Pepper is a southern and thermophilic plant. To plant this culture directly in the open ground, of course, is impossible. In a cold Russian climate, pepper will simply not have time to ripen. This plant grows domestic gardeners exclusively seedling method.
This method allows you to get a good crop of pepper, even in central Russia, the Urals and Siberia already in late July - early August. But, so that later on in the beds this culture develops well, its seedlings should be grown correctly.
When to plant
Of course, many summer residents would like to know about when should be planted pepper seeds for seedlings - in February, March or April. The timing of sowing this crop depends primarily on how it is subsequently supposed to be grown. Peppers are planted in suburban areas both in open ground and in closed.
If the plants on the site will be grown in a greenhouse, it is worth sowing this culture in boxes already at the end of January. In this case, it will be possible to transfer the seedlings grown on the windowsill to a permanent place in the month of April.
In the greenhouse, pepper crops, of course, are obtained very early. But more often, Russian gardeners still grow this culture in the open ground. In this case, pepper planting for seedlings in central Russia is best done in the last week of February or in the first - March. In Siberia, this period usually moves to the second half of March. Summer residents of the southern regions sow this crop most often in the first two weeks of February.
Dates of planting pepper seedlings in 2018
Many gardeners, when choosing the dates for planting peppers, are guided, including the lunar calendar. It is believed that this subsequently allows you to get a larger crop. In 2018, for example, the most favorable days for planting seedlings of this culture according to the lunar calendar are:
in February - 6, 7, 20-22, 25-26;
in March - 5, 6, 10, 11, 20, 21, 24, 25.
Of course, you need to know the most suitable days for planting pepper for seedlings in February and March. But it is important to have an idea about when to plant this culture is impossible. Do not plant pepper, like other garden plants, for example, in the new moon and full moon. In 2018, this culture cannot be sown from March 16 to March 18, as well as on the 2nd and 31st of the same month.
How to choose a variety of bell pepper
Since this culture is very popular among summer residents, a lot of attention is paid to it from the side of breeders. There are a lot of varieties of this plant on sale. If desired, you can plant seedlings of both early and late or mid-season bell pepper. Recently, varieties have been especially popular with summer residents:
Lumin, whose main advantage is high yield;
early ripe Aivengo, the pluses of which are primarily the very sweet taste and pleasant aroma of the fruit;
unpretentious Marinkin tongue, capable of producing good yields even under the most adverse growing conditions.
Of course, you can choose any other bell pepper for seedling cultivation. The main thing is that the variety be resistant to diseases, not too whimsical and productive enough.
The best varieties of hot pepper
Of course, most often in the suburban areas summer residents grow a sweet variety of this popular culture. But there is also a bed of hot pepper, of course, in almost every garden. The fruits of this culture are widely used for cooking first courses, salads and, of course, pickles.
Cottagers grow hot pepper in most cases also by the seedling method. At the same time, the timing of his sowing is the same as for his sweet "relative". Planting hot peppers for seedlings is carried out in central Russia, usually in early March.
Varieties of this culture on sale today, of course, there are also many. The best of them are:
A burning bouquet, characterized by very fragrant fruits.
Disease-resistant Chinese fire.
Indian elephant with not too bitter fruits.
Treatment of pepper seeds before planting on seedlings: how to do it right
Seeds purchased in a specialty store in advance must, of course, be carefully prepared. In order for bitter and sweet peppers not to get sick later, the seeds should first be treated with a potassium permanganate solution.
Doing this procedure before planting pepper on seedlings with your own hands will be easy. The seeds of both the bitter and sweet varieties of this crop, unlike many other garden plants, are not etched with 1%, but with 2% potassium permanganate solution. That is, for processing planting material in this case, half a teaspoon of KMnO 4 is bred in a glass of water. The solution should ultimately turn out not too light.
Actually, the treatment of pepper seeds before planting on seedlings with potassium permanganate is done as follows:
place the seeds in a gauze bag;
planting material is lowered for 20 minutes in the prepared solution;
pull out the bag and thoroughly wash the seeds.
To prepare a solution of potassium permanganate should be using water at room temperature. The same applies to flushing planting stock.
