Pepper feeding calendar: what to fertilize in the soil and greenhouse after planting

Preparing the soil for planting pepper seedlings

Before deciding what to feed the pepper for growth, it doesn’t hurt to prepare the soil. Seedlings from pots are prepared for planting either in the spring, immediately before work begins, or in the fall. In the case when the bed is prepared at the end of the season, the soil is fertilized twice: once before winter, and again in spring. Moreover, if organic matter was added the first time, minerals are taken for the second time.

From organic matter, 10 kilograms of humus or compost are added per 1 m2 of garden.

From chemicals per square meter they fall asleep:

• wood ash – 1 cup;
• potassium sulfate – 1 tsp;
• superphosphate – 1 tbsp. l.

In the spring, the beds are fertilized with one thing, but according to the same rule, that is, subsequently alternating chemicals and organics. After the fertilizers are scattered, the soil is dug up, watered and covered with film. In the greenhouse the bed is left to “gain strength” for 2-3 days, and in the open air for a week and a half.

Fertilizer application methods

Farmers use several feeding methods (separately and in combination, simultaneously):

1. To improve fertility, the site is fertilized when digging in the fall or early spring.
2. Supporters of natural agricultural technology sow green manure in the fall before winter in order to saturate the soil. In the spring, when digging, the fermented remains of green fertilizers are embedded in the soil.
3. Root feeding is applied through watering and mulching with lawn grass and green manure.
4. Foliar (by leaf) is carried out through sprinkling, irrigation and spraying.

How to feed peppers in a greenhouse

It is believed that if the pepper is fed 3 times during the entire period of growth and fruiting, the plant will receive the necessary substances and minerals. But, as is usual with gardeners, even the most correct recommendations can always be “turned” in the right direction. If anyone thinks that the plantings are underdeveloped, the number of times fertilizer can be applied can be increased. If everything is fine in the garden, two main dressings are enough. So, in order to please everyone, it makes sense to consider the classic option - 3 times the use of fertilizers for the entire season. The seedlings are transferred from the cups to the greenhouse when there are 8 leaves.

First feeding after planting in the greenhouse

The first time fertilizer is applied approximately 10-15 days after planting the seedlings in the greenhouse. If minerals are added, dissolve in a bucket of water:

• ammonium nitrate 1 tbsp. l;
• superphosphate – 1 tbsp. l;
• potassium sulfate – 1.5 tbsp. l.

Fermented bird droppings or slurry, which takes about a week, are used as organic matter. First, the fertilizer is diluted with water 1:1, allowed to ferment and settle. Top dressing is prepared from 1 liter of “infusion” diluted in 15 liters of water. A liter of fertilizer is poured under one bush.

Ready mixes

The range of special mixtures used for feeding vegetable crops is currently quite wide. Experienced gardeners recommend fertilizing hot peppers with the following preparations:

• "Kemira-Lux". Universal water-soluble fertilizer with an optimal ratio of macro- and microelements. For the first feeding, 1 gram of powder is prepared per 1 liter of water, for the second – 2-3 grams per liter of water.
• "Crystalon". Helps stimulate growth and root formation. The nutrients present in the preparation are easily absorbed by plants due to the fact that they are in chelated form. One of the advantages of Kristalon is its safe use for plants, due to the absence of chlorine in the composition.
• Gumi preparations with macro- and microelements and salts of humic acids are a powerful stimulator of seedling growth, increasing the stress resistance of plants.
• "Ideal". Promotes the formation of a strong, densely leafy stem, which ends with a developed root system. After adding a universal organo-mineral preparation based on vermicompost, plants become more resistant to various diseases.
• "Orton Micro Fe". It contains iron, cobalt, zinc, boron, manganese and molybdenum, which are so necessary for vegetation. The preparation is used for spraying.

When and how to feed peppers a second time

The second feeding of peppers after planting in the ground helps to form full-fledged ovaries in large quantities. As soon as color begins, the plantings are fertilized, but without fanaticism. At this time, it is important to support the plants and not overfeed them. An excessive amount of nitrogen, especially for hot peppers, provokes an uncontrolled growth of green mass to the detriment of the formation of the ovary. Mineral nutrition can be “composed” of:

• potassium salt – 2 tsp;
• superphosphate – 2 tsp;
• water – 10 l.

For the second time, any complex vegetable fertilizer will do. But it should be borne in mind that bell peppers are fed in accordance with the instructions on the package; bitter peppers need only half the dose.

If you choose organic matter, soak half a kilo of humus in 10 liters of water, and after a week the fertilizing is ready. If the pepper grows poorly, add 1 tablespoon of urea to the infusion. 1 liter of one or the other per bush.

