Pepper is a popular vegetable that many people love. To be sure that there are no chemicals, homeowners often decide to grow the plant on their own. Consider how to grow seedlings of pepper from seeds, how and when to properly plant it in open ground.

When is it better to plant pepper seedlings?

Determining the date for landing is important. It is too early to do this at the beginning of winter, since at this time there is still little light, and the seedlings will grow weak, it is unlikely that they will be able to harvest a good crop in the future. Peppers are grown with seedlings due to the long growing season, which averages 135 days.

Did you know? The country of Alexandria gained prosperity due to the fact that Marcus Aurelius at the right time introduced a duty on the import of pepper.

The first crops are recommended not earlier than the second half of February. If the seeds are overdried, and the period of emergence of seedlings is shifted, the seedlings will have time to grow stronger before planting in open ground. Usually seedlings from self-collected seeds appear after a week, and from purchased seeds - after two weeks. The deadline for planting seeds is considered to be mid-March, otherwise the seedlings will not have time to grow, and the crop will not ripen.

Conditions for growing pepper at home

For seedlings to grow, you need to create the right conditions:

1. Temperature. Optimum indices are +25 ... + 27 ° С. This level will ensure seed germination in due time. After emergence, the containers are transferred to 4 days where the temperature is +20 ° С. This will allow the roots to form, slowing down the growth of the stem. After the appearance of several full-fledged leaves, the regimen is +25 ... + 30 ° С during the day and +15 ... + 18 ° С at night. If the soil is heated, the air temperature may be 10 degrees lower than recommended.
2. Lighting. Must be in the range of 4–6 thousand suites. Pepper is demanding not only to light, but also to its spectral composition. With a lack of natural light, additional fluorescent or LED lamps must be provided.
3. Air humidity. Dry air and drafts are harmful to pepper. The plant can stop growing and discard foliage. But as soon as the indicators return to normal, the plant will quickly recover. Seedling, which is located near heating appliances, in the cold season needs to be sprayed from a spray gun.

The process of sowing pepper for seedlings

Before sowing pepper seeds for seedlings, you need to prepare for this procedure: select containers, purchase or prepare the soil, process the planting material. Consider these steps in more detail.

Capacity selection

Gardeners argue that it is better to use containers of colored opaque plastic, since light is useful for the growth of the stem, and not the root system. If you have only transparent containers, put them in cardboard boxes. The correct capacity must meet the following requirements:

• whole area, without division into sectors;
• volume of about 0.4 l, enough for 3 seeds;
• the bottom is flat, for the possibility of laying a layer of drainage.

You can also use wooden boxes, peat pots.

Soil preparation

The soil should be loose, water-absorbing, with nutrients, neutral reaction. The finished mixture purchased in the store is combined with carefully sifted sand, adhering to a proportion of 3: 0.5. Then add 40 g of ash, dolomite flour and a fertilizer complex. For self-preparation of the soil mixture, humus, peat and sand are mixed in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Sifted and calcined in the oven for 60 minutes to remove disease spores.

Important! Since pepper is sensitive to the acidity of the earth and the amount of salt in it, it is necessary to achieve a pH of 6–6.5. To normalize the indicator, it is recommended to add lime at the rate of 1 g of substance per 62 g of soil.

Seed treatment

Sweet and hot pepper seeds may lose freshness during storage, so they are inspected for damage. To increase the percentage of germination, it is recommended to carry out:

1. Seed selection. Existing seeds are dipped in a 3% sodium chloride solution and kept in it for 5 minutes. Seeds suitable for planting will remain at the bottom (pop-ups are removed), they are cleaned of salt residues and dried.
2. Pickling. Seeds are divided into groups by size and put in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. Stand for 15 minutes, then washed and dried.
3. Micronutrient saturation. Spend two days before landing. The material is put in gauze bags. A solution of wood ash is prepared by placing 2 g of the substance in 1 liter of water. Seed bags are kept in the resulting composition for several hours, washed and dried.
4. Germination. Seeds are placed on wet gauze in one layer. Top cover with the same material. For a while they put in a warm place and wait for the appearance of sprouts, periodically moisturizing the tissue.
5. Sparging. The method is carried out 14 days before sowing. A deep container is filled with water at room temperature by 2/3. At the bottom there is a compressor tip for the aquarium. After the appearance of the bubbles, the planting material is lowered and left for 2 days, after which it is removed and dried.
6. Hardening. Conducted by two methods: soaked in warm water, and after the emergence of sprouts, they are transferred to a cold place with a temperature of +2 ° C, left for a day, then dried; the seeds are subjected to temperature changes - they are kept at +20 ° C and more for 12 hours, and then placed in the cold for the same time.

