When to plant pepper seedlings in March 2022 according to the lunar calendar

If you want to get excellent seedlings ready for fruiting, then you need to plant pepper seedlings in March 2022 according to the lunar calendar. It is this calendar that will tell you which days in March or any other month are most preferable for sowing seeds.
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At the same time, it can be used to identify days when it is better to postpone working with seeds and seedlings. In this article we will look at how to work correctly with the lunar calendar for the first month of spring and how to use it to determine the time when to plant vegetable seedlings.

Which pepper varieties are suitable for growing in March?

March is great for planting a wide variety of types and hybrids of peppers, both sweet and bitter.

You can plant early and ultra-early varieties for greenhouses, mid-season hybrids for open ground in the Middle Strip and the South, and late hybrids for greenhouse cultivation.

What else is good about March? The fact that both summer residents of the European part of Russia and residents of Siberia and the Urals can plant seedlings without any restrictions.

If we talk about specific names, then preference should be given to the following peppers: Winn-the-Pooh, California Miracle, Gift of Moldova, Orange Miracle F1, Red Baron F1, Atlantic F1, Dobrynya Nikitich, Gold Medal, Prometheus, Marconi, Ilya Muromets, Cardinal F1, Alyosha Popovich, Yellow Bouquet, Latino F1 and many others.

Favorable days for planting peppers in March 2022 according to the lunar calendar

So, you have chosen the variety or hybrid that you will grow in your garden or in a greenhouse. Now you should determine the days when it will be better to carry out the work.

ON A NOTE. To remember which days you have chosen, mark them on a regular calendar with a red pen.

The phase of the waxing moon among most summer residents is considered the optimal time to plant seeds for seedlings. At this time, germination processes are most active.

March 2022 offers summer residents the following days as the most preferable for planting sweet and bitter peppers for seedlings:

6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 29, 30, 31

On any of these days you can sow peppercorns without restrictions.

Methods of planting seedlings

There are several ways to properly sow pepper seedlings. This process requires an understanding that bell pepper is a freedom-loving crop, requires living space and experiences severe stress when transplanted. The plant requires a long period to recover.

Attention! Any container must be sterile, that is, treated with disinfectant compounds.

In boxes or plastic containers

Use containers with a height of 80-100 mm. The bottom is covered with a layer of crushed stone or expanded clay to ensure the drainage of excess water from the soil. The container is filled with the prepared soil mixture, without adding a couple of centimeters to the edge of the container.

Using a long ruler, make grooves approximately 0.6 cm deep and 5 cm in increments. The seeds are placed in the depressions made at a distance of 3 cm from each other. For greater accuracy and speed of placement, the seeds are grabbed with tweezers.

Next, the grooves are sprinkled with earth, the poured soil is slightly compacted and carefully watered from a shallow watering can, making sure that the seeds do not float to the surface.

In cups

Individual factory-made plastic glasses have a removable bottom through which excess water drains. When using cups after yogurt, sour cream and other products, holes are made in their bottom with an awl so that the water does not stagnate.

When to plant peppers in 2022 according to the lunar calendar is not worth it

Along with “good” lunar days for planting seedlings, in any month of any year, naturally, there are also bad lunar times. Naturally, we are talking, first of all, about the days of the new moon and full moon.

For example, for planting peppers in March 2022, there are also days when it is better to do something else (for example, soaking seeds or disinfecting the soil), but not sowing seeds.

This is the 2nd (the new moon falls on this day) and the 18th (the full moon falls on this day).

ON A NOTE. There are certain gardeners who believe that seedlings should not be planted “in Aquarius,” that is, when night light passes through this constellation. But this is nothing more than superstition.

Moon phases in March

The lunar calendar is one of the most ancient on earth; it will help you choose a favorable day for sowing pepper.
You should not ignore the lunar calendar, because the movements and phases of the Moon have the greatest influence on all living things, including plants. Regarding where it is located, you can look and evaluate the effect on sowing and further growth of the plant. Moon phase table for March.

