How to Grow Pepper Seedlings: 8 Rules from Experienced Gardeners

In our country, pepper is grown using seedlings. It is an annual plant.

There are two types: hot (spicy) and sweet (Bulgarian). The latter is more popular, and hot peppers are grown by amateurs in limited quantities. But to get a harvest, you should grow seedlings. How to do this?

Anastasia Kovrizhnykh , an expert of the online publication "BelNovosti", an agronomist and landscape designer, told how to grow a good harvest of bell peppers.

In fact, growing seedlings of this crop is quite simple. You need to follow some rules.

The ground needs to be prepared

Today, there is already prepared soil in stores, but you need to choose an expensive one, which has received positive feedback more than once. You can also make it yourself.

You will need 1 part of river sand and peat, 2 parts of turf soil. Mix everything and add 1 glass of ash, superphosphate (30 g), urea (15 g) and potassium sulfate (15 g).

The seeds should be prepared

To do this, you should first soak them in a solution of potassium permanganate.

We sow

Sow seeds in the first ten days of March. Many gardeners follow the lunar calendar. It is recommended to grow seedlings in separate cups or 6x6 cm pots. This is necessary because pepper does not tolerate picking well. Put 2-3 seeds in each pot and place them on foam plastic.

Favorable conditions for germination

It is not recommended to install pots on windowsills, because there may be a draft, and this crop loves heat. It is better to cover each pot with film and secure it with tape. You should monitor the temperature.

Place a thermometer near the boxes. If the temperature is below 13 degrees, the seedlings stop growing.

If all of the above is done, then in 7 days you will see the first sprouts. When mass germination begins, you can safely remove the film and put the pots on the windowsill.

Watering the seedlings

At first, you should water the seedlings once every 3 days in the morning and generously. The water should be 25-30 degrees. Remember, the soil should not dry out or become over-moistened.

Feeding the seedlings

When 14-15 days have passed since the first shoots have appeared, the first feeding should be done. Add 25 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium sulfate and 10 g of ammonium nitrate to 10 liters of water.

The second feeding should be done 2 weeks before planting the pepper in open ground. After feeding, you need to water the seedlings.

Tempering

Before planting (about two weeks before), the seedlings need to be hardened. It is best to do this at a temperature of 15 degrees. At first, you can open the window for a while, then take it out onto the balcony.

We plant seedlings

The best harvest comes from seedlings that were 80-90 days old at the time of planting. They will give the most harvest. Peppers are best planted near cucumbers.

The plant should be planted according to the 60x35 and 30x30 scheme. The plant should be removed from the pot together with the soil and planted in a hole to the level of the first leaves. In this case, the harvest will bear fruit until full autumn.

Earlier we told you what to do with tomatoes so that they don’t crack.