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February is just around the corner! And at the end of February you need to start preparing for sowing pepper seeds. Since bell pepper of any variety is somewhat “stubborn” in terms of germination, it is better to sow it early than to grieve later about the non-germination of the seeds. It happens that you have to wait three weeks, if not more, for seedlings. Sometimes, not only the yield, but also how resistant the seedlings will be to diseases and bad weather depends on how the seeds were sown correctly. In this regard, you should pay attention to the Red Shovel pepper variety. You can see what it looks like in the photo below:
Description of the variety
Red Shovel pepper is an early-ripening variety, fully ripening by about 100-110 days. It grows both in a greenhouse and in an open garden bed. Red fruits with thick walls (7-8 mm), weighing 120-130 grams, sweet, juicy, with a pronounced peppery aroma and taste. In appearance they really resemble a shovel - due to their flattened shape. Thanks to this shape, it is very convenient to preserve it whole, since the jar contains much more fruit than other types of pepper. A characteristic feature of the Red Shovel pepper variety is the uniform ripening of fruits, of which there are usually up to fifteen pieces on a bush.The bush is compact, of medium height (from 50 to 80 cm); due to the abundance of fruits, it requires staking to a support. From 1 square meter you get approximately 4-5 kg of pepper. Resistant to pests and diseases.
Growing peppers from seedlings
One of the differences between sweet pepper and other vegetable crops is its long growing season. Therefore, according to experienced vegetable growers, early varieties of pepper, for example, such as Red Shovel pepper, are most suitable for cultivation in central Russia. This pepper makes it possible to harvest the crop already on the hundredth day after germination, but provided that it was planted in the ground through seedlings.
Advantages of the seedling method
- seed germination increases due to the creation of favorable conditions;
- it becomes possible to grow the most valuable and rare varieties of pepper in a region with an unsuitable climate;
- harvesting occurs earlier;
- obtaining real savings due to a reduction in the volume of water for watering beds, it becomes possible to use less area for planting, and there is no need to spend effort on thinning the beds;
- aesthetic component - when planting seedlings, the bed is immediately formed according to wishes.
What you need to sow seeds
The main feature of bell pepper is its heat-loving nature. Despite this, gardeners in our country quite successfully grow it on their plots, even in the northern regions. But to succeed, you definitely need strong, healthy seedlings. And for this you will need very little:
- good, fertilized soil (if you don’t have any stored in the fall, store-bought soil will do);
- containers for sowing;
- properly prepared seeds;
- peat pots or disposable cups;
- a great desire to get a rich harvest and some free time.
Necessary procedures before sowing
- Pickle the pepper seedsin order to disinfect them and not have problems with pepper diseases in the future. The seeds should be poured with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, kept in it for half an hour, drained of water and dried.
- Germination test. It’s better to do it now than to guess later – will they sprout or not, and if they sprout, how long will it take? This is very simple to do: you need to spread the seeds on a damp napkin, put another napkin on top and put them in a warm place, constantly checking that they do not dry out. After 7-10 days, the seeds will hatch, and it will become clear which of them are suitable for sowing.
- Hardening of seeds. Place the plate with seeds in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. This will enable future peppers to safely survive all weather changes.
Sowing seeds
Immediately before sowing, the soil should also be disinfected by watering it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Now you can start sowing. To do this, you need to make grooves, the depth of which is no more than 1 cm, and spread the hatched seeds of the Red Shovel pepper 2 cm apart. Carefully cover the grooves with soil, stretch the film over the container and place in a warm place until shoots appear. When the first shoots emerge in a week, you should definitely remove the film so that they do not die, and move the container with the seedlings to a lighted place, most likely it will be a windowsill. Before doing this, you need to make sure that there is no cold coming from the glass, since the temperature regime is a very important component when growing pepper seedlings. The required temperature for good development of seedlings is from 20 to 25°C.
Picking
When 2-3 true leaves are formed on the plants, picking is carried out. Its goal is to give the sprouts a large area for development, while removing all weak and small sprouts. Since peppers really don’t like being touched in vain, replanting should be done very carefully so as not to damage the roots. You need to plant one Red Spade seedling in one cup. You should not bury the pepper sprout; it is better to plant it flush with the roots, this will stimulate the plant to develop a strong root system.
Feeding pepper seedlings
To support the plants, you can feed them: the first time 13-14 days after planting, the second time 10-14 days after the first feeding. To do this, you can make the following composition: saltpeter - ½ gram, superphosphate - 3 grams, potash fertilizers - 1 gram; dilute in 1 liter of settled water. For the second feeding of the Red Shovel pepper, the same fertilizers are used, but in double quantity. You can also do a third feeding; it is carried out just before transplanting into the ground: the composition of the fertilizers is the same as in the second feeding, but potassium fertilizers are increased to 8 grams.
If seedlings of the Red Shovel pepper variety grow slowly, use dormant tea, from which an infusion is prepared: for 3 liters of boiling water - a glass of dormant tea leaves, leave for 5 days, strain and pour over the peppers. You can’t get too carried away with fertilizing; immature seedlings can simply burn.Or you can completely refuse feeding. If the pepper seedlings are in comfortable conditions and the temperature regime is observed, then they will delight you with their strength and growth.
To protect pepper seedlings from diseases such as blackleg, you should water and feed the plants little by little in the morning, since excessive watering is what provokes the appearance of blackleg and root rot. It is imperative to loosen and weed the soil, doing it very carefully, without disturbing the plants.
Planting peppers in the ground
So, the age of Red Shovel pepper seedlings is already 2-2.5 months. It's time to plant in the ground. But before that it wouldn’t hurt to harden it. This is done very simply: for 3-5 days, containers with seedlings should be kept outside for several hours or in a greenhouse with open frames. But this is provided that the outside temperature is not lower than 15°C and there is no wind.
Before planting, the soil under the Red Shovel pepper seedlings should be thoroughly watered so that the transplantation is painless. Then carefully remove each plant from its cup, along with the soil if possible, and plant it in the prepared holes in the garden bed, the distance between which is at least half a meter. There is no need to plant the Red Shovel pepper too deep - the soil should be planted up to the root collar.
If the Red Shovel pepper is planted in an open bed, to protect it from possible frosts, it should be covered with film or covering material, having previously installed arcs.It is acceptable to use plastic bottles with the bottom cut off or paper caps.
Despite the fact that bell pepper is a self-pollinating crop, plants are often pollinated by insects.
Growing seedlings of any variety of pepper yourself is interesting and educational! This is the key to understanding the life process of the plant and the opportunity to get a good harvest of the exact type of pepper that was sown.
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