How To Grow Sweet Pepper Seedlings Without Picking

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Agrotechnics of growing sweet peppers without picking

Sweet peppers have firmly entered the list of garden crops grown in our homestead plots. It is very rich in vitamins, minerals, contains sugars and proteins, essential and fatty oils, oxalic, malic, citric acids. Just one pepper fruit contains the daily requirement of vitamin P.

Pepper is one of the oldest cultivated vegetable crops, its homeland is Mexico and Guatemala, tropical regions of America. But, despite its southern origin, it has taken root well in our latitudes and has become one of the main vegetable crops grown in our household plots.

Sweet pepper is a perennial plant, but in our climate it is bred as an annual vegetable crop. This plant is self-pollinating, producing fruits in the form of multi-seeded false berries of various sizes and colors (red, orange, yellow, even brown). Pepper is very rich in vitamins, minerals, contains sugars and proteins, essential and fatty oils, oxalic, malic, citric acids.

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Just one fruit contains the daily requirement of vitamin P. In terms of vitamin C, pepper is a real champion, and the largest amount of it is contained in well-ripened fruits of the autumn harvest. By the way, sweet pepper ketchup contains 16 times more vitamin C than tomato ketchup.

Dried sweet pepper (paprika) powder is rich not only in vitamin C, but also in vitamin P, necessary for blood formation, and it also contains a small amount of carotene. In this combination, these three natural substances are much more useful and better absorbed by the body than taking them separately in the form of synthetic drugs. They help to improve metabolism, prevent obesity, strengthen the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

The growing season for pepper is quite extended, therefore, in our climatic conditions, it is necessary to grow it in seedlings and mainly in greenhouses. It requires a lot of sun and heat and cannot stand darkening. The optimum air temperature for the growth and development of plants and fruits is in the range of + 18 … + 25 ° C. When the temperature drops to + 15 ° C, the pepper stops growing, and as a result, the time of flowering and harvesting is delayed. In cool and damp summers, the amount of nutrients in the fruits is reduced. And at the same time, pepper seedlings can withstand temperatures down to + 5 ° C, and mature fruiting plants can even survive frosts down to -2 ° C.

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The agrotechnology of growing pepper is somewhat similar to the cultivation of tomatoes. Depending on the specific conditions of each region, sweet pepper seeds for seedlings are sown from the end of February. For example, for the middle lane, the best results are obtained by sowing seeds closer to mid-March, when there is enough daylight.

It is imperative to take into account the fact that the optimal age for pepper seedlings at the time of planting in the ground is 60-65 days. It is desirable that frosts are gone by this time. By simple calculations, the following is obtained: if the planting of pepper in the greenhouse is planned at the end of May, then we subtract 65 days from this period, we get the timing of sowing seeds - mid-March. Seedlings of older age already tolerate transplanting into the ground worse, they get sick longer, they can shed their buds, therefore, the time for obtaining the first fruits is postponed.

Before sowing, the seeds should be etched in a solution of potassium permanganate, a growth stimulant, or at least held for several hours in warm water to accelerate germination. You can wrap them in a damp cloth, seal them in a cup and put them in a very warm place for several days. As soon as the seeds begin to hatch, they are sown into the soil.

Sowing is carried out most often using the carpet method. However, every gardener is faced with such a problem as a significant slowdown in the growth of pepper seedlings after picking into individual pots: it significantly slows down growth, sometimes stopping it for 1-2 weeks. This is due to the fact that the roots of sweet pepper are very sensitive to the slightest mechanical stress. To avoid such moments, try growing peppers without picking.

For sowing seeds, it is better to use light peat soil sold in stores, mixing it with garden soil in about a 1: 1 ratio. This soil is filled with plastic bags from sour cream or mayonnaise, slightly cutting off the bottom corner to drain excess water during irrigation.

After that, the bags must be folded in half lengthwise, so narrow "cups" are obtained. Fill them with soil and put them in a box or box close to each other. After spilling the soil with warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate, put 1-2 seeds in bags and sprinkle it with 1 cm layer of earth on top. Carefully cover the box with foil, place it in a warm place (25 … 27 ° C) for seed germination.

After planting, it is imperative to check the condition of the crops daily so that the soil does not dry out. Seedlings appear after a few days. The box should be immediately transferred to a bright, warm place, but the film should not be removed yet. When the seedlings are leveled, you can open the edge of the film so that excess condensation does not accumulate, and later it must be completely removed. For watering seedlings, only warm settled water is used.

Pepper tolerates a lack of moisture very painfully, but does not tolerate flooding of the root system either. Therefore, you need to ensure that the soil is always moderately moist. The growing seedlings are fed every ten days with a solution of mineral fertilizers or peat oxidate. The air temperature is desirable at least 23 ° C during the day and 16 … 18 ° C at night.

When the peppers grow up and the roots fill the entire space, then they carefully unfold the bags and pour them inside the fertile soil. Of course, you can also use separate plastic cups instead of pepper bags. But they are small and over time will become cramped for the root system, which will slow down the growth of seedlings, and then transplanting into larger containers will be required. If you use larger glasses, then the small seedlings will have excess soil that has not been mastered by the roots.

When using bags, everything turns out to be simpler: with the growth of roots, you can easily increase the volume of "dishes" without unnecessary injuries for babies. Another option is to use plastic containers (for example, cake boxes) instead of packages, in which, using cardboard strips, you can make separate sections for each plant, where you can sow pepper seeds individually. Just do not forget to make holes in the bottom with an awl for the drain of excess water.

With such a non-planting method of growing seedlings, our capricious peppers grow evenly and non-stop, do not undergo any stress until they are planted in a greenhouse. But even then, their roots will not suffer, because the peppers are easy to get out of the bags and, along with a lump of soil, transfer to the prepared holes. This growing technique produces strong, stocky seedlings with a well-developed root system and buds. Try this method - you won't regret it.

And a few more secrets from the practice of vegetable growers

Peppers are planted at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other or in rows: 25 cm between plants and 60 cm between rows. It has been noticed that with such a relatively close planting, peppers grow and bear fruit better. When planting seedlings in the ground, make sure that the root collar of the plants remains at the same level, otherwise the plants will stop growing for a while - it has been tested by many years of practice.

Pepper loves moisture very much, with prolonged drought without watering, the yield is significantly reduced. After all, the root system of sweet pepper lies shallow and overheats under the scorching sun. In hot temperatures below + 30 ° C, the pepper can stagnate and stop growing. This is typical for many plants, as they save moisture and nutrients. Therefore, it is important to keep the soil moist, and mulching will provide additional benefits in the form of retaining moisture and protecting the roots from overheating.

In addition to watering and fertilizing, the main care for pepper comes down to weeding and loosening the soil, and even novice gardeners can do this. Despite belonging to the nightshade family, which are very susceptible to late blight, this attack bypasses this pepper. Apparently, this explains its high popularity among gardeners, considering also its unique nutritional value for the body.