How to grow peppers at home step by step?

Having a fresh, vitamin-rich product in your refrigerator all year round is far from a luxury, but a completely feasible task. It is not only an experienced gardener who can grow pepper seedlings at home. Everyone can cope with this, with a little effort, because, as they say: the eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing!

How to grow pepper seedlings at home

The choice of container and substrate for seedlings of peppers

What you need to know about seedling boxes and pots

Experienced gardeners say that it is best if the container is made of opaque plastic and will not let the sun through. Natural light is useful only for the outer part of the pepper, its leaves, but the roots can be badly damaged by it. The sun's rays slow down the development of the root system, which directly affects the growth rate of seedlings and their quality.

The best container for seedlings is a box made of opaque plastic

There are several requirements for a container for growing pepper seedlings:

• it is desirable that it be integral, not divided into sectors;
• the optimal volume of the container is 0.3-0.5 l (for 2-3 pepper seeds);
• the presence of a flat bottom so that it can be covered with a thin layer of drainage (river pebbles, broken brick, expanded clay, polystyrene).

In order to grow pepper seedlings, wooden boxes, closed on the sides, or peat pots are also ideal. But if nothing like this is at hand, then you can use ordinary disposable plastic containers. And so that the sunlight does not have access to the roots, they can be placed next to each other in a deep cardboard box.

Substrate preparation

As soon as the seedling containers are prepared, it is necessary to proceed with the selection of the substrate. The land, in order for healthy seedlings to grow, must be very fertile. It is better not to use soil from a common garden or vegetable garden, as it has high acidity and is too heavy for pepper.

The soil for pepper seedlings must be very fertile.

The substrate should consist of:

• humus (3 parts);
• turf / peat (3 parts);
• river sand (1 part)
• ash (250 g of ash is added to 5 liters of soil).

If there is no experience in making a substrate, then, in order to avoid risks, you can purchase an earthen mixture in a store. It will contain all the necessary components for the effective and rapid growth of seedlings.

Sowing seeds

Pepper seeds are planted 2-2.5 months before the planned planting in open ground. This is how long it takes for the seedlings to emerge and be ready for transplantation. Usually, seeds are planted in the ground at the very end of winter - early spring. The optimal time is considered to be the end of February - the beginning of March.

The optimal time for planting peppers is late February - early March.

Before planting seeds in a container with soil, they must be properly prepared. The preparation process includes:

1. Disinfection. In order for the seedlings to be less susceptible to its characteristic diseases, both the seeds and the container where they will be located must be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 g of potassium permanganate per 100 ml of water). The day before planting the seeds, the soil in which they will germinate should also be disinfected: for this, it must be poured abundantly with boiling water, loosened and left to dry until the next day.

   Disinfection of seeds with potassium permanganate

2. Soak. This procedure is necessary in order to test the seeds for germination. They are soaked for 5-7 minutes in salted water (for 0.5 l of 1 tbsp. L of salt). The planting material that has surfaced can be thrown away without regret - it will not sprout. After the good seeds have been selected for planting, they are soaked again, for 1-2 days to swell.

   Soaking different varieties of peppers

3. Tank and soil preparation. The bottom is covered with drainage, with a layer of no more than 1.5-2 cm. Soil, previously treated with boiling water, is poured on top. The optimum height of the ground level for planting seeds is 8-10 cm.

   Drainage layer with soil for planting pepper seedlings

4. Disembarkation... If the container has a rectangular shape, then it can be divided into grooves, about 5 cm wide. The planting material is planted along the grooves at a distance of about 2 cm from each other. From above, the seeds are slightly sprinkled with the same substrate.

   Planting pepper with grooves

After the seeds are planted in the ground, they are covered with cling film or glass, and left in a room with a temperature of 23-25 ​​° C. Over the next few days, it is not necessary to water the planted material, the existing moisture will be enough for it.

Seedling care and feeding

Pepper is a light-loving plant, and even a short-term lack of light can cause irreversible changes in seedlings.

When caring for seedlings, the following conditions must be observed:

1 condition: constant temperature not lower than 20 ° С. In order for the seedlings to grow intensively, the temperature can be increased to 24-26 ° C. The main thing is not to overdo it, because the rapid increase in sprouts can weaken the stem and leaves, they will lack nutrients.

For intensive growth of seedlings, the temperature in the room should be at least 20 ° С

2 condition: moderate humidity. You need to be careful with watering seedlings: the roots are quickly affected by rot if you overdo it with soil moisture. At the same time, excessive dryness of the substrate can affect further harvest. Pepper watering is carried out:

• after 3-5 days after planting seeds, already in moist soil;
• daily, after the appearance of the first leaves;
• 1 time in 4-5 days, but abundantly, as soon as the seedlings have grown and matured enough.

Watering pepper seedlings is carried out daily, after the appearance of the first leaves

3 condition: feeding. You need to fertilize pepper only a few times from the moment the seeds are planted into the substrate and until the already matured seedlings are planted in open ground. Top dressing is carried out in 2 stages:

1. When the first 2-4 leaves appear on the seedlings. The optimal composition of top dressing for 5 liters of water includes 10 g of potassium sulfate, 10 g of urea, 30 g of superphosphate. On average, for every 10 sprouts, 1 liter of the prepared mixture is consumed.
2. When more than 5 leaves appear on each sprout. In terms of time, this is about 2-3 weeks after the first feeding. Often, this top dressing coincides with the dive time of the pepper. The procedure must be repeated, increasing the concentration of fertilizers by half. However, to facilitate the work, you can buy ready-made fertilizers and mixtures.

Top dressing of pepper seedlings is carried out when the first 2-4 leaves appear in seedlings

After each top dressing, it is necessary to water the soil with pepper seedlings with plain or melt water to avoid scalding the root system. You should also make sure that neither water nor fertilizer gets on the leaves of the seedlings. They are very sensitive to moisture and minerals.

