Pepper is a short-day plant, i.e. with less than 12 hours of daylight, it begins to bear fruit earlier and produces higher yields. ( discussion of the peculiarities of growing vegetable crops) Peppers in the northwestern region are grown in greenhouses and through seedlings. The same conditions are suitable for pepper as for tomatoes.

Light	Pepper is demanding of light and heat.
Ph soil acidity	6.0-7.0, light soils are suitable for growing peppers. Acidic soils are needed lime.
Watering	Pepper is a moisture-loving plant and needs regular watering. Long dry periods lead to the fall of the ovaries. Before flowering, peppers are watered by sprinkling from a watering can once a week; during fruiting, peppers are watered twice a week at the root (6 l/m²).
Preparing for landing	Pepper seeds need pre-planting treatment Pepper seeds are germinated until they swell for 5 hours in water at a temperature of 50°C, then they are placed in a damp cloth until they hatch for 2-3 days at room temperature. This pre-planting preparation of pepper seeds allows you to obtain seedlings already 1-2 days after sowing into the substrate. For sowing, you should choose only high-quality seeds that will sprout vigorously and ensure a good pepper harvest in the future.
Fertilizers	The soil for pepper is prepared a year in advance, adding 5-10 kg of organic fertilizers per 1 m² per predecessor, and in the fall 60 g of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers for deep digging. In spring, add 40 g of ammonium nitrate to the top layer of soil. Pepper does not like potassium chloride. Liquid fertilizers give good results organic fertilizers. With a lack of potassium, a drying border appears on the leaves and they curl. With a lack of nitrogen, the leaves are matte with a grayish tint or light and small. With a lack of phosphorus, the underside of the leaves turns purple, the leaves are pressed against the trunk and rise to the top. With a lack of magnesium, the leaves become marbled in color. Excess nitrogen in the soil causes peppers to shed flowers and ovaries.
Good predecessors	Precursors for sweet peppers can be: cucumber, cabbage after green manure, onions, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini.
Bad Predecessors	You cannot plant peppers in beds where the following years grew: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, physalis
Growing vegetable pepper seedlings	The pepper plant develops well at +27°C. In city apartments, pepper seeds are sown already in February, so that by the time the seedlings are planted in May (at the age of 90-100 days), the plants will bloom and even have ovaries. I don't like pepper very much picking and it is better to immediately plant it in individual pots (8 cm in diameter is sufficient due to the slow growth of the roots). The substrate for growing pepper seedlings should consist of humus, soil and sand (2:1:1), the soil should be very loose and light. For 1 kg of mixture it is good to add 1 tbsp. spoon ash. It is better to apply mineral fertilizers later with fertilizing. The first feeding of pepper seedlings is carried out in the phase of 1-2 true leaves, for which 0.5 g of ammonium nitrate, 3 g of superphosphate, 1 g of potassium fertilizers are diluted in 1 liter of water. The second feeding is done after 14 days, doubling the dose of mineral fertilizers. Effective feeding of pepper seedlings nettle infusion(1:10). The last feeding is carried out 2 days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, while increasing the dose of potassium fertilizers to 8 g per 1 liter of water. The temperature for growing pepper seedlings should be higher than that of tomatoes: during the day - 25-27°C, at night - 11-13°C. Excessive watering of seedlings leads to blackleg disease, but the substrate should not be allowed to dry out. Pepper seedlings require mandatory additional lighting in February-March from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is a good idea to cover young pepper seedlings (up to 30 days of age) with light-proof material during the remaining hours, then they will be more resistant to low temperatures and will enter the fruiting phase earlier. Before planting seedlings, they are hardened off, gradually accustoming them to sunlight, wind, and lower temperatures, for which the plants are taken out to the balcony, gradually increasing the time. In this case, it is necessary to monitor weather conditions so that the pepper seedlings do not fall under frost or a drop in temperature to 13°C, which is biological zero for pepper. Pepper seedlings are planted in a permanent place in late May - mid-June, but the plant is not buried. Some people water pepper seedlings with melt water at room temperature. To do this, water is specially frozen outside or in the freezer.
Planting scheme	Vegetable pepper seedlings are planted according to a 50x60 cm pattern.
Planting depth	Sweet pepper seeds are planted in the soil to a depth of 2 cm.
Problems	Diseases and pests of sweet pepper: late blight, macrosporiosis, septoria, white rot, blossom end rot, blackleg, Colorado potato beetle, cutworm, whitefly, slugs. Will help you cope with many problems folk remedies. Many plants in joint plantings are able to take care of their neighbors and protect their.
Care and cultivation of pepper	Care consists of timely watering, gartering, weeding and fertilizing of peppers. Loosening the soil around plants must be done with caution, because... Pepper has a superficial root system. Experienced vegetable growers believe that to increase the yield, it is necessary to remove the central flower on the pepper plant, growing from the first branch. When planting peppers in a greenhouse, you need to immediately install pegs for garter, so as not to injure the delicate plants later. Plants need to be formed into 2-3 stems, promptly removing all stepsons and lower leaves. To increase the yield and improve pollination, pollinating insects need to be attracted to the garden, for which the plant during flowering can be sprayed with a solution of sugar (100 g) and boric acid (2 g) per 1 liter of hot water. You can also hang jars of honey solution nearby (1 teaspoon per 1 glass of water). To avoid poisoning of pollinating insects during the flowering of the garden, do not spray with pesticides. On hot days, it is necessary to cover the plants from direct sunlight. Peppers must be harvested as they ripen (in the technical ripeness phase), without allowing ripened fruits to remain on the plant, because this delays the development of young fruits. Peppers, like eggplants, need to be cut and not pulled out from the bush.
Varieties	Varieties of sweet vegetable pepper: Lastochka, Tenderness, Winnipuh, Maikopsky 470. Pepper varieties and hybrids resistant to diseases, pests and extreme growing conditions (heat): Ararat, Adler, Terek, Kazbek, Erivan - mid-early varieties (about 100 days from germination to harvest). In open ground you can cultivate Etude, Curiosity, Carat. There are varieties of pepper for balconies and windowsills: Watercolor, Tomboy, Candy, Chanterelle, Yarik, Treasure Island. These plants are low-growing, their fruits are not too large, but peppers can be grown in small pots in the dry air of an apartment.