Moon phase	Period
Waxing Crescent	14-27
Full moon	28
Waning moon	1-12
New moon	13
Waning moon	29-31

The period of the Moon's revolution around the Earth is divided into four lunar phases:

the first phase - from the new moon to the middle of the waxing moon (plant juices move to the roots, the root system grows intensively);
the second - from this moment until the full moon (plant juices move to the leaves, intensive growth of the above-ground part);
third - from the full moon to the middle of the waning moon (plant sap moves to the roots, active growth of the root system);
the fourth - from this point until the next new moon (sap moves to the leaves, growth of the aerial part).

Attention! The first and third phases of the Moon are most suitable for transplanting and planting seedlings in the ground; the second and fourth phases are most suitable for sowing seeds.

More precise days are indicated by the lunar calendar for pepper for March 2021.

Month	Dates
March	3, 4, 17, 18, 22, 23, 30, 31

Favorable days for planting peppers in March 2022 are determined by the Moon, but a number of other factors need to be taken into account.

When to plant peppers in March depending on the region

It is important to take into account the characteristics of the region. In the colder regions of our country there is much less sun than in the South, so it is necessary to plant pepper seedlings there later.

In the Ural and Siberian regions, in the North-West of Russia, as well as in the Volga region, it is better to postpone the sowing of seeds for seedlings to a later time, for example, to the end of March. However, if a summer resident has a greenhouse or even a whole greenhouse, then seedlings can be planted in mid-March.

But in the Moscow region and neighboring regions, they begin to plant pepper seedlings no earlier than the second ten days of March. And in the South, from the beginning of the month, the busy time for planting and caring for seedlings begins.

How to prepare seeds to hasten the emergence of seedlings

All damaged and weak seeds must be removed.
Soak the remaining fungicide in the solution, for example, Vitaros or Fitosporin-M. You can replace it with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Keep the seeds in the solution according to the instructions, and in potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.
Place them in Elin for 12 hours (you only need to add 1-2 drops of this drug to 100 ml of water).
Prepare the pots; to do this, they need to be washed in a solution of potassium permanganate. Then pour in the soil and compact it so that about 2 cm remains from the top. After that, put them in a very warm place so that the earth warms up to 20-25 degrees Celsius by the time the soaked seeds are sowed.
Place the soaked seeds in a damp cloth and place them where the temperature does not drop below 25 ºС. These conditions will allow roots to appear in 10-12 days.
At this point you need to start sowing pepper seeds for seedlings.

When to sow hot peppers in March

Bitter pepper is the brother of sweet pepper. Both plants are members of the same family.

It is necessary to plant seeds for seedlings, based on the fact that the crop has a long growing season. Hot peppers are planted depending on the region:

In Central Russia – throughout March;
In the Siberian and Ural regions they try to plant in the first half of the month, taking into account the recommendations of the lunar calendar.
In the North-West (Leningrad region, Karelia, Vologda) preference is given to low-growing, early-ripening peppers.
In the south of the country, bitter varieties of the crop can be safely planted as seedlings throughout March.

Seed planting process

When the preparation of pepper seeds for sowing seedlings is completed, proceed directly to the procedure itself.

Soil preparation

It is necessary to select nutritious and loose soil in advance. You can purchase a universal soil mixture at a gardening store or prepare it yourself. To do this, you will need to mix the following components in a 2:1:2 ratio:

humus;
river sand;
peat.

Self-prepared soil must be disinfected and disinfected. For this purpose, it is placed in an oven for 30 minutes, preheated to 180 - 200C, and then spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Choosing the right container

Sowing pepper seedlings at home is done in a handy container, which could well serve as:

Plastic container;
box;
wooden box.

During the growth process, seedlings are planted in plastic or peat cups. Some gardeners immediately prefer to sow peppers in a separate container, so as not to further injure them with transplants. However, this increases the material costs for purchasing additional containers.