Video - Tips for growing peppers

Dive pepper

The opinions of gardeners about diving pepper differ: someone advises to carry out this procedure, and someone advises not to touch the seedlings until the very moment of transplanting it into open ground. A dive should be carried out only if the seeds were planted in one whole container. Pepper leaves in the process of growth begin to cast a shadow on each other, which leads to a slowdown in the growth of seedlings or even its death. If, initially, the planting material was seated in separate pots, then this procedure can be neglected.

Preparing the ground for picking pepper

If the planting material was in very fertile soil, which was used to accelerate the germination of seedlings, then the land for picking should be chosen more adapted to the external environment. It is desirable that it be enriched with such macronutrients as potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.

Pepper soil should contain potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.

Pepper pick

Pepper roots are very sensitive to all manipulations. In order not to damage the fragile root system, it is recommended to remove the soil from the container with several shoots at once. The soil is located on a horizontal surface and is carefully separated from the roots of the seedlings.

Shrinkage of pepper seedlings

After the sprouts of the pepper are separated from the substrate, they can be pinched a little, i.e. shorten if they are too long and thin. The shoot is planted in the center of a small container in the ground, the earth around it is compacted a little. The planting field must be watered with pepper.

A. Uncooked root system. B. Root system that has passed the pick

In order for the young sprouts of pepper to feel comfortable and take root in a new place, they need to be protected from bright sunlight for 3-5 days and shortened if they are too long and thin. The shoot is planted in the center of a small container in the ground, the earth around it is compacted a little. The planting field must be watered with pepper.

Possible problems and solutions

It would seem that there is nothing difficult in growing pepper at home. However, some problems may arise on the path of novice gardeners, presented in the table below.

The seeds did not sprout	Poor quality planting material was chosen; insufficient disinfection of the soil, container and seeds themselves	Do not store seeds for more than 4 years; carefully carry out the disinfection procedure
Seedlings grow very slowly	Lack of light; lack of fertilizer; scarcity of soil; excessive moisture; the effect of light on the roots of seedlings	Install artificial light lamps aimed at the leaves and stems of the shoots; fertilize and feed seedlings regularly; watering as the land dries up; protect plant roots from light
After the dive, the seedlings overgrown and stretched out	Lack of light; planting pepper too early in open ground; excessively favorable indoor climate for growth	Plant peppers no earlier than mid-April; reduce the room temperature, where the pepper is located, to 18-20 ° С

Both too favorable and not very favorable, the conditions of keeping pepper seedlings can play a cruel joke with it.If the seedling grows very quickly, its stem becomes very thin and unstable, it can easily break or deform. Therefore, if the growth began to rapidly gain "height and weight", then it should be suspended a little.

Landing in open ground

Growing pepper: from seeds to planting in the ground

Pepper seedlings should be planted in open ground only at a time when the average daily air temperature, even at night, does not drop below 12-14 ° C. A number of conditions must be met:

1. Choose a suitable place. Seedlings should be in a sunny, draft-free place.
2. Dig up the ground to the depth of the shovel bayonet.
3. Fertilize the soil with peat or humus.
4. Dig holes for each seedling. The holes should be placed from each other at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m from each other. Rows with seedlings should be at least one and a half meters apart.
5. Pour a mineral fertilizer consisting of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen into each well.
6. Carefully remove the seedlings from the pots. There is no need to shake off the previous soil from the roots, it is better to plant seedlings in the holes with it. Then it will be easier for the pepper to adapt to changing conditions.
7. Place the seedlings in the hole, sprinkle with earth. The layer of dust should be small so that the soil only covers the roots of the plant.
8. Water abundantly the planted seedlings in the holes.
9. After the moisture has been absorbed into the ground, it is necessary to completely fill the holes so that their surface is equal to the surface of the rest of the soil. The soil with which the pepper will be covered must first be loosened.
10. Mulch with peat. Lightly sprinkle the area under the bushes with peat.

If all the rules and conditions are met, and the seedlings successfully take root, then, soon, you will have a fragrant, sweet, environmentally friendly pepper in your beds. With proper care of the plant, it will bear fruit until late autumn.

Pepper, like many other thermophilic crops, is grown in seedlings. It has a long growing season, which makes it impossible to grow it outdoors from seeds. The seedling method accelerates fruiting and has a beneficial effect on the quality and quantity of the future harvest.

Why you need to grow peppers through seedlings

The optimum temperature for growing peppers and fruiting is 20-26 degrees. Long daylight hours and good lighting are required for fruit development. The land should be fertile, well structured.

That is why pepper is not sown in open ground, but is grown by seedlings. From seedlings, strong, disease-resistant and temperature-resistant plants are obtained, which give large, even fruits.

When to plant peppers for seedlings - sweet, bitter

The timing of sowing pepper seeds depends on the variety. It is selected in accordance with the climatic characteristics of the region. Pepper is grown in open ground, greenhouses, greenhouses, tunnels. The earlier the pepper is transplanted to the main place, the earlier the seeds are sown for seedlings.

Early varieties of sweet and hot peppers should be sown 50-60 days before transplanting plants to a permanent place, later varieties - 70-80 days.

The best period for sowing peppers for seedlings is late February - early March.

In this case, it is necessary to take into account the varietal characteristics of the culture. Early peppers ripen 90 days after sowing, mid-season peppers give first fruits after 90-120 days, late ones after 120 days or more.

In adult seedlings, when transplanting, the stem height should be 17-20 centimeters. The plant should have 8-10 leaves and developed buds.

In a heated greenhouse, seedlings are planted at the end of April, in greenhouses, film greenhouses, tunnels - during May, in open ground, planting is carried out at the end of May - the first decade of June.

When transplanting, the soil should warm up to a depth of 10 centimeters, and the air up to 15 degrees.

Peas, beans, carrots and onions are considered to be the best precursors of pepper in the garden.After eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes and beans, you cannot plant pepper seedlings!