Pepper seedlings Pepper seedlings

Pepper is a very heat-loving crop, therefore in Russia, north of the conventional line Belgorod - Voronezh, it can only be grown by seedlings. At home, it is most convenient to grow seedlings on windowsills.

Preparing the soil

The soil for growing pepper seedlings must be loose, moisture-absorbing, with sufficient nutrients, a neutral reaction, and free from pests and pathogens.

As a rule, soil for seedlings is prepared from 2 parts of garden soil, 1 part of humus or rotted manure, wood ash (a large handful per 1 bucket of humus or manure), 1 part of peat and 1 part of sawdust (or coarse granular sand is added instead). It is best to take garden soil where nightshade crops have not been grown over the past 3-4 years: tomato, eggplant, pepper, physalis, potatoes.

In the absence of manure and wood ash, mineral fertilizers are used: from nitrogen - ammonium nitrate (contains 32-35% nitrogen), from phosphorus - simple (16-18% phosphoric acid) or double superphosphate, from potassium - potassium sulfate or potassium nitrate. It is not advisable to use potassium chloride and potassium salt - they contain a lot of chlorine that is harmful to the roots. Excess nitrogen is not dangerous for peppers, since its stem is relatively resistant to stretching.

Pepper is very sensitive to the level of acidity and salt content in the soil; the optimal acidity is pH 6-6.5. To reduce acidity in seedling soil, you need to add 15-17 g of dolomite flour or lime per 1 kg of soil. Also, hydrogels will be a good help for prepared seedling soil - they are specially designed to be mixed with soil, swelling when absorbing water. At the same time, the soil becomes looser and does not become compacted, and nutrients are washed out much more slowly. The number of waterings can be significantly reduced - to once every 10-20 days. The seedling soil prepared in this way is poured into durable film bags and stored until sowing. When using an industrial substrate for seedlings purchased at a garden center, it is recommended to add 1.5 sand, 1-2 tablespoons of ash, 1-2 tablespoons of dolomite flour and 1 spoon of complex fertilizers to 5 liters of soil (standard package size).

Preparing seeds for sowing

To rid plants of viral and fungal infections, seeds are pickled in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate at room temperature for 20 minutes, followed by washing them in cold water. Then they are soaked for 18 hours in a solution of zircon (1 drop per 300 ml of water) or epin (2 drops per 100 ml of water) at room temperature. To speed up germination, you can also soak the seeds in nutrient solutions of ideal, gumi, potassium humate, agricola-start, albite, etc., according to the attached instructions. After this, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth for 2 days and placed in a plastic bag so that they do not dry out. The optimal temperature for germination of pepper seeds is 22…24°C. In central Russia, the optimal time for sowing pepper seedlings is late February - early March.

Pepper F1 Bon appetite orange Pepper F1 Bon appetite orange	Pepper F1 Red Bull Pepper F1 Red Bull
F1 Bon appetite orange — mid-early, productive hybrid, tall plant, powerful, cube-shaped fruit and prism-shaped measuring 10x8 cm	F1 Red Bull-NK — vigorous plant, suitable for cultivation as in greenhouses of any type, and in open ground

Potted seedlings

The best way to grow pepper seedlings at home is to sow pre-sprouted (sprouted) seeds or seedlings 5-8 mm long in pots with soil. At a room temperature of 25...27°C, friendly shoots appear on the 3-5th day.

In the beginning, it is advisable to use 4x5 cm pots for growing peppers - they take up a small area on the windowsills, and if necessary, it is more convenient to move them to the most illuminated place. When the plants grow up and begin to shade each other, they are transplanted into 10 or 12 cm pots - this is especially true for seedlings of mid- and late-ripening varieties that form large stems and leaves.

Potless seedlings

Pepper seedlings can be grown without pots by sowing (as well as picking seedlings) in a box or plastic container 12-15 cm high.

Sow in furrows 1-2 cm deep, the distance between them is 2-3 cm, and between plants 1-2 cm. Then the box is covered with film or glass and placed in a warm place. The soil in the box is lightly sprinkled with water every 2 days using a hand sprayer. When shoots appear, the box is transferred for 5-7 days to a bright, cool place with a temperature of 16...18°C. (If the temperature is higher, the plants begin to stretch out greatly and root growth slows down.) Then the seedlings are grown at a temperature of 20...25°C during the day and 16...18°C at night.

In the phase of cotyledon leaves, when they fully expand (2-3 weeks after germination), the plants are thinned, leaving the best shoots at a distance of 5 cm from each other, and after 2-3 weeks, thinning is carried out again, leaving 10-12 cm between plants, row spacing - 10-12 cm. To obtain a large number of sweet pepper seedlings, seedlings are sown in seed boxes measuring 30x50 or 40x60 cm, using 1-2 bags of seeds for each.