Experts assure that there is no need to apply all the methods, it is enough to apply 2-3 of the above.

Did you know? One eaten bell pepper replenishes the daily requirement for an adult of vitamin R.

Landing technology

Planting seeds for seedlings is carried out according to this scheme:

1. The tank is disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, filled with prepared soil, which is slightly compacted. The side should rise above the ground by about 2 cm.
2. Using tweezers, the hatched seeds are laid out. The distance between them should be about 2 cm.
3. The soil mixture is poured on top with a layer of 1.5 cm, which is also compacted.
4. The soil is moistened with a spray gun.
5. The container is covered with film or glass to create a greenhouse effect and placed in heat.

Features seedlings care

After emergence, starting from the 7th day after planting, the containers are rearranged in a cool place and begin to pour with warm water. In order for foliage to form properly on seedlings, containers every 2 days turn to the light on opposite sides.

Dive

Peppers dive for the first time at the stage of forming two leaves, this happens 3 weeks after planting. Since seedlings develop slowly, it is better to dive in small containers, the approximate volume of which is 150 ml. A similar size allows the roots to fill the ground faster.

Important! The temperature of the earth with sprouts should not fall below +15 ° C. Otherwise, the seedlings will stop growing.

Water is abundantly watered, the plant is carefully removed. The hole in the new location should be sized so that the roots fit freely without bending. After placing the pepper on top, the hole is covered with earth and compacted. Water and, if necessary, add soil.

Top dressing

Before planting in a permanent place, seedlings are fed twice:

• 14 days after the dive;
• 2 weeks after the previous fertilizer application.

You need to apply only liquid top dressing.

Ready formulations are suitable for this:

• "Agricola";
• "Fortress";
• "Lux".

When the seedlings have grown (around the end of spring), it is transplanted into a capacity of 1 liter. Do this while maintaining an earthen lump formed by the roots. At the same time, add 20 g of double superphosphate, 200 g of wood ash and 60 g of universal fertilizer Signor Tomato, specially designed for peppers and other solanaceous crops.

Watering

Full watering is carried out only after the appearance of the first pair of leaves. Prior to this, if necessary, the soil surface is wetted with a spray gun. Watering is carried out with warm water. It is better if it will be rain or melt water, if it is from a tap, then it should be insisted for two days.

Possible difficulties

Despite the fact that growing peppers is a simple process, beginners may have problems.

Did you know? The first mention of pepper dates back three millennia. The recording was made in Sanskrit in one of the sources of Indian literature.

Consider them, as well as solutions:

1. Seeds did not sprout. The reason may be poor quality planting material, insufficient disinfection of land or containers. To prevent this, the seeds are not stored for more than 4 years and do not save on the disinfection procedure.
2. Insufficient seedling growth. Reasons: little light, fertilizer, waterlogging of the earth. It is easy to solve the problem - they provide additional light by installing lamps, add the right amount of fertilizer, watering is carried out as needed.
3. Seedlings are too long. The reason may be a lack of light, landing in open ground ahead of schedule. To prevent this from happening, planting in the soil is carried out no earlier than mid-April, the temperature where the seedlings are growing should be within +18 ... + 20 ° С.

Planting seedlings in the ground

Landing is carried out only after the temperature in the dark does not fall below +12 ... + 14 ° C.

In addition to this, other conditions must be observed:

1. The landing site should be sunny and free of drafts.
2. Earth needs to be dug up.
3. The soil is fertilized with peat or humus.
4. Under each bush, dig a separate hole. They should be at a distance of 0.4 m from each other. The rows are separated by passages of at least 1.5 m.
5. Fertilizer is poured into each well.
6. Carefully remove the seedling from the container, without damaging the earthen coma, and place it in the hole.
7. Sprinkle with earth on top, covering the roots.
8. Watered.
9. The ground is mulched with peat.

In order to grow strong and healthy seedlings of pepper, you need to pay attention to preparatory processes and provide the right conditions for plant growth. We hope our article will help organize this process quickly and easily, and subsequently get a good harvest.