Planting sweet peppers for seedlings step by step

All steps must be followed when growing peppers. Neglect of at least one of them leads to the weakening of plants, and sometimes to disease, death.

Land preparation

The land for growing seedlings is prepared in the fall. You can not take soil from flower beds and beds. The turf is taken from the area where perennial grasses have been growing for several years. Leafy land is gathered under the trees. It is poured into a container and left to freeze for the winter.

A week before sowing, it is brought into the room, if necessary, thawed and sieved through a sieve. Coarse sand, peat and rotted humus are added to it in a ratio of 3: 1: 1: 1. You can also mix the earth with humus in a 2: 3 ratio. Everything is mixed and disinfected. To do this, the soil mixture is calcined in the oven at 100 degrees for an hour or poured with a strong hot solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin.

As containers for planting, cassettes, cups, pots, peat tablets or plastic boxes, containers with a depth of at least 10 centimeters and a width of 15-20 centimeters are taken.

Pepper has weak, fragile roots and it is better to sow them immediately in separate containers. With a heap planting, when the plants dive, they stop growing, which pushes the transplant into open ground by about 2 weeks.

Seed preparation

Seeds must be prepared before sowing. They do not retain germination well and cannot be bought in reserve. They must be collected no later than 2 years ago.

To cull the seed, a saline solution is taken (30 grams of salt per liter of water), the seeds are immersed there and thoroughly mixed. After 10-15 minutes, weak, empty and damaged seeds float to the surface and all that remains is to remove them, and high-quality, healthy seeds sink to the bottom. The solution is drained, the remaining seeds are well washed with running water and laid out on paper to dry.

The dried seeds are poured into a tissue bag and placed in a weak warm solution of potassium permanganate for 25 minutes. Then they are placed in a solution of a growth stimulator (Zircon, Epin, Heteroauxin) for a day.

Pepper seedlings must have strong immunity. To increase resistance to diseases and temperature extremes, the seeds are hardened. The seeds must be kept in warm water (50 degrees) until they swell, then they are placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator and remain there for a day.

Then, for final germination, the seeds in a damp bag are laid out in a warm room for 1 day, after which you can start sowing.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

• The containers are disinfected from harmful microorganisms.
• At the bottom, 2 centimeters of drainage is poured, the soil mixture goes to it, to a height of about 8 centimeters. The soil is evenly distributed and watered with warm water.
• Seeds are distributed on the surface at a distance of 5 centimeters and sprinkled with a centimeter layer of sand or earth.
• The containers with the sown seeds are covered with foil (glass) and sent to a warm place.

Bell pepper seedling care

For germination of pepper seeds, a stable, high temperature is required, equal to - 23-27 degrees. If it is below 20 degrees, the seeds will not germinate. Watering is not required before seedlings emerge, as condensation forms inside the container under the shelter. Sprouts appear in 7-14 days.

After the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are exposed to the south side (windowsill, heated balcony), the temperature drops to 17 degrees.

After the opening of the cotyledons, the temperature in the room rises to 23-25 ​​degrees. During the day, the temperature should not drop below 20 degrees, as plant growth will stop. At night, the temperature drops to 18-20 degrees.

Watering

You need to water the seedlings every 3 days or when the earthen coma dries. This can be determined by tapping on it with your finger.

At first, the plants are watered with a teaspoon, pipette or syringe directly to the root. Watering the grown seedlings is carried out from a watering can without a nozzle along the edge of the container, without touching the leaves and stems of plants.

Watering is carried out with warm, settled water until the soil is completely moistened. Overflow, as well as lack of moisture, is unacceptable! When the seedlings are pulled out, watering is reduced and the room temperature is lowered.

Plant roots need oxygen. After watering, the soil should be loosened with a clove, skewer or a match, slightly destroying the crust on the surface of the soil.

Lighting

The place where the seedlings grow is supplied with additional lighting, since it can stretch out with a lack of light. Seedlings are supplemented with phytolamp in the morning and in the evening. Daylight hours should be 10-12 hours. When sunny spring days come, the leaves of the seedlings must be protected from direct sunlight with tulle or white paper attached to the glass.

Top dressing

At the stage of cotyledon opening, the plants must be fed. As a potassium supplement necessary for pepper, you can use mineral fertilizers or infusion of ash and nettle, banana peel.

At the stage of three true leaves, fertilizing is performed with complex fertilizers, consisting of:
10 grams of potassium sulfate, 10 grams of urea and 30 grams of parts of superphosphate per 5 liters of warm water.

You can also use organic feeding: chicken manure infusion (1 part of droppings to 20 parts of water) or mullein solution (1 part of humus to 10 parts of water).

The seedlings are fertilized at the root without touching the leaves! 10 plants require a liter of solution. In the next watering, settled water is used, this will protect the plants from burns and an excess of fertilizing.

The next feeding is carried out at the stage of 5-6 true leaves. The concentration of the solution and the consumption are doubled.

If the ground is covered with a dry white coating (soil acidity), it is powdered with ash.

Dive

In the phase of 5 true leaves, the seedlings (if necessary) are dived into more spacious containers.

Before diving, the soil in containers with seedlings is spilled with water.

A drainage layer and a soil mixture are poured into prepared containers of a larger size. Planting holes should be equal to the volume of the root ball diameter of the plant. With the help of a spatula, the plants, one by one, together with an earthen clod, are removed from the previous container and transferred to the prepared holes.

To make the transplanting of seedlings less painless, the walls and bottom of the container during sowing can be covered with a large plastic bag, and drainage and soil can be poured on top of it. When transplanting, the package is removed from the container and unfolds on a plane. In this case, the roots of the seedlings are less damaged, they simply move away from each other.

The roots are covered with earth and watered with warm water. It is impossible to fill up the growth point when deepening. For better adaptation, the seedlings are sprayed with Epin. This will help the plants quickly recover and grow.

