Content
There are several ways to water peppers in a greenhouse. But when using any of them, you need to adhere to the basic rules.
Rules for watering peppers
Peppers in a greenhouse react sensitively to the time of adding water and its composition. If you do not pay due attention to watering, you can cause harm to the crop.
Water composition and temperature
Pepper prefers clean water without chlorine and other hard elements. It is best to use settled well liquid for irrigation. It has a fairly soft composition and at the same time contains valuable minerals.
The water temperature should be approximately 25 °C. It is impossible to water peppers in a greenhouse with cold liquid, as this can cause the crop to get sick.The soil in the greenhouse is always quite warm, so the roots of the bushes react sensitively to sudden temperature changes.
Watering time
It is necessary to water peppers in a greenhouse in the morning before noon or in the evening after sunset. After this, it is recommended to leave the greenhouse open for ventilation for an hour to prevent excess moisture from forming. The procedure is not carried out at the height of the day - in well-warmed soil, the roots can get burned when moisture enters. If drops of water fall on the leaves, the crop may also suffer, become covered with dry brownish spots and begin to turn yellow.
If plants in the ground require watering only in dry weather, then the peppers in the greenhouse need to be moistened regularly, including during the rainy season. In wet weather, water evaporates from the soil more slowly, but the soil still dries out. Ideally, both in the rain and in the heat, the soil in the greenhouse on the pepper beds should remain moderately moist.
Frequency of watering peppers in a greenhouse
Peppers generally do not require constant watering. In moderately hot weather, plantings are moistened 1-2 times a week. If the summer is dry and the soil dries out quickly even in a greenhouse, watering is carried out once every 2-3 days.
With excess moisture, pepper often suffers from rot, mold and other ailments.
How to properly water peppers in a greenhouse
When watering peppers in a greenhouse, it is necessary to take into account the growing season of the plant. At the stage of active development, the crop requires more moisture; shortly before harvesting, the need for water decreases.
How to water peppers in a greenhouse after planting seedlings
Immediately after transplanting into a greenhouse, peppers are watered up to twice a week in moderately warm weather. In heated soil, the crop takes root without any problems, so it usually does not require a large amount of moisture. If it is very hot outside, you can increase the frequency and water the plantings once every two days.
At 1 m2 soil, it is necessary to spend 10 liters of water. It is better to water peppers less frequently, but more abundantly, than to constantly add a small amount of moisture to the soil. In the latter case, the likelihood of fungal development increases.
How to water peppers in a greenhouse during flowering
During the flowering period, peppers expend a lot of energy and need more liquid than usual. It is necessary to apply moisture to the root of the plant at least twice a week. In hot weather, it is allowed to water even daily if the condition of the soil in the greenhouse requires it.
It is important to ensure that water does not fall directly on the buds. Irrigation of above-ground parts harms the crop; flowering may slow down or stop.
How to water peppers in a greenhouse during fruiting
At the first stage of fruit formation, peppers must be moistened every 2-3 days so that the ovaries are large and abundant. At the same time, 3-5 liters of water are consumed per plant, depending on the size of the bush.
Peppers in the greenhouse should be watered in minimal quantities during the ripening period shortly before harvesting. It is enough to moisten the plantings once every four days, maintaining the same volumes of liquid application.
Watering methods
There are several ways to water peppers. The mechanical method of introducing moisture is usually more convenient, but requires the construction of special devices.
Manual
Manual watering is the most affordable and easiest of all methods.The peppers are moistened using a watering can or water is poured under the roots of the plants directly from a bucket. The procedure is carried out in the morning or evening, until the bright sun illuminates the plantings; they try to direct the liquid so that it does not fall on the leaves of the crop.
It is convenient to manually apply liquid fertilizers for peppers simultaneously with watering
Auto
An automatic watering method involves installing a special system in the greenhouse, equipped with smart sensors. In this case, wetting of the plantings occurs without the direct participation of the gardener. At the right time, the system turns on automatically, waters and goes into an inactive state until the next time.
The disadvantage of automation is its high cost. Installing the system requires a large investment. The site must have permanent sources of water and electricity. It is necessary to carefully think through and implement the installation of the system in a greenhouse.
If there is an automatic watering system, the peppers in the greenhouse receive water on time even in the absence of the gardener
Mechanical
A mechanical irrigation system is similar to an automatic one, but requires constant human supervision. Typically, several irrigation or sprinkler units are located in a greenhouse, connected to hoses, and the latter are connected to sources of water and electricity. To carry out irrigation, you must manually open the taps on the pipelines and ensure the supply of liquid. The system is then turned off again.
Mechanical watering is convenient because it makes the gardener’s work easier and allows him to avoid wasting extra time on manual watering.But during the absence of people at the dacha, the peppers in the greenhouse will not be able to receive water, since there will be no one to operate the system.
Mechanical watering consumes a lot of water, so you need to turn on the system for no more than half an hour
Sprinkler
Sprinkler irrigation is most often used for peppers growing in open ground. In this case, sprinklers throw water upward, and it falls onto the beds in frequent drops, imitating natural precipitation.
The method is rarely used in a greenhouse, since its use sharply increases air humidity. The greenhouse has to be ventilated more often, and as a result, the mechanical watering system does not simplify, but only complicates the care of the vegetable crop. Another disadvantage of sprinkling is that it cannot be used during the flowering period - water should not fall on the pepper buds.
