition of top dressing (per bucket of water):
Microfertilizers are ready-made top dressings that contain a complex of trace elements necessary for good growth and increasing productivity. Available in tablets compact and easy to use. Before use, they are diluted in water.
Approximately 3 weeks before planting in a permanent place, pepper seedlings are hardened: they begin to take out outdoor balcony. The first time this is done for 2 hours, then the time is gradually increased, bringing it to a full day.
A good seedling of peppers has:
The process of budding and flowering lasts about a month. At this time, peppers are especially sensitive to cold and moisture, the optimum temperature is + 26–28 ° C. When the fruits ripen, even heat at the level of + 20–26 ° C is sufficient.
Pepper seedlings should not be allowed to grow. If fruits have time to start on the shoots, the seedlings will lose a lot of energy to feed them. In cramped containers and with a lack of light, this depletes the seedlings so much that they will no longer be able to give a full crop.
Pepper was brought to Europe from South America. Now there are 2 varieties of this vegetable: spicy and sweet. Sweet pepper in our country is called Bulgarian, because it came to Russia from there. This article describes step by step the process of growing sweet pepper seedlings at home.
In order to plant and grow good seedlings of sweet pepper in an apartment, the following conditions must be met:
The soil. Pepper loves rich fertile soils with a neutral reaction. The earth should be warm; plants do not develop in cold soil.
Light. Peppers are less demanding on light than tomatoes and eggplants. In the seedling period, it needs 12-15 hours of daylight for growth, therefore, it needs to be illuminated less than other crops.
Warm. Seedlings of pepper in terms of heat demand are second only to eggplants. For plants, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of + 26-28 ° C during the day and + 20-24 ° C at night. If the temperature on the windowsill with seedlings is below 17-18 ° C, the growth of pepper stops. For hybrids, the temperature should be 3°C higher than for varieties.
Moisture. The culture loves moist soil, but does not tolerate waterlogging. Peppers need frequent, but very moderate watering with warm settled water.
The culture has a very long growing season. In sweet (Bulgarian) pepper, it is longer than in hot:
In hot peppers, fruiting begins a little earlier:
Late varieties are suitable for cultivation only in the south of Russia: in the Crimea, in the Caucasus. Their fruits are large, thick-walled and require at least 150 days to ripen.
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You need to choose those hybrids that are intended for cultivation in this region. |
IN middle lane and to the north it is better to grow early varieties. Even mid-season sweet peppers may not produce a crop (3-5 fruits do not count) due to weather conditions. Hot peppers can be grown both early and mid-season, as it is more resistant to lower temperatures. It is necessary to plant hybrids in the middle lane, even early ripe ones, very carefully, since they require a higher temperature during the fruiting season than happens in summer in these areas.
But in the Central Black Earth region and in the south of Siberia, mid-season varieties, with proper care, will give a good harvest. Even tall varieties and hybrids can be planted and grown here, if the summer in the region is long and warm.
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Due to the long growing season, the crop is planted very early. In the middle lane, this is the first decade of February. |
Some begin to grow seedlings in January, but keep in mind that in the cotyledon phase, the pepper needs the sun for further growth. If the weather is cloudy, then the plants do not start growing for a very long time, despite the backlight. Therefore, the timing of planting pepper seedlings is chosen so that after germination, at least a few days are sunny.
In greenhouses and greenhouses, seedlings in the middle lane are planted at the age of 90-95 days in early June, when the threat of frost passes. By this time, another 10 days are added from sowing to germination and the sowing period is February 5-10.
In the southern regions in early February, you can plant late-ripening varieties and hybrids, medium and early ripening are sown at the end of the month. seedlings in open ground can be planted at the age of 65-75 days. Summer here is longer and even with late planting, varieties and hybrids will yield a harvest.
If you plant seedlings too early (in January), this will lead to a slow development of seedlings. Pepper grows slowly and by the time of planting in the ground, the seedlings will not reach the necessary stage of development, and this will lead to a decrease in yield.
Culture requires fertile soil. Neither garden land nor purchased peat is suitable for planting pepper for seedlings.
Peat very quickly and completely absorbs all moisture and plants planted in it suffer from overdrying of the soil. Garden land in the Non-Chernozem regions has an acidic reaction and pepper, at best, will not grow, at worst it will not sprout at all.