In the future, the seedlings grow in these containers until they are transferred to a larger pot or disembarked in open ground, a greenhouse.

Growing without picking

If there is a lot of space, pepper seedlings can be grown immediately in individual containers or peat tablets.

• Seeds are sown in pots, cups, cassettes and tablets in 2 pieces. When shoots appear, the weaker sprout is removed.
• Plants grow in spacious containers before handling. In peat tablets, the sprouts, as they grow, are transplanted into spacious containers.
• When 4 true leaves appear on each plant, transfer to a larger pot is performed.

Pepper seedlings are hardened several weeks before planting. This increases resistance to disease and temperature changes in the open field. In sunny warm weather, containers with seedlings are transferred to a balcony or covered veranda for 2-3 hours.

The temperature should be at least 13 degrees, otherwise the seedlings will freeze.

The duration of the cool-down period increases daily. In the absence of a balcony in the room, a window and a window open slightly and a low temperature is created on the windowsill.

The duration of airing is also increased daily. After the end of the night frosts, the seedlings are left on the balcony, veranda or sent to the greenhouse before being transplanted to a permanent place.

Drafts and direct sunlight must not be allowed during hardening!

When growing seedlings without diving, the pepper is ready for planting 2 weeks earlier, since in this case the plants develop faster.

Before transplanting, the seedlings are watered, this simplifies the handling of the earthy coma and reduces the likelihood of root damage.

Seedlings in peat pots are planted directly in them.

In order for the seedlings to take root without problems after planting in open ground, for the first time they need to be covered with a non-woven material, for example, a film or spunbond.

In the future, the plants need to be provided with proper care and they will reward with an excellent harvest.

Diseases and pests of pepper

Peppers can attack diseases and pests, which significantly reduce yields. Noticeable crop losses are most often due to disease.
Most often, diseases are promoted by the lack of preventive measures. Most infections are preventable. Getting rid of them is much more difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Blackleg affects the lower part of the stem. It blackens, rots and dries out over time. The reason is dense planting, waterlogged soil, frosts, sudden temperature fluctuations. You can save the plants by spraying the plants with the Zaslon preparation and reducing the watering to 1 time per week.

Fusarium leads to yellowing of plants and rapid wilting. At the base of the stem, petioles, black vascular contours appear. Affected seedlings are removed. The soil near the remaining plants is loosened, watering is reduced to 1 time in 7 days.

Pillar of pepper leads to yellowing and drying of leaves, stunted growth, deformation of the fruit. The disease is spread by insects. Prevention consists in regular loosening, weeding of beds, preventive treatment of plants with protective drugs against pests.

Cladosporium or brown spot appears as light yellow spots. Light spots appear on the petioles and leaves, and a dark bloom appears in their place. Peduncles, ovaries do not develop and fall off. Free planting of seedlings and regular thinning of plants help prevent damage. At the first signs of the disease, spraying with infusion of garlic, copper sulfate (3%) is carried out.

Mosaic causes deformation of leaves and a series of light and dark spots, yellowing of fruits. Disease prevention is the disinfection of seeds, spraying the seedlings once a week with water and milk (1:10).

Late blight on the future harvest it appears as black spots. In the fight against the disease, Barrier and Zaslon drugs help. For prevention, the drug Oxyhom is used.

No less damage is done by parasites: ticks, aphids, ants and slugs.

A spider mite can be recognized by a thin cobweb under the foliage. They suck the juices from plants and carry many viruses that attack plants when they are fed. You can get rid of pests with the help of Fufanon, Karbofos, Fosbecid or Actellik.

Aphids and ants also suck sap from plants. Pests can be destroyed in just 2 days with insecticides or nettle infusion.

When slugs appear around the beds with pepper, grooves must be made and treated with a lime solution. The loosened soil in the aisles is sprinkled with ground pepper or dry mustard. In case of damage by a pest, the Arrow remedy helps.

Mistakes when growing pepper seedlings

When growing pepper seedlings at home, gardeners often make mistakes that degrade the quality of the grown plants, and in some cases lead to their death.

Possible mistakes:

• Incorrectly formulated potting mix;
• Absence or improper seed preparation;
• Sowing seeds too early or, conversely, late;
• Failure to comply with the temperature regime in the room;
• Bad light;
• Drafts and sudden temperature changes;
• No blackout when direct sunlight hits the delicate leaves of plants;
• Insufficient or oversupply food;
• Failure to comply with the irrigation regime;
• Lack of prevention of diseases, pests;
• Late response to diseases and pests;
• Neglecting hardening of plants before planting;
• Wrong timing for planting seedlings in open ground;
• Failure to comply with the watering regime for seedlings after transplanting into the ground.

Any of these mistakes can, if not destroy the plants, then cause them serious damage. If the rules for growing the seedlings are not followed, they turn out to be weak, take root poorly in a new place, get sick for a long time and subsequently give a poor harvest.

How to grow healthy pepper seedlings: video

Care for seedlings of peppers and eggplant: video

Growing pepper seedlings, while observing all the requirements and eliminating possible errors, is a fairly simple task and having dealt with it, anyone, even a novice gardener, can handle it.
Self-grown seedlings guarantee a good harvest.

Growing pepper seedlings at home is not so much a whim as a necessity, since pepper came to us from southern countries, which makes the seedlings extremely sensitive to temperature conditions.

Given this fact, today we will talk in detail about how to grow pepper seedlings at home so that they can be planted in open ground and get a decent harvest.

When is the best time to grow?

If you plan to transplant pepper seedlings outdoors, it is best to start planting it on February 20, or if the pepper variety is early maturing, plant it on March 10.

These terms will give enough time for growth and correct formation of seedlings, and will allow weather conditions to stabilize, ensuring the proper temperature regime. Such dates are relevant for the latitudes of the middle lane.

