Growing peppers. From seed to harvest

Bulgarian pepper hot and very rich in vitamins vegetable. On average, pepper four times more vitamin C than citrus. Pepper is different in appearance and taste, and to the extent of maturation changes its color from green to yellow, red, orange.

Features plants

Pepper is a member of the Solanaceae family tomato and eggplant. The origin of culture comes from Central and South America. After the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus brought the seeds to Spain and called them Pimienta, which in Spanish means pepper. In the”family of bell peppers” and there is a difference between sweet pepper, chili pepper and hot pepper: in their color, size and sharpness.

If you do not want to buy pepper seedlings can be grown from seeds of its own. Seeds of pepper you can prepare yourself. All you need to do is remove the seeds from the fruit, and dry them. The seeds can germinate for about three years. If parallel cultivated varieties of chili, one must be careful not to cross-pollination occurred, where spice is usually dominates, which is undesirable for sweet peppers. Plants should be spaced a few meters apart.

Sowing pepper seeds

For seeds need to grow the crop soil and small pots. Use soil with low nutrient content – seeds contain everything you need to plant.

Additional information!pepper seeds are sown indoors in late February, pre-soaking and for a few hours in warm water, which promotes the growth of seedlings.

Finger make a small indentation in the ground and placed him in a single seed. Then fall asleep ground and pour a little water.

?? In the first few days the seeds covered with plastic wrap, until they germinate. This maintains a constant humidity and temperature. Place the container on the windowsill, and aired from time to time. The first shoots appear in about two weeks.

Pepper does not tolerate the pick, so it is advisable to sow the seeds directly into individual peat pots. Since they will be transplanted into open ground only from mid-May, the pots must have a diameter of not less than 10 cm.

Seedlings must be a warm place, normal room temperature, and a lot of light for healthy development. The soil should never be very wet, it is better to keep it moderately moist.

When to sow pepper? Plants have a long growing season, and it is desirable to grow on a windowsill or in the greenhouse from February to obtain a satisfactory yield. Seed Germination takes time. After approximately four weeks after planting, the plants reach a height of about five centimeters.

Care pepper in open ground

Only when there is no more danger of freezing of the soil, the young plants can be planted in open ground. To do this, the seedlings gradually bring to the streets during the day to get used to the temperature difference. During the growing season peppers need a lot of space, heat, light, and proper care.

When no more frost is expected, previously hardened plants are planted on the street. In most regions, it’s the middle of May. Choose the most warm and sunny place. Pepper plants are very sensitive to cold, if it is too cold, it can lead to cardiac growth and total plant death.

Care for pepper is not difficult:

  • best pepper grows on sunny, very warm, protected place;
  • the soil should contain a lot of compost and humus;
  • If the weather is suitable, the plant is hardened in the open air, and planted in open ground (early – mid-May);
  • planting distance of 40 cm in all directions, a very large variety 50h60sm.
  • The soil should always be moist, weed-free.

Bell peppers demanding feeding. They need to be fed, but in small doses, because they prefer a uniform supply of nutrients. The longer the period of cultivation, the more nutrients you need to plant.

Two weeks after transplanting in the open ground, watered it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. The second top dressing is carried out at the beginning of the flowering period. Potash fertilizer primarily contributes to the formation of the fruit.

During the growing period, they need little nitrogen, potassium (e.g., due to the wood ash). They like a few handfuls of compost in the landing pit.

Note!for crops outdoors important good soil preparation and regular fertilizing. The sunny location, the faster growing and ripening fruit.

Once peppers reach a height of 20 to 30 cm, it is necessary prischipnut basic escape to correctly forming bush. This method encourages the emergence of side shoots on which fruits are formed. It is useful to remove the first flower bud end, also known as”royal flower”, which is created in the first leg. It promotes the growth of shoots and branches of plants.

Important!There are too many fruits limit the growth of plants.

In the summer months of pepper plants consume a lot of water. As soon as the first fruits, the soil should not dry out. Mulching retains water in the soil and prevent the growth of weeds.

Peppers disease capable of causing significant damage to the crop. Growing one crop for several years in one place leads to the accumulation of pests and diseases. To avoid this, it is necessary to carry out the correct sevooborot.Perets badly combined with other nightshade plants (tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes). The place should be changed annually. Podsazhivanie herbs, such as basil should have a beneficial effect.

Pepper of the diseases often suffer from tobacco mosaic, bacterial spot and late blight.

Mature fruits of pepper carefully cut from the stems under partial ripeness, and held for 2 – 3 days in a dry place until complete their maturation.

This allows you to better develop the rest of the fruit, contributes to the emergence of new ovaries, increases the period and intensity of fruiting.