Bell pepper belongs to the category of heat-loving vegetable crops. They are cultivated in seedlings. But this process is complicated. It is necessary to correctly observe the timing and sequence of basic actions. This will allow you to get healthy high-quality seedlings of a capricious culture.
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Soil preparation
Select a substrate for pepper, focusing on criteria such as light composition and friability. Even fertility is not as important for this crop as the air permeability of the soil.
You can independently compose soil mixtures by choosing one of the proposed options:
- sod soil and humus (1: 2);
- humus and crushed peat (in equal parts);
- sod land and peat soil (1: 2);
- rotted sawdust, humus, sod soil, crushed peat (1: 1: 2: 4).
If the soil substrate is purchased ready-made, it is recommended to add dolomite flour or ground chalk (1-2 tbsp. l. / 10 l of soil). This measure is especially important if the purchased soil is based on high-moor peat.
Before sowing, the soil is disinfected. It is watered with a saturated pink solution of potassium permanganate. You can use fungicides, freezing, roasting in the oven at 90 degrees, or heating over steam.
Seed preparation
The healthiest pepper grains without damage and dryness are selected. Their further preparation consists of several stages:
- Disinfection. The seeds are immersed in a dark pink potassium permanganate solution for 20-30 minutes. Then you need to rinse them with running water.
- Saturation with nutrient compounds. It is recommended to then soak the disinfected seeds in the nutrient liquid using the following options:
- dilute sifted ash or nitrophosphate (1 tsp. l.) in 1 liter of settled water. The holding time is 24 hours;
- you can prepare a solution of "sodium humate" (1 tsp. l. / 6 liters of water with a temperature of 25-28 degrees). Withstand 24 hours;
- Liquid fertilizer "Ideal" (10 ml / 1 l of water) is successfully used. Soak for a day;
- you can dilute the biofertilizer "Azotovit" (5-10 ml / 0.5 l of liquid). The exposure time is 2 hours.
To preserve the nutrient compounds, they are immediately treated with the drug - the bioplastic agent "Liposam" (for the solution, take 1 ml of concentrate per 0.5 glass of water). Then the seeds are sprinkled on a thick napkin for drying for an hour.
- Germination.
At the bottom of a low container, a layer of cotton wool is laid, folded in four layers of gauze or a cotton soft napkin. Moisten with a solution of 1 tsp. l. ash diluted in a liter of water. You can use settled clean moisture.
Pepper grains are laid out in one layer (each variety in a separate container). Cover with foil on top. They are kept warm, systematically moisturizing the fabric, not allowing it to dry out. The hatched seeds are immediately planted in prepared containers.
Sowing pepper
The timing of sowing activities depends on the selected variety. They are usually indicated on the label.
- Early and mid-early varieties of pepper begin to sow between late February and late March. 50-60-day-old seedlings are ready for planting. At the end of April, you can move the seedlings to a heated greenhouse.
- Mid-late and late varieties of pepper are sown on average between mid-February and mid-March. 60-75-day seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.
Seeding Algorithm:
- The container is filled with a disinfected soil substrate, which is then moistened if necessary.
- They mark grooves to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, leaving a gap of 3-4 cm between them. Seeds are spread at intervals of 1-1.5 cm. If sowing is carried out in separate molds, then 2 holes are marked in each container and one grain is placed in them.
- Sprinkle with soil.
- Place the container under the transparent film in a warm place. You can cover the battery with plywood and put a miniature greenhouse on top of it.
Crop care
The shelter from the containers is removed immediately after the sprouts appear. Install them on a light windowsill. It is advisable to maintain a temperature of 13-16 degrees during the first week and 8-10 ° C at night. Then you need to maintain a temperature of about 20-27 degrees.
Watering the seedlings begins a week after the emergence of seedlings. This procedure is practiced once a week, abundantly spilling soil. It is important to protect shoots and foliage from the ingress of liquid by pouring it directly under the root.
Seedlings dive after the formation of 2-4 true leaves. The minimum volume of the individual containers is 500 ml.
They begin to feed the seedlings 14-15 days after the pick. A 10-liter container with water will require a mixture of urea (5 g) with superphosphate (30 g). Fertilization is repeated 3-5 days before the planned transplantation into the ridges. Potassium sulfate (25 g) mixed with superphosphate (50 g) is used in 10 liters of settled water.
It is recommended to loosen the soil periodically, providing oxygen to the roots.
Preparing for transplant
The grown seedlings at the age of 50-75 days (depending on the variety) are moved to the prepared ridges.
First, you need to harden the seedlings. 10-15 days before the projected disembarkation, they begin to open the window. Provide an inflow of fresh air, first for an hour, and then gradually increase the duration to 6-8 hours every day. Then you can take it out during the day on the balcony, in the greenhouse or on the veranda. Before transplanting, seedlings are left there for the whole night.
On high-quality seedlings, by the time of transplantation to the allotted permanent place, 6-8 green leaves are formed without traces of dryness and damage. The average height of the seedlings is 20-30 cm. If you follow the basic rules, you can get such a result yourself.
Are you familiar with the nuances of growing pepper seedlings?
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