If you live in northern regions, where summer comes late and lasts a short period of time, refrain from planting pepper in open ground, because in such conditions, if you get a crop, it will be small and stunted. To grow peppers in the northern regions, you need a greenhouse. Greenhouse seedlings should be planted in late February or early March.

As for the timing of planting pepper seedlings for planting and growing exclusively in a greenhouse, there is no special framework here, since greenhouse conditions are suitable for year-round cultivation of this crop.

For southern countries, pepper seedlings should be planted in mid-January or early February.

Planting pepper seedlings in open ground should be 60-80 days of its growth. If the variety is early maturing and prone to fruiting at 60-100 days of growth, replant the seedlings at the age of 30-45 days. These criteria will allow you to independently calculate the optimal planting time for seedlings of any kind of pepper, adjusting it to the weather conditions of your region. Remember, peppers are planted in the garden only when the average daily temperature has reached a stable level of + 15 ... + 17 ° C and above.

How to choose pepper variety and seeds?

Having learned about when to plant seedlings, you should decide on the choice of the pepper itself, the care of which will be optimal in your particular case.

So, there are 3 main varieties of pepper, such as:

1. Bell pepper.
2. Bitter pepper.
3. Peppercorns.

It should be noted right away that peppercorns are not suitable for growing outdoors in the conditions of the CIS countries. This type of pepper can be grown in greenhouse conditions, but it is difficult, expensive and not profitable, which means we will leave it for industrial companies that grow it in huge quantities and sell it as spices.

Sweet peppers are the most numerous and demanded plants of this type in our latitudes, and are divided into categories, such as:

1. Large. The fruits of such peppers reach a mass of over 200 grams, are distinguished by thick walls, and are best suited for fresh consumption.
2. Average. The fruits of such peppers reach a mass of 100-150 grams, have thinner walls, and are best suited for stuffing, preservation, freezing and any preparation for the winter.
3. Small ones. The fruits of such peppers reach a mass of 20-50 grams, have very thin walls, and are intended for canning and drying, while maintaining the integrity of the fruit.

All three categories have the following types of peppers in their assortment:

1. Early ripening peppers. Varieties for those who want to get everything at once.
2. Mid-season peppers. Varieties for those who do not like to rush things.
3. Long-ripening peppers. Varieties for those who value the process rather than the result.

Any of these peppers requires approximately the same conditions, consisting in warmth, plenty of sunlight, good watering and feeding. Choose peppers based solely on your aesthetic and gastronomic preferences. There are also varieties of pepper focused on warmer, or vice versa, colder regions, but their whole difference boils down to minor fluctuations in relation to a comfortable growing temperature.

As for the bitter peppers, they have also gained sufficient popularity and success among domestic summer residents and gardeners, as they are distinguished by abundant fruiting, and, in general, have a piquant taste.

Everything that has been said for sweet pepper is equally true for bitter, with the exception of a few points, such as:

1. Sweet and hot peppers should not be grown in close proximity to each other, as the sweet variety will become unpleasantly bitter.
2. Seedlings of hot pepper are transplanted a little earlier than sweet, at the age of 60-65 days.
3. Seedlings of hot pepper are more thermophilic, and they are transplanted at an average ambient temperature of 20-24 ° C.
4. Some hot peppers can be grown on a windowsill, with frutescens being an excellent example. In addition, most hot pepper varieties can be grown in pots and pots, making them easier to carry around when needed.

Having decided on the type of pepper, you should talk about the choice of its seeds. Many people mistakenly believe that by buying a beautiful and large pepper in a large store, you can extract seeds from it and grow a similar specimen in your yard, which is fundamentally wrong. The fact is that store peppers are represented by hybrid forms, the seeds of which are either sterile, or if they give a crop, it will be much worse than the parent plant.

And here we come to the main points of choosing seeds, such as:

1. Hybrid pepper seeds. If you buy fresh peppers in the store and get seeds from it, they will not meet your expectations. Despite this, special hybrid pepper seeds are sold in flower shops, which can please you with the sizes and shapes presented in large grocery stores, but at the same time require you to follow the ideal rules of agricultural technology, and their seeds, as in the case of store analogs, will be either sterile or give a poor harvest. It is recommended to purchase hybrid pepper seeds for experienced gardeners who want to grow the largest and highest quality peppers.
2. Varietal seeds. These seeds have lower requirements for their content at the seedling stage, and in general are suitable for beginners. Despite this, it is the varietal seeds that give the peppers weaker to diseases and pests, which should be taken into account by any gardener. Peppers grown from varietal seeds can give their fertile seeds, but with each generation of such peppers, they will degenerate.

Based on this, we can make an affirmative conclusion, if you want to plant and grow beautiful, healthy and tasty peppers, give preference to hybrid seeds. If you are a beginner, plant varietal seeds in the first season, the care of the seedlings of which forgives many mistakes, and if you like your crop, buy hybrid seeds next year and enjoy fruits that are in no way inferior to store counterparts.

What boxes and pots should be?

The container in which you will plant seeds and grow pepper seedlings is not of fundamental importance, and here any cups and plastic containers with a depth of about 10 cm are suitable.The diameter of the container depends on how many seeds you plan to plant, which should be located at a distance of 1.5 -2 cm from each other (seeds can be planted both in separate and in a common container).

The only requirement for the container is that it must be waterproof in order to retain moisture well and prevent the soil from drying out, which can lead to the death of seedlings.

Also, at the initial stage of seed germination, the container will have to be covered with glass or polyethylene, which means that the container where the seeds will germinate must be strong enough and retain its shape even in conditions of high humidity and heat.

How to prepare the substrate?