Seedling care

The first 2-3 days after the emergence of seedlings, you should not water the seedlings - if the soil is dry, it is moistened with a sprayer. When the cotyledon leaves unfold, the seedlings begin to be watered with warm (30°C) water. It should not be allowed to wilt, but excess water is no less dangerous - the plants may become infected with blackleg. If this happens, then watering is stopped immediately, and the soil is sprinkled with a layer of calcined sand or dusted with ash. In this case, good ventilation of the plants is very important, but keep in mind that pepper seedlings do not tolerate cold air from the window.

If the seedlings are weak, it is useful to treat them 2-3 times with an epin solution at intervals of 8-10 days. After this, the plants react less to unfavorable growing conditions, especially the insufficient lighting inherent in city apartments.

During periods of insufficient sunlight, additional illumination is carried out on the seedlings, otherwise the formation of the first buds may not occur. It is advisable to use fluorescent lamps - ordinary incandescent lamps heat up and dry out the air. Plants on window sills may also suffer from overheating caused by steam heating radiators. To prevent this from happening, install shields made of foil, cardboard or plywood.

For good root formation, you can feed the plants with potassium humate (25 ml per 10 liters of water). Until the formation of the 5-6th true leaf (the beginning of the formation of flower buds), the seedlings grow slowly. And before budding (6-8 true leaves) and during the flowering period, its rapid growth is observed. At this time, it is advisable to water with a solution of microelements: for 10 liters of water - 1.7 g of boric acid, 1.0 g of iron sulfate or citrate, 0.2 g of copper sulfate, 0.2 g of zinc sulfate, 1 g of manganese sulfate.

Hardening off seedlings

When the seedlings have 7-8 true leaves, large buds and reach a height of 20-25 cm, they begin to harden them - for 7-10 days they are placed in conditions with a low temperature: first - 16...18°C, then - 12... 14°C. At home, for this purpose, they open the vents and windows, and then take the plants out onto the balcony or veranda, exposing them to direct sunlight. 2-3 days before planting in open ground, the seedlings are left there overnight, however, avoiding exposure to too cold air. By the time of planting, sweet pepper seedlings should be stocky, healthy, hardened, with 8-9 or more true leaves and well-formed buds.

Magazine “The Real Owner” No. 12 2012

Vegetable pepper synonyms: Annual pepper, Capsicum

Rarely does a crop boast such a variety of shapes, colors, sizes of fruits and plants themselves as pepper. There are two-meter giants and dwarfs 25-30 cm high. The fruits can be very small and so large that one will make a salad for the whole family. Among them there are round ones, like balls, rounded-flattened, cone-shaped, cubed - almost square, pyramidal and narrow, like pods. The pulp can be very thin - only 0.1 mm and thick - almost 1 cm.

Conventionally, all varieties of pepper are divided into three large groups:

• Acute - small-fruited (fruit 5-6 g) with thin pulp and a very pungent taste.
• Capsicum - with long fruits weighing 12-15 g, with thin, easily drying bright red pulp of a sweet or slightly pungent taste. Paprika is made from it.
• And finally, salad, also called sweet and Bulgarian. Its fruits are large: from 50 to 350-400 g, the flesh is thick, the taste ranges from sweet to spicy.

Here in Russia, hot and sweet peppers are grown separately: if you plant them side by side, cross-pollination will occur, and the latter will begin to taste bitter. And in India, Turkey, Pakistan - where they like it hot - they specially plant hot peppers among salad peppers to make them spicier.

Most common in the world vegetable, annual, or capsicum pepper(Capsicum annuum), which has semi-sharp and pungent varieties. P hairy rump(C. pubescens) and pendulous pepper(C. pendulum) - not so popular and are cultivated mainly in America. And finally bush pepper(Capsicum frutescens) - among the Indians, chili, or tabaco, is one of the hottest types.

Pepper vegetable native to South America. In the Old World, this plant was grown for a long time exclusively as a medicinal plant, which is understandable: in terms of vitamin C content, it is ahead of all vegetables. In addition, it improves digestion and helps restore strength.

Pepper loves warmth and moisture. It does best at +18 - 25°C. If the temperature drops to +13°C, it stops growing, and at lower temperatures it dies altogether. When it gets too dry, the leaves and ovaries fall off. Pepper is also very picky about soil and does not tolerate shade at all.

“I said that the windowsill is not the best place for growing seedlings. It turns out that the reason for this is not only temperature. bell pepper very demanding on moisture.

Bell pepper. Moisture requirements.

The seedlings are uncomfortable on the windowsill: the root legs are cold from the window sill, and the leaves are cold from the glass or sometimes too hot from the sun, that is, there is a large temperature difference every day. There is certainly a radiator under each window; warm air rises from it, and any air movement is wind. Of course, the wind from the battery is not a hurricane, but it still carries away moisture. Anyone who went to school can remember the drawing in the physics textbook for the section “Convection”, where all the flows are shown with arrows.

This means that the soil can be quite wet, but the air can be quite dry. These problems in the room can be removed. Just put the boxes with seedlings on a table near the window and illuminate them with fluorescent lamps, humidify the air. Pepper always requires moisture, both in the seedling phase and during flowering and fruiting.

Peppers can obtain moisture in different ways. The first one, not the most successful. If the seeds were first sown in a bowl, then transplanted into boxes, and then into the ground, then the roots of the plants were injured many times, which does not work. Then you will have to water a lot and often, because the root system will become fibrous and will be located in the surface layer of soil, which is also called arable. Winds carry water out of this layer very quickly. In my area, the sun barely warms up, a dry wind begins to blow, the air movement stops at dusk, when the surface of the earth begins to cool. Then you have to water the beds with this vegetable, water it abundantly so that there is enough moisture until the next watering.

