How and when to plant pepper, growing rules

Pepper is a type of annual herbaceous plant in the nightshade family. Their homeland is America and the tropics. The Latin name Capsicum comes from the shape of the fetus in the form of a bag. There are many others: annual capsicum, paprika. There are varieties of both bitter and sweet taste, for example, Bulgarian.

Pepper: Important About Growing

Planting peppers, especially in areas with cold climates, requires a careful and responsible approach. This southern plant loves high temperatures and in the middle lane you can get the crop most often only in the greenhouse. An important factor is daylight hours, it should be at least 12 hours. This condition will help to get more fruits in the early stages.

Choice of pepper

The choice of variety for cultivation should be based not only on the taste of the fruit, but also on their purpose. If pepper is planned to be consumed fresh, then large fleshy fruits with thick walls are suitable. For winter blanks, it is better to choose smaller and denser ones.

Another nuance is the climatic landing zone. For example, in the Urals with the help of modern covering agents: different types of films and polycarbonate, high yields can be achieved. Grow even late varieties of foreign selection. However, it is better to choose early and mid-season peppers. Low bushes are suitable for height in cold regions.

To deal with the characteristics of each variety and determine the choice, the table will help:

When planting several different varieties, it is important to plant them in remote areas of the garden or to divide them with other high crops, such as tomatoes or corn. This is due to the rapid transfer of pollen from some bushes to others.

Growing seedlings

In the southern regions, it is optimal to plant seeds in the second half of January. In areas with a protracted cold spring, early sowing will slow the development of the bush and the formation of the ovary. After all, the first leaves will grow only with the advent of the sun. The optimal period for the northern regions is February.

Before sowing pepper seeds, you must first prepare:

• Treat the planting material with a solution of manganese or 1% iodine for 30 minutes and rinse.
• Hold for 20 minutes in water at a temperature of +53 ° C. Another way to soak a seed in a solution of Epin-extra.
• Arrange in containers and leave to germinate in a warm place, you can cover with a damp cloth.

All these manipulations will allow you to get very fast shoots within 2-3 days.

The next stage is a mixture of nutrient soil from sand, earth and humus at the rate of 1: 1: 2. A simpler option is to mix one part of peat and soil taken on a bed. In this case, disinfection with boiling water or a light pink solution of potassium permanganate is mandatory. A good additive would be ash, per 1 kg of substrate 1 tbsp. l or in a ratio of 1:15.

Suitable depth for seeds is 1-1.5 cm, making them in the ground is easy with a stick or the back of a pencil. Small bushes do not tolerate picking, they have a weak root system, so it is recommended to plant them immediately in peat or plastic cups one at a time. The diameter is 8-10 cm, it is better not to take large containers, this will inhibit the growth of plants. Some people use special pills for this purpose, they can be purchased at the store along with pallets.

If the choice is made in favor of a wide bowl, then the distance between the pits with seeds laid in them is 3-5 cm. After placement and sprinkling with earth on top, the planting material must be watered. To accelerate germination, you need the effect of a greenhouse, for this, put polyethylene on top. After the appearance of seedlings, shelter must be removed, otherwise the seedlings will outgrow and be weak.

We should not forget about the relationship between temperature and the timing of the appearance of sprouts: at too high values ​​+ 36 ... +40 ° C, the seeds will not germinate. If the thermometer drops below +19 ° C, the planting material will simply rot.

After the emergence of seedlings, favorable temperature values: during the day + 26 ... +28 ° C, and at night + 10 ... +15 ° C.

Watering is regular, every 1-2 days, in the morning or in the evening. The soil should always be slightly moist. Water, especially at first, is warm + 25 ... 30 ° C. Sometimes, for better oxygen access, it is necessary to loosen the soil to a depth of 5-6 cm.

During the period of growth and development of seedlings, 3 top dressings are required:

• 14 days after the appearance of the first seedlings: 1 tbsp. l urea for 10 liters.
• The second is introduced after 2-3 weeks.
• A few days before transplanting to a permanent place.

Growing by sowing seeds in open ground, even in the southern regions, is not used due to slow growth and weak and short-term fruit formation.

Another unusual method is growing seeds in a snail. The name was due to a thin polypropylene strip folded in the form of a spiral 15-18 cm wide. On this substrate is the soil or nutrient mixture and pepper seeds laid out on a damp cloth.

Growing in a greenhouse or in soil

Pepper is a southern plant, loving a warm climate and fairly high temperatures. Therefore, for cold areas, it is optimal to grow this crop in the greenhouse. It has the opportunity to create ideal conditions for growth and development, as well as get more fruits. Basic care rules are similar for both indoor and outdoor use.

Planting pepper in a greenhouse

You can transplant seedlings of pepper in a film or glass greenhouse. Polycarbonate plastic has proven itself perfectly, durable, well transmitting light, withstanding temperature extremes.

The dates for planting pepper in a greenhouse according to the Lunar calendar 2019 - May 14-16, June 6.

The main conditions for successful plant growth in closed ground are:

• Humus-rich nutrient soil with a neutral pH 6-7 environment.
• A sufficient amount of light, this greatly affects the fruiting. Thick plantings and a considerable distance between the bushes.
• Optimum temperature: + 23 ... +26 ° C.
• Comfort humidity 70-75%.

