Pepper care

In this article, we'll show you how to care for peppers from planting seedlings to harvesting. What rules should be followed when planting seedlings, how to water, weed and loosen.

How to care for peppers: first choose a place for planting

how to care for pepper

In Russia, it is customary to grow peppers using the seedling method, since the summer is too short and late spring. How to care for pepper - first we choose the seeds, it is important to choose those seeds that are suitable specifically for your garden, carefully study the features of the variety.

Seeds can be treated with 1% potassium permanganate solution, then dried thoroughly. We sow in special containers or pots to a depth of about 1.5 cm, the land must be well prepared, fertilized, or we buy ready-made soil.

The temperature for germination should be at least 23 degrees. It is very important to adhere to the rules for transplanting peppers and further caring for them.

15-16 days before the intended transplant, you need to start hardening - put the containers on the lightest window, where direct sunlight falls, then start taking them out to the balcony or greenhouse in the daytime.

Seedlings should be planted only with the onset of stable heat, while the age of the seedlings should be at least 55 days, there are already 12 leaves on the stem.

Peppers are very picky about the weather. In the southern regions - this is the end of May, in the northern regions it is worth postponing the transplant until the tenths of June.

In this case, it is necessary to prepare them for transplantation. First, start hardening, first take it out into the street in the daytime, only then start transplanting it into the ground.

Basically, it is customary to plant in a greenhouse, they are very fond of heat and high humidity and do not tolerate drafts and wind.

You can plant the plant in an open place. Just be sure to choose secluded corners of your garden, with sufficient sunlight and reliably protected from wind and draft. A fence or wall of a house can serve as a natural fence.

Peppers are picky about neighbors, for example, you should not plant with tomatoes, but onions, carrots and leeks, on the contrary, will help you grow better. It will be good to plant them in a place where roots, legumes and pumpkin crops used to grow.

Cannot be planted in a place where nightshade crops were previously grown.

The soil must be very fertile and well-drained. It is necessary to prepare it in the fall. Cover with organic fertilizers (manure, humus) with the calculation of 5-10 kg per 1 square meter.

Dig up the ground first, remove the remnants of vegetation, moss. Introduce 50 grams each. wood ash and superphosphate.

This preparation method is perfect for picky peppers. Since the fertilizers will be successfully milled until next summer and will prepare the ideal soil for incubation. Fresh manure can harm the peppers because it contains a lot of nitrogen, which can destroy the plant.

The only thing that remains for you to do in the spring is to loosen and level the soil with a rake, you can also add phosphorus and potash fertilizers at the rate of 30g per 1 square meter.

This prepared soil is ideal for leveling peppers. Manure will warm the roots in adverse weather conditions, and fertilizers will help in growth and development.

How to care for peppers outdoors

how to care for pepper

As we said earlier, it is necessary to plant only after stable warm weather has established, and there is no threat of frost.In Russia, mainly the planting period for peppers is the second half of May.

Before proceeding with the transplant, you need to water the peppers in a container so that the lumps of earth remain tightly on the root and do not crumble. If the plant is sluggish with drooping leaves, most likely it will not take root or there will be a long adaptation period.

It is better to choose a cloudy but warm day for planting, because the heat and heat will adversely affect the first shoots.

The distance should be chosen based on the instructions. Each variety has its own characteristics, some plants are large, some are undersized.

Low-growing peppers, for example, 4 pcs per 1 m2. Large plants need a larger distance, about 2 pieces per 1 m2. In general, it is very good if you alternate between short and tall.

We mark the holes, pour 1 liter into each hole, it is better to use infused water or rainwater. We wait until it is completely absorbed and carefully transplant, so that the first leaves are in the ground, we bury it. Roots are formed from these leaves.

Protection from cold and heat

How to care for peppers - protect them from negative weather conditions. In our region, there are often sweltering heat or completely unexpected frosts. If you have already planted the peppers outdoors, you should take care of protecting them from the weather in advance.

You can build temporary greenhouse fortifications. It is necessary to cover the peppers at first at night with a blanket or plastic. It is necessary to raise the material above the plants using a reliable structure made of sticks. In order not to crush them and for better air circulation.