That’s why I only grow it by sowing in cassettes or pots to avoid transplantation, so that the main root can go to a depth of about a meter, so that there is always plenty of water to drink there. Therefore, warm rainy days are a blessed time for gardeners in our area. You can read about this in the article ““.

If the seedlings were grown in an insufficiently moistened substrate, then the plants remain short, weak, and have few leaves. When transferred to the ground, such seedlings do not take root well. Consequences: the yield is low, the fruits are gnarled, and blossom end rot appears.

Regular watering from a watering can only slightly moistens the soil of the garden bed, no matter what its quality is. But growing on clay soils requires much more water than on loam or sandy loam. It would be good to water in the form of rain, then the air humidity increases. At low atmospheric humidity, pepper sheds not only buds and flowers, but also fruits.

The harmfulness of pepper is that it is difficult to please. A little drier soil, it reacts with a decrease in yield, a little damper, again it’s not okay, again a decrease in yield. Only the reasons are slightly different. When there is excess in the soil (according to pepper), the growth processes in the plant slow down, this especially affects the seedling stages, the roots do not absorb soil nitrogen and do not synthesize amino acids. Hunger is coming. Here you can fertilize as much as possible... If the soil dries out, the reason is an increase in the concentration of minerals. We notice this in a jar in which salt is dissolved in water. Less water remains in the jar, and the solution becomes saltier. This is what pepper reacts to.

At the same time, there is another slingshot that the plant will certainly demonstrate to the gardener: the flowers may not fall off, but this does not mean that they will be pollinated!

In a greenhouse it is easier to create the necessary humidity for picky people. Since peppers and tomatoes have different tastes, it is not rational to grow them in the same greenhouse. But not every gardener has several greenhouses for each vegetable, so there are always priorities, which is more important for us.

By the way, pepper is not the most moisture-loving plant; cabbage, radishes, and celery require much more water.

In our dry summer of 2012, my celery root did not grow, I could not give him as much water as he could drink, I chose pepper.

What kind of soil does bell pepper like?

It needs soil that is structural, fertile, deep, warm, rich in humus and nutrients, with a form convenient for the plant, light, and well-permeable to water. In a word, perfect!

Early varieties of peppers work better on sandy loam soils, while mid-season and late varieties require loam or chernozem with a good ability to retain moisture. It is better not to grow it on clay and sandy soils; it will be of little use.

Any heavy soil reduces the yield of pepper; it grows slowly and gets sick in the heat. It doesn’t like acidic soils, so don’t rush to acidify it with manure or bird droppings; it’s better to lime the beds for growing peppers. But the problem is that it doesn’t like lime either, so you can’t overdo it, and you shouldn’t lime it in the fall before planting in the new year; it’s better to do it 2 years before the pepper arrives on the plot.

Calcium leaves organic matter in the soil; roots develop better in such soil, which is very good for leaf growth without compromising fruit formation.

Bell peppers need less phosphorus than tomatoes. But magnesium is required for its transportation; if there is no magnesium, photosynthesis suffers, the stems reach for the sun, the leaves change color, and their color will not be restored. If the plant has enough phosphorus, it becomes cold-resistant. And without phosphorus, fruits do not form or ripen.

Without iron, plant cells do not absorb carbon dioxide, and leaves lose color.

Without manganese, flowers and buds fall off; seeds cannot be taken from such a plant.

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Many Russian gardeners grow sweet bell peppers in their garden plots. This plant has good productivity - of course, with proper care. In addition, it is rich in various vitamins and substances that are extremely beneficial for the human body. However, in order to reap a good harvest, a huge amount of work will need to be done. Pepper is a rather capricious crop and requires special care. Many nuances are very important here, such as:

• landing;
• feeding;
• watering;
• temperature regime.

If you decide to plant your garden bed or greenhouse with peppers, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to pay special attention to the plant so beloved by many. However, as you know, difficulties only strengthen you.

One of the main points that requires special attention when growing this crop is the composition of the soil. The thing is that not every soil is suitable for pepper, so if you want to get a good harvest in the end, the soil must be prepared first, and this must be done for seedlings.

Let's look at the whole process in more detail. In particular, if you grow peppers in seedlings, then the soil for this will need light and loose, moisture-absorbing and breathable soil. The most optimal composition is 2 parts humus and 1 part each of earth and sand. In order to promote the development of the plant, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of ash per 1 kilogram of this mixture. The moisture capacity can be increased by adding a special hydrogel to the substrate. It accumulates moisture and helps preserve nutrients. Pepper is very sensitive to acidity, and if the pH level is less than 5.5, then it is recommended to add dolomite flour or lime to the soil.

An equally important moment is replanting the pepper to a permanent place - in a greenhouse or open ground. The choice of location should be taken very seriously. The thing is that it is not recommended to transplant peppers into an area where eggplants, tomatoes or potatoes previously grew. The best predecessors for this crop are carrots, cabbage, pumpkin, cucumbers and onions.

Soil preparation should be done in advance, a year before planting. For 1 square meter you will need to apply 5 kilograms of organic fertilizers. The next stage of preparation is autumn. It is recommended to feed the top layer of soil for deep digging with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers - 50 grams of both per 1 square meter. However, that's not all. In the spring, you will need to add ammonium nitrate to the soil at the rate of 40 grams per 1 square meter. 5 days before you plan to transplant the seedlings into the ground, the ground must be disinfected. This is done using a solution of copper sulfate and water in a ratio of 1 tablespoon per 1 bucket.