Seed sowing procedure

Proper sowing of pepper seedlings involves performing the following operations.

Pour the prepared soil mixture into a common box and moisten it.
Make grooves 1.5 cm deep and place seed in them at a distance of 2 cm from each other.
Sprinkle the crops with soil, water them thoroughly and cover with glass or cellophane.
Place the peppers in a warm, well-lit place.
The greenhouse must be ventilated daily, accumulated condensation must be removed and, if necessary, the soil must be moistened.

The first shoots appear after 1.5 - 2 weeks. During seed germination, the room temperature is maintained at +25C. As soon as the peppers hatch, this indicator is temporarily reduced to +18C and wait until all the grains germinate. After this, the temperature is raised to +22C and maintained until the plants are planted in open ground. Daylight hours should be at least 12 hours. If there is a lack of light, additional lighting is organized using phytolamps.

Planting peppers in March, for planting in a greenhouse

The timing depends on the soil in which the peppers will be grown: protected or open. This is already what summer residents decide when to plant seeds for seedlings in March.

For a heated greenhouse, you can safely take any variety of pepper, so preference should be given to late-ripening (they taste better) and productive varieties.

However, it is possible to get two harvests of ultra-early peppers. To do this, the first planting must be carried out as early as possible, and the second time the crop will have to be planted in the summer.

Consequences of incorrectly determining the time for sowing pepper

Even taking into account the data of the lunar calendar, the temperature regime can make a serious mistake when determining the correct time for sowing seeds. In this case, even the best quality care will not help to avoid the consequences of such a rash act:

if you plant seeds for seedlings too late, then the plant in open ground simply will not have time to grow and produce a harvest before the onset of autumn;
if planted too early, the plant will outgrow and begin to form flowers or ovaries, which extremely depletes the seedling and after planting in the garden the plant takes a long time to recover and become sick.

Features of growing seedlings for planting in open ground

Everything is different if you don’t have a greenhouse or greenhouse. In this case, the climate of the region must be taken into account.

As mentioned earlier, peppers are a slow, leisurely crop. It is better to plant grains in the middle of the month. If you do not live in the southern regions, then it is worth looking at early and mid-ripening varieties of crops.

We advise residents of the most severe regions to buy low-growing peppers so that the plant does not waste time growing green mass, but begins to set fruit as quickly as possible.

ON A NOTE. Peppers should be covered after planting in open ground. Use old buckets, boxes, spunbond or film if available.

Rules for sowing pepper seeds

It is better to buy seeds immediately before planting, because they quickly lose their viability. It is recommended to soak pepper seeds in a solution of water with potassium permanganate for 20-25 minutes. To prevent different varieties from getting mixed up with each other, each one must be wrapped in a cloth or gauze, secured with thread and be sure to sign. After a few hours, take out the cloths, wring them out, and rinse until clean.

After this, the seeds are placed in a warm place for germination. The main thing is not to forget to periodically open and ventilate them. When the first shoots appear, you can safely transplant the seeds into pots with soil. For peppers, it is better to use peat pots and plant the seeds separately at once, so as not to disturb the seedlings once again before planting in open ground. Growing peppers is a labor-intensive process. It requires a lot of patience and adherence to certain technologies. The main thing to remember are 3 basic rules:

If the seed is planted deep and not watered enough, it will be in dry soil, which has an adverse effect on further growth and development.
In the room in which the containers with seedlings are located, the temperature should not be below 20 degrees. After watering, water gradually evaporates, and the temperature in the soil becomes lower. The sprouts may freeze.
Choose soil for sowing that contains as little peat as possible - it oxidizes the soil. It is best to prepare the soil in advance by collecting soil in boxes in the fall. A mixture of humus, river sand and wood ash is suitable.

After planting, you can cover the pots with film, which must be removed after 3-7 days. The first shoots appear after 7-15 days (depending on the variety). The soil should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle every two days. For further successful growth of seedlings, good light and temperature maintenance are necessary.

Advice!

If the sprouts sit often, it is necessary to dive.

