Content
In order for pepper to produce a good and high-quality harvest, it is necessary to choose the right variety, taking into account not only such characteristics as the duration of the growing season, the weight and size of the fruit. It is very important to take into account the climate zone in which the plant grows and bears fruit well, whether it is adapted for cultivation in open ground or a greenhouse, and also how demanding the pepper variety is for regular watering and fertilizers. Another criterion for choosing a productive litter is the exact time and timing of sowing the planting material, and transferring it to open ground.
A few secrets for getting high yields
Even if you have chosen the most productive pepper variety that is fully suitable for the growing conditions in your region, it is not a fact that after the end of the growing season you will be able to remove a large number of ripe and large fruits from the bush.Experienced gardeners know the secrets of obtaining large harvests and achieve their goals by applying only 8 basic rules for growing peppers.
Sowing seeds
Having prepared the planting material, it is very important to comply with the timing of its planting. As a rule, seeds are planted in the ground already in early February, trying to get early harvests, however, for the regions of the Urals and Western Siberia, such seedlings will not give a stable, friendly harvest. Early seedlings of even the most productive varieties do not always show what they are capable of, so for these regions it is better to sow planting material in mid-March.
Germination
In order to obtain rapid germination of seedlings, and the seedlings themselves are strong, the planting material must be soaked before sowing. To do this, line a small plate with a layer of cotton wool, lay out the pepper seeds and cover with another layer of cotton wool, which is thoroughly sprinkled with water. After the procedure, the planting material sprouts within 3-4 days. When sprouting, you can use organic growth stimulants such as HB-101 or aloe juice. The plate is left in a warm place, and as the top layer of cotton dries, do not forget to moisten it. As soon as the main part of the planting material sprouts, 2-3 cm high, the seeds can be planted in the ground.
Sowing for seedlings
One of the secrets of sweet peppers is that this culture is a “supporter of individuality,” and therefore hatched planting material should never be placed in large containers or seedling boxes. No more than two seeds are placed in a planting container or peat pot. At the same time, containers for growing seedlings should not be transparent.Another secret of growing sweet peppers is that the roots of this crop do not tolerate open sunlight. We do not bury the planting material. To obtain strong seedlings, simply sprinkle the seed with a 2 mm layer of substrate.
Picking
There is a category of productive varieties that do not like and cannot tolerate transplanting. What to do with such plants when picking, which is so important for obtaining strong and good seedlings? Standard picking and digging activities are not suitable in this case, since the seedlings will immediately stop growing.
Experienced gardeners recommend approaching the cultivation of such varieties and hybrids individually, immediately placing the hatched seed in large planting containers (at least 500 ml). If you use this method of planting, the plant will not need picking.
Watering
In order for the seedlings to subsequently produce a good quality harvest, the seedlings must be watered regularly, preventing the soil from drying out. Remember that every missed watering and every wilted leaf of seedlings will significantly reduce the yield in the future.
Place for growing productive peppers
Sweet bell pepper loves heat and light, preferring to grow in fertile neutral soils. In order to get a high-quality and large harvest, be sure to add pre-prepared compost to the holes for planting seedlings. Do not plant the plant in places where there may be drafts. The place in the garden should be well heated by the sun and well lit.
The optimal temperature for growing pepper is 25-26C. Only in this case can you get a friendly and high-quality harvest.In addition, peppers really like to keep their roots warm, so how well you prepare and insulate the soil can also affect the yield of the crop.
Not all varieties of productive peppers are resistant to temperature changes in the air and on the soil, so farmers often insulate the soil by placing plastic bottles with hot water in the soil. Even in summer, such “battery” beds will not interfere with pepper growing in open ground.
Watering, fertilizing, mulching
An adult plant, even under the most favorable growth conditions, needs regular watering. Even if you see the label “drought tolerance” on the package of planting material, remember that this definition applies only to minor deviations from the regular watering schedule.
In order for sweet peppers to produce a high-quality harvest, avoid overwatering and stagnation of moisture in the soil. In cloudy weather, the soil will not dry out immediately, which means the root may become rotten.
As soon as you have planted pepper seedlings in a permanent place of growth, mulch the beds, creating a layer 15-20 cm high. Do the same throughout the entire period of ripening and fruiting, regularly adding a little mulch under the plant. This is one of the secrets that the soil will not dry out, even if you miss 1-2 waterings.
It is advisable to feed sweet peppers once a week. This also significantly affects its yield. Of the organic fertilizers, the best for pepper yield is an infusion of wood ash (at the rate of 2 cups per bucket of water). Recently, a tincture of nettle leaves has become very popular among farmers. As it turned out, this plant stimulates growth well and promotes abundant flowering of peppers.
Bush formation
When transferring seedlings to the ground, remove from the plant all inflorescences that have managed to appear. Seedlings in a new location should concentrate on growing rather than flowering. When 4-5 branches are formed on the bush, start pinching the plant. Leave as many ovaries on it after branching as you consider necessary, and remove the remaining leaves.
If you have chosen a tall, productive sweet pepper variety, remove all lower leaves and shoots from the plant. And if late varieties of pepper grow in your beds, in early or mid-September, leave on the bush only those inflorescences that have managed to set. The remaining flowers need to be removed, since the fruits on them will not have time to ripen, but the plant will spend energy on this.
By following all these rules, you can achieve significant results, increasing the yield significantly.