Generally speaking, the most optimal soil for peppers will be light, fertile soil, with good drainage, soft and loose. Loamy or sandy loam soils are best suited in this case. The second option is most optimal for early varieties of pepper. If you decide to grow a late or mid-season species, then you need black soil that will allow loam and moisture to pass through well. This crop does not like clay or sandy soil - pepper does not feel very comfortable on such soils.

One important point should also be noted. If the area allocated for planting this plant has heavy soil, this will negatively affect the future harvest. As mentioned above, pepper also does not like acidic soil, so when growing it, you need to feed the plants with manure and bird droppings very carefully.

Pepper bed
Pepper grows well in sunny beds, but in the shade it lags behind in growth and does not produce a harvest.
The best predecessors for pepper are cucumber, peas, beans, beans, cabbage, and table root vegetables. Peppers should not be placed after potatoes and tomatoes. Tillage for growing pepper begins in the fall, immediately after harvesting the previous crop. The area is cleared of plant residues, manure or compost is added at the rate of one bucket per square meter. m with the addition of 20-30 g of superphosphate. Dig to a depth of 20-25 cm.
In the spring, as soon as the soil is ripe and stops being smeared, they begin digging. If organic fertilizers have not been applied since the fall, then the soil is fertilized (a glass of ash per bucket of humus). They dig to a shallower depth than in the fall, carefully selecting weeds and pest larvae (beetles, wireworms, etc.).
The beds are made during spring digging. On heavy, cold soils, they must be high so that they warm up well and provide water and air conditions.
Sometimes a month or more passes from the moment of spring tillage to planting seedlings in the ground. Therefore, the soil is kept loose and free from weeds; after each rain, the top layer is loosened with a rake to prevent crust formation and moisture evaporation. At the same time, emerging weeds are also destroyed. If there is no rain, then loosening is carried out as soon as weeds emerge.
The timing of planting pepper seedlings depends on weather conditions and the location of the site. On southern slopes, in areas not susceptible to frost, they are planted earlier - in the middle or end of May. If the vegetable grower does not have means of temporarily protecting plants from frost, then planting begins when the danger of frost has passed (no earlier than June 10-15).
It is better to plant peppers using the ribbon method. The distance between the ribbons is 50-60 cm, between plants in a row - 15-25 cm. Early ripening, low-growing varieties are placed in a row every 15 cm, or two plants per hole, but at a distance of 30-40 cm.
Planting technique is very important. Many vegetable growers do it incorrectly. First, a hole is made, the seedlings are immersed in it, then the roots are covered with soil and watered with water. With such planting, already on the second day, a crust forms at the watering site, which increases the evaporation of moisture from the lower layers of the soil, impedes air access to the roots and beneficial soil microorganisms, and worsens the conditions for plant survival. Therefore, the vegetable grower is forced to water the seedlings almost daily until they take root.
The correct landing technique is as follows. First, use a cord or marker to mark the tapes. Then along each row, every 15-30 cm, a planting scoop or hoe is used to make holes 10-12 cm deep. Each hole is watered at the rate of 0.5-1 liters of water per plant. Potted or potless seedlings are planted in the resulting “dirt,” covered with soil and compacted. On top, around the planted seedlings, pour peat or dry soil in a layer of 3-4 cm. This loose layer serves as mulch, which will prevent the evaporation of moisture from the hole and the lower soil horizon. After planting is completed, the mulch layer cannot be watered to avoid the formation of a soil crust.
“Bottom” watering into the holes and the creation of a mulch layer around the plant ensure rapid establishment of seedlings and do not require subsequent daily watering, which inevitably happens with “top” watering.
For better survival, the roots are dipped in clay mash (if the seedlings were grown without picking).
When planting in a hole, adding an organomineral mixture (200-300 g of humus or peat, 5-10 g of superphosphate and potassium salt) has a great effect. After planting is completed, the row spacing is loosened with a rake to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the soil.
The root system of pepper is located shallow in the soil and is very responsive to loosening. The flow of air to the roots accelerates the growth and development of plants, activates the biological activity of soil microorganisms, and improves nutrition.
Pepper roots do not like direct sunlight. When the plants bloom, the crowns need to close. You should not plant sweet and hot peppers next to each other, as they will all become bitter due to cross-pollination.
Pepper does not tolerate frost on the soil. It does not tolerate high groundwater levels or even short-term flooding. The soil into which the seedlings are transplanted should be structurally better than the soil in which the seedlings grow.
By the time of transplanting into open ground, the bushes should be 25-30 cm high. The pepper bush develops better if it is not planted too deep. The root system should be as close to the surface of the earth as possible.
Low pegs are placed near each bush. As it develops and produces a large number of fruits, it is tied up. The soil around the bush is regularly loosened. Peppers do not like hilling.

Watering
Pepper is responsive to watering. It is necessary that the soil around it is always sufficiently moist. Dry soil weakens growth and causes flowers and ovaries to fall off. But pepper does not like waterlogged soil.
Atmospheric precipitation cannot in any way affect the frequency of watering. They only help the vegetable grower by reducing the watering rate. An exception may be torrential or heavy rains, which provide the same amount of moisture as during irrigation.
Irrigation by sprinkling is not carried out.
The best time to water is morning. If it was cold at night, then water it with warm water. If the nights are warm, then in the evening they water with warm water that has settled in a barrel at the rate of 10 liters (bucket) per 15-20 bushes on clayey and heavy loamy soils and 1 liter each on sandy loam and sandy soils. Water only after loosening and very carefully, from a ladle. First, on one side, to avoid the formation of a crust around the entire bush, and the next day, loosening the side of the bush that had been watered the day before, on the other side. This promotes uniform development of the root system.