Outdoor pepper planting

The dates for planting pepper seedlings in open ground according to the Lunar calendar 2019 - June 11-12.

Success in obtaining a rich harvest of this crop depends primarily on the choice of site. It should be a bed with enough sun and draft protection.

It is best to plant pepper after cabbage, beans or cucumbers. If at this place last season grew: tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, then you need to prefer another because of the possible bacteria and pests that are preserved in the soil.

Preparation of the selected soil begins in the fall. It is necessary to remove all weeds, the remaining parts of other plants and dig up the ground. After this, fertilize:

• double superphosphate 50 g;
• ash 70-75 g;
• humus 5-10 kg;
• in the spring - complex fertilizer.

Before planting in May, the ground needs to be loosened and leveled a little. The remaining care rules are the same with the recommendations for greenhouses.

When transferring young plants to the soil, the transplant must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the delicate roots. It is better to take a young bush out of the container with a lump of earth. The depth of the hole is equal to the height of the pot in which the pepper grew. The distance between plants should be 30-40 cm, you can make rows or place in a checkerboard pattern. It is necessary to deepen the seedling so that there is at least 2 cm between the soil and the first leaves. This procedure is best carried out in the morning or in the evening when there is no too active sun.

Pepper Care

The main care for the pepper bushes after planting is timely weeding, loosening of the soil, regular watering and fertilizing at certain periods of the plant's life. It is also important to carry out the formation of the bush and, if necessary, prepare the supports, since tall varieties need to be tied. All this will favorably increase fruiting.

Watering and feeding

The plant likes regular watering, you can do it once every 5 days in the morning. The volume of fluid for an adult bush is 2 liters, and one is enough for a young plant. The best water is rain or warm, and tap water is also suitable, which must be defended during the day. Watering is better closer to the root system, avoiding moisture on the leaf plates.

When growing in greenhouses after moistening the substrate, daily ventilation should be carried out, however, drafts should be avoided. In hot weather, part of the film cover can be removed.

Top dressing of plants planted in the soil is carried out 3 times:

• 2 weeks after transplanting, it is better to introduce diluted chicken droppings at a rate of 1:20. For each bush, 1-2 liters are required.
• During the appearance of the ovaries: mullein diluted with water 1:10. You can also fertilize with ash or in 1 liter add 6 g of superphosphate, 2 g of potassium and 1 g of ammonium nitrate.
• At the beginning of the harvest, the recipe is the same as for the first item.

It is necessary to approach feeding supplements carefully; a shortage or excess of certain substances is reflected in the appearance of the bush:

Loosening

After a day, loosening the soil and weeding the weeds is recommended. For better drainage, looseness of soil and moisture preservation, mulch from sawdust, compost or humus is used. Weeding and removing weeds will help protect plants from pests and prevent infection by dangerous diseases.

Bush formation

During the vegetative period, it is necessary to trim the bushes several times. This is done in order to get rid of thick and shaded areas, as well as too long tall shoots. For many varieties, it is necessary to conduct pinching: the shoots and leaves below the main fork are removed. If not 2, but 3 stems come out of it, then the third should also be removed. Typically, the formation of the bush is done after harvesting the fruit or every 10 days. Low and hybrid varieties usually do not need pruning.

Toward the end of July, you need to stop the growth of the bushes by pinching the tops and leave only the ovaries, and all the buds must be cut off. This will allow you to get large peppers that have time to ripen by September.

The number and size of fruits can be controlled by leaving a lot on strong bushes and reducing the number by removing superfluous flowers on weaker ones. Also, on each plant in the fork, a fetus is formed that produces a substance - an inhibitor. If you need large peppers or your seeds for sowing, it is left and removed at the level of the ovary to obtain small ones.

Diseases and Pests

Pepper is a disease-resistant vegetable crop. However, if care is not taken, it is attacked by pests and, in the absence of help from the gardener, even die. Correctly determine the ailment by the first signs and find the right treatment will help the table:

Mr. Dachnik recommends: lazy pepper growing method

You can grow pepper and the lazy method, which does not take much time and effort. To do this, you only need to follow some recommendations:

• Sowing seeds based on the illumination of the room. With enough sun: end of March - beginning of April. On windowsills facing east or west: the last days of February or the first days of March.
• For better germination, the seeds must be soaked.
• The soil is fertile: on a bucket of earth 1/3 of manure and a glass of ash. A purchased substrate is also suitable.
• Pick-up is carried out after the appearance of the first true leaves in small containers with a ground height of 5-6 cm.
• During the growth of seedlings, fertilizers must be applied 2-3 times.
• Soon and mid-ripening varieties should be clipped at the level of 5-6 leaf plates. This procedure will help seedlings branch and adapt when transferred to a permanent place. However, the method must be applied to parts of seedlings. This will help to get a crop at different times.
• Transfer to the open ground is carried out after June 10, and under the film in mid-May.
• At first, mulching the soil. Layer - 5-6 cm from straw, humus, foliage.
• Fruits must be removed as they ripen and not overexposed on the bushes.

Today, there are more than 1,500 varieties of pepper. This allows gardeners to choose the suitable option for growing both in open ground and in the greenhouse. Fulfilling the proposed recommendations for the care of the plant, it is easy to get a tasty and plentiful crop.