Content
Healthy, strong seedlings are the key to a good harvest. Growing pepper seedlings has a number of features that should be taken into account in order to obtain high-quality plants capable of producing a rich harvest of pepper fruits during the current growing season.
Already at the end of winter, many gardeners are preoccupied with preparing for the next season. Pepper seeds have been purchased and the soil is ready. Some crops are sown as seedlings. Often the result is not satisfactory at the initial stage. Pepper seedlings stretched out. What to do? The causes should be investigated and eliminated, taking into account the requirements of young plants for growing conditions.
Any plant needs 4 components for normal healthy growth: light, heat, water, nutrients.
Light
Some gardeners plant pepper seeds as early as late February - early March. It is understandable to want to get a pepper harvest as early as possible. According to calendar terms, spring has already begun, although according to phenological terms it can come much later. The daylight hours are still too short for the growing pepper seedlings to receive full sunlight. And spring weather does not always please with bright sunshine.
Each plant reaches for the sun, and as a result we have elongated, frail seedlings. We get pepper seedlings with elongated internodes, which significantly affects the yield.During normal development, pepper seedlings develop short internodes and there are more of them; accordingly, there will be more clusters with fruits that develop from the internodes. If the plant has become elongated, the distance between the nodes has increased, so there will be fewer pepper fruits on the plant. You can harvest almost 30% less. Conclusion: Pepper seedlings need additional lighting so that the plants are strong, with short internodes.
The role of screens is played by a mirror or foil, rolled insulation covered with foil, even simple white paper or fabric. Sunlight falling on the screens is reflected and hits the plants, thus illuminating them.
This method is undoubtedly economical and does not require large financial investments, but it will not be of any use on cloudy days or if your windows face north.
Then in your case you cannot do without lamps for additional illumination plants. It is worth keeping in mind that not all lamps are suitable for providing additional lighting for pepper seedlings. You will need lamps whose light is as close as possible to the spectrum of sunlight. Regular incandescent lamps will not work.
- Phytolamps “Flora” and “Reflex”. Use the Flora lamp in combination with a reflector. It is quite economical. "Reflax" is equipped with a built-in reflector and mounting brackets. One thing: phytolamps are quite expensive;
- Fluorescent lamps Can be used for additional lighting of pepper seedlings.But they have cold light and are poor in the red spectrum, which is so necessary for plants;
- LED lights are by far the most promising. Their advantages: LEDs are inexpensive, come in different spectrums, consume a minimum of electrical energy, and are easy to install and operate. Therefore, they have won the love of many gardeners. The Almaz LED lamp is screwed into a regular socket; small lamps on a clothespin can be used for it. “Almaz” has a blue-red spectrum and consumes very little electricity.
For proper development of seedlings, pepper requires 12 hours of daylight.
Another mistake that beginner gardeners most often make: they sow seeds in one container very often. As a result, thickened seedlings of pepper seedlings are obtained. In this case, the struggle for existence among plants begins. The seedlings stretch, trying to get the maximum amount of sunlight, while shading each other.
Exit: do not delay picking. If your plants have 2-3 true leaves, then get down to business. Although earlier picking is possible, and later, when 4-5 true leaves have already appeared on the seedlings. At later dates, picking is more difficult, since the root system of the plants is already quite large and intertwined, and the plants themselves have become elongated and weakened. Therefore the late picking pepper seedlings It is extremely painful, it freezes in growth, and as a result, the prospect of harvesting is delayed by more than 2 weeks.
The picking process is not difficult. Prepare containers with a volume of 300-500 ml in advance, always with drainage holes. Fill them with soil. Flush the common container with pepper seedlings well with water so that you can remove the plant without damaging it, along with a lump of earth. Transfer to a new separate container. Try to ensure that the pepper root is placed vertically and not bent or curled, which leads to stunting in the development of the plant.
Experienced gardeners advise immediately planting seeds in separate containers, either in peat pots or in tablets. It is believed that pepper seedlings do not tolerate picking well, freeze in growth and lag behind in development. Therefore, it is better not to pick the pepper, but to transfer it, that is, move it from a smaller container to a larger one along with a lump of earth, while adding the required amount of soil.
Warm
Failure to comply with the temperature regime also leads to the fact that pepper seedlings become elongated.
Most often, seedlings are grown on window sills; the windowsill is usually cold. Take the time to place foam or a thick layer of cardboard under the containers with pepper seedlings. If the roots are cold, they will not be able to absorb nutrients. This measure is a preventive measure to protect pepper seedlings from the appearance of fungal and viral diseases.
There are several ways to increase the temperature on the windowsill.