Top dressing
Two weeks after planting in the ground, the first fertilizing is carried out (one teaspoon with a tubercle of urea, two teaspoons with a tubercle of superphosphate per 10 liters of water, one liter for each bush). The second feeding is during the period of mass flowering: one teaspoon with a tubercle of urea, one matchbox of superphosphate and one teaspoon of potassium salt or potassium sulfate. All this is dissolved in 10 liters of water and watered 1 liter per bush. The third feeding is given when the fruits on the first branch have reached technical ripeness, at the rate of two teaspoons with a tubercle of superphosphate and two teaspoons of potassium salt or potassium sulfate.
If the seedlings are stunted in growth after fertilizing, every morning or evening for a week, foliar fertilizing with urea is done at the rate of two to three teaspoons per 10 liters of water. If it is not possible to feed daily, then feed once or twice a day at the rate of 30 g of urea per 10 liters of water from a sprayer or from a watering can with a mesh.
To make the fruit set better, add 2 g of superphosphate to each fertilizing (under each root).
Pepper produces more yield if it is fed with urea rather than mullein.

"Lunch" for pepper
I grow peppers in garden beds. I noticed that growing this crop on raised beds 15-25 cm high and 70-90 cm wide in the upper part gives a great effect. Seedlings take root better on them, ripening is accelerated by 7-10 days, the yield at the first harvest is 30-50% more than on a flat surface.
And, of course, I definitely feed my favorite crop.
The greatest need for nitrogen in pepper appears before flowering and when the fruits ripen massively. Its deficiency is indicated by the pale green color of the upper leaves, yellowing and death of the lower ones. I add 10-20 g per square meter two or three days before planting seedlings (or before spring digging). m of ammonium nitrate. I carry out the first feeding three to four weeks after planting, the second after the second or third harvest, before watering - 10-15 g/sq.m. m. Fertilizers can be dissolved in irrigation water. But you cannot exceed the norm, since pepper accumulates excess fertilizer in the fruits in the form of nitrates.
Pepper especially needs phosphorus at the beginning of the growing season, when the plant’s insufficiently developed root system cannot ensure its timely supply from the soil. I apply superphosphate as the main fertilizer when digging up the soil in autumn or early spring, to a depth of 5-15 cm at 30-45 g/sq.m. m. Increased soil temperature on ridges improves the solubility of phosphates. True, superphosphate should be applied only on phosphorus-poor soils.
But pepper needs potassium from setting to the end of fruit ripening.
Now about watering. Before fruit formation begins, I water at the rate of two liters of water per day per 1 square meter. m, during the period of mass fruit formation - 4-6 liters per square meter. m. In a wet year, pepper requires only 3-4 waterings, in an average year - 5-7, in a dry year - 8-12. In general, during the growing season the plant needs 400-550 liters of water per 1 square meter. m. Depending on the conditions of the year, it is provided by precipitation by 20-60%, moisture reserves in the soil by two to three, and the rest by irrigation. In a dry spring, I do pre-planting watering (20-30 liters per sq. m). Two days after planting the seedlings, for better survival, I carry out a refreshing watering - 10-15 liters per square meter. m, if there was pre-landing, or 20-25 liters per sq. m, if there was none.
In August, when the bulk of the fruit is formed, pepper especially needs water. Moisture deficiency sharply reduces yield. Depending on precipitation, I water the pepper every 8-12 days. On hot days (but not in cold windy weather!) evening sprinkling of 10-15 liters per square meter gives good results. m. I stop watering peppers 10-15 days before the last harvest.
I start watering on beds 7-10 days earlier than on a flat surface, since here the evaporating surface of the soil is larger and the plants are more powerful.

Don't overfeed
They say you can't spoil porridge with oil. But it is not always the case. The more you feed the peppers with slurry, the less they will produce.
It goes on a spree and fattens the plant, surprising you with its tops, not its fruits.

Yu.P. ANANEV, Samara

Bush formation
Newly appearing stepsons and flowers, which form in the lower part of the plant before its first branching, are constantly cut off. They retard the development of the upper part of the bush, where the main formation of fruits occurs.
Pinching, that is, pinching the top and removing excess flowers on peppers of such varieties as New Gogoshary, Golden Jubilee, Gold Medal, Gift of Moldova, is done as soon as 7-10 fruits are set, and on Kolobok - 12-15. Then each pepper will receive the full amount of heat, light, and nutrients “due” to it. If you leave the entire ovary, then almost 80 percent of it will go to waste in the fall, since the fruits will not be able to ripen. Excess branches are also removed - they also take a lot of nutrition from the plant.
It is best to keep peppers under lutrasil all summer. In any weather, it maintains an ideal microclimate in the greenhouse, saves from heat and cold, and does not allow the soil to dry out.

If it gets cold, cover it
As autumn approaches, pepper plants should be protected from the first frosts.
Reliable protection are tents made of wooden blocks, cardboard, matting, burlap, roofing felt and other materials. The bushes are covered with tents in the evening and opened in the morning when it gets warmer.
During frosts and long-term cold snaps, temporary film shelters are used, as well as smoke and sprinkling. The material for smoke heaps is selected so that it produces thick smoke. Sprinkling is especially effective if the installation provides a fine spray.
In some years, peppers bear fruit until October. It tolerates cold weather much better than a tomato.
The collected fruits can be stored for one or even two months in a dry, moderately warm room.

