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How to Grow Lots of Peppers in Open Ground: Tricks to Help Increase Yields
26.03.2023 02:30
Updated: 14.04.2023 21:26
Pepper is a crop with special requirements for weather conditions, so it is most often grown in greenhouses. But what to do if this is impossible? You should definitely not give up growing it.
There are people who get more harvest in open ground than others in greenhouses.
The main thing is to know agricultural tricks that will help increase yields.
Shelter is a must
To get a good harvest, a long vegetative period is needed, so it will have to be increased as much as possible. For this, film shelters or shelters made of agrofibre are used. Arches on which the film or agrofibre is stretched will help with this.
Most people plant peppers in the spring under film, but forget that in the fall the plants also need shelter. They suffer from night frosts and freezing dew just as much as at the beginning of the season. As a result, gardeners lose a significant portion of the harvest.
Around mid-August, you should think about covering. It is best to use agrofibre, which can be left on during the day.
As soon as the nights become cold, the bed should be covered. This will extend the fruiting period by at least a month.
Hardening is mandatory
Before planting seedlings in open ground, you need to harden them. That is, accustom the seedlings to new conditions. When planting in a greenhouse, this procedure is not so important, because the plants are in gentle conditions.
But in open ground they will face cold wind, lower temperatures, aggressive sun rays, cold soil. In order for them to more easily endure the change of environment and start growing faster after transplantation, they need to be trained gradually.
First, take the cups outside for 1 hour, placing them in the shade of a tree, then for an hour and a half, then for two, etc. You also need to accustom them to the sun gradually, otherwise the leaves will get sunburned, and the plant can sit in the garden bed for a month without growing. This will significantly reduce the fruiting period, which is already short.
First, the seedlings need to be kept in the shade of a tree, then taken out into the sun for 5-10 minutes, then this time should be increased daily.
Top dressing
The yield is directly related to nutrition. Potassium is especially important for fruiting. But in open ground, the soil is often cold, and heat-loving plants cannot fully consume nutrition with their roots at 15 degrees. Therefore, it is best to apply foliar feeding on a cloudy day or in the evening. Especially if the summer is cold. Ideally, alternate root and foliar feeding.
