Seed preparation and sowing rules for pepper transplants

Seed preparation and sowing rules

Pepper seed is characterized by slow emergence due to a dense seed coat, therefore they must be stimulated before sowing. Without pre-sowing treatment, you will obtain uneven and delayed emergence. Agronomists use one of two effective methods for preparing sowing material.

With the thermal method, seeds are kept for 20 minutes in a thermos with water heated to 53 °C. Then they are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed on a saucer, and left under the freezer compartment of a refrigerator for several hours, after which they are sown immediately. With the chemical method, seeds are immersed for 20 minutes in a solution of "Novosil" ("Silk"), "Epin-extra", or "Energen" preparations.

Before sowing, the container is filled with well-moistened soil to half its height and compacted with a tablespoon. Seeds are laid out according to a 2´2 cm scheme, covered from above with soil to a height of 5 cm, and compacted again so that the seeding depth is 3–4 cm. Pepper requires deep sowing, as it cannot be buried deeper during pricking out and transplanting due to the risk of stem rot. Without this, the root system will form too close to the surface, and the grown bushes will begin to fall over.

After sowing, the containers are covered with glass or film and moved to a warm place. Pre-germinating seeds is not recommended, as there is a high risk of breaking the fragile root during layout and ruining the seedlings. The speed of emergence directly depends on the temperature regime of the soil.

• Sowing scheme — 2´2 cm
• Seeding depth — 3–4 cm
• Optimal soil temperature — 28–30 °C
• Period without additional lighting after pricking out — 2–3 days
• Daylight hours after pricking out — no more than 8 hours

Seedling care, top dressing, and pricking out

As soon as the first loop of seedlings appears, the container is immediately moved under a fluorescent lamp, and the temperature is reduced to 16–18 °C. One must not wait for the appearance of the rest of the sprouts, otherwise, the first and strongest plants will have their hypocotyl stretched, and the seedlings will grow weak. After 4–5 days, the temperature is raised again to 22–25 °C.

Pepper is extremely heat-loving, therefore seedling boxes must not be placed on a windowsill right next to the glass. At the same time, the crop is very demanding of good lighting, although it does not stretch as much as tomato when it is deficient. At the moment the cotyledonous leaves open, the development program is set at the growing point. If there is not enough light, the plant will start producing leaves instead of a fork with the first bud, which will delay budding and fruiting.

Top dressing of seedlings begins immediately after the cotyledonous leaves open. For irrigation, a weak solution of the "Uniflor-buton" preparation is used at a rate of 2 teaspoons per 5 liters of water. Pepper is a potassium-loving crop, so from its first days of life, it requires potassium nutrition, rather than the nitrogen-based "Uniflor-rost". A solution with increased doses of potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and 15 macro- and micronutrients can be prepared in advance; it can be stored for a long time.

Initially, one teaspoon of the solution is poured under each plant every other day. As the seedlings grow, the dose is gradually increased, constantly maintaining moderate soil moisture. Alternatively, an AVA fertilizer infusion can be used. For this, 1 teaspoon of the dust fraction or fine granules is dissolved in 3 liters of water.

The AVA infusion is stirred before each irrigation, allowed to settle, and the liquid phase is used instead of water, after which the container is refilled to 3 liters. One teaspoon of the dry fraction is enough for the entire seedling growing period. Ash, azophoska, and other mineral fertilizers are also suitable for top dressing.

Pricking out is started at approximately the stage of 4 true leaves — at this age, seedlings tolerate transplanting more easily. For seedlings, pots with drainage holes are prepared not only at the bottom but also in the lower part of the side walls for better air exchange. Before pricking out, the plants are watered abundantly to facilitate the extraction of roots from the moist soil.

1. Fill the pots with prepared soil, compact it, and water thoroughly.
2. Make a hole and carefully lower the seedling into it so as not to bend or damage the root.
3. Gently firm the soil around the plant stem.
4. Water the planted seedling with a teaspoon of nutrient solution.

For the first 2–3 days after picking, the seedlings are not illuminated, allowing them to adapt. Subsequently, the fluorescent lamp is switched on for no more than 8 hours a day. Pepper is a short-day plant, so strict adherence to the light regime is important for its proper development.

Transplanting seedlings into a greenhouse and temperature regime

The root system of the pepper is compact, but extremely sensitive to any damage. To prevent the roots from curling into a ball and to ensure rapid development after transplanting, seedlings are grown in containers with a volume of at least 0.5 l. Transplanting is carried out using the transfer method, preserving the root ball, as the root system is easily injured even during loosening or weeding.