T. V. LANDYSHEVA

Stepchildren came into play
I’ll tell you how I got the hang of getting strong pepper seedlings without much hassle.
It was early autumn one year. It's freezing outside, but my peppers are still full of peppers. I chose the strongest plants and transplanted them into indoor pots. I left the largest peppers on the bushes, and pinched off the small ones and the flowers. And for some time I had fresh bell peppers for salads, although not as juicy as from a real garden.
When I noticed that the bushes began to shed their leaves and slowed down in development (in December-January), I let them “sleep” and watered them infrequently - just so as not to dry out. And on February 15-17 I decided to wake them up.
I fed them with microfertilizers and a growth stimulant, my husband hung a fluorescent lamp over them, and the peppers came to life. A few days later, stepsons appeared on each bush. I let them grow up to 10 centimeters, then cut them off and put them in water. After a week and a half, roots appeared. While they were growing up, I prepared “apartments” for them - seedling pots. I transplanted the “juveniles” into the ground and covered them with plastic bags to keep them warmer. In April-May I removed the bags for a day. Little by little I fed it with mineral fertilizers, and when the snow melted at the dacha and it was possible to get to the heap of mullein, I brought some of it home and watered it with some of its solution.
You should have seen what a beautiful seedling I had by the time I planted it in the ground! And she gave more harvest than usual.

L.V. ZUEVA

Bell pepper

You can’t resist a word of praise for sweet peppers. It’s both beautiful and good, and how many useful substances it contains! Judge for yourself: there is more vitamin C (ascorbic acid) than in lemon and black currant, carotene (vitamin A) is almost as much as in carrots. A lot of glucose and sucrose. Potassium is contained in such a form that it removes excess water from the body. Pepper contains a lot of phosphorus, iron, magnesium, calcium, organic acids and other substances necessary for humans. Most varieties of peppers do not accumulate nitrates, so they can be safely eaten.
In the phase of biological ripeness, fruits come in different colors - white, red, crimson, orange, yellow, and less often - brown and black.
Fruits of different colors have different beneficial properties.
White peppers should definitely be on the table of people with allergies. Red - remove harmful substances that enter the body from a polluted atmosphere or as a result of inhalation of cigarette smoke. So smokers need red pepper. Fruits with a dark green color are good for the nervous system, heart and blood vessels.
In a word, grow and eat for health!

Preparing soil mixtures
The seed boxes and seed soil mixture are sterilized. The soil should be very loose and not form a crust even after watering and drying.
You can make the following soil mixtures for 10 liters (bucket):
Option 1 - three parts of turf or garden soil, two parts of sawdust, one half-liter jar of wood ash and three matchboxes of superphosphate;
Option 2 - six parts of turf soil, one part of humus, one or two - river sand, if possible - two parts of peat, one teaspoon of urea, three matchboxes of superphosphate;
Option 3 - take peat and humus in equal quantities. Add a liter jar of sawdust, two tablespoons of nitrophoska and one and a half cups of wood ash to a bucket of the mixture.
In the absence of peat, sow in humus and garden soil in equal proportions.
It is best if the height of the seed boxes does not exceed 5-6 cm. In this case, the soil warms up well, does not sour and is better ventilated.

Seeds
Seeds must be healthy, complete, not old (with a shelf life of no more than three years). In the second year, germination is 50%, in the third - only 30%.
In preparation for sowing, they are dipped in a 3% solution of table salt or ammonium nitrate. Those that float are thrown away. To destroy pathogens of viral diseases, seeds are heated for 20 minutes in water at a temperature of +50°C, then dipped in cold water for one to two minutes and sown.
Before sowing, seeds are treated as follows. Etch in a dark pink solution of manganese for 25 minutes, incubate for 1 hour in a solution of baking soda (1/2 teaspoon per 1 glass of water) with the addition of 20 drops of aloe juice. Then pour a warm solution of boric acid for 10-12 hours (in a glass of hot water - on the tip of a knife).
All solutions for treatment are used warm (+25... +30°C). This temperature is maintained throughout the processing. The treated seeds are evenly poured onto a damp soft cotton cloth, placed on a plate, placed in a plastic bag and kept near the radiator in the bathroom.
For 3-5 days, open the bag daily for 20 minutes, if necessary, moisten the fabric with drops of boiled water. As soon as the seeds begin to swell and half of them sprout, sow them.

What's the matter?
Many summer residents often complain about poor seed germination. But sometimes it’s not the seeds that matter.
Divide the contents of the bag into two or three parts and sow at different times. Maybe the seeds are excellent, but they fell into unfavorable conditions (too cold, damp, poor soil preparation, overdose of fertilizers, or simply a pest ate all the seeds and seedlings).
Repeated sowings can produce excellent seedlings.

IN AND. Brizhan

Sowing
Peppers are sown as seedlings in early February. Its seeds germinate slowly (sometimes 20 or more days), so they should be sown 110-120 days before planting the plant with buds in the ground. Late sowing is the most common mistake gardeners make. Those who sow pepper seeds in March, or even in April, will not receive a harvest, since in this case the plants begin to bloom and set fruit only at the end of summer, and instead of a rich harvest, inconspicuous trifles end up on the gardener’s table.
The soil mixture poured into boxes is watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. After 10-12 hours, the surface is well leveled, lightly compacted and grooves are made with a distance of 5 cm between them. The seeds are placed in the grooves at a distance of 2 cm from each other and planted to a depth of 1.5 cm. The grooves are covered with the same soil mixture, sowing lightly compact and carefully irrigate with warm (25°C) water. Water without eroding the soil and streams, so as not to wash out the seeds.