We mainly use this construction only at night, if the weather is good. It often happens that the first half of June surprises with the whims of nature.

In case of unexpected frosts, you can use the proven old-fashioned method. Make a fire near the peppers, the heat coming from the fire will not let the plants die.

This, of course, is a very laborious method and not always feasible, because often we cannot devote so much time to the garden.

Therefore, there is another method, like sprinkling. We install a special sprayer, you can buy a ready-made one, you can build it yourself, near the planting and leave it overnight.

Due to the fact that the water temperature is not lower than 10 degrees, it will not let the plants freeze, this is enough to save the plants from extinction. The lowest temperature that peppers can withstand is 10 degrees.

Excessive heat and dry weather are also bad for peppers, in which case we just water more often.

How to care for peppers - proper watering

At first, peppers need to be watered once every two days, with the calculation of 1 liter per plant. So they will successfully take root in a new place and give a rich, bountiful harvest. As the plant grows, we begin to water less and less.

During flowering, you need to try to water at the root, every three to four days. Experienced summer residents say that peppers love watering with a thin stream, so they will be sweeter, tastier.

During harvest, water should be abundant, but every 5 days. Subject to all these watering conditions, you will certainly reap a rich, tasty harvest. If you notice darkened leaves, then the plant is suffering from a lack of water.

Weeding and loosening

Peppers are very fond of well-groomed, cleaned, loosened soil. The loose earth is rich in oxygen, which has a beneficial effect on plant growth and fruit development. And also loose earth promotes the activation of beneficial microorganisms that protect against various diseases.

Peppers have a long adaptation period after planting, about two weeks. Therefore, during this period, it is impossible to loosen the earth. You can damage an unstable root system and lose the plant.

Many summer residents mistakenly begin to loosen the ground after a week, which should not be done.

It is important to remember that peppers have a shallow root system.And try to touch the ground only from above, but clay soil can be loosened up to 10 cm in depth.

Focus on the condition of the soil, if you notice that the soil is all dry, crusts have formed, then it's time to take care of it. You need to wipe often, like all plants, do not forget to weed and aisles, weed roots can grow over long distances.

Top dressing

You can feed the plant three times during the entire season.

The first time after 2 weeks of life, during their active growth.

In rural areas, it is very popular to feed with manure, slurry. You can also add special ready-made fertilizers with useful trace elements and organics, phosphorus and potassium.

Some gardeners additionally fertilize the soil with wood ash.

We make the second dressing in the middle of the growth of the peppers after loosening and weeding.

The third feeding should be planned for harvest time. This is the time of the most active consumption of trace elements and nitrogen. You can use ammonium nitrate as a nitrogen source.

Late varieties may begin to shrink over time closer to autumn, in order to extend their fruiting period, you can make another top dressing at this time.

Subject to all these conditions of care and cultivation in the open field, you can get a rich, tasty harvest.

How to care for peppers in a greenhouse and greenhouse

We have long been accustomed to seeing peppers exclusively in greenhouses. Not only in the northern regions, in the southern regions this is also a frequent occurrence. This is done in order to get the first harvest early.

In the northern regions, it is rather a necessity to save the crop from frost. The most favorable conditions for peppers have been created in the greenhouse, you can protect them from any whims of nature, as well as significantly extend the fruiting period.

There are, of course, in the greenhouse and its disadvantages. The most common problem is favorable conditions for the reproduction of all kinds of pests, insects, flying and crawling.

Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the processing of the greenhouse. Take the time and set aside time for thorough processing at least a week before the intended disembarkation.

There are different methods for different greenhouses. It is enough to wipe the polycarbonate with soapy water, aphids and slugs can hide somewhere on the walls, we will wash them off with a solution and eliminate their further appearance on the walls.

Wooden structures are especially susceptible to the spread of pests, there may be larvae or eggs in the crevices. Therefore, it is necessary to treat it with copper sulfate (prepare a solution with water in a ratio of 1:10).

It is recommended to whitewash with lime, especially old pieces of wood. Just pour boiling water over metal reinforcements. Then you need to clean the inside of the greenhouse, clean it of all old growths and mosses.

The most effective method of preventing pests is smoking lump sulfur. You can take ready-made smoke bombs. The amount of lump sulfur is calculated based on the size of the greenhouse.

