How to feed pepper
Content:
Proper care and nutrition has a great influence on the productivity of garden crops. What the owner of the site should take care of. This applies to bell peppers. This plant, beloved by many, along with others, needs a sufficient amount of nutrients that are vital for its growth and development. In this article, we will tell you how to feed the pepper at all stages of its growth, starting with seedlings.
Fertilizers
Ready-made mineral dressings are suitable for fertilizing peppers. They can be purchased at specialized stores. And also home-made mixtures of organic origin. The frequency of application is governed by the composition of the soil. The poorer it is, the more additional nutrition the peppers, known for their "gluttony", require.
Mineral complexes
Experienced gardeners, as a rule, prefer industrial mineral fertilizers. They are not only easy to use. No effort required to prepare. They also have a balanced composition. Includes all the elements necessary for bell pepper. At each stage of its development, the plant needs a certain ratio of nutrients. And here ready-made complexes become a real salvation.
So, it is vital for young bushes to get a certain amount of nitrogen and potassium. Therefore, they can be fed with the help of solutions with the addition of such fertilizers as "Kemira-Lux" and "GUMI Kuznetsova". In the first case, it is enough to dilute 20 g of the mixture in 10 liters of water. In the second, 2 teaspoons are enough for the same volume of liquid.
It is also useful to add a mixture of 3 teaspoons of potassium sulfate, 2 teaspoons of ammonium nitrate and 3 tablespoons of superphosphate, diluted in 10 liters of water. Re-feeding can be carried out using mineral complexes. For example, "Kristalona", "Uniflor-growth", "Agricola", "Nitroammofoski", "Gomel".
Organic
Pepper also loves organic fertilizers, which can be found in any household or agriculture. Below are instructions for their preparation and use.
How to feed pepper: animal fertilizers
If the farm has livestock, there will be no shortage of feeding from fresh manure. To prepare it, you need to dilute the manure in warm water (ratio 1:10). And let it brew for a day. Fertilizer from poultry manure is prepared in the same way. But the concentration in this case is less - 1:20. It is useful to water the beds of bell pepper with such an infusion during the period of rapid growth.
How to feed peppers: ash-based fertilizers
At the stage of transplanting young bell pepper bushes into open ground or a greenhouse, you can feed them with ash. It is enough to put some ash on the bottom of the planting holes. An ash solution can be used to water young peppers. To prepare it, you should dilute 5 tablespoons of ash in a bucket of warm water.
Have you decided to feed the bell pepper with ash? This should be done separately from the application of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Regardless of their origin.Ash and nitrogen fertilizing are mutually exclusive means.
How to feed pepper: food waste
To fertilize the planting of bell peppers, what remains after a meal and is usually sent to the trash can come in handy. These budget types of fertilizers include: dried banana peel, stale bread. And also crumble from eggshells, sour dairy products.
The potassium in bananas is retained in the skins. Therefore, when dried and crushed, they are used to fertilize planting holes. The infusion on fresh banana peel is suitable for watering the beds. To prepare it, you need to pour 3 liters of water 2-3 banana peels and leave for 3 days.
Eggshells and milk are the source of easily digestible calcium, which is necessary for the growth and development of peppers. Use 2-3 crushed eggshells to prepare the nutrient solution. And fill them with 3 liters of boiling water. The solution must be infused for 3 days. Then they can water the seedlings.
For fertilizing peppers, an infusion of herbs is also suitable. After all, it grows in abundance on the site and around it. This plantain, and dandelion, and nettle. Small chopped herbs are poured into a bucket of warm water. And they insist for a week. Watering the peppers is done at the rate of 1 liter of infusion per bush.
How to feed pepper: iodine solution
Iodine contributes to the rapid growth of bell peppers, increasing yields. As well as improving its taste. It also protects against disease. Therefore, watering the beds with iodine solution is an effective and budgetary way to feed peppers. To do this, it is enough to add 2-3 drops of iodine to a liter of water - and the solution is ready. It is also recommended to pour 100 ml of milk whey into it.
How to feed pepper: yeast
The use of conventional nutritional yeast as fertilizer is becoming a popular way of growing bell peppers and other vegetables. Yeast is known for its high content of nitrogen, vitamins, minerals, phosphorus and iron. They have a beneficial effect on the root system of the plant, its aerial parts. And also contribute to the development of beneficial microorganisms in the soil.
To prepare a top dressing from fresh yeast, you need to pour 1 kg of yeast with 5 liters of warm water and leave for a day. The resulting infusion must be diluted with 5 buckets of water. And use for watering beds with peppers. To prepare fertilizer based on dry yeast, dissolve 1 sachet in 1 bucket of heated water. Pour in 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Leave on for 2 hours.
After that, it is necessary to dilute the yeast infusion with water at the rate of 500 ml of infusion per 10 liters of warm water. This top dressing is nutritious and low in consumption. It is enough to apply it twice for the entire season. Having decided to fertilize the peppers with yeast, you should combine the application of fertilizers based on them with the introduction of ash. Because it helps the absorption of potassium, which is not available to plants due to a reaction to yeast.
