Today, a lot of gardeners in our country are engaged in the cultivation of various vegetables and fruits. But in order to get a good harvest, it is necessary to provide crops with timely and proper care.
Planting always begins with planning. In order to get a good crop, it is necessary to ensure optimal conditions for growing crops, as well as the right time to plant. In this review, we will discuss how sowing pepper for seedlings is carried out.
Capsicum is a grassy annual plant. Today it is often found in the greenhouses of experienced gardeners. In some areas of our country, it is even grown in open ground. To get a good and tasty crop, you need to prepare properly. Sowing pepper for seedlings at home must necessarily include a seed treatment process. They should be "tempered" and accustomed to natural conditions.
Since pepper is a heat-loving plant, it is extremely important to choose the right days for sowing pepper for seedlings. The fruits ripen in 150-200 days. It is for this reason that plants begin to grow from seedlings, and not just plant seeds in the ground.
In any case, the stage of caring for green crops is not the easiest process. It involves the implementation of many complex procedures for at least six months. This must be remembered when choosing the timing of sowing pepper seeds for seedlings. The quality of the future crop directly depends on the planting material. To increase the chances of germination, all seeds must be pretreated.
Suitable days for planting
When to plant pepper? Sowing seedlings and the lunar calendar are interrelated concepts. The most necessary and suitable phase for gardeners is the growing moon. Planting of plants growing above ground level should be carried out precisely in this period.
It should be noted immediately that the sowing of pepper seeds for seedlings must be carried out starting in February. Under optimal temperatures and regular irrigation, strong and poured sprouts can be obtained.
The most suitable dates for planting peppers are:
- February 14 - sowing of sweet varieties;
- February 16 - sowing of bitter and sweet pepper;
- February 23 - planting of sweet varieties.
Here is an example calendar for planting peppers for seedlings. These days are the most favorable in order to get a rich harvest after 2-3 months.
Types of pepper
In order to choose the most suitable variety, you must first determine what result you want to get. If your goal is to grow large fruits with fleshy tender flesh, then "Winnie the Pooh", "California Miracle" and the like are best for you. For canning, it is better to buy Topolin or Merchant.
When choosing seeds, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date indicated on the package. Try to select the most fresh materials, this will allow you to get a good harvest. Otherwise, even despite proper care, she will be weak.
How to check the quality of the seed?
This issue needs special attention. Sowing pepper seeds for seedlings begins with seed treatment. It includes several stages. They can be combined depending on the wishes of the gardener, the quality of the material and weather conditions.
As a rule, the main procedures include:
- bubbling;
- soak;
- disinfection;
- hardening;
- calibration
Do not neglect even a part of these procedures. Only their joint use will allow you to get a rich harvest. It is especially important to carry out all of them with independent procurement of seeds. The seed purchased in the store most likely has already gone through some processing steps.
If you are going to sow pepper for seedlings in February, you definitely need to prepare seed material. Many people prefer to buy it in stores, of which there are a huge number today. In this case, try to read the reviews and recommendations of specialists. Also carefully inspect the seed bags. There should be no holes on them. Each variety has its own growing requirements. If you are going to plant pepper for the first time, then it is better to give preference to varieties that are not capricious. In this case, the care of the plant will not require special attention.
Preparation of pepper for sowing for seedlings must necessarily include such an important stage as calibration. To do this, pour the seeds onto a piece of paper and take too small and too large samples. After that, soaking is performed.
Before you start sowing pepper seeds for seedlings, you need to make sure that the product you select is of high quality. For this purpose, the seeds are poured with warm saline prepared from 200 g of water and half a teaspoon of salt. Within 5-7 minutes, this composition must be thoroughly mixed. Floated seeds are not suitable for planting. Only those that drowned need to be left.
We grow seedlings
This process is somewhat reminiscent of tomato care. Both of these cultures belong to the nightshade family. Special care culture is not required. Even a beginner gardener may well cope with its cultivation. However, there are certain features of the cultivation, which are definitely worth considering. It is necessary to properly prepare the soil, seeds, provide the plants with proper watering, and so on. Successively consider each of the stages.
How to prepare the seeds?
