Planting peppers in open ground with seedlings: rules, care
Content:
The article describes in detail the planting of peppers in open ground with seedlings: timing, methods, predecessors, care.
Planting peppers in open ground: when to plant seedlings
Planting peppers in open ground: when to plant seedlings
Gardeners always grow sweet and bitter peppers as seedlings. It is this method that is the most reliable, and if you take into account that pepper is very thermophilic, one might say a tropical plant, it is from seedlings that it manages to ripen and give its delicious fruits. It would seem that what could be easier than growing seedlings and transplanting them into open ground. But as it turns out, everything is not so simple, and there are nuances in the landing. After all, the whole future harvest depends on how you planted the pepper correctly and how it develops. Therefore, you need to properly prepare and fertilize the site, transplant seedlings and give the pepper proper care.
Since everyone has known for a long time that pepper loves heat very much and does not tolerate absolutely any frosts, then, accordingly, it can be transplanted into open ground only when the ground is completely warmed up, and the temperature outside is stable and no frosts are expected. It must be borne in mind that even the night temperature should not drop below +15 degrees. That is why the deadline for transplanting pepper is the very end of May - early June.
And for seedlings, peppers need to be sown two months before planting, respectively, this should be done in the second half of March. After all, if you sow pepper earlier, then it will begin to bloom right on the windowsill, and since a transplant for pepper is stressful, then the flowers may simply fall off. And in this case, the gardener will receive less harvest than it could have been. So even if it so happened that the pepper is gaining color right on the windowsill, then it is best to cut off these flowers yourself. In this case, the plant will not experience stress, but on the contrary, it will stimulate the seedling to develop and grow new leaves, and this will be better for new flowers that will appear immediately on the street and for the ovary of the crop itself.
Planting pepper in open ground: choosing the right place for planting
Planting pepper in open ground: choosing the right place for planting
It is necessary to choose a site for planting pepper correctly, taking into account all its needs. The site must be well lit, because the yield of pepper depends on this. He needs a lot of sunlight and energy. The site should be open, but free from drafts and winds. But in no case should you plant peppers along a fence or at home, because the cast shadow will have a very bad effect on the growth and development of seedlings, and, accordingly, on the harvest itself.
But if there is a draft or wind on the site, then the pepper can very easily get hypothermia, and the pepper cannot stand it. Therefore, the site must be reliably protected from the wind. Pepper also has its own preferences for the quality of the ground. After all, it should be light, fertile and rich in nutrients. And also oxygen should get into it well.
Correct predecessors are also very important for pepper. It is best if it is pumpkin, cabbage, onion, garlic. But if tomatoes, eggplants or tobacco used to grow on the site, then pepper cannot be planted in this place, because all the elements necessary for pepper have already been pulled out of the ground.Yes, and they have the same diseases with pepper, so if something remains in the soil, the pepper can easily become infected. It is impossible to plant peppers in the same place for two years in a row. the site should be different every year, and it will be possible to return it to its original place no earlier than in 4 years. If both sweet and bitter peppers sit on the site, then be sure to plant them away from each other. When these different species are planted together, they can easily get dusty.
Pepper in the open field: preparing the site for planting
It is best to start preparing the site for the pepper in the fall after the predecessors have been removed. But in extreme cases, this can be done in early spring. The site must be dug to the depth of the bayonet of a bayonet shovel, and absolutely all the weeds and their remnants must be selected from the ground. And also add organic and mineral fertilizers to the dug soil. If your land has a lot of sand, then you need to add peat, organic fertilizers and a little clay soil to it. And in the spring, mineral fertilizers are applied, 30 grams of nitrogen and 40 grams of potassium mixture need to be added per square meter.
If the soil is clay, then add peat, sawdust or sand to the soil. If the soil is too acidic, then when digging, you need to add potassium sulfate and superphosphate.
Also for soil fertility, for each square meter you need to add 1 bucket of compost or humus, as well as 500 grams of pure wood ash without impurities.
If there is too little heat in your area, then the pepper is planted in a warm, manure bed. To do this, you need to dig a trench in the width and length of your bed, put manure on the bottom and fill it up with about half a meter of earth on top, and leave it until planting. But just before planting, the garden bed must be well spilled with hot water so that it reaches the manure. Hot water will start to "burn" and will heat the pepper. Then no cold weather will be terrible for him.
Seedling preparation
You need to prepare seedlings already 2 weeks before planting in open ground. Without preparation, it is simply impossible to plant plants accustomed to heat; the seedlings may simply die from a sharp climate change. That is why they begin to gradually temper it. Hardening is carried out gradually, taking the seedlings out into the street. Every day the time spent by seedlings on the street increases. When taking out seedlings outside, you must make sure that they do not stand in direct sunlight, but a little in the shade. In addition to the fact that the seedlings need to be hardened, they also need to be protected from various diseases. For this, a week before planting seedlings in open ground, it must be treated with fungicides. And a few hours immediately before planting, the seedlings need to be shed well with warm water. If the soil is spilled enough, then the seedlings will be much easier to get out of the container and less likely to injure delicate young roots.
