It is very easy to buy ready-made seedlings, plant it and wait for the harvest. Where it is more difficult to grow pepper from seeds, but you will know what quality was the planting material, and in what conditions a new life was born. For connoisseurs of environmentally friendly products this point is important.
When to plant pepper on seedlings
If you live in the middle zone of the Russian Federation, then start planting pepper seeds at the end of February - the first week of March. With a well-equipped greenhouse, you can grow the culture even earlier. The plant pits out for a long time - about 15 days, plus the growth of seedlings is also slow at first. The latest planting date is mid-March. Such a delay is allowed in low sunlight. If you are late, then at the time of disembarkation into open soil, the culture will feel uncomfortable and will not thank you for a generous harvest.
How to plant pepper
For a beginner summer resident this business can seem overwhelming, but in practice everything is simple. Before you learn how to grow pepper seedlings at home, think about what results you would like to receive? Among the early varieties of pepper, Buratino, the California miracle, Winnie the Pooh deserved popularity. On the territory of Siberia, Bulgarian peppers are difficult to grow, so there it is better to cultivate Topolin, Morozko, Viking and Kolobok. Later varieties: Albatross, Flamingo, Anastasia - are grown only in the southern zones of Russia.
Preparation of Soil and Capacity for Sowing
Growing pepper seedlings at home begins with the preparation of the substrate. The culture is very good for organic fertilizers, therefore it is necessary to add quality compost or a small amount of overgrown manure to the soil. Substrate is prepared from such ingredients:
- vegetable garden - 2 parts;
- humus( reparted manure) - 1 part;
- peat - 1 part;
- sawdust( coarse grained sand) - 1 part.
The mixture should be very light and loose. Pepper does not like sour soils, so they must be limed. This task is well performed by wood ash. In 1 kg of the substrate make 1 tbsp.l.ash. Feeding should be done after the formation of 1-2 "adult" leaflets. Seedling of pepper does not tolerate the picking very well, therefore it is better to place the seeds immediately in separate pots of 2-3 pieces each. Fill the container with a substrate to a depth of at least 5-7 cm. Before planting abundantly pour the soil with a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Purchase and preparation of seeds
Seeds of pepper retain their germination for 3 years, but if they stay in a cold room for a long time, the time is reduced to 1-2 years. To grow a generous harvest, choose a light, undamaged planting material. Small, empty, gray grains are unsuitable for use. Before planting for 20 minutes, soak the seeds with 2% solution of potassium permanganate, then rinse them with cold water. After 18 hours, the material must stand in a solution of zircon or epine.
To grow grains faster, it is necessary to soak them in a nutritious mixture: potassium humate, albite, gumi and others. Use these substances at home should be according to the instructions. After soaking the planting material is put in a damp cloth and a plastic bag, so stand for two days. All manipulations are carried out at room temperature. Then you can consider the question of how to quickly grow pepper seedlings at home.
Sowing
Comfortable soil temperature - 25-27 ° C.How to sow pepper on seedlings? Well, if after a two-day exposure in a damp cloth the material sprouted, then it will sprout faster. Plant seeds as follows:
- In the prepared soil, make oblong hollows of 0.5-1 cm at a distance of 3-4 cm apart.
- Spread the seeds evenly. The minimum distance between future plants is 1 cm.
- Sprinkle the planting material with a moist soil or a mixture of soil and sand( 1: 1).The earth should be very light, so that the pepper seedling at home grows without much effort.
- Cover the container with film or glass.
- Put the seeds on a sunny window sill or plaque placed on a warm battery.
Proper care for pepper sprouts
If you followed the above advice, then in 5-15 days there will be the first shoots. What should I do next and how to grow pepper seedlings at home? It is important to create an optimal temperature regime for young plants, to provide enough sunlight, they must be fed and properly watered. It's easy to care for the culture, just take a few recommendations.
Soil moisture and temperature conditions
As soon as you see the first shoots, remove the film and provide plants with a minimum of 12 hours of lighting. Do not water the pepper seedling for 2-3 days. If the ground is dry, moisten it with a spray gun. The culture needs to provide a good flow of fresh air, but they can not tolerate cold from a window or window. In the daytime the temperature should be 20-25 ° C, at night - 18-20 ° C.
Lighting and watering
When cotyledonous leaves appear, the soil should be watered as it dries with warm water( 25-30 ° C).The optimum interval between humidification of the soil is 3-4 days. Take care that the seedling does not fall, but there was no excess water. Sweet pepper should receive a lot of light( up to 12 hours).If it is not enough, turn on the fluorescent lamp early in the morning and in the evening. Switch off the device after 21.00, not later. In case of cloudy weather, arrange additional lighting for the whole day.
Fertilizer and top dressing
If the soil is initially well-fertilized, no additional fertilizing is needed. In the opposite case, the first top dressing should be done when 1-2 leaves are formed. Substrate watered with a solution of 1 liter of water, prepared at home from such components:
- ammonium nitrate - 0.5 g;
- superphosphate - 3 g;
- potassium compounds - 1 g.
The second top dressing of pepper seedlings at home is carried out after 2 weeks. For 1 liter of water, the same components are made, but in doubled quantities. The final top dressing is carried out a couple of days before moving to the open ground. It is necessary to have 1 g of ammonium nitrate, 6 g of superphosphate and 8 g of potassium compounds. If desired, you can water the plant with infusion of nettle( proportion 1:10).
Picking pepper
If you initially planted plants in one large container, after the appearance of 3-4 real leaves, peppers will need a pick. To do this, use peat-humic plastic cups, seedlings or ordinary pots with a volume of at least 0.5 liters. Dive the pepper seedlings in this way:
- Fill the pots with very moist soil, do not fill 3-4 cm from the edge.
- In the center, make a deep hole, place a young plant in it.
- Straighten the roots, sprinkle them with soil until the middle of the cotyledonous knee.
- Put the pots on the windowsill.
Planting pepper seedlings in the open ground
How to quickly grow pepper seedlings at home and successfully move it to the garden? In reality and in the photo the bushes look already quite formed, the first buds appear on them. Transplantation is preceded by hardening - a gradual decrease in the temperature of seedling content to 12-14 ° C.Plant peppers should be, when there are 8-12 leaves, it is not worth it before, otherwise plants can die. The process looks like this:
- Mark the ridges and prepare the holes.
- Representatives of low-growing varieties should be 30-40 cm apart, tall ones - 60 cm.
- . The interval between the beds is about 60 cm.
- Spread the pepper sprouts with water.
- In each hole, fill in half a handful of ash, a handful of rotted compost, ½ tsp.superphosphate. Fill the cavity with warm water.
- When the water is absorbed, place a seedling in the hole to the depth of the upper root. Do not fall asleep the root collar.
- Hold the plant hand, once again moisten the groove with water( pour it on the walls of the hole).
- Sprinkle the hole with ground, lightly compact the soil and sprinkle peat from the top.
- Cover the beds with plastic wrap. When the pepper seedling takes root, and the outside becomes warmer, remove the protection.