Signs of nutritional deficiencies
Insufficient or unbalanced nutrient intake can result in changes in the planting status of bell peppers. They can be identified by their external features:
- the loss of color saturation by leaves and their yellowish tint indicate a lack of nitrogen. This can be corrected by watering with mullein or urea infusion;
- curling leaves and the appearance of gray-yellow spots on them indicates a lack of calcium. Therefore, it is necessary to stop the introduction of fertilizers containing nitrogen and potassium;
- yellowing and falling foliage, a decrease in the size of the fruit, indicates an excess of calcium. Corrected by the introduction of nitrogen;
- a small number of flowers with a pale yellow color of the leaves is also a sign of nitrogen deficiency;
- phosphorus deficiency is expressed in darkening of the leaves and the appearance of a bluish tint. In this case, the introduction of superphosphate into the soil is shown.
Monitoring the condition and appearance of plants will allow you to identify problems that have arisen in time. And prevent them early.
How to feed peppers
The feeding scheme includes the following steps:
- Top dressing after the first true leaves appear in the seedlings.
- After the appearance of the third pair of leaves.
- Top dressing 7 days before transplanting seedlings into the ground.
- 10 days after planting in the ground.
- Top dressing during the period of bud formation.
- During fruiting.
Below we will consider in detail how to fertilize peppers at different stages of the growing process.
Top dressing of seedlings after picking
Fertilization of young peppers is carried out a week after the pick. Does not require a great concentration of the solution. It is made from 3 g of superphosphate and 1 g of a mixture of ammonium nitrate with potassium, dissolved in 1 liter of warm water. A small amount of the resulting mixture is poured under the pepper bushes.
Re-feeding are carried out at weekly intervals. At the same time, the potassium content rises to 8 g. At the same stage, the introduction of complex mineral fertilizers is recommended. As well as tea infusion. To prepare it, you need to pour 3 liters of hot water into the remaining sleeping grounds in the amount of 1 tablespoon and leave for 5 days.
Subsequent feeding of seedlings
In the phase of active growth of young plants, a two-fold introduction of chemical mixtures and organic matter within a month is shown. Seedlings need the necessary nitrogen, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. At the stage of formation of the first 2 leaves, it is recommended to use "Nitroammofoska" according to the instructions for the preparation.
Organic fertilizers are also helpful at this point. For example, the above-mentioned aqueous infusions based on animal waste. And also an ash solution (proportion 1:50). After 2 weeks, you can carry out a second feeding, after the appearance of the third pair of leaves.
Top dressing of pepper after planting in the ground
Soil nutrition during transplanting seedlings to the beds or greenhouse involves placing a small amount of ash in the planting holes. It will help young plants quickly adapt to a new place and take root.
14 days after placing the seedlings on the beds, you can add nitrogen-containing organic fertilizing based on chicken manure, ammonium nitrate, herbal infusions. Ready-made mineral complexes are suitable for "Kristalon", "GUMI Kuznetsova", "Sudarushka", "Ideal", "Orton Micro Fe".
Subsequent top dressing procedures are carried out every 2 weeks. Fertilizing greenhouse peppers is similar to the methods described above.
Top dressing of peppers during flowering
The process of decorating the ovaries and flowers in bell peppers requires a large amount of potassium. Therefore, it is necessary to feed the plants with fertilizers containing this element. Dry potassium is suitable for these purposes. And also urea diluted with water (just add 1 teaspoon to a bucket of water).
It is recommended to add a complex of potassium sulfate (1 tsp) with superphosphate (1 tbsp), diluted with water (1 bucket is enough). The use of "Dachnik" and "Ecohuminati" is very popular.
Top dressing during fruiting
The fruiting process takes a lot of energy from peppers. Therefore, at this moment they feel the need for enhanced nutrition. Fertilization will speed up the process of fruit formation and ripening. And also to improve their yield and taste.
To compensate for the lack of potassium and phosphorus necessary for the formation of tasty and large fruits, fertilization with superphosphate with the addition of potassium salt, applied every 2 weeks, will allow. It is also recommended to water mullein infusion in August (proportion 1:20).
Fertilization rules
Having made the decision to fertilize the planting of bell peppers, you need to make sure that this procedure is appropriate. Fertile and humus-rich soils will do a great job of growing vegetables without the help of nutrient mixes.But an overabundance of fertilizers can negatively affect their quality. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend paying attention to the appearance of plants. It always indicates an excess or deficiency of certain substances in the soil.
If the pepper bushes grow without delay and develop evenly, fertilization can be avoided. Only when warning signs appear, such as lethargy and discoloration of foliage, small fruit size, lack of flowers and slow growth, is it recommended to take measures to fertilize the beds. Even in the case of justified feeding, proportions should be observed and the concentration of certain substances should not be allowed to increase.
Thus, a high concentration of nitrogen leads to an increase in green mass to the detriment of the harvest. Therefore, fertilization with nitrogen-containing manure infusions requires caution. For the preparation of mixtures and infusions, it is recommended to use only heated water that has settled for some time. The use of cold or chlorine-saturated water will not give the desired result.
In the process of watering the beds with infusions, you must first moisten the soil around the plants. And only then apply fertilizers. After each procedure, the surface of the soil should be loosened to avoid crust formation. When watering, it is better to avoid getting the solution on the pepper leaves. This can be fraught with chemical burns.
Top dressing should not be carried out more often than 1 time per decade. But it should be borne in mind that too rare procedures will not give the desired effect. Therefore, they need to be carried out monthly. Experienced gardeners recommend alternately adding ready-made mineral complexes and homemade organic matter. All of the above fertilizers for sweet pepper are also suitable for caring for its indoor counterparts.