Another option: leafy soil, sand, peat (2:1:1). Leafy soil can be taken under any deciduous trees, except for chestnuts and oaks. The leaf litter of these species contains too many tannins, which adversely affects the seedlings. Under coniferous trees the earth does not need to be taken, because it is too acidic; ash is required to neutralize the acidity.
Potassium - 2 tablespoons and phosphorus - 1 tablespoon must be added to self-prepared mixtures. spoon per bucket of mixture. It is not necessary to add nitrogen to the soil mixture, otherwise the seedlings will stretch very strongly.
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Purchased soils, if there is more than one peat, are well suited for planting peppers. They are already filled with all the necessary fertilizers and do not require additional application. |
But if peat prevails in the soil mixture, then it must be diluted. Before buying, they look at the composition of the soil and buy soils from different manufacturers. As a rule, they contain different amount peat and to obtain land for seedlings they are mixed. If it is not possible to purchase several types of soil, then soil from under indoor flowers and ash are added to the existing one. Is not the best option, but in the absence of other soil mixtures, it is also suitable.
Do not plant peppers in peat pots and peat blocks. Seedlings do not develop well in them.
Firstly, peat gives a strong acidic reaction, which is unfavorable for the crop, and secondly, it is poorly wetted and quickly absorbs irrigation water, only water is supplied to the roots. a large number of.
In such containers, seedlings suffer greatly from a lack of moisture. In addition, after planting in a greenhouse, the roots of the culture are very difficult to grow through the peat wall, which greatly retards growth.
The earth can be frozen, steamed, calcined in the oven or treated with special solutions.
The calcination and steaming of the earth must be carried out before all fertilizers are applied to it. Otherwise, at high temperatures, decomposition of minerals occurs. If the soil is purchased, then it can neither be steamed nor ignited. For them, either freezing or disinfection is carried out.
For disinfection its soil is shed with a burgundy solution of potassium permanganate dissolved in hot water.
You can cultivate the soil with biological products: Fitosporin, Alirin, Trichodermin, Planriz. But trichoderma (a strain of saprophyte fungus) is usually added to purchased soils, so they are not treated with other biological products. Otherwise, there will be a war between various types microflora, beneficial flora will mutually destroy each other and the growth of pathogens will begin. Before shedding the earth with a biological product, it is necessary to read the composition of the soil mixture.
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If the soil has already been treated with biological products, then potassium permanganate is also not watered, otherwise useful biological objects will die. |
After any processing, the land ready for planting is covered with a film and placed in a warm place for 3 days so that the earth warms up.
First of all, pepper seeds are treated against diseases. Usually use the drug Maxim, it is most effective. For dressing, you can keep the seed in a saturated pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Keeping the seeds in a thermos with water heated to 53-55°C for 20-25 minutes gives a good effect. If the seeds are pre-treated, then they do not need to be dressed.
The seeds of the culture are difficult to germinate, therefore, to increase their germination, they are treated with growth stimulants. Usually they use Silk (Novosil), Energen, Zircon, Epin. It is often used as a stimulant, but it is not very suitable for pepper, since the seeds are difficult to swell when soaked. They need to be soaked for at least 3-5 days, and aloe juice has a very strong biological activity and for such a long period it will simply burn the seeds.
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The remaining growth stimulants are added when the seeds are soaked, and they are in this solution until they hatch. |
Due to the difficulty of swelling and germination, the seeds are soaked in such a way that they are completely covered with water. By the time intensive respiration and germination begin, part of the water will evaporate and the seeds will have enough oxygen and moisture.
The soaked seeds are placed on hot battery. Worries that the peppers are too hot there are unfounded. For germination, it requires a temperature of 28-30°C for varieties and 32-34°C for hybrids. At this temperature, the pepper will hatch in 5-6 days. But usually the temperature in the apartment is lower, so the seeds germinate, at best, after 10 days.
If the seeds are fresh, but do not hatch, then they are too cold and need to increase the temperature. Then the seeds are placed in a thermos, poured with a small amount of water. room temperature and put on the battery. As a rule, seedlings appear in 7-10 days.
The seed germination rate directly depends on the temperature of the soil, so the box with the crops is placed on the battery. The most favorable soil temperature for germination is 30-32°C, peppers germinate in 6-7 days.