This is done when the plant has two good leaves, but some experts say that it is better to dive when the cotyledons appear. Seedlings in pots need to be watered well and wait for excess moisture to drain. After this, the sprout is removed from the ground and transplanted into a separate container with a volume of 100-150 ml. In order not to damage the roots, they are not freed from the ground, but are transferred along with the earthen lump. When replanting, it is important to deepen the root collar into the ground only 5 mm. If the soil settles, you need to add soil to the cups.

What to look for when planting peppers in March

If you start growing pepper seedlings in March, then you need to take into account the main nuances of this procedure. In general, nothing complicated, just some points.

Firstly, those plants that will be planted in the first half of March may need lighting. In the third decade there will already be enough sun.

Secondly, do not plant the seeds too deep and keep the containers with the seeds in a bright place. Shoots are drawn to the sun and light - this is inherent in them by nature.

Thirdly, do not forget that pepper is slow-witted. Pepper seeds sprout slowly, and seedlings grow just as slowly.

Fourth, plant different varieties in separate containers. This will make it possible to unify the care of seedlings, since the seedlings will develop at the same speed.

REFERENCE. These simple tricks will help you get pepper seedlings a little earlier, and the seedlings will be a little better.

How to plant pepper seedlings at home

This crop has a very weak root system. Therefore, when picking or transplanting, you will have to work very carefully. Since you need to ensure that the pepper roots remain intact, and even better, are not removed from the soil at all.

Therefore, individual pots for 200 grams of soil or peat tablets for seedlings are preferable to one large container for all seedlings. In the second case, you need to dive without damaging the root system. Otherwise, plant growth may be delayed for 2-3 weeks.

Using ready-made pots of soil, peppers are now being planted for seedlings in 2022. In each individual pot you need to put one hatched seed. If sowing goes into a common container, then the distance between the seeds should not be less than 2 cm. Smaller gaps will prevent the seedlings from getting stronger.

Now the seeds need to be sprinkled with 1 cm of soil on top. Compact it slightly. Water carefully, as the water should not wash the seeds from the soil. Cover the pots or container with film or glass. This will maintain a constant temperature above the soil. It is necessary to monitor soil moisture daily.

After 5 or 7 days, shoots should appear. At this time, the pots must be moved to a bright place. The temperature there should be between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius. You will have to water the pepper seedlings with water warmed to room temperature. There should not be too much moisture. The containers with seedlings will have to be rotated so that the sprouts do not lean in one direction. There is another option: place reflective surfaces (for example, mirrors or aluminum foil) on the sides of the window slopes.

Air humidity on the windowsill is usually low. Therefore, you will have to use a humidifier or spray the seedlings manually.

How to care for pepper seedlings planted in March

The next issue that must be considered is caring for seedlings.

Before shoots appear, containers with crops should be placed in a warm, bright place. It is important to tie the containers in plastic bags or cover them with glass so that there is a greenhouse effect inside.

Plantings must be regularly opened for ventilation and watering.

As soon as most of the seedlings appear, the cover should be removed from the containers and moved to a warm, bright place. Now the pepper seedlings need to be provided with a number of conditions.

Lighting must be sufficient. This means that it cannot be less than 12 hours. At the end of March there will already be enough sun, but at the beginning and in the middle of the month the seedlings will have to be additionally illuminated.
The temperature should be moderate. +25 is the optimal value.
Watering should be done regularly and moderately. Make sure that the soil does not dry out and, at the same time, is not swampy. The abundance of moisture in the soil, coupled with low temperatures, provokes the development of putrefactive diseases. For example, black leg.
Air humidity and additional humidification. Spray the peppers with warm water from a spray bottle from time to time.
Picking is a mandatory procedure for transplanting seedlings into separate containers. Some gardeners practice several pickings during the entire growing period.
Fertilizers are applied after picking. Basically, feeding is aimed at helping seedlings take root in a new place.