Planting in greenhouses or hotbeds is carried out only after the soil has warmed up. The earth at planting depth must have a temperature of at least 15–16 °C. To achieve this, beds are prepared in advance: insulated, covered with black film, and watered with hot water immediately before planting.

• Volume of the seedling container — at least 0.5 l
• Soil temperature for planting — from 15–16 °C
• Chlorine-free potassium fertilizer — 1 tbsp per hole
• Irrigation interval with hydrogel — 3–4 weeks
• Growing season of late hybrids — about 7 months
• Time for pruning shoots and flowers — end of July

When planting, it is important to observe the feeding area recommended by the manufacturer. Overcrowding of plantings reduces light availability and triggers the development of stem rot. Immediately after planting, the soil is mulched with green organic matter, which must be regularly renewed throughout the season.

1. Prepare holes according to the size of the seedling root ball.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of chlorine-free potassium fertilizer and a handful of feathers to each hole, and fill with hot water to the brim.
3. After the water has been absorbed, plant the seedlings together with the root ball without burying them — at the same level as they grew in the pot.
4. Compact the soil around the stem, water with warm water, and tie the plants to stakes (except for low-growing cultivars).

Plants are not watered for the first week after transplanting. Subsequently, pepper requires moderate irrigation. Using hydrogel during planting in combination with constant mulching with green organic matter allows reducing the frequency of irrigation to once every 3–4 weeks.

Bush formation and crop regulation

Tall cultivars and hybrids require mandatory staking and formation. Low-growing varieties can be grown without these operations. On tall plants, all leaves and side shoots below the first fork of the stem are gradually removed. If three shoots form in the fork instead of two, the third one is removed.

Special attention is paid to the first fork of the bush, where the crown bud is formed (in some hybrids, from 2 to 4 buds). The fruit developing from it releases growth inhibitors that suppress the development of subsequent fruit sets on the bush.

Inside the bush, branches and buds directed toward the center are completely cut out to prevent overcrowding and the appearance of deformed fruits. In conditions of a short, cool summer, 2–3 subsequent forks manage to form on each branch, which allows for 2–3 harvests per season. For timely fruit ripening at the end of July, all new flowers and buds are picked off, leaving only fruit sets, and the tips of all branches are pruned. This allows for a marketable harvest by the end of September.

Harvesting time depends on the breeding. Bulgarian-bred cultivars are harvested at the stage of technical maturity — they ripen well indoors. Large-fruited thick-walled hybrids of Dutch breeding with late ripening dates are tasteless at technical maturity. They are harvested only after the appearance of the first traces of cultivar color, or better yet, when fully ripened on the bush. Late hybrids require about 7 months of the growing season, so they are sown for seedlings in early February, and at the end of summer they are protected with cover material or night heating and additional lighting are used.

Perennial pepper: overwintering bushes and emergency greenhouse heating

By its biological nature, pepper is a perennial, so its growing season can be extended to the next season. If there are many small fruit sets left on the plants by the end of summer, it is advisable to dig up the bushes and bring them into the house for the winter. This will allow the current harvest to mature on the windowsill and provide an extra-early harvest next year. To protect the planting in the greenhouse during critical periods of night cold, local heating is used.

The technology for preserving mature bushes during the winter period requires strict adherence to temperature and water regimes. In home conditions, the plant undergoes a forced dormant phase, after which it quickly restores vegetative mass. Experience shows that both pepper and tomato plants can be transported back and forth to the greenhouse in this way. However, after 2–3 years of wintering, the plants eventually die.

1. Transplant the pepper at the end of the season into a large flower pot or a cut-off 5–6-liter water bottle with soil from the greenhouse.
2. Place the container on a home windowsill, where the plant will successfully finish maturing its harvest.
3. Stop top dressing at the end of November or the beginning of December after leaf drop and reduce irrigation to a minimum.
4. Prune the dried ends of the branches in February when new leaves appear, then increase irrigation and top dressing.
5. Transport the plant with buds to the dacha in the spring and carefully transplant it into the soil under a cover.

• Temperature increase from one 100-watt bulb — by 5–7 degrees
• Volume of the plastic container for transplanting — 5–6 liters
• Period of leaf drop and onset of dormancy — end of November – early December
• Maximum overwintering period for plants — 2–3 years