This is a very crucial stage, on which the further landing depends. When you decide on the variety and purchase the seeds, you need to pour them on a sheet of white paper for a thorough visual inspection. Small or damaged immediately need to be removed. For sowing pepper for seedlings in February, it is better to use only high-quality material. To prevent the development of various diseases, seeds should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. Instead, you can use special drugs. However, experienced summer residents still recommend using this time-tested method.
Preparation of pepper seeds for sowing seedlings necessarily involves soaking in warm water. To do this, they are laid out on gauze doubled up. This is to make it easier to collect the seeds after soaking. Otherwise, you will have to use tweezers for this procedure. Typically, the soaking step is carried out in order to obtain pepper sprouts as early as possible. The dense natural shell softens as a result of this process, and it is much easier for sprouts to hatch.
Sowing pepper for seedlings sometimes involves a procedure such as bubbling. In simple words, this is the treatment of seeds with air bubbles. It allows you to speed up the process of germination. Usually sparging is carried out two weeks before sowing. Another important advantage of this procedure is the cleaning of seed from pathogenic microflora.
To barbotage, just take a simple compressor for the aquarium. It is necessary to prepare a high capacity in advance, fill it with water by 2/3 and lower the compressor tube there. Pepper seeds are poured into the water and left there for about a day. Seeds after this procedure must be dried. If at the stage of sparging the seed immediately began to hatch, it can be transplanted into the ground.
Positively affects the germination of seeds and the procedure of saturation with elements. Thanks to it, young peppers will better resist the effects of negative environmental factors. It also guarantees a quality crop. It is better to saturate the seed with microelements a day before the expected date of planting in the ground. For processing seed, simple wood ash is best suited. It is necessary to mix 20 grams of this substance with a liter of pure water and insist for a day. The next day, in this solution you need to lower the seeds and stand for 3-5 hours. After this, the seed must be washed and dried.
Another very useful procedure is the hardening of pepper seeds. Thanks to it, temperature differences will not be afraid of seed. Hardening is usually carried out after pickling. Seeds must be placed in warm water, and when they swell, move for 1.5 days in the refrigerator. You can perform this procedure in another way. Within 10-12 days, the swollen seeds must be created so that they regularly feel the temperature changes. For example, half a day they can be kept at 20 degrees, and then at 4 degrees.
It is also worth mentioning such an important aspect as seed storage. After all, the quality of the crop will also ultimately depend on this. Pepper seeds are best stored in paper or linen bags. Inside, you can make a layer of polyethylene, which will provide good waterproofing. When using purchased seeds, they will best be left in their original packaging. It only needs to be rolled up well so that moisture does not accidentally get inside. You can also put a little flour in a bag of seeds. It will absorb excess moisture. If you store seeds in a glass or plastic container, make sure that its cover is well closed. The bottom shelf of your refrigerator is perfect for storing seeds. Do not keep seeds for more than 2 years. During this time, they simply lose their germination.
Preparing the ground
So what is needed for this? How to prepare pepper for sowing seedlings? The most important step is the selection of the soil mixture. You can not particularly bother and buy ready-made soil in a flower shop. Experienced summer residents are advised to mix it with a little sand.
You can prepare the soil mixture yourself. To do this, mix peat and washed sand in equal proportions. You can also add part of the humus. The resulting mixture is baked in the oven or double boiler for 40 minutes. This procedure helps to disinfect the soil, and in addition protects future seedlings from diseases and weeds. The choice of soil for seedlings should be approached with special care.
Sowing
This process is no different from sowing other vegetable crops.
Just follow the instructions below:
- The sowing container needs to be filled with about 80% of the soil mixture. Small holes must be made in the lower part of the container.
- Pepper seeds for convenience spread on the palm. If you decide not to soak them in advance, then you will not need to use tweezers. It will be enough just to open the package and pour its contents into your hand.
- Spread the seeds evenly over the surface of the soil and ram them a little. Since the method of planting seedlings with boiling water is described, it is not necessary to fill the seed with soil.
- Gently pour seeds with boiling water, not missing a single plot. You can water them directly from the kettle. Try not to overfill. The soil should not be excessively wet.
- Close the container tightly with a lid or foil. It should be covered immediately after watering. You can see how the steam comes from the ground. The container must be rearranged in a warm place.