When growing pepper seedlings at home, you should properly prepare the soil substrate, which is discussed in detail in the following paragraphs:

1. Take 2 parts of humus or compost and mix well until smooth.
2. Take 2 parts peat and 1 part washed sand.
3. Mix the peat with sand and then sift the resulting mixture through a sieve.
4. The sifted mixture should be steamed in a double boiler for an hour in order to protect the seeds and seedlings from fungal invasions and bacteria.
5. Combine the humus and the sifted mixture.
6. The substrate for sowing pepper is ready.

If you don't want to mess around with preparing the substrate yourself, just buy it at any flower shop. For growing pepper seedlings, both the soil for general-purpose seedlings and the soil for pepper seedlings, which are sold in most stores, are suitable.

Remember, if you are going to grow healthy and viable seedlings, we do not advise you to use ordinary soil without preliminary heat treatment, because when germinating seedlings you will have to create high humidity in the container combined with high temperature, which can most likely activate fungal spores , especially if the soil was taken under the fallen leaves of fruit trees.

Step-by-step planting instructions

Before planting, you should first prepare the seeds themselves. The detailed seed preparation process consists of the following points:

1. Examine the seeds you have and remove damaged, underdeveloped, spoiled samples, leaving the largest and healthiest ones.
2. The remaining seeds should be additionally protected from fungi. To do this, collect the seeds, place them in gauze, and place the gauze in a solution of one of the preparations "Maxim", "Fitosporin-M" or "Vitaros". Soak the seeds in the indicated solutions according to the instructions on their packaging.
3. If you do not have the above preparations, soak the seeds for about 30 minutes in a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. After potassium permanganate, you should thoroughly rinse the seeds without removing them from the gauze.
4. After washing the seeds, spread them on a damp cloth, cover with another damp cloth on top, and place them in a place whose temperature will be approximately + 25 ° C. Check the fabric periodically and do not let it dry out. If the fabric starts to dry out, dampen it.
5. After 7-14 days, the seeds will sprout, and then you can start planting them.

As mentioned above, you can grow pepper seedlings in almost any container, from cups to containers.But before planting viable seeds there, the container should be washed in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then dried thoroughly.

Next, you should fill the container with the previously prepared mixture, and slightly compact it so that the top layer of soil is about 2 cm below the side of the container. how tweezers will help you.

The seeds should simply be placed on the ground, without tamping them, so as not to damage the fragile roots. The decomposed seeds should be moistened with warm water, sprinkled with a spray bottle, and covered with soil 1-2 cm thick, lightly and tamped as gently as possible. Next, water the seeds using a spray bottle; when watering, make sure that the seeds are not washed out.

After watering, cover the container with seeds with cellophane and put it in a warm place, where the temperature will not be lower than +25 degrees. Periodically look into the container and re-irrigate the soil in order to always maintain moisture.

After 7-14 days, the first shoots will appear, and at this moment the container should be opened and placed in a bright place, the temperature of which will be at least + 15-17 degrees. Sprouted seedlings should be watered with warm water in moderation, keeping the soil moist, but at the same time, do not allow water to accumulate in the pan.

Rotate the container with seedlings from time to time so that it grows even, otherwise it will reach for the light, and may become crooked to one side.

After 3-4 weeks, the seedlings can begin to dive. The best picking time is when 1 or 2 true leaves appear in the seedlings. Before picking, the seedlings in a common container should be well watered, and wait until the water drains into the pan. This measure will allow, when picking seedlings, to preserve maximum soil on its root system, and will protect it from mechanical damage.

The picking of seedlings itself is carried out in any containers, the volume of which does not exceed 100-150 ml. The pick is carried out exclusively with single sprouts, since paired cultivation will not allow them to be transplanted into the ground in the future without damaging the tangled root system. The previously prepared soil is poured into new containers, the recipe for which is mentioned in the middle of the article, or ordinary soil for seedlings bought in a store.

The sprouts should be transplanted into the holes that will allow their root system to settle without bends and twists. The root collar can be lightly sprinkled with earth, but no more than 0.5 cm. After picking the seedlings, pour plenty of warm water over it, and put it in a bright place to grow.

Further care

Seedlings planted in separate containers need some care, the basics of which are indicated below:

1. Avoid direct sunlight on the seedlings.
2. Store it on a light window, or illuminate it with lamps.
3. Water regularly, but avoid stagnant moisture.
4. Store seedlings at +15 degrees. If the temperature drops below +13, the growth of seedlings will stop.
5. Feed the seedlings 2 weeks after the pick and 2 weeks after the last feeding. The best dressings are Agricola, Krepysh, Fertika Lux, Solution;
6. 2 weeks before planting pepper in the ground, you can take it out into the fresh air in the daytime, thereby hardening it.
7. After planting the seedlings in the ground, after about 10-14 days, it should be slightly trimmed, shortening the longest shoots. It is also necessary to remove all processes that are located below the main fork of the stem, so that they do not pull on the nutrients intended for the fruit.

What problems can arise when growing?

The main problems and how to solve them are indicated in the following paragraphs:

1. The seeds did not hatch. To avoid this trouble, we recommend planting 50% more seeds than you need, since some of them may be sterile.
2. The sprouts began to rot.You have waterlogged the soil.
3. The sprouts do not grow. The temperature at the window is too cold.
4. The seedlings are stretched out. There is little sunlight on the window, or overfeeding with fertilizers.

If you intend to grow large and healthy peppers, we recommend growing bell pepper seedlings, as this is one of the best species for a beginner. Sweet pepper seedlings can take up a lot of space, which means that you should prepare a lot of space for it on the site in advance, removing all objects shading the area from it.

You can get strong, healthy pepper seedlings if you grow them yourself. Novice gardeners often wonder how to grow pepper seedlings at home. Before planting, it is important to understand all the nuances: planting timing, features of seed preparation, selection of soil by the rules of care.

Optimal planting times

When planning to grow pepper seedlings on your own, first of all, you need to decide when to plant pepper for seedlings. The sowing date of seeds for each variety is determined individually. It depends on:

• planned growing conditions (open ground, greenhouse);
• early maturity;
• the age at which the pepper is moved into the ground;
• preparation of seeds.