If the earth is warmed up to 25-27 ° C, then the seeds will germinate in 2 weeks, and if the earth is cold (22-23 °), then shoots will appear in 20-22 days.
When the ground temperature in the seedling box is below 22 ° C, the pepper may not sprout at all. There will be no shoots even if the temperature of the earth is more than 36 ° C, at this temperature the embryo dies.
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In general, even sprouted pepper seeds that are in a favorable environment germinate for a very long time. |
Immediately after the appearance of the first shoots, the seedlings are placed on the windowsill, without waiting for all the seeds to germinate. If the seedlings are kept under the film for a long time, then they are strongly drawn out. The remaining seeds will sprout within a week and quickly overtake the first group. Seeds that sprouted later should be removed, since they will obviously be weaker than the rest of the seedlings.
To grow seedlings of pepper strong and healthy, it must be provided with good lighting. For the appearance of the first true leaves, seedlings of pepper in the cotyledon period need the sun. Therefore, if only there is a sunny day, the seedlings are exposed to the sunniest place in the house. In the absence of light, the pepper will have to be illuminated a lot.
In cloudy weather, additional illumination of pepper is carried out even during the day. In the absence of the sun, the illumination should be at least 10 hours, preferably 12-13 hours, the seedlings are placed directly under the llama. Pepper should "seem" that it is illuminated by the sun, only then will the growth of true leaves begin.
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If there is neither sun nor additional light, seedlings can exist only with cotyledon leaves for up to 30-35 days. |
If the days are sunny, then the seedlings light up within 5-6 hours. In the case of partly cloudy peppers are additionally illuminated for 8 hours, depending on the weather.
Pepper is a plant short day and after the appearance of the first true leaves, it needs only a little additional illumination. In February, it is no more than 12 hours a day, in March - 10 hours at the beginning, 4-5 hours at the end of the month, in April the plants are not additionally illuminated.
With a lack of light, seedling growth slows down, but it does not stretch as much as tomatoes and eggplants.
Seedlings should be watered only with warm water with a temperature not lower than 20 ° C. Cold water is poorly absorbed and, despite abundant watering, seedlings may suffer from a lack of moisture. In addition, it cools the soil, which is very unfavorable for peppers, especially for hybrids.
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Pepper seedlings need frequent but small waterings. Plants do not tolerate excessive soil moisture. |
Water must be settled. When watering with unsettled water, a white bacterial-lime coating appears on the surface of the earth, which negatively affects the growth of culture in initial period development.
At an early age, plant nutrition is not carried out due to the fact that root system develops slowly. If seedlings in an apartment do not start growing for a long time (more than 25 days), then they can be fed with preparations for indoor flowers containing low doses of nitrogen or without it at all.
Nitrogen causes a strong elongation of the stalk, which is uncharacteristic for pepper, the seedlings become thin and weak. The main thing in the early stage of development is the sun, if it is, then the culture does not need to be fed.
Dive pepper after the appearance of 4-5 true leaves. At an early age, the culture does not tolerate transplantation very well, the aerial part is ahead of the roots in growth. When transplanting, no matter how carefully it is carried out, part of the sucking roots still breaks off and the plant cannot quickly restore them. Therefore, when early pick a large number of plants die.
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Peppers are planted in separate containers (pots, plastic bottles, boxes). Planting even strong and well-developed seedlings in peat blocks is not recommended. |
At an older age, the roots of seedlings are sufficiently formed and during transplantation, even with the loss of a certain number of sucking roots, this is not so critical for seedlings.
The pot in which the pepper will be planted is 1/3 filled with earth. Seedlings are watered abundantly and the plants are dug out of the seedling box. It is desirable that the roots are not exposed, but with a lump of earth.
The excavated plant is placed in a planting pot, the roots are carefully straightened, it is unacceptable that they are bent up or twisted, and covered with earth. The earth around the plant is compacted, watered with warm water. During planting, the plants are held by the leaves, not by the stem, which can easily break.
If you plant seedlings of pepper in small pots, then the roots in them are twisted around an earthen lump in a circle and after planting in open ground they do not grow in width and depth for a long time.
When picking, the pepper is not deepened, since adventitious roots at this age are practically not formed in it. Plant it at the same depth at which it grew. With a deep planting, the part of the stem that is underground may rot.
The pickled seedlings are placed in a shaded place for several days, but if the weather is cloudy, then you can put it on the windowsill. Plants do not light up for 3-5 days.