It is very important not to forget about your own safety when carrying out this procedure, because gases are harmful not only to insects, but also to humans as well.

The greenhouse should be free of holes, windows and through holes, otherwise it will be a useless procedure. After smoking, we close the greenhouse for 3-4 days and your whole greenhouse is completely ready for seedlings. And you will not waste time on pest control all summer.

In greenhouses there is such a moment that parasites can lurk in the upper layer of the soil, so it should be replaced on top of about 10 centimeters. The soil must first be mixed with organic matter or ready-made fertilizers.

If it is not possible to replace the soil, then you can simply treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate or pour boiling water over it.

Transplanting

For successful germination, the soil must be warmed up to 15 degrees, this temperature is set around the beginning of May. But if your greenhouse has an artificial heating system, then much earlier, already at the end of March.

It will be good if you fertilize the soil first. Seedlings need to be watered the day before, so that lumps with earth form at the roots, so they will quickly take root in a new place. When landing, we monitor the distance, it is better to read the instructions.

If the variety is undersized, then we adhere to a distance of 20 cm, if high, then about 40-50 cm from each other. You can alternate undersized with tall ones.

We leave the first leaves in the ground, they are necessary for the formation of a stable root system; for better germination, the soil must be mulched.

Care

Care is the same as outdoors. In the first days of life, regular watering is required, with the calculation of a liter of water per one seedling. Lack of water will have a bad effect on the harvest in the future, the fruits will be small and dry.

If the peppers do not have enough water, the leaves will turn yellow, the flowers will fall off. But overflow, too, cannot be allowed, the root system can fester and all kinds of insects can quickly settle there.

Mulching the soil will help retain moisture. The optimum temperature for the formation of ovaries is 23-30 degrees.

Overheating should not be allowed, in hot weather we open the greenhouse, make a draft, water abundantly, you can resort to sprinkling. You need to close the greenhouse at night in order to maintain an optimal comfortable temperature.

In order to get the richest harvest possible, you can install containers with water in a greenhouse, because pepper loves a moisture content of 70-75%.

In greenhouse conditions, peppers can be fed only twice per season, during flowering and fruiting, using the same methods.

We mix manure or slurry with ready-made fertilizers with the addition of active microelements, sprinkle the soil with wood ash.

You can also use bird droppings, urea infusion. Poultry manure is an economically viable fertilizer, but you can use Pantafol or Maxicrop.

We do top dressing early in the morning or in the evening, after fertilization we immediately water it, so the microelements are better absorbed and reach the roots.

Bush formation

Peppers need special care during the growing season. It is important to carry out grazing procedures for plant formation for further obtaining a richer harvest.

As for stunted plants, they do not need to be cut, pinched, etc. But the tall ones must be pinched from above, cut off the lower shoots in order to increase the circulation of oxygen and prevent them from becoming infected with all sorts of diseases.

Walk along the entire length, you need to remove clearly excess leaves, diseased and dried up, which interfere with the normal growth of the fruit. Especially you need to pay attention to thinning in greenhouse conditions, where the risk of infection is high and there is not enough oxygen.

A normal bush should have no more than two or three strong shoots, if there are more of them, it is necessary to eliminate them, they spend useful things necessary for the formation of fruits.

If you see that flowers have appeared at the branching points, then these flowers are useless, they need to be removed. For a sick plant, pinching can be too stressful, you need to wait for recovery.

In greenhouse conditions, in general, peppers start up a lot of extra shoots, so regular airing is very important. If you cannot get enough watering time, then it is better to leave the lower leaves so that they retain moisture and shade.

To speed up the process of fruit ripening, you can pinch the fruiting shoots. Many gardeners begin to feel sorry for useless shoots. Remember, they waste essential nutrients and moisture, which are necessary for the development of the fruit.

At first glance, it seems that peppers are a very picky culture and it is very difficult to care for them.

But if you adhere to the basic rules, water, loosen, weed on time, then you should not have any problems. Knowing how to care for peppers correctly can significantly improve the quality and quantity of the pepper harvest.

The main thing is to carry out all procedures stably on time, you cannot neglect the care of peppers. Remember that no plant will yield a rich harvest without proper care.