The duration of the vegetative development of peppers depends on the early maturity of the variety. If early ripening varieties ripen 100–120 days from the moment of seed germination, then late ripening peppers need about 150 days before the start of fruiting. Accordingly, early varieties should be planted a little later.

The seedlings are transferred to the main place at the age of 60–80 days. When calculating the timing of sowing seeds, add another 7-10 days for their hatching. If you plan to grow peppers in unprotected soil, then you need to wait until the ground warms up to +10 .. + 15 ° С. An earlier planting will cause a delay in the vegetative development of the plant.

The optimal planting time is considered to be the period between February 20 and March 10. If the summer resident plans to plant plants in early June, then the optimal time for sowing seeds will be March. If you plan to plant peppers in the greenhouse at the end of April, then the seedlings at home can be planted in early February.

In the southern regions, agronomists advise planting seeds during 2-3 ten days of February, and in the northern regions - in March.

When choosing a landing day, you should be guided by the lunar calendar. The most favorable period is considered to be the presence of the moon in the constellation of Cancer, Pisces or Scorpio. If you pre-soak the seeds, then the optimal day is selected for their first contact with water.

The following dates are considered favorable according to the lunar calendar in 2018:

• January 1, 20, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30;
• 14, 18, 21-22, 25-26 February;
• 1, 8-11, 20-21, 24-26, 29-31 March;
• April 9, 11, 18, 25-29.

It is undesirable to plant seeds on January 16-18, February 15-17, March 16-18, April 15-17.

Planting seedlings

Pros and cons of planting seeds directly in open ground

Some homeowners do not want to grow seedlings at home. They are waiting for the warmer to sow seeds in open ground right away. But this growing method is considered risky, because pepper is a heat-loving culture. Plants can die in case of sudden spring frosts.

Residents of the southern regions and the middle lane can try to grow pepper by planting seeds immediately in open ground... In the northern regions and areas related to risky farming, such an experiment is unlikely to end well.

You can use only early-ripening varieties, the rest will not have time to start bearing fruit before the cold snap. It is advised to plant seeds in the ground not earlier than mid-May - early June. The likelihood of frost must be minimized.

The advantages of this method of planting include the absence of the need to grow seedlings at home. Outdoor cultivation minimizes labor costs.

But this method also has disadvantages:

• the ability to grow only early ripening varieties;
• a high probability of plant death or developmental delay due to an unplanned cold snap;
• the probability of full ripening of the crop before a cold snap is low even in the south.

Gardeners are forced to constantly monitor the temperature and cover crops with agrofibre, if they transmit a decrease in temperature at night.

Landing in open ground

Preparing seeds for sowing at home

Having decided on the preliminary sowing date, it is necessary to reject the seeds. They should be examined first. All puny, damaged specimens are selected. The rest of the seeds must be pickled in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and rinsed in cold water. Instead of potassium permanganate, some choose antifungal agents for processing. The following fungicides are used:

• Fitosporin-M;
• Maxim;
• Vitaros.

After etching, they can be soaked in a solution of Epin or Zircon. These are plant growth stimulants that promote accelerated germination of seeds, activation of their defenses. 2 drops of Epin are added to 100 ml of water. When using Zircon, dissolve 1 drop in 300 ml of water. The seeds are soaked for 12-18 hours at room temperature.

When processing several varieties of pepper, which are planned to be planted separately in the future, the seeds of each type are tied in a separate gauze bag.

After the completion of the treatment with growth stimulants, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and film for 2–7 days. Do not allow the tissue and seeds to dry out. They should be kept at a temperature of + 22 ... + 24 ° C. The hatched seeds are transplanted into the ground. When planting, care should be taken, the slightest damage to the roots will cause the death of the plant.

Pre-sowing preparation

Rules for the selection and preparation of soil for seeds

Garden owners who want strong, healthy seedlings should take a responsible approach to soil preparation. He must meet the following requirements:

• absence of pests and pathogens;
• neutral or slightly acidic reaction, the optimal pH level is considered to be 6–6.5;
• high nutrient content;
• sufficient moisture capacity;
• looseness.

You can buy ready-made soil in a specialized store or prepare it yourself. For cooking you will need:

• garden land (2 parts);
• humus, rotted manure (1 part);
• wood ash (the amount is determined based on the fact that a large handful of ash is required for 1 bucket of humus);
• sawdust (1 part);
• peat (1 part).

If there is no sawdust, they are replaced with coarse sand. Garden land should be collected where no solanaceous crops (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers) have grown over the past 3-4 years.

Also summer residents can prepare a substrate from:

• humus (3 parts);
• peat / turf (3 parts);
• river sand (1 part);
• ash (250 g per 5 liters of prepared soil).

When self-preparing the soil mixture, it must be calcined in the oven or steamed in a double boiler for an hour. This is required to kill bacteria pathogens and destroy weeds.

If it is not possible to use humus and find ash, add mineral fertilizers: ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium nitrate. Potassium chloride or potassium salt should not be used, these fertilizers contain a large amount of chlorine, which is harmful to the roots of young plants.

The day before planting, you can additionally disinfect the soil by pouring boiling water over it.

Soil preparation

Sowing pepper seeds for seedlings step by step

2.5 months before the planned date of planting seedlings, the process of sowing seeds begins. This can be done according to the following scheme.

1. Drainage (expanded clay, pebbles) with a height of 1–2 cm is laid on the bottom of the previously prepared containers, soil is poured on top. It is best to plant seeds in separate pots or cups, 10–12 cm deep and 8–10 cm in diameter. In the absence of cups, planting in a common container is allowed.
   

   Seedling soil

2. Seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil with tweezers or by hand. If they are planted in a common container, then the optimal distance will be 1.5–2 cm. 3 cm are left between the grooves. 2 seeds can be placed in separate cups.
   

