Peppers - planting and care of seedlings

Proper planting and care of pepper seedlings will help you grow healthy plants with high yields.

Correct landing of peppers on seedlings

Seedlings of pepper are planted taking into account certain terms, then to drop it in time on the open ground. Early-ripening varieties sow 65 days before planting, middle-ripening varieties - for 65-70 days, and late-ripening varieties - for 75 days. The gardener needs to accurately calculate the planting time, depending on the variety , in order to prevent seedling from growing. This leads to a delay in fruiting.

For planting, seeds are carefully selected, leaving quality and removing the damaged ones. They are etched for 20 minutes in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate, then placed in a solution of "Epin" or "Zircon". In order for seedlings to grow better, seeds should be germinated before planting. They are placed on a piece of damp cloth and covered on top with another piece. This will promote their swelling. Under these conditions, the seeds should be kept for 7 to 14 days.

Soil mixture for planting seedlings can be purchased ready or prepared by yourself. To do this, mix humus, peat and washed sand. It is recommended to sift the mixture. It should be steamed for an hour to exclude fungal diseases of seedlings.

The depth of planting pepper seeds for seedlings should be 1.5-2 cm.

Methods for planting pepper on seedlings

There are such basic ways of planting pepper on seedlings:

1. Into the ground . To do this, use prepared seeds and a suitable soil mix.
2. In toilet paper . This is a very convenient method, which does not require the preparation of soil for planting seedlings. Seeds are planted in prepared toilet paper, which is placed in 5-7 layers and placed on the bottom of a transparent container. The paper is moistened, on top of it lay the seeds of pepper, which are pre-prepared. The container is closed and kept in a warm place. Every day the seeds are aired and moistened. Periodically, paper is sprayed with fertilizers to strengthen the seedlings. After the appearance of the first leaves, the seedlings are planted in separate containers.

Care of pepper seedlings

Care of pepper seedlings at home is as follows:

1. Lighting . If the pepper seedling lacks lighting, it will lead to its stretching. In the future this will affect the yield of the plant. This pepper for normal growth requires a short light day. This can be ensured by closing seedlings for 18-19 hours under an opaque box. The rest of the time it is located in a well-lit place.
2. Maintaining optimal soil temperature . Before the first shoots appear, the soil temperature should be 25-28 ° C, and after their appearance - 20 ° C for the first 2-3 days, after which it is constantly maintained at 22-25 ° C. Do not place a container with sprouts on heating batteries, as this will result in rapid heating and drying of the soil. To be able to regulate the temperature of the soil, it is recommended that the window sill on which the seedlings are located is fenced off. The necessary temperature is created with the help of the vent, which is opened at the right moment.
3. Observance of the water regime , which consists in preventing excessive overmoistening or drying out of the soil. After emergence of sprouts, the seedlings are not watered for the first 2-3 days, but are moistened from the spray gun. When the cotyledonous leaflets unfold, water is irrigated with warm water. In the first days the shoots are watered from a teaspoon, so as not to wash them from the soil.
4. Pest control . Seedlings of pepper can be susceptible to attack by a tick or aphid. In this case, it must be processed in time with infusion of garlic, calendula, pine extract or "Entobacterin", "Phytopharma", "Agravertin".
5. Feeding , which is carried out at least 2 times with liquid fertilizers (Agricola, Barrier, Krepysh, Rastvorin).

The proper care of the pepper seedling will best prepare it for planting in the open ground.