There are various ways to grow bell peppers. Depending on the conditions, gardeners prefer one method or another. One of the most effective is the use of straw, because allows you to get a rich harvest even on poor soil.
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Preparing seedlings and beds
The fertility of the land is declining for many reasons. The site is polluted with construction waste. It is infested with various pests. Some summer residents are unsuccessfully fighting weeds that prevent them from getting a good harvest. Sometimes the soil is initially depleted. Growing peppers on straw is a versatile method. It can also be used on fertile soil, if there is a desire to experiment in vegetable growing.
Growing seedlings is no different than planting peppers in a greenhouse or soil. It is best to sow seeds in late February or early March. Usually, the exact date is written on the package. When buying seedlings from the store, pre-treatment is not required.
If the seeds are from your own garden or are of dubious origin, place them in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate. You can use some kind of fungicide, strictly following the annotation. Soak the seedlings in the solution for 25 minutes at room conditions and rinse.
It is advisable to place the seeds in a growth promoter. Zircon, Epin or any other will do. How to soak the planting material is indicated in the instructions.
Plant sprouted seeds in pots and cover with glass or foil. Place in a warm room. The optimum temperature is + 25 ° C. Shoots will appear in a few days. It is recommended to light up the seedlings and irrigate them from a spray bottle. The earth must not be allowed to dry out. During the growing period, it is worth feeding the seedlings twice with mineral fertilizers.
It will take 2 weeks to form and prepare straw beds. Therefore, experienced gardeners are advised to get raw materials in the fall. Rectangular bales are considered ideal, but round bales can also be used. Then you have to give them the desired shape. Furrow preparation is carried out in several steps:
- Choose the most illuminated place on the site.
- Cover it with foil to prevent weeds from growing into the straw.
- 14 days before planting sprouted pepper seeds, wet the hay and start composting. Apply a bucket of fertilizer to each bale and water well. Re-wet the straw bundles after a few days. From 7 to 9 days daily, add 1 liter of fertilizing per bale and water. After 10 days, feed 500 g of the phosphorus-potassium complex.
- Make vertical supports along the edges of the bales and tie 3-5 rows of wire. She will become a trellis for planting in the future.
Buying straw from a collective farm will be cheap, but the quality will be adequate. More environmentally friendly raw materials are sold by private farmers.
Planting pepper in straw furrows
If the inside of the bales is damp and warm, you can plant peppers. Black fungi resembling peat appear on the straw. Landing in "immature" furrows will harm the seedlings.
In order for the peppers to take root well, you need to add a little disinfected soil. It is worth pushing the top layer of hay apart with a hoe, pour 5 cm of soil into it and carefully place the seedlings.
After 2-3 weeks, the roots will actively develop in the ground. They receive only heat from the straw, and then sprout. Decomposition causes the hay to crumble or sink. 7-10 days after planting, you need to attach the bushes to the trellis.
With the considered method of growing pepper, one must not forget about proper care of the furrows. Due to its poor density, the straw quickly loses moisture and nutrients. It is required to replenish their stocks regularly.
Straw beds need more watering than usual. If the summer resident does not visit the site for several days, the drip system will be the way out. It is necessary to water the furrows once every 2 days. When cloudy, 5 liters of water per m² is enough. When tying fruits, you will need 10-15 liters. On hot days, the watering rate should be increased to 20 liters.
It is necessary to feed the peppers every 10 days. At the time of flowering, water with a solution of 20 g of potassium chloride, 30 g of urea and 30 g of superphosphate in a bucket of water. When fruiting, dissolve 40 g of the last fertilizer in 10 liters.
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