   Planting seeds

3. After the completion of the process of laying out the seeds, the soil is poured on top with a layer of 1–2 cm. It is not necessary to tamp it thoroughly, otherwise it will be difficult for the sprouts to germinate. After completion, the soil is carefully watered, care must be taken that the seeds do not wash to the surface.
4. Top containers with soil are covered with transparent material: glass, plastic wrap. This is necessary to create a greenhouse effect. When the first shoots appear, the lid is removed, the plants need air.
   

   Emergence of seedlings

Many have appreciated the benefits of growing seeds in peat cups. When using them, there is no need to worry about possible damage to the roots during transplantation. The seedlings are sent to the ground directly in the cups.

Seedling care

In the conditions of an ordinary city apartment, not everyone succeeds in growing strong, unstretched seedlings. In the brightest place in the apartment - the windowsill - it is traditionally cold, and there is not enough light in the warm corners. When growing, the following nuances must be taken into account.

• After sowing the seeds, the boxes or pots are placed in a warm place. They must not be placed on a battery. The optimum temperature for germination is +24 .. + 26 ° С. After the first shoots appear, the containers are moved to a bright, cool place. The optimum temperature is +15 .. + 17 ° С. After a few days, the temperature must be gradually increased, bringing it to +22 .. + 25 ° С during the day and +20 ° С at night.

Suitable conditions can be created on the windowsill of a city apartment. For this, the window is fenced off from the heat coming from the battery and from the apartment with heat-insulating material (a kind of box with one wall for the entire window sill is made). The insulation is gradually removed and the air temperature on the windowsill rises.

• The emerging seedlings must be carefully watered with warm water (the optimum temperature is +30 ° C). The root system of germinated plants is weak, so they can be simply washed out of the soil with a strong pressure. Excess moisture for seedlings is as harmful as its deficiency. With insufficient watering, the seedlings will begin to wilt, and with excessive watering, a black leg appears. You can save the plants if you sprinkle the soil with calcined sand on top or dust it with ash.
• If the daylight hours are short or the weather is cloudy outside, the seedlings will have to be illuminated. Otherwise, it will begin to stretch.
• It is important to ensure good ventilation of the plants, but they do not like drafts.
• To get strong seedlings, you need to fertilize them. The development of the root system is facilitated by feeding with sodium humate: 25 ml of the drug is diluted in 10 liters of water. When 2-4 true leaves appear, the pepper is fertilized with a mixture of potassium sulfate, urea (10 g each), superphosphate (30 g). This amount is dissolved in 5 liters of water. A solution is prepared on the basis that 1 liter of the mixture is needed for watering 10 plants.

The second feeding is carried out 2-3 weeks after the first. Seedlings should have at least 5 leaves. The same fertilizers are used, only their concentration is doubled.

You can use ready-made fertilizers: Krepysh, Agricola, Solution, Fertika Lux.

• A prerequisite for obtaining hardy seedlings is their hardening. Plants begin to take out into the fresh air 2 weeks before the planned date of planting in the ground. Hardening is carried out gradually, in the first days it is necessary to protect young plants from drafts and direct sunlight.

  Growing seedlings

Only proper care will make it possible to get healthy seedlings that will bear fruit well.

Picking - is it necessary or not, how to do without it, how to carry it out correctly

Pepper dive when it has 2 true leaves. This usually happens 3-4 weeks after germination.When transplanting, young plants can be buried no more than 0.5 cm.

Many agronomists advise to immediately plant seeds in large pots in order to do without picking peppers. The plant does not tolerate this procedure well. If the roots are damaged, the vegetative development period is lengthened by 1–2 weeks.

But if the seeds were planted in a common container, then picking is indispensable. Plants begin to shade each other, and this negatively affects their growth and development. Also, a pick is needed to reduce the risk of developing root rot.

Picking

You can minimize the likelihood of root damage by removing several plants at the same time with a clod of earth. This must be done after abundant watering of the soil. The gardener places a lump of earth with plants on a horizontal surface and carefully separates each plant.

Peppers dive into pots with a volume of about 150 ml. It will be easier for seedlings to take root in them. The hole in the pots is made so that the roots can fit freely. After moving the plants, they are sprinkled with earth, slightly compacted and watered.

Planting peppers in open ground

After 60–80 days of vegetative development, you can transplant seedlings into open ground. The transplanting process begins at the stage of the first buds and 7-8 true leaves, while the height of the plants should be at least 20-25 cm. Only hardened seedlings are allowed to be transplanted into open ground. She should be used to cold temperatures, direct sunlight and wind.

Landing in open ground

When transplanting into open ground, pay attention to the temperature of the soil and air. The earth should be warmed up to + 10 ° С. It is unacceptable that the air temperature at night falls below +12 .. + 14 ° С.

When disembarking, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

• choose a sunny place, protected from drafts;
• the soil is pre-dug to the depth of the shovel, fertilized with humus or peat;
• holes are dug for each seedling at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m from each other, the exact distance depends on the variety of pepper (0.25-0.3 m can be left between low-growing determinant species, and for tall indeterminate crops 0.5 –0.6 m);
• leave at least 0.5 m between the rows;
• mineral fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) are added to each hole, the holes are spilled with boiling water;
• seedlings move into the ground together with the soil in which they grew, and are sprinkled with earth on top;
• the seedlings are watered abundantly, after absorbing moisture, the earth is poured so that the surface becomes even;
• bushes can be mulched with peat.

Subject to all the rules for planting, the seedlings should take root.

Video: a proven growing method

Having decided to start growing seedlings on your own, you will have to deal with many nuances. It is important to properly prepare the soil, process the seeds before planting. You can grow strong seedlings, if you follow the rules of watering, create optimal conditions for growth. Air temperature, lighting, humidity are important. It should also be remembered that the timely application of fertilizers stimulates the growth and development of plants.

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