To soak or not to soak?
Each technique has its own advantages. Pepper seeds are capricious. Fresh, warm ones hatch on the third day. Smooth, yellow, with white dots on the roots, they lie like a selection, you can’t stop looking at them. But for a year or two they will be preserved and the tricks will begin. Not only after a week, but even after a month they may not sprout, although they are absolutely healthy.
They often do this: they germinate the seeds, and sow those that sprouted first. I checked. The results were surprising: the first peppers were faster, the second - a week later, but larger.
I also sowed dry seeds. They rose, of course, slowly and slowly. Fifteen days. But they turned out to be more resistant to drought and frost. In the cold May, seedling peppers were hit by frost, but those sown with seeds in the ground survived. But the most amazing thing was observed in the fall. On cold, dewy nights, the tomatoes quickly turned black, and within two weeks the pepper seedlings wilted. And only the ground ones bloomed and filled until -7oC hit.
The best containers for sowing seeds are narrow, window-sill wooden boxes. Fill the soil halfway, pour boiling water with potassium permanganate and cover with film. Let the earth steam. Then open and ventilate. As soon as it stops sticking, you can sow. For planting without picking, spread the seeds 4x4 cm. Sprinkle with earth on top (preferably from under a pine tree). Sprinkle it - compact it with your palm and powder it white with fluff lime so that the seedlings do not suffer from the black leg. Applying lime to the ground is only a waste of time. Fungal hyphae spread only over the surface of the soil. Deoxidize it. Once sowed, cover each box with film and place in a warm place for a day. Let the seeds wake up a little. Then - in the cold (on the balcony or under the snow in the garden). Place them on stands, otherwise they will freeze and you won’t be able to get them off. And cover the top with roofing felt from mice. Boxes are brought into the heat in different ways: with large-fruited late varieties - at the beginning of February, mid-season ones - at the end. If February is cloudy, it is better to wait for stable sunny weather.

V.A. Kukushkin

Seedling care
An important point is not to overlook the shoots. If even a single sprout hatches, the box is immediately placed on the windowsill. Now the seedlings need a sea of ​​light, plenty of fresh air. Under no circumstances should you water until the first true leaf appears. The film is not removed, otherwise the shoots will be uneven, and the soil next to the battery will quickly dry out. The optimal temperature at this time is +14...+16оС. With this regime, the primary roots develop well. After two weeks the temperature rises. On sunny days it is brought to +25°C, on cloudy days and at night +16...+17°C.
To prevent blackleg, fertilizing and watering are done only in the morning.
To prevent seedlings from stretching, artificially increase the length of daylight hours to 13-14 hours using fluorescent lamps. If ordinary incandescent lamps are used for illumination, they should be installed no closer than 60 cm from the plants to avoid drying out the soil and burning the leaves. For the first three days after germination, seedlings are illuminated around the clock, then only in the morning and evening.
You can also use reflected light, any screens placed on the windowsill between the room and the window. These are old mirrors, gloss plates, food foil, etc. In addition, the seedlings are illuminated early in the morning or in the evening so that the total light time is 12-14 hours.
Pepper stems are fragile and require care when handling them. During the first days, the seedlings are lightly sprayed; later, the seedlings are watered two to three times a week (in the morning, with tap water separated from chlorine).
Starting from the phase of two true leaves, the seedlings are fed two or three times at intervals of 8-10 days (bird droppings diluted in hot water 1:20, or complete mineral fertilizer). The soil in the pots is sprinkled with ash. When the seedlings stretch out, reduce watering to the limit and lower the temperature to +12...+15°C. Water the soil with infusion of ash, and spray the leaves with infusion of superphosphate (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water).
If the seedlings stretch out and have a pale green color, it means they do not have enough nitrogen. Then dilute a tablespoon of urea or other nitrogen fertilizer in 10 liters of water and feed the plants. Then they are placed for 5-6 days in a cool place with a temperature of +8...+10°C. The bushes will stop growing, turn green, and can be returned to their original place.
When seedlings fatten and grow rapidly, there is excess nitrogen in the soil. In this case, feed three tablespoons of superphosphate per 10 liters of water. After feeding, a day later the seedlings are placed in a warm place with a temperature of +25°C during the day and +20...+22°C at night. After a week, the seedlings return to normal.

Hardening
Pepper seedlings are planted in the ground at the age of 55-60 days, and they are hardened off two weeks before planting. If the air temperature outside is not lower than +15°C and there is no wind, the box with seedlings is taken out to the balcony.
By the time of planting, the seedlings should be strong, have a height of 16-20 cm, 8-10 developed leaves (sometimes buds and flowers) and form a strong fibrous root capable of holding the ground when planting the plant from the nursery.

Picking is a delicate matter
Digging into fresh soil enhances the branching of roots. But pepper is very capricious. Sometimes everything seems to be done correctly: about four hours before the picking, the seedlings are watered, but they still wither. The trouble is that the soil that is overdried in the boxes repels water: it flows along the walls, but the lump inside is dry.
You cannot put peppers into milk cartons. Tomatoes grow beautifully in them. And the peppers are vigorous at first, and then wilt. And what can you think about until you realize that the root secretions of the pepper dissolve something dangerous for it in the walls of the bag, which is why the sprouts die if they are not replanted in time. After picking, the pepper is watered again with warm water and placed in partial shade, covered with film. In a moderately humid and warm environment, the leaves do not lose their elasticity, and the roots quickly recover and begin to branch.
Plants without picking are more capricious. Therefore, when two or three true leaves appear on sweet pepper seedlings, they are plucked. After watering abundantly, carefully remove all the seedlings. In the same box, the soil is leveled again and the seedlings are transplanted into it, at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other, deepening it to the cotyledon leaves. After picking, water with warm water.