- 5-6 days later, you can get the first shoots. They need to be sprinkled with a small amount of earth. Seedlings will be ready for transplant after 1.5 weeks.
How to care for the culture?
The container with seedlings must be rearranged in a well-lit place in the house. From time to time it needs to be turned over with respect to the light source. This should be done no less than a couple of times a week. If possible, additional lighting sources should also be installed. Pepper seedlings should be protected from drafts. They negatively affect the plant.
20-27 days after the appearance of the first seedlings, real leaves will grow. Watering seedlings should not be more than once a week. The first watering should be carried out only a week later after the appearance of sprouts. The soil should have a sufficient level of moisture, so you need to water the seedlings regularly. It is best to use warm water for irrigation. Summer residents with extensive experience recommend enriching seedlings with settled water, although this is not necessary.
How to dive?
It is a process of planting seedlings in separate containers or containers. This allows you to accelerate the growth of the root system. As a result, lateral and subordinate roots are formed. You should start picking then, on the plant there are 2 leaves. It will be much easier to transplant it at this stage than when cotyledon leaves appear.
When making a pick, you should definitely consider some features. Somewhere in 2-3 hours the plants should be abundantly watered. Experts do not recommend diving from dry soil. After watering, be sure to wait a while for the water to flow out of the tanks, and you can proceed. Most often, plastic glasses are used for diving. Peat can also be used. They cost a little more, but there will be more benefit from them.
How is pepper planted for seedlings? In each of the glasses you need to pour a little soil that was used when sowing. The soil must be sprinkled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. In the middle part of the tank, small holes must be made, sized for the size of the root system. During a dive, the main thing is to try not to damage the plants.
Seedlings need to be taken "by the ears." Pepper must be placed in a prepared hole, sprinkled with earth and rammed. In this case, the root neck must be buried in the soil by five centimeters. Each seedling should be watered. When the liquid is absorbed, you can add a little more earth.
Diseases and pests
Many beginner gardeners are interested in such a question as how to sow pepper seeds for seedlings. If technology is not followed, plants can be affected by various parasites. Peppers often suffer from thrips. So called small insects that infect plant leaves. If you are engaged in growing seedlings at home, this does not guarantee you 100% protection from pests.
From thrips, tincture of tobacco helps best. She just needs to spray the seedlings. This tool is considered one of the most effective. To prepare the solution, you need 5 liters of water and a pound of tobacco. The mixture must be simmered for 20-30 minutes. The resulting composition is infused for 12 hours, after which it is filtered through cheesecloth and mixed with a small amount of laundry soap.
If you do not trust folk remedy, then you can use ready-made drugs. The most common among summer residents are considered to be "Zircon", "Intavir", "Barrier". They are effective in diseases such as leaf mold, black leg, late blight, mosaic disease.
What else is worth knowing if you are going to grow sweet peppers? Sowing seedlings must necessarily include a procedure such as loosening the earth. Also, all plants are recommended to be treated with special preparations.
Planting
If you have chosen the right time for sowing pepper for seedlings, then after 50-60 days it will be ready for transplanting into open ground. Usually 12-17 leaves are already present on the plant, and its height is 20 cm. Seedlings can be planted in the ground immediately after the appearance of the first buds.
If you missed the timing of sowing peppers for seedlings, most likely the plants will be susceptible to disease. The flowers and leaves that appear on them may gradually fall. Therefore, you should especially carefully monitor the development of peppers.
In rare cases, seedlings after transplantation may even stop blooming. This phenomenon can be explained by a sharp change in habitat. The plant gives all its strength to the formation of the root system. Therefore, before planting, you can remove the first flowers formed on the plant. Try to plant the pepper very carefully. Minor damage to the roots and stems can destroy the plant.
Finally
In this review, we examined in detail the preparation of pepper for sowing seedlings. However, it should be borne in mind that the method of growing this crop described above is not the only one true. If desired, the gardener can combine some procedures with each other or even replace them with others.
One of the most important factors is the correct choice of date for sowing seeds. In order not to be mistaken, use the lunar calendar, as well as the recommendations of experienced gardeners, and then you will be provided with a rich harvest. Have a good season!