After picking in the middle lane and to the north, the seedlings are kept in the house for another 2-2.5 months. In the south, this period is shorter.
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After 3-5 days, when the seedlings take root, they put it on the sunniest and warmest windowsill. |
In the first few days do frequent, but very little watering. When the seedlings get stronger and begin to grow again, watering is reduced to 2-3 times a week, making sure that the earth does not dry out.
The temperature is maintained at least 20-22°C. After the heating is turned off in the apartments, the pepper is put on the most warm window, and at night, at a temperature in the room of 15-16 ° C, turn on the heater. If the plants do not have enough heat, they stop growing. If possible, then on warm days the culture is taken out to the greenhouse or to the balcony, if the temperature there is not lower than 22 ° C.
At an early age, plants do not feed. But after picking and before planting seedlings in the ground, pepper needs regular feeding.
Feeding is done 5-7 days after picking. Pepper is a potassium lover, so the fertilizer should contain high doses of this element and a moderate nitrogen content. Nitrogen inevitably causes elongation of seedlings, which is bad for its further development. Usually fertilizers Zdraven, Uniflor-Buton, Agricola for flowering, potassium monophosphate are used.
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Top dressing is done weekly until the plants are planted in the ground. When feeding, alternate preparations containing nitrogen and nitrogen-free fertilizers. |
Harden seedlings begin 3 weeks before planting in a permanent place and only if the temperature outside is not lower than 18-19 ° C. On warm days, the plants are taken out to the open balcony and left there for the whole day, putting them into the room only at night. If possible, the seedlings are placed in a greenhouse.
Planting seedlings in open ground can be carried out when the soil warms up to 16-18°C (20°C for hybrids).
Growing good seedlings of pepper in the house is not at all easy. The most important thing for seedlings is warmth and sun, only then they will be strong and healthy.
As we already know, it is a very heat-loving crop and also has a long growing season.
And therefore, in order to get a good harvest, and even as early as possible, it is necessary to grow this crop using seedlings.
Pepper grows well and, and, but we won’t be able to sow it directly into the ground either in the north or even in the south. So we will master all the wisdom of planting sweet peppers through seedlings.
How to grow seedlings of pepper? This is the question we will try to answer in this article. We cannot regulate the weather outside the window, but we will successfully create the right microclimate at home.
Attached to cozy pots on the southern, warm windowsill, peppers grow well and, transplanted then into the garden, turn into strong plants and give a good harvest.
In addition, the cultivation of seedlings of pepper has the following pluses. For a vegetable grown by seedling method:
But before you start sowing seeds, you need to choose the right pepper varieties that we will grow.
I advise you to pay attention to such basic parameters:
Now, directly, let's start answering the main question - how to grow seedlings of sweet pepper.
It is necessary to plant pepper for seedlings in a timely manner in order to get good planting material.
This is very important point in sweet pepper cultivation - definition right time seedling sowing. After all, if we plant the seeds too early, the plants will outgrow in pots.
The timing of sowing pepper seeds depends on several factors:
Many gardeners have a simple answer - to start growing seedlings in early February, but, given the short daylight hours, the young pepper in this case needs additional illumination.
If desired, you can use LED, phytolamps, including them for 12 hours.
But most experienced gardeners plan to sow seeds for seedlings in late February or early March.
Pay attention to the quality of the seeds themselves! Many growers dry the seeds to increase shelf life. This feature is usually written on the packaging.
Sweet pepper is a capricious plant, its seeds can quickly lose their germination. To avoid this, they should be well prepared for sowing.
♦ Seed selection. Prepare saline solution (30 g table salt per liter of water). Dip the pepper seeds in and stir well.
After 5-10 minutes, strong, high-quality seeds will be at the bottom, and weak ones will float. We need healthy seeds - we will wash them well and let them dry, spreading them out on a paper leaf.
♦ Etching. How to grow pepper seedlings and get strong seedlings? Etching is required.
This method will disinfect the seeds and give them the first hardening against diseases.
A weak solution of manganese will help us (a gram of potassium permanganate per liter of water). Hold the seeds there for 15-20 minutes, rinse and dry.
♦ Processing. In order for our pepper to grow strong, the seeds must be treated with microelements 2 days before sowing.
Spread the seeds in gauze bags and place them in a solution with trace elements (you can use "Ideal" or "Epin").