ON A NOTE. Sometimes pepper seedlings planted in March can stretch out. There are many reasons for this, but most often they are associated with a lack of light. One way to help seedlings is to treat them with growth regulators.

Pepper - seedling care

From the moment of sowing the seeds until the sprouts appear, the soil temperature should be at least +25 ° C - in cold soil the sprouts will emerge late and unevenly. After germination, the film or glass is removed.

At first, the seedlings are sprayed with filtered or settled water. When 2–3 leaves appear on the stems, seedlings from a common box or egg container are transplanted into individual containers.

Water the seedlings moderately, avoiding soaking and souring. This can be done conveniently using a small syringe.

Pepper loves good lighting. If there is not enough light from the windows, then be sure to illuminate the crops for 10-12 hours a day.

To prevent excessive growth of stems, change the air temperature. In the first month, the sprouts are kept at 16-18°C to avoid stretching.

If the seedlings are doing well, then they quite quickly take over the allocated volume with their roots and they become cramped.

As they grow, they will need to be transshipped to a larger volume. For transshipment, we already take more nutritious soil and enrich it with vermicompost.

If you approach the matter responsibly and carry out proper care, then you will get excellent fatty pepper seedlings.

Feeding pepper seedlings

You can also avoid stretching by avoiding fertilizing with nitrogen.

Feed with an infusion of vermicompost (1 tablespoon per liter of water, leave overnight and water at the root), a solution of ash (1 tablespoon per liter of water, leave for a day, water at the root), there is also vermicompost in liquid form.

The potassium and phosphorus in these fertilizers will work on the development of the plant's root system; they will be stocky with gorgeous roots.

Peppers are hardened 14–21 days before planting in open ground. The procedure is necessary to strengthen the root system of seedlings. Plants are exposed to open air, gradually increasing the residence time.

Gradually it is brought to a round-the-clock stay. Containers with seedlings can be kept on the balcony with open windows, or, later, directly in the garden.

The second feeding of young peppers is carried out 7–10 days before they are transplanted into open ground. Those who are not afraid of mineral water prepare the following mixture:

Water - 5 l.
Potassium sulfate - 5 g.
Ammonium nitrate - 5 g.
Superphosphate - 10 g.

Stir, let stand for at least half an hour and water at the root along the damp soil. If it gets on the leaves, rinse with plain water.

Supporters of natural farming still feed with infusion of vermicompost, ash solution and cocktails with living soil biota, which will help better absorb nutrition.

Common mistakes

Unsuccessful selection of variety or low-quality seed material. Take zoned peppers. The grains must be fresh. The older the planting material, the longer it takes to sprout.
Poor placement of pepper seedlings where they lack light. Because of this, the seedlings grow poorly, although in the second half of March there is already quite a long daylight hours.
Thickening of plantings. Because of this, the seedlings do not have enough living space for growth and development.
Sowing seeds on the full moon or new moon , which contradicts the lunar calendar.
Excess nitrogen fertilizing , which causes the seedlings to stretch out. Mineral (potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen) fertilizing should be carried out only if the pepper lacks these microelements.
Excessive moisture. It is necessary to moisturize very, very carefully, otherwise fungal diseases can be provoked.

How to prepare seeds for planting

Peppers, the sowing and growing of seedlings of which symbolize the beginning of a new gardening season, must be grown with love and care. Only in this case will the matter be crowned with success. First, the seeds are sorted out, darkened, damaged, empty and having other defective signs are removed. Even if they sprout, it is impossible to grow full-fledged strong plants from such grains.

Some gardeners also practice the following method of discarding low-quality seeds. Soak the seed in a 4% solution of table salt, mix thoroughly and leave for 7 - 10 minutes. Those grains that end up on the surface are thrown away, and the heavy ones that settle to the bottom are washed with clean water and dried.

Preparation of peppers for sowing seedlings begins several weeks in advance. Before sale, seeds are often stored in violation of the recommended temperature regime. In order for seedlings to appear faster and the plants to be healthy, summer residents first warm them up before sowing. To do this, a couple of weeks before planting, the seed is laid out on thick cardboard and placed near the battery.