Methods, disembarkation time
When it comes directly to transplanting, the question arises, at what distance should the peppers be planted from each other. There is no direct answer to it. Each variety needs to be planted differently, so the distance is written on the package. But besides this, there is still a standard planting scheme, if you follow it, then the distance between the bushes should be at least 40 cm, and the row spacing should be at least 60 cm.According to this scheme, peppers that are standard in length and height are planted. For undersized varieties, there is a different planting scheme. The distance between such bushes can be 30 cm, and the row spacing is only 40 cm.In the case of such a planting, there is a huge plus, namely that the bushes are denser, and they better protect the fruits from direct sunlight. But the disadvantage of such a planting is that it becomes more difficult to water and loosen the pepper, and it is not very convenient to harvest.
The best time to plant peppers is early in the morning, and even better in the evening, when the sun is gone. A couple of hours before transplanting, the plants should be well shed with warm water.With wet soil, it is much more convenient to transplant peppers, it is much easier to get them out of the container, plant roots covered with wet earth are practically not injured. And the seedlings themselves in this case take root faster and better in a new place. The technique for planting pepper is chosen in advance and holes are dug, according to the scheme. Wells before planting also need to be well shed with water, which should be at least 20 degrees. The seedlings are placed in the center of the hole and carefully, so as not to damage the roots, they are sprinkled with earth and tamped a little. When planting, the root collar should be at ground level, there is no point in deepening it. And if the stem of a plant is deep in the ground, it can easily begin to rot. After planting, the pepper needs to be watered a little again and it is advisable to mulch the soil. If some seedlings are too large, they are tied to pegs for support, the rest are left as they are.
Proper care after disembarkation
If, for some reason, before planting the seedlings, you could not fertilize the soil properly, then this can be done during transplantation. Fertilizers must be added to each well in the correct amount. Although it is certainly not correct to apply fertilizer in this way, it is still possible.
In this case, you need to use as fertilizer:
1. any complex drug, only use and must be applied strictly according to the instructions.
2. Humus mixed with wood ash.
3. Humus with the addition of potassium sulfate.
But when you make such a top dressing during transplanting, then it must be mixed well with the ground. The main thing in caring for after transplanting plants is regular watering, and loosening the earth after each watering. But you need to loosen it very carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant. If the plants freeze for the first time, especially at night, they can be additionally insulated. For this, there are various tunnel shelters, which are somewhat reminiscent of a greenhouse. You can install them on the site with pepper both before planting and after, the installation time does not matter at all. Also, plantings can be covered with a film or covering material, of course, for this you need to install arcs. Such a kind of greenhouse must be regularly ventilated, but at night it must be closed. The shelter can be completely removed only when the seedlings have taken root, and the temperature has become stably warm. Both day and night, it should be at least +15 degrees.
After transplanting, some seedlings may easily not take root and die, for this there are several reasons:
1. planted the plants too deep.
2. Diseases or pests have appeared.
3. The pepper is too cold, or vice versa, too hot.
4. The seedlings were too weak.
5. The plants were not properly cared for after transplanting.
In this case, the seedlings can be planted. Replacing seedlings with new ones is easy. They are planted in the same way as the first time.
Watering pepper in the open field after planting
Watering pepper in the open field after planting
Correct watering of the pepper is simply necessary to obtain a large and high-quality crop. The regularity of watering directly depends on weather conditions and air temperature. While the plant is just rooting and developing, moisture is needed constantly. But waterlogging should not be. If there is little moisture, then the seedlings will dry out and die. And if there is too much moisture, then the root system will begin to rot, and the plants will die in the same way. After the first watering during planting, the pepper is not watered until the ground dries up. After about two days, watering can already be repeated. It must be remembered that peppers can only be watered with warm water, and from cold they will experience stress and develop very slowly. Also, you can not water the plants with sediment water from the tap. Since it contains chlorine, and this does not have a beneficial effect on plants.Pepper should not be watered during the day, this should be done either early in the morning or late in the evening and always at the root of the plant. With regular loosening, oxygen enters the roots, and this is very useful for the growth and development of seedlings, and also has a good effect on fruiting. But this is done very carefully and not deeply. And also after watering and loosening, you can mulch the ground, then the moisture will not evaporate so quickly, and the plants will stay moist longer.
Top dressing of peppers in the open field
The first feeding of pepper in the open field is carried out two weeks after the transplant. If the bed is prepared correctly, and the care of the plants is carried out properly, then the pepper will quickly take root and grow. After all, the earth will have enough of all the necessary substances. And thanks to moisture, the seedlings will nourish better. The only thing that can be added to the soil immediately after transplanting seedlings is growth stimulants. And that is not necessary. But these drugs will help the pepper adapt faster in the open field, take root faster and begin to grow actively. Most often, gardeners use drugs such as: Guman, Kornevin, Epin and Zircon. But they must be used strictly according to the instructions indicated on the package.
It is quite possible to get a rich harvest of pepper even in our climate, the main thing is to approach everything competently. And to the choice of a variety, and to growing seedlings, and transplanting, and most importantly, to further care and feeding of peppers. In order to enjoy these healthy and tasty fruits, it is not necessary to have extensive experience in gardening, it is enough just to do everything right and on time.
Planting pepper in open ground