We keep the seeds there for about a day, after which we take them out and dry them (no need to rinse).
Advice. You can do without soaking the seeds at all. Very effective way preparation is considered bubbling (treatment of seeds in oxygenated water).
This method dramatically enhances the germination of pepper. For sparging, use a regular aquarium compressor. Seeds should be treated in this way 2 weeks before sowing.
♦ Seed hardening. Sweet pepper seedlings should have good immunity.
Hardening will help the pepper adequately cope with weather troubles and any diseases. Seed hardening is carried out immediately before sowing.
Soak the planting material in slightly warmed water, wait for the seeds to swell and immediately put them in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. Keep them there overnight. Then immediately start seeding.
Our pepper does not tolerate picking well - therefore, it is better not to plant seeds in a common large container. Individual cups of 100 ml volume would be ideal.
As the pepper grows, we will simply “transfer” it into larger containers.
♦ Soil for seedlings. The land for our seeds must be nourished and insulated.
To warm the soil - pre-pour into containers with soil hot water, and stretch the film on top (evaporation will collect there).
The soil for sweet pepper can be in several variations:
Advice on how to grow seedlings of pepper. In order for the pepper to later adapt better to its permanent place in the garden, add a little soil to the soil from the area where you plan to plant the plant. Do not forget to process it with potassium permanganate or steam it in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Lay a drainage layer on the bottom of the cups; small pieces of foam plastic, broken particles of red brick or expanded clay can be taken as drainage.
The cups themselves are better to take opaque - the sun negatively affects the healthy formation of the root system.
♦ Choose a place. Bulgarian pepper does not like the cold very much; direct rays of the sun are vital to it.
The ideal place for seedlings will be the southern window sills, all the time flooded with light. On very warm days, seedlings can be placed on insulated balconies / loggias (place insulated material under the cups with seedlings).
♦ Sowing pepper seedlings. Fill the cups soil mixture¾, lightly compacting the soil with your hand.
Then we water the soil a little and make grooves 1 cm deep. In each cup we put two pepper seeds at a distance of about 2-3 cm from each other, sprinkling them with soil (it will be convenient to use a toothpick).
We cover the cups with seeds with polyethylene and put them on the windowsill.
Experienced gardeners It is advised to place pots with seedlings at a distance from each other. It has been noticed that bell pepper does not like to touch the leaves and immediately begins to stretch at the same time. The neighbors are bothering him!
It is very important to comply right conditions growing seedlings of pepper. As soon as we planted the seeds, they should be kept until the first shoots appear at a temperature of + 25 ° C to + 27 ° C.
The first sprouts may appear after 7-15 days (depending on the type of vegetable). Spray the soil in the boxes every two days with water from a spray bottle.
Advice. As soon as the pepper makes itself felt with the first shoots, we remove the film coating. At this time, it is necessary to organize additional illumination of the plant with fitolamps - this will accelerate the growth of seedlings and strengthen them.
The optimal daylight hours for sweet peppers are 9-10 hours. We will illuminate the pepper during the day (from 8 am to 20 pm).
♦ Temperature conditions. An important factor in obtaining healthy seedling- temperature regime. The best for seedlings is a daytime temperature of + 23 ° -25 ° C, a night temperature of + 16 ° -18 ° C.
If at night the temperature drops below + 12 ° C, the plants will begin to lose leaves and may die.
♦ Watering. Young seedlings should be watered only with warm water, best in the morning. Water the peppers not often, but abundantly enough - look after the condition of the soil!
After watering, do not forget to loosen the soil. For water, use rain or melt water. If you take the usual, from the tap - be sure to let it settle first.
Advice on how to grow seedlings of pepper. Loosen the ground more often - it is vital for pepper roots to receive oxygen. The roots of this plant are the most "sore" place. They categorically cannot be damaged - deformation leads to inhibition in growth and the cessation of further fruiting.
♦ Hardening. Seedlings that have already grown stronger (10-12 days before planting in the garden) should be hardened - taken out for a short time outside or open windows.
For hardening, spraying seedlings with herbal infusion will be useful (for infusion, you can use garlic, onions, needles, marigolds or calendula flowers).
Hardened seedlings will gain resistance from pests.
Important! If you sprayed the seedlings - outside, under the sun it cannot be taken out with wet leaves! Droplets of water on the leaves can cause them to burn.