After the pepper seeds are decontaminated, they can be optionally soaked in water. In the future, this will provide faster germination of seedlings. For soaking:
a bag with washed seeds is placed on a platter;
additionally spray it with warm water;
cover the saucer with plastic wrap;
place the seed container in a dark, warm place.
Tiny pepper bores on seeds soaked in this way usually appear after about a day. Although they are small in size, it will not be difficult to make out with their naked eyes.
Preparing pepper seeds for planting on seedlings may include a procedure such as hardening. This operation is usually performed immediately after small bores appear. Seeds are placed in a cold place with an air temperature of about 2 ° C and kept there for 1.5-2 days. Before planting, pepper seed can also be additionally soaked for a short while in a solution of some growth stimulant.
What soil to use
The planting of bitter pepper on seedlings, just like sweet, should, of course, be carried out in nutritious soil. In terms of soil composition, both of these varieties of culture are whimsical. The success of growing pepper seedlings to a large extent depends on how well the soil mix is chosen for it. It is believed that a substrate composed of:
one part of peat;
one piece of sand;
two parts of turf land.
Also, very good seedlings of this culture develop on soils prepared from equal parts:
Bell pepper has a rather long root system. Therefore, the soil in the boxes under such seedlings should be poured with a rather thick layer. Hot peppers usually don't grow too tall. Therefore, to grow its seedlings, you can use smaller containers.
What to sow
Planting on seedlings of bell pepper, as well as bitter, of course, is most often done in boxes. In such containers, plants are easier to care for. But you can plant seedlings of this culture in plastic cups. In such dishes, a young pepper will develop better. Yes, and then transplant it to a permanent place will be easier. When reloading from well-kneading plastic cups, peppers damage the root system less. Therefore, the survival rate in this case will be higher.
In addition, when using glasses for planting pepper on seedlings, there is no need to carry out a procedure such as picking. But of course, watering plants when grown in such containers will be more difficult in the future. In addition, glasses are known to be unstable. And consequently, the place for their placement must be chosen more carefully.
How to plant seeds correctly
Both planting and caring for seedlings of pepper, both bitter and sweet, are technologically similar procedures. They plant the seeds of these crops as follows:
the day before planting, the soil in the box is thoroughly shed with water;
make grooves on the soil surface with a depth of 3 cm at the same distance from each other;
lay pepper seeds on grooves in increments of 2 cm;
sprinkle planting material with earth;
pour pepper with warm water using a spray gun;
cover the box with foil and place it in a warm, dark place.
Planting pepper for seedlings in cups is produced by approximately the same technology. In this case, the seeds are also buried by about three centimeters. In one cup, usually plant 1-2 seeds (no more than three).
From above, such containers can also be covered with pieces of film and transferred to the dark corner of the apartment. In both cases, watering seeds planted in this way should only be done as necessary, preventing the soil from drying out. Of course, at least a couple of times a day, remove the film from the containers for ventilation.
The optimum temperature for the germination of pepper seeds is considered to be 24-26 ° C. If the apartment is cold, containers with this crop should be placed closer to the central heating battery before germination.
Where to place
Transfer containers with seedlings to the windowsill immediately after the first loops appear above the ground. At the optimum temperature, this occurs approximately on the 10th day after planting. If the seeds do not sprout on day 14, this means that the planting material was of poor quality. In this case, the seeding procedure will have to be repeated from the very beginning using good seeds.
Pepper, like almost any other southern plant, is a photophilous culture. Therefore, boxes or cups with such seedlings should be installed in the apartment on the windowsill of the south or east window. In a subsequent container with pepper, it will be necessary to periodically turn to the light either one or the other side. This will ensure uniform growth of plants and their good development.
Boxes with pepper seedlings should be installed in a warm, well-ventilated area. However, you should never place containers with plants in a draft.
Do I need to fertilize seedlings
Planting pepper seeds for seedlings in February or March, so the procedure is not too complicated. But of course, in order for the plants to grow subsequently healthy and strong, they need to be well looked after. Peppers should be watered, loosened and weeded on time.
The land for growing seedlings of this culture in boxes or cups is superimposed very nutritious. Therefore, in the process of growing peppers, it is usually not fertilized. An excess of minerals can affect young plants as negatively as their lack.