Main types of fertilizers

For pepper, the “essential” fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These can be either complex mineral fertilizers or organic ones.

Let's consider the features and advantages of each type of fertilizer.

Mineral

Supporters of organic farming are categorically against mineral fertilizers. But as practice shows, without the targeted application of macro- and microelements, not a single crop grows under modern conditions.

In addition, there are many nuances in using organic matter:

• it is difficult to determine the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in manure or litter;
• adding organic matter often leads to the activation of living soil bacteria; rot, infections, diseases and pests appear; It is problematic to grow crops without eradicating and preventive treatments;
• Urban summer residents do not always have mullein, bird droppings, etc. on their farm; Mineral fertilizers are easier to purchase.

The main rule is to feed the plants. The choice in favor of mineral or organic fertilizers is individual.

Urea

Urea or carbamide is a classic for any gardener. Budget fertilizer is suitable for all crops. Concentrated granules contain 40-46% quickly digestible nitrogen.

The preparation is suitable for incorporation into the ground, for seasonal applications during watering and spraying. The concentration of the urea solution is easy to control by following the instructions.

Potash fertilizers

The most common and accessible potassium supplements:

• Potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) contains up to 50% potassium. Excellent absorption, ideal for plants that cannot tolerate chlorine (including pepper). In addition, sulfur, as a component of the drug, protects plants from fungal infections and increases phytoimmunity.
• Potassium monophosphate is a complex of potassium (more than 25-30%) and phosphorus (up to 53%). In moderate quantities it serves as additional feeding. In case of phosphorus starvation, the drug will quickly correct the situation.

Phosphorus fertilizers

A simple and effective remedy for phosphorus deficiency is superphosphate. It is used for starter feeding and added to planting holes. The drug is compatible with nitrogen and potassium supplements.

For preliminary incorporation into the soil and for compost, phosphate rock is added.

You can feed peppers, eggplants and tomatoes with any NPK complexes:

• Ammophos;
• Borofos;
• Borofoska.

As additional nutrition, the complexes contain boron, potassium, and calcium.

Nitroammofoska

Complex fertilizer Nitroammofosk contains up to 16% nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (in equal quantities). Fertilizer is used for plowing in spring or autumn. Farmers note that this inexpensive and accessible drug increases yields by 20-30% on average.

Organic

Attention! Be careful with organic fertilizers.

Bird droppings, manure, compost, herbal infusions are sources of nitrogen . You need to be extremely careful when it comes to organic peppers. Uncontrolled “infusions” of organic mixtures lead to the opposite effect. The buds will fall off and there will be no harvest.

Mullein

Fresh mullein is used to saturate the soil with nitrogen. The solution is made weak and diluted 1:10. In its pure form, mullein can burn the roots.

Rotted manure contains trace elements: nitrogen, boron, manganese, sulfur.

It is good to embed it in depleted soils before wintering. Peat or straw is added to the soil mixture.

Bird droppings

Very concentrated product. Not used for seedlings at all. Experienced gardeners feed vegetable plants on the site to increase the vegetative mass.

Reference. Chicken manure contains 2 times more nitrogen than horse and cow manure.

Chicken droppings are added to the watering solution of already mature bushes. Dosage – 1:15 (no less).

Cow dung and bird droppings create an acidic environment. As you know, peppers, tomatoes and most vegetable crops prefer a neutral pH level.

Folk remedies

There are many ways to feed peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers using improvised means. Plant experts, biologists and experienced gardeners use homemade fertilizers along with mineral supplements.

Let's consider the most common and simple options for preparing mixtures, healing infusions and restorative solutions.

Wood ash

Ash fertilizing is a quick and effective way to saturate the soil with potassium and nitrogen. But you need to be careful with regular watering with wood ash. High alkaline conditions are known to disrupt soil microflora. The root system suffers, vegetable crops begin to hurt.

Attention! The active substances of wood ash deoxidize the substrate.

Gardeners extinguish ash solutions with vinegar to avoid alkalization of the soil:

• 4 cups of wood ash are diluted in 10 liters of water;
• add table vinegar (200 ml).

Food leftovers

Many people use potato peels for feeding. “Advanced” gardeners successfully use sugar beet peelings.

Reference. Beets contain a huge amount of magnesium, especially in the skin of the root vegetable.

Ways to use sugar beets as a natural fertilizer:

• For watering, use a decoction of beets after cooking;
• peeled peels of boiled beets are dug into the rows, under the bushes;
• leaves (tops) are added to herbal infