For most of our country, red bell pepper is a seedling culture, since only the climate of the southern regions allows to plant sweet pepper seeds directly into the soil. It is worth noting that the plant does not always tolerate transplanting. Based on this, seedlings are recommended to be grown either in pots or sown with optimal density excluding picking. There are several ways to pre-prepare the seeds of sweet pepper for sowing, among which the most popular are:
- cold hardening;
- germination;
- etching;
- treatment with various growth stimulants.
Also, among gardeners, the use of potassium permanganate is especially popular: the seeds of sweet pepper undergo disinfection in a 1% solution of this substance. If the temperature conditions throughout the germination period remain in the range from 22 to 28 ° C, it is possible to sow the germinated seeds of sweet pepper. This type of sowing is particularly effective, which makes it popular among gardeners. Subject to these conditions, sweet red pepper emerges very quickly. Determination of the sowing period is carried out by taking into account the age-specific characteristics of seedlings: thus, early ripening varieties of pepper are recommended for planting in open ground no earlier than 45 days from the day of sowing seeds, mid-ripening varieties are ready for transplanting on 60-65 days.
It is necessary to start preparing seeds of sweet pepper for sowing in February. To do this, selected seeds are selected and disinfected for 30 minutes in a 1% potassium permanganate solution in the proportions of 1 g per half a glass of water, after which the seeds of Bulgarian pepper must be washed. The use of humate and sodium oxyhumate, as well as succinic acid, which are physiological growth regulating substances, will help to improve the quality of seedlings and accelerate the emergence of seedlings. A positive effect on the condition of the seeds is their preliminary soaking in a solution of wood ash prepared the day before the process (proportion: 2 tbsp. Ash per liter of warm water). Sweet pepper seeds are placed in the above solution in home-made gauze or tissue bags for 3, maximum 6 hours. After soaking, they begin to germinate directly, for which it is necessary to cover the seeds from above with a damp cloth. Optimum for a comfortable state of seeds is a temperature of 20-25 ° C. For effective germination, it is possible to place the seeds in a plastic bag.
After 4-5 days, the seeds should become noticeably swollen and partially germinate. If all conditions have been met, and the final result is in line with expectations, it is necessary to sow in pots or boxes with fertile soil, compost or a special mixture of peat - 4/9, chernozem - 2/9, sand - 2/9 and wood ash - 1 / 9. The seeds of Bulgarian pepper must be spread evenly in loose soil at a distance of 3 cm from each other in several rows, the intervals between which should be about 6 cm.Then the crops should be sprinkled with a layer of the original soil of 1 cm, slightly compacted and watered with water at room temperature. Watering is recommended with great care, so as not to wash the seeds. When moisture has absorbed, it is covered with a film to prevent the earth from drying out. The emergence of seedlings requires a temporary decrease in ambient temperature to 15-17 ° C - for 3-5 days, as well as removing the film. Further, it is recommended to maintain a constant temperature: 20-25 ° C - during the day and 10-13 ° C - at night. At the initial stage of growth, seeds require watering in a day or two, preferably in the morning. Further frequency of irrigation is determined by the state of seedlings. In addition, the soil needs to be loosened periodically.