♦ Top dressing. How to grow healthy pepper seedlings? Feed the young vegetables! For the entire period of growing seedlings, peppers need to be fed 2 times:
Ideal would be the introduction of a solution of mullein (1 part of manure per 10 parts of water) or dry bird droppings (it must be poured with hot water at + 80 ° -90 ° C, based on 20 parts of water per part of the litter, it should be infused for about 2 hours).
In order for the fruits of the pepper to become large and juicy, it is useful for seedlings to carry out foliar feeding by spraying the young plant with a solution of complex, mineral fertilizers.
♦ To dive or not? Although many gardeners do not recommend diving peppers (seedlings are reluctant to take root in a new place when transplanted), many successfully grow seedlings using diving.
When growing seedling peppers, any gardener can face problems. There are not as many troubles in young seedlings as in an adult plant, but they can be:
♦ Seedlings have drastically slowed down. This can occur in peppers after a dive, when the roots were accidentally damaged during the transplantation. Therefore, if you are a beginner gardener, try to do without picking seedlings.
♦ Black leg. How to grow pepper seedlings without disease. Pepper loves moisture and watering very much, but in no case should you water it too actively and diligently.
Excess water in the soil can lead to the appearance of a dangerous seedling disease - black leg. The soil initially infected with spores of the fungus, which has not undergone preliminary disinfection, can also lead to infection.
The causative agents of the disease are pathogenic fungi that are activated when too wet ground and its high acidity.
Densely planted peppers can also suffer from the disease.
To prevent the disease, pour calcined sand on the surface of the soil and do not allow waterlogging of the soil!
Carry out competent care of pepper seedlings, adhering to the following tips:
Knowing how to grow pepper seedlings, what competent agrotechnical measures are necessary, taking care of our young pets, we will be able to grow strong seedlings that will successfully turn into adult, healthy plants.
And for a successful transplant into the garden, they must meet the following characteristics:
Our seedlings will be ready to move to their permanent place of residence when the soil in the garden warms up to + 14 ° -16 ° C (in the root layers, this is a depth of 10-15 cm).
And when there is no longer a threat of sudden frosts (as a rule, this period falls on the end of May-beginning and mid-June).
Before planting, young seedlings should be well watered to reduce possible root injury.
We got acquainted with the traditional method of growing sweet pepper seedlings.
But I want to invite you to watch a few videos by Yulia Minyaeva about another way of growing seedlings - "in a snail". I really liked him. I will try to plant some seedlings with this method.
See you soon, dear readers, and success in growing strong and healthy seedlings!
The topic of today's article is planting pepper seedlings: when to sow, how to properly plant pepper seedlings in an apartment, tips for novice gardeners.
Peppers belong to crops with a long germination period. From sowing seeds to planting young plants in the ground or greenhouse, it takes from 90 to 100 days. Seedlings of early ripe varieties reach right size after 3 months, they can be planted when the soil warms up to 16-18 degrees.
Seedlings are moved to the greenhouse at an earlier date, they are planted in the ground under the film a little later. Much depends on the region and specific weather conditions.
Knowing when to land in the ground, you can accurately calculate the timing of planting pepper seedlings. In central Russia, it is better to sow seeds or early March. In more warm regions seeds are sown starting in January, and seedlings are planted at the end of April.
In areas with cold climates, seeds are planted in mid or even late March.. Late-sown plants are best planted in a heated greenhouse so that all the fruits that have set have time to ripen. For transplanting into a year-round greenhouse, peppers are sown twice a year, in January-February and at the end of September.
Many vegetable growers compare landing dates with the lunar calendar. The time when the Moon in the first phase is under the influence of Libra, Scorpio, Aries or Sagittarius is considered optimal for sowing pepper. Depending on the year, the dates shift, you can see the actual days in a special calendar. It indicates the most suitable dates, as well as the days on which landings should be avoided.
Appropriate planting time is also indicated on the bags with seeds. Early-ripening varieties with a shortened growing season can be sown at the end of February, late-ripening varieties are sown as early as possible. Seedlings sown in January will have to, since the daylight hours at this time are too short for normal development young peppers.
Before sowing pepper seeds for seedlings, you need to sort out full-weight seeds. You can check them by soaking them in a 3% saline solution. Seeds that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for sowing. Before planting, it is recommended to soak them in or freshly squeezed aloe juice for 10-12 hours.