The only thing is, pepper seedlings when grown on a windowsill can be fed from time to time using tea leaves. Such a fertilizer is prepared as follows:
warm water is poured into a three-liter jar;
pour into the water 1 tbsp tea leaves;
insist feeding for 6 days;
filter the solution through gauze.
Fertilizing seedlings using such top dressing can be done no more than once every two weeks.
How to water
The procedure is quite responsible - planting pepper on seedlings. Good care of this crop involves not only proper feeding, but also timely watering.
It is advisable to moisten the soil in a box with young peppers in the morning. Since containers with such seedlings are usually located on the windowsills of southern windows, due to the ingress of water droplets, the leaves of plants during daytime irrigation can be burnt by the sun.
Too often, pepper seedlings need not be moistened. In any case, the plants should not stand in the “swamp”. Otherwise, their roots will begin to rot. It is believed that pepper seedlings should be moistened approximately once every 4 days. In the period between watering, the soil in the boxes must, of course, be monitored. If it suddenly begins to dry out, the matter can be corrected by slightly sprinkling it with water from a spray bottle.
Once every 4 days, usually only young seedlings are watered. The soil under the grown plants is less often moistened. Starting from the 35th day after emergence, the number of irrigations is reduced to 1 per week.
Proper planting of peppers for seedlings, as well as careful care of them ensures good development and growth of plants. However, when watering this crop when growing on window sills, some important rules should be followed.
For example, only warm water should be used to moisten the soil in seedling drawers. And taking it directly from the tap is not recommended. Water should first be sedimented for about a day. During this time, harmful substances used for its disinfection will evaporate from it.
After watering, the ground under the bushes of pepper should be loosened. Of course, at this moment weeds must also be removed from the box. Peppers need to be loosened as carefully as possible, being careful not to damage its delicate roots.
Picking seedlings
Planting peppers for seedlings in the middle lane and in the northern regions should be done at specific times. However, in many cases, plants cultivated in crates are subsequently transplanted by summer residents. When grown in such containers, young peppers become cramped as they grow. As a result, seedlings begin to develop poorly, elongate and can even become ill. To prevent this from happening, the grown plants are usually transplanted one at a time. This procedure is called picking.
Transplant the peppers from the boxes into separate pots or glasses should immediately after they grow on the first two true leaves. Peppers are plucked approximately as follows:
in the cups or in the cut-off plastic bottles pour soil of the same composition that was used in the boxes;
spill the earth with water;
the next day, plants are planted in containers with their depth almost to the cotyledons.
Dive the peppers as carefully as possible. The roots of this culture are very thin and easily torn. The day before the transplant, you should well water the soil, not only in cups, but also in the box itself. In this case, pulling out the peppers in the future will be much easier.
How to transfer seedlings correctly
Subject to the timing of planting pepper for seedlings in the Urals, Siberia and the middle lane, the bushes grow not too tall, but strong and healthy. Plants grown on the windowsill are usually transferred to the open ground 2-2.5 months after sowing. A bed for this culture is prepared in advance. Well-rotted manure or compost is scattered on the surface of the site selected for cultivation. Then they carefully dig the bed and loosen the soil with a rake.
Seedlings are planted as follows:
Knead a glass with a plant by hands in such a way that the lump of soil with roots is separated from its walls;
make a hole in the garden and transfer the plant into it along with a lump of earth;
they fill the roots with earth and compact the soil around the plant.
It is not necessary to dig a part of the stem of pepper into the ground, like a tomato, when planting. Before installing the plant in the hole, you can pour a little ammonium nitrate into it and mix it with the ground.
Bell peppers are usually placed on a bed with a pitch of 40 cm. At the same time, a distance of 50 cm is left between the rows. For their sharp “relative,” these figures are 30 and 40 cm, respectively.
Helpful advice
Thus, we found out when pepper is planted for seedlings in Siberia, the Urals, in the middle lane. But of course, in order to get a good crop of this crop, it is not enough to choose the timing of its sowing. Peppers should also be well looked after. This culture is unpretentious. However, of course, she still has her secrets of growing.
For example, experienced gardeners are extremely advised against placing bitter and sweet peppers on the same bed. When flowering, these two varieties can become dusty. As a result, the fruits of bell pepper will acquire an unpleasant bitter taste. Planting these two varieties, in general, is better away from each other.