- The first method: lay the bars on the window sill, lay plywood on top of them of such a size that part of it protrudes beyond the window sill. This will cause the warm air from the battery, which rises, to meet the plywood on its way and be directed under it, thus heating it and your seedlings;
- Another way: use foam insulation covered with foil.Sold in construction stores. Bend the insulation strip into a P shape. Make one side longer. Place on the windowsill, cut holes on top for containers with pepper seedlings. The strip will lie on the windowsill on one side, there will be containers in the holes on it, and the long part will go down onto the radiator, directing warm air to the seedlings.
After the first shoots appear, a decrease in temperature is required. +17+18 degrees during the day and +15 degrees at night. At higher temperatures, the plant begins to stretch and the roots stop developing.
After 3-4 days, the temperature should be slightly adjusted. During the day +25 degrees, at night +16 degrees. In cloudy weather +18 degrees.
Harden off the plants. Starting in April, containers with pepper seedlings can be taken out onto the balcony, gradually increasing the time from 1 hour to 8. And then you can switch to keeping the seedlings on the balcony around the clock. Gradually, the plant should get used to the abundance of sunlight. It is not recommended to expose plants directly to the sun. Thus, the pepper seedlings will get used to temperature changes and will tolerate future transplantation into the ground without complications.
To make pepper seedlings more easily tolerate unfavorable conditions, treat them with Epin every 10 days. "Epin" increases the defenses of plants against temperature changes, drought, low light and other negative environmental influences.
Moisture
Further regular care of pepper seedlings consists of watering and fertilizing. Here we act based on the principle: “do no harm.”
It is not recommended to water the seedlings at all for the first 3-4 days after emergence.Then the seedlings are watered with warm water +25+30 degrees. Very carefully, using a tablespoon or rubber syringe, as seedlings are easily washed out of the soil.
In our apartments the air is very warm and, most often, very dry. The soil dries out quickly. The desire of gardeners to water more often is understandable. But everything is good in moderation. Eliminate dry air by ventilating the room, but avoid drafts. Use a device such as a humidifier. Or simply place a container of water near the seedlings.
Do not allow plants to wither due to lack of moisture. But don't over-water it either. Overwatering is the other extreme that can happen to plants due to your “generosity”. High humidity, dense plantings, and stagnant air lead to the development of a disease such as blackleg, which can completely destroy your seedlings. Other, no less dangerous diseases caused by fungi, viruses and bacteria become more active against the background of high humidity.
Watering pepper seedlings should be consistently moderate, without excessive waterlogging and without drying out the earthen clod.
Feeding
If the conditions are met, and the seedlings continue to stretch, then most likely they do not have enough nutrition.
It's not worth it at the very beginning feed pepper seedlings, there are enough nutrients in the soil.
The first fertilizing can be done when the plants develop 2-3 true leaves. The Agricola-Forward fertilizer works well; it strengthens seedlings and promotes the development of the root system.
You can use the following preparations for pepper seedlings: “NV – 101” and “Shine – 2”, alternating them. These are natural biostimulants of growth.“Shine – 2” is a microbiological fertilizer; when applied, the amount of beneficial microflora in the soil increases. In the absence of such microorganisms, various pathogens begin to predominate in the soil.
Based on these preparations, you can prepare a kind of cocktail for pepper seedlings. To do this, prepare a solution from “Shine – 2”: take 1 tsp per 0.3 liter of water. l. drug and granulated sugar, dissolve, leave for 24 hours. Then, to prepare a bio-cocktail, add to 1 liter of water: 1 tsp. pre-prepared solution “Siyanie – 2”, 2 drops of “NV – 101”, 2 granules of the preparations “Healthy Garden” and “Ecoberin”.
There are other stimulants: “Epin”, “Zircon”, “Immunocytophyte”.
Combine treatment with stimulants with the application of fertilizers. Use: “Ideal”, “Orton – Fe”, “Aquadon – micro”.
The second feeding should be carried out 10 days after the first or in the phase when the pepper seedlings have 5 true leaves. You can feed with urea and superphosphate (5 and 30 g, respectively, per bucket of water - 10 liters).
Plants respond well to the addition of ash, as well as to watering with nettle infusion.
Final fertilizing of pepper seedlings is carried out immediately before planting the plants in the ground, about 3 days in advance. Feed the seedlings with superphosphate and potassium sulfate (50 and 30 g per bucket of water - 10 liters).
Experienced gardeners advise treating pepper seedlings in the phase of 3-4 true leaves with Atlet. This drug regulates the growth of seedlings; young plants do not outgrow even in the absence of good lighting.Do not overuse the drug; you can apply it once, diluting the contents of 1 ampoule in 1 liter of water. Plants can be sprayed or watered. Still, it would be much more correct to comply with the growing conditions of the seedlings.
Conclusion
When analyzing the actions in the process of growing pepper seedlings, most gardeners always have certain errors or the entire list of them. The main thing is to understand the mistake and correct it, which will lead to healthy, strong pepper seedlings, and in the end you will get a guaranteed good harvest result.