Individual containers should not be too spacious.
Most often, pepper seeds are sown in convenient plastic containers. They are densely filled with soil so that about 2 cm remains to the sides. With this filling, there will be no soil leaching. The soil must be compacted and spilled with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
How to sow pepper seedlings? After 12 hours, grooves about 1 cm deep are made on the surface of the soil. Seeds are sown at a distance of 2 cm from each other, the space between the grooves is 4-5 cm. From above, the crops are sprinkled with earth, lightly compacted and sprayed with warm settled water.
To speed up germination, the container can be covered with film, glass or a damp cloth.
Sowing pepper for seedlings can be done in a spacious container or in separate containers: cups, rolled pieces of a dense film. Landing in individual containers excludes subsequent picking. It is important to choose high-quality hatched seeds to avoid culling.
How to plant peppers for seedlings in separate containers? When planting in cups, the soil is moistened with warm water, a hole is made in it with a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The seed is carefully laid out and sprinkled with earth. The cups fit tightly on the tray.
How to sow pepper seedlings in peat tablets? Before sowing, tablets with a diameter of 3 cm are folded into a deep container and filled with warm water. After a few hours, the peat will swell and increase in size, the tablets will turn into neat columns. Excess liquid is drained.
In the upper part of the columns there are small holes that need to be deepened and put the hatched seeds into them. The holes are filled with crushed soil and slightly crushed. Planted seeds do not need to be watered.. Peat columns are installed in Plastic container. You need to put them tightly to prevent tipping. The top of the tray is covered with a lid or film.
How to plant peppers for seedlings, photo:
Immediately after sowing containers or pots are placed in a warm place. Optimum temperature for germination - 27-28 degrees. Some gardeners specially warm up the soil before planting, placing it closer to the battery. A decrease in temperature delays germination and often causes the death of seeds.
When sprouts appear on the surface of the soil, the seedlings are placed in the brightest place. It is good if a lamp for additional illumination is mounted above the landings. The ideal light day for peppers lasts 12 hours. At night, planting can be covered with an opaque cloth.
After germination, the temperature in the room drops to 20-25 degrees. Pepper seedlings need to be watered 1 time in 5-6 days, first from a spray bottle, and then from a watering can. The container with seedlings is rotated periodically so that the seedlings grow evenly. After the appearance of the first 2 leaves, the plants are ready for picking.
Peppers planted in peat tablets should be moved to pre-prepared pots filled with a nutrient substrate.
Timely planted seedlings grow well, do not
Sweet pepper is a thermophilic culture. Growing a full-fledged pepper by sowing seeds immediately in open ground is problematic even in the southern regions. The plant has a long growing season, so seedlings must be grown to harvest a good harvest.
We cannot control the weather outside the window, but everyone can create optimal conditions for growing seedlings. After transplantation, peppers successfully take root in open ground, fruiting begins a month earlier - you are guaranteed to have time to harvest.
When choosing a variety, consider a number of parameters:
To obtain good planting material, timely is necessary. If sown too early, young peppers will overgrow in pots, then the lower fruits will begin to set. This takes strength from the plant, they may not take root in the open field, normal fruiting will be delayed.
Take into account the subsequent place of growth. In a heated greenhouse, young seedlings are planted by the end of April, in greenhouses and film greenhouses - throughout May, and planting in open ground should be carried out in the first decade of June.
Also note that without a pick, the peppers will be ready for planting two weeks earlier.
It can be carried out in early February, but sweet pepper seedlings will need additional lighting. Use LED or phytolamps. Daylight hours should be 12 hours.
To soak or not to soak, to process or not to process sweet pepper seeds before planting, everyone decides for himself. But experienced vegetable growers recommend showing a little patience in order to speed up germination and choose the highest quality seed. Alas, to increase the shelf life, sweet pepper seeds are often dried out - but this must be indicated on the packaging.
To get friendly shoots, it is necessary to carry out the selection and processing of seeds.
Prepare a brine solution (30 g of table salt per 1 liter of water), immerse the seeds in it and stir well. See what happens in 5-10 minutes. Weak seeds will float to the surface, and high-quality, healthy ones will sink to the bottom. The latter should be washed well with water, laid out on paper and allowed to dry.