Sprinkling for peppers can only be done in cloudy weather without bright sun
Drip watering of peppers in a greenhouse
Drip irrigation is the most popular. Its essence lies in the fact that in a greenhouse, pipes or hoses with small holes are laid between the beds near the pepper bushes. In this case, water flows directly under the roots of the plants in small quantities, but constantly.
The method is convenient in that when used, the soil in the greenhouse remains moderately moist, but does not sour. When watering, the liquid does not get on the green parts of the plants. The system does not require special control; it is only important to replenish the main source of water supply on time.
When installing drip irrigation, it is recommended to provide taps that allow you to shut off the flow of moisture.The easiest place to install a shut-off valve is where the system connects to the large water tank. But from a practical point of view, it is more convenient to install separate taps for each bed, in which case watering can be dosed for different areas of the greenhouse. If the soil in the greenhouse dries out unevenly, the pepper bushes will not suffer from either waterlogging or lack of moisture.
To create a drip system, flexible hoses are usually used, in which small holes can be easily made
Nuances of watering
To ensure quality watering for peppers, you need to consider which greenhouse they grow in. The type of greenhouse determines the level of humidity and the plants' need for liquid.
In a polycarbonate greenhouse
Polycarbonate greenhouses have good light transmission and thermal insulation. It is recommended to use drip or mechanical methods for watering peppers. This humidification system allows you to provide the plantings with a sufficient amount of liquid without flooding the growing bushes.
The average water consumption when watering in a polycarbonate greenhouse is 10 liters for 20 small plants. According to the usual rules, the crop is moistened more actively during the period of flowering and ovary formation. Watering peppers in a polycarbonate greenhouse during fruiting is kept to a minimum so as not to deteriorate the quality of the crop.
When using a greenhouse of this type, it is especially important to pay attention to regular ventilation. They are carried out in a one-way way, so as not to create a draft in the greenhouse, which is dangerous for the peppers. Even at the stage of planting the crop, you need to make sure that there are enough windows in the greenhouse.
Two weeks before harvest, watering peppers in a polycarbonate greenhouse is completely stopped.
In a greenhouse under film
In film greenhouses, peppers grow in conditions of high humidity and often suffer from a lack of fresh air. Therefore, special care must be taken when watering.
Most often, for small greenhouses, a manual humidification method or a drip system is used. The latter should be equipped with shut-off regulators to stop the flow of water to the plants if necessary. As in all cases, the amount of moisture must be correlated with the actual condition of the soil. If the soil is swampy, then even in hot weather the next watering should be canceled and attention should be paid to ventilation.
In a film greenhouse, peppers need to be properly moistened during planting by pouring 2 liters of water into each hole.
When to stop watering
Peppers need moisture throughout the growing season, with the exception of the fruiting period. About two weeks before harvesting, watering should be stopped completely. In this case, ripening vegetables will be juicier and will not crack. In addition, limiting the amount of moisture can stimulate the formation of new flowers after fruiting. It is possible that in this case it will be possible to harvest again.
It is necessary to stop watering at any stage of the pepper growing season if there are signs of over-watering of the crop:
- when bush growth slows;
- with yellowing and wilting of leaves;
- when stems and roots rot;
- when pests or slugs appear on the bushes;
- when soft spots or mold forms on ripening vegetables.
Due to excess moisture, peppers often suffer from fungal diseases. The latter can affect both seedlings and adult bushes that are at the stage of ovary formation or fruiting.
When grown in a film greenhouse, peppers must be constantly ventilated. In this case, it is impossible to create a draft; the greenhouse is opened for a short time and only from one end. It is also recommended to regularly loosen the soil to a shallow depth so that oxygen reaches the roots of the plants.
Tips and tricks
When moistening greenhouse peppers, you must adhere to some rules and useful recommendations:
- Simultaneously with watering, it is useful to apply liquid organic and mineral fertilizers. In particular, in the spring, manure with a high nitrogen content can be diluted in water at the rate of 1 kg per bucket. When watering pepper in a greenhouse in September, add 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of urea per 10 liters. This solution improves the fruiting of the crop and increases the juiciness of vegetables.
- When grown in a greenhouse, it is recommended to tie peppers to supports. In conditions of high temperature and humidity, the fruits ripen especially juicy and massive, so the stems of the bushes can break under their weight.
- You cannot water peppers in a greenhouse in hot weather using hard tap water. It is better to use melt, rain, or well liquid, and only after standing in a barrel in the sun for at least 12 hours.
- If the composition of the water is still too hard, you can add wood ash to it at the rate of 250 g per 10 liters. The powder will soften the liquid and enrich it with useful minerals.
In heavy clay soil for greenhouse pepper plantings, watering is carried out less frequently.On sandy soil, bushes require more frequent watering because water evaporates much faster.
To ensure that water remains in the soil longer after watering, peppers in the greenhouse can be mulched with straw.
Conclusion
It is necessary to water the peppers in the greenhouse regularly, but so that the soil does not become waterlogged. Particular attention should be paid to ventilation, which reduces the overall level of humidity. In this case, the bushes will grow healthy, bring a bountiful harvest and will not suffer from fungi.