Many seed producers are not conscientious and are capable of supplying the market with material contaminated with bacteria or fungal diseases. It may also contain pest eggs. In this regard, it is necessary to carry out preliminary etching. Treat the seeds with a fungicide or soak them in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Then they are washed with running water and dried. Most often, the following drugs are used for etching:

Fitosporin;
Maksim;
Chlorhexidine;
Fitolavin;
Hydrogen peroxide.

You need to take any substance from this list, dilute it with water according to the instructions and add seeds there. You can wrap them in a cloth and moisten them with the diluted drug.

Soaking seeds in a growth stimulator (Epin - 1-2 drops per 100 ml of water, Zircon - 1 drop per 300 ml of water) for 5-9 hours has worked well. After this, you need to let the grains dry and sow them in the prepared soil. This makes it possible not only to make the dense outer shell softer, but also to stimulate the sprout.

Answers to frequently asked questions

What if I only have time to land on the dying moon? Can this be done?

If for some reason you are unable to plant seedlings during the period when the night light is growing in the sky, you can sow on those days when it decreases. But you need to understand that such seedlings will grow more slowly.

When is the best time to plant pepper seedlings in March 2022?

According to the lunar calendar, the most suitable time for sowing occurs in the second and third decades of the month.

Do you need phytolamps?

In general, in March it is already possible to grow pepper seedlings without phytolamps only with natural light, but in the first days of the month, lighting may still be needed.

What varieties or perhaps hybrids are best to plant in March?

Early and mid-season. But gardeners in the southern regions can plant late varieties of sweet and bitter peppers. For the rest, it is better not to grow late-ripening varieties and hybrids because they will ripen in the fall, when frosts may occur.

Preparing seeds for sowing for planting pepper seedlings

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in any growth stimulant at the rate of 2 drops (for a more accurate dosage, use a syringe) per liter of melt water. To get melt water, you can melt snow or defrost ice cubes from the freezer.

Important. Growth stimulants are most effective in melt water, while tap water can destroy their structure and the expected effect will not occur.

Photo: Before sowing, seeds need preparation.

For soaking seeds, it is better not to use cotton pads, but to cut up pieces of paper kitchen towel or toilet paper. They are folded on a corner and seeds are placed between the layers and moderately moistened with a syringe. It happens that fresh seeds germinate within 24 hours, and it is difficult to carefully remove the root from a cotton pad. If a seed grows inside the paper, it is easier to pull out its root without damaging it, or you can put it on the ground and on the paper.

Gardeners often wonder whether it is necessary to soak seeds before sowing. I will say that this will not hurt, it will have a beneficial effect on the health of the seedlings. Although, if the seeds are viable, they will germinate dry, however, those that undergo pre-sowing treatment will be healthier.

If you happen to sow freshly collected seeds from store-bought peppers, do the same with them. After collection, the seeds are dried for several days on a sheet of paper, then removed and treated in the same way as for purchased seeds. The seed collected from a store-bought vegetable on the day of sowing is not dried, it is sown immediately after collection, that is, it is soaked for a day.

Important. Those purchased seeds that are inlaid, that is, covered with a special shell, are not soaked; it can be orange, blue, red, green and pink. This means that the manufacturer has already covered the seed with a nutrient solution and, taking care of us gardeners, has prepared it for sowing, making the task somewhat easier for us.

We sow such treated seeds dry in the prepared soil along with all the other seeds that we soaked in the stimulant solution.

I soak each individual variety or hybrid of pepper separately and place several copies wrapped in paper on a plastic plate. At the same time, I write a number on a paper towel that corresponds to the variety. At the same time, I make notes in a notebook, where I indicate that this number corresponds to a certain variety, as well as a brief description of the variety, so that I know whether to plant it in the foreground or in the background, and how soon to expect the harvest.

Photo: The seeds should hatch.