Growing Sweet Pepper Seedlings

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

Sweet pepper with a Ural accent. Part 1

As you know, sweet peppers (like all other peppers, by the way) prefers warm latitudes, and they get to our Ural counters in large quantities at the end of August, usually from Central Asia. Moreover, it is often far from being in the best form and is not stored at all. Therefore, the period of consumption of this healthy vegetable for most of the Urals is limited to two to three weeks.

Of course, you can see imported peppers in supermarkets at any time of the year, but at exorbitant prices that do not inspire mass purchases.

At the same time, pepper fruits are considered a real multivitamin piggy bank, because they contain more vitamin C alone than any other vegetable, lemons and black currants (up to 300-500 mg%). There are a lot of carotene (provitamin A), vitamins B ₁, B ₂, P, as well as mineral salts, especially phosphorus, calcium and iron, in the fruits of this vegetable. Therefore, it is desirable to lengthen the period of consumption of this crop.

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There is only one way to do this - grow pepper in your garden. And this, subject to the correct choice of seed and appropriate agricultural technology in the Urals (Middle and even more so in the South, as well as in some northern regions) is quite real. True, without observing a number of conditions that are completely irrelevant in the case of growing pepper in the southern regions, one cannot do.

Basic aspects of growing pepper in harsh conditions

In the southern regions, sweet peppers are grown everywhere and, as practice shows, without much hassle. Alas, in more severe conditions, things are not so simple. Firstly, it is worth planting only modern early and mid-season hybrids, which, unlike traditional varieties of pepper, are cold-resistant, set fruit better and bring a more substantial harvest.

Secondly, it is advisable to plant seedlings in a greenhouse, since during the period of prolonged rains (which, for example, in the Urals, is a common thing), it is very difficult to ensure normal ventilation conditions in greenhouses. At the same time, if it is not possible to organize high-quality ventilation, then, due to constant condensation, rot will appear on the plants - both on the fruits and on the shoots, and no spraying will help here.

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Third, peppers have noticeable pollination problems in our climate. There are several reasons for this state of affairs - these are sharp changes in day and night temperatures (we have a common thing), cold weather (for example, at 18 … 20 ° C, the fruits are no longer tied), and a lack of light. In addition, the pollen becomes sterile due to too high a temperature in the greenhouse in the sun on hot days. In addition, a lack of potassium or boron (a very common occurrence in the Urals), as well as the presence of condensation (leads to an increase in pollen moisture), leads to poor fruit set. Therefore, it will not be possible to obtain a guaranteed yield without regular spraying of plants with fruit-forming stimulants (such as "Ovary", "Bud", etc.).

Fourth, how sad it is to realize this, but pepper does not like the Ural climate (even in a greenhouse) - we have too cold and very little sun. The first problem is to some extent solved by planting in greenhouses (preferable if the greenhouse is made of cellular polycarbonate) using biofuel. As for the sun, then there is only one way out - to make the pepper pay less attention to this drawback, and this is realized by regular spraying with growth and development stimulants such as "Epin". Such spraying is beneficial in many other respects, in particular, they help plants to more easily tolerate cold snaps, temperature changes, etc.

We grow seedlings

Pepper belongs to plants with a very long growing season - from germination to the beginning of the technical ripeness of fruits, even the earliest varieties and hybrids take at least 105-110 days. Therefore, one cannot do without seedlings. In our conditions, seeds for seedlings are sown in mid-February. Since we are talking about purchased hybrid seeds, no special seed treatment is required before sowing. An exception is the soaking of seeds in such modern growth regulators as Mival Agro, Ekogel, Emistim, etc. The fact is that such preparations, among other things, significantly increase the germination energy and germination of seeds, and also contribute to the rapid formation of a powerful root system and a dense tillering node.

As you know, pepper is extremely negative about the transplant. Therefore, many gardeners sow seeds directly into the soil in separate containers - this turns out faster, but then already at the initial stage of cultivation, it will be necessary to illuminate a large area at once.

Another approach is also possible - sowing all the seeds in one small container at a short distance from each other, but not into the soil, but into compositions that are looser in structure, for example, sawdust (transplanting from such loose soils turns out to be less painful than transplanting from soil). When using loose soils, the effect of processing in the same Mival Agro growth regulator is supplemented by the advantages of loose soil, which allows you to achieve simply impressive bushiness and size of the root system.

It will be even better if a soil hydrogel is added to the composition on which the seeds are sown. Thanks to this, it will be much easier for you to ensure the required level of soil moisture (underfilling and overflowing, so destructive for seedlings, will be practically excluded). In addition, after planting seedlings from the soil with a hydrogel in separate pots, the plants immediately start growing, that is, they will not need time to adapt to new conditions, because the root system of plants is not injured during transplantation in this case.

During the period of seed germination, it is desirable to maintain a temperature of about 24 … 26 ° C - in this case, high-quality seeds usually germinate in 10-12 days (maybe even earlier, if Mival Agro is treated). If the temperature is slightly lower, for example, 20 … 24 ° C, then the sprouts of pepper can be seen not earlier than in two weeks. Since the temperature of 24 … 26 ° C in an apartment is difficult to withstand, it is more convenient to build a mini-greenhouse for the initial growth of thermophilic crops, where the required temperature will be provided by heating fluorescent lamps. After the emergence of seedlings, the daytime temperature is reduced to 23 … 24 ° C, and the night temperature - about 16 … 18 ° C. The length of daylight hours should be 12-14 hours, so in winter one cannot do without additional illumination with fluorescent lamps.

When 1-2-3 true leaves appear in seedlings, they are seated in separate containers. Please note that pepper seedlings are transplanted only on sawdust alone with already 1-2 true leaves, since the sawdust begins to actively absorb nitrogen.

When planted in separate containers, the plants are placed in ordinary fertile soil, preferably also flavored with wetted hydrogel. The manufacturer recommends taking 5 parts of soil for 1 part of the gel, however, I am confused by the excessive moisture obtained with such a ratio of soil parts, and therefore I usually halve the proportion of the hydrogel. In addition, it will be better if the gel used is wetted not in ordinary water, but in a solution of complex fertilizers.

Water the plants only with warm water as needed in sufficient quantities, but not overflow. A week after planting the seedlings in separate containers, they begin to carry out weekly fertilizing with complex fertilizers with a full set of macro- and microelements, for example, the drug "Kemira Lux".

From mid-March until the transfer of seedlings to the dacha, at every opportunity, plants are taken out in the daytime to a glazed insulated loggia, which will allow the plants to gradually get used to the real sun and develop stronger and more beautiful. This moment is very important, because on a sunny loggia (with appropriate preparation) the conditions for plant growth are much more attractive than in an apartment under fluorescent lamps.