The best early varieties of productive peppers
Early ripening pepper has a growing season of up to 100 days, and gives good stable yields when grown in open ground in the southern regions or when seedlings are transferred to greenhouse conditions. The following are considered popular productive varieties in central Russia:
Snow White
The variety is intended for cultivation in greenhouses and long film tunnels. Refers to mid-early, high-yielding. The bush is low-growing and compact, so a planting pattern of 30x50 cm is used. When growth stops completely, the height of the bush rarely exceeds 50 cm. The growing season begins on day 100-105. The fruits are cone-shaped and do not exceed 10 cm in length. The skin of the pepper is dense, white in color, the flesh is sweetish, juicy, and the wall thickness is up to 7 mm.
Features of the “Snow White” variety: seed sowing depth is 3 cm; regular feeding of the plant with mineral fertilizers is necessary.Sowing time is March, harvest time is the end of June.
Dwarf
The variety is intended for cultivation in greenhouses and under film covers. It is one of the most frost-resistant varieties with early ripening. The growing season begins on the hundredth day after the seed hatches. The fruits are small in size, the weight of each pepper does not exceed 80-90 grams. with a wall thickness of up to 8 mm, painted red. The plant is low-growing, compact, supports a planting pattern of 50x30 cm. Growing features: “Dwarf” pepper requires regular mineral feeding during the growth period.
Martin
An early ripening variety, one of the features of which is the rapid ripening of fruits. The growing season in the southern regions and under the conditions of planting pepper in a greenhouse is 100-105 days. The bush in open ground does not exceed 60 cm in height, in a greenhouse - 70-75 cm. The fruits have a regular cone shape, smooth, and colored red. The wall of the fruit at full maturity is “fleshy”, with a thickness of 0.9-1 cm, while the weight of one pepper rarely exceeds 100 grams.
The variety is considered high-yielding. If all the rules of care, watering and fertilizing are followed, up to 6-7 kg of tasty harvest can be harvested from one bush. Distinctive features of the “Swallow” pepper are its resistance to TMV, fungal diseases, bacterial wilt and root rot.
Winnie the Pooh
A high-yielding, early-ripening variety with small compact bushes and bouquet arrangement of fruits. The fruiting period begins 105-100 days after the seed hatches. The fruits are rich red in color and cone-shaped. The weight of one fruit is 80-100 g, with a wall thickness of up to 7-8 mm.
Winnie the Pooh It is famous among gardeners and farmers for its high product characteristics.The fruits are smooth, the skin is glossy and dense. In addition, Winnie the Pooh has high shelf life and preservation of taste during long-term transportation.
Mid-season productive pepper varieties
The growing season of these varieties and hybrids begins 110-130 days after the first shoots. In the south of Russia and in its central zone, varieties are planted in open ground and greenhouses; in the northern regions, mid-season varieties are recommended to be grown only on protected soils.
California miracle
This is one of the most popular and beloved mid-season varieties by gardeners. The seeds germinate quickly and can be planted as seedlings as early as mid-March. In addition to the fact that the plant produces high yields, the fruits themselves have excellent commercial characteristics. All fruits have an even, regular cubic shape. The variety is classified as thick-walled - the average wall thickness is from 8 to 10 mm.
Small compact bushes do not exceed 70 cm, however, during the growing season of the plant, up to 5-6 kg of tasty fleshy fruits can be removed from one such bush. The “California Miracle” variety is a universal variety, and, in addition to various culinary processing and canning, does not lose its taste and is widely used for freezing.
Gift from Moldova
A high-yielding variety with compact and low bushes, intended for cultivation in open ground and greenhouse conditions. The fruits have a regular cone shape and are colored red at biological maturity. The weight of one pepper does not exceed 100 grams, with an average wall thickness of up to 5 mm.
Features of the “Gift of Moldova” variety are undemanding in care and feeding and high resistance to viral and fungal diseases.
Orange King
The variety belongs to the mid-early variety, but when grown in central Russia, the Urals and Siberia, it produces fruit only 110-115 days from the first shoots. The plant is more than 1 meter high, so it requires staking when growing in open ground or in a greenhouse.
The fruits are large, thick-walled, colored a rich orange color, and have an even cuboid shape. The average weight of a fully ripe pepper is 150-200 grams, and up to 6-7 kg of crop is harvested from one bush. The plant is resistant to TMV, root rot, and bacterial leaf wilt. "Orange King" produces the best yields under film covers.
Late-ripening fruitful varieties of sweet peppers
These varieties are recommended for cultivation in the southern regions of the country or in stationary heated polycarbonate greenhouses. Good yields are produced by both varieties of domestic selection and hybrids of Dutch, Italian and German breeders.
Gladiator
High-yielding hybrid of Dutch selection. It is grown in greenhouses and greenhouses. The fruits are large, pyramidal in shape, with a wall thickness of up to 12 mm. At full maturity, one pepper can reach a size of up to 13-15 cm, weighing about 250 grams.
Black cardinal
A hybrid bred by Italian breeders. The fruits are bright purple or red in color, with a wall thickness of up to 10 mm. The average weight of the fruit during the ripening period can reach 250 grams. Up to 5-6 kg of crop is harvested from one bush in greenhouse conditions. Distinctive features of the hybrid are the plant’s high demands for additional nutrition throughout the entire period of growth and fruiting.
Madonna F1
High-yielding variety with beautiful fleshy fruits. Wall thickness is 10-12 mm, average fruit weight is 200 g.Madonna is recognized as one of the best hybrids for growing in stationary greenhouses. Up to 6 kg of large sweet peppers are harvested from one bush.
Distinctive features of the Madonna hybrid are its high resistance to viral and fungal diseases and the ability to produce good yields even in shaded areas of the garden.
Watch the video on how to achieve large yields of sweet peppers in your garden plots