The next step is disinfection. You will need a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 g of powder per 1 liter of water), in which you should hold the seeds for 15-20 minutes. Then rinse and dry slightly.
You can use folk remedies: take 2 g of wood ash for 1 liter of water. Infuse the solution for a day, then keep a bag of seeds in it for about 3 hours.
Soaking can be replaced by bubbling - seed treatment in oxygenated water. To do this, you will need an aquarium compressor. You need to take a large glass container, fill it 2/3 with water (temperature about 20 ° C). Lower the compressor so that its tip is at the bottom and turn on the appliance. When bubbles appear, lower the bag of seeds there and let it stand for a day.
Seedlings should have good immunity. Resistance to changeable weather conditions, diseases will help increase the hardening of seeds. Hold the seeds in warm water until swelling, then move them to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and stand for a day, then proceed to sowing.
The soil needs to be nutritious.
The following options will work:
It is recommended to add a little soil to the soil from the area where pepper will grow in the future. This contributes to the successful adaptation of seedlings after transplanting into open ground. Before entering into the soil mixture, this earth must be shed with a solution of potassium permanganate or calcined in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
As a container, it is best to use individual cups with a volume of about 100 ml. It is desirable that they are not transparent - exposure to sunlight negatively affects the development of the root system. You can make homemade cups, as shown in the video above.
Lay a drainage layer at the bottom of the container (pieces of foam, broken brick, expanded clay).
Fill the cups with soil ¾, compact a little, pour. Make a groove about 1 cm deep, place 1 seed in each cup. Lightly cover with soil.
For healthy growth, it is necessary to provide an optimal microclimate: cover the crops with glass or film. To protect the seedlings from drafts as much as possible, place the containers in a box, install a dense wire along its edges, stretch the plastic film on top so that it completely covers the ground with crops.
The cold will destroy the plants, they need direct Sun rays. Southern window sills, flooded sunlight – perfect place for growing bell pepper seedlings. When the days are warm, you can take out the seedlings to the insulated balcony, loggia. Be sure to place a heater under the cups with seedlings.
Compliance with the correct temperature regime- an important condition for growing seedlings:
From the lack of lighting, seedlings begin to reach out to look for a source of light. Older specimens stop growth, the root system may begin to rot. The optimal length of daylight hours for pepper is 9-10 hours. Light up in daytime(from 8.00 to 20.00).
Abundant, but not often. The soil should be slightly moist, do not allow stagnant water. Watering is best done in the morning. Use softened water (thawed water, rainwater, or tap water that has been standing for a day), warm it up to room temperature.
The roots need to receive oxygen - after each watering, loosen the soil with a carnation or a match, only slightly breaking the crust on the surface. Do this very carefully, since damage to the root system leads to inhibition of growth, fruiting may not occur.
Seedlings that have grown strong need to be hardened off. 10-12 days before transplanting into open ground, take out for a while for Fresh air or leave open window in room.
It is useful to spray seedlings with herbal infusion (use onions, garlic, pine needles, marigolds, calendula flowers for infusion).
Thus, the seedlings will become more resistant to diseases and pests.
Immediately after spraying, seedlings should not be taken out under the sun, let the leaves dry. Droplets of water on the leaves can cause sunburn.
Sweet peppers need to be fed. Do this twice: apply the first top dressing at the stage of appearance of 3-4 true leaves, the second - with the appearance of 5-6 leaves.
Organics can be added under the root: a solution of mullein (1 part of humus to 10 parts of water) or an infusion of chicken manure (1 part of dry manure to 20 parts of water). For foliar dressings use complex mineral fertilizers.
A slowdown in growth is a phenomenon that is possible for 2 reasons:
The plant loves moisture, but do not overdo it with watering. Overwatering leads to infection with a black leg: the root neck becomes soft, darkens, the sprout withers and falls. The causative agent of the disease can be initially infected soil.
To prevent this from happening, you need to ensure proper care:
Young peppers are ready for transplantation to a permanent place of growth in 60-80 days. Their height should be 17-20 cm. The thickness of a strong stem at the root should be 3-4 mm. A healthy plant should have 7-10 well-developed leaves, buds may be present.
Transplant in open ground with the establishment of real heat (late May-early June).
Stick to a 40x50 cm planting pattern, you can plant seedlings two plants in one hole if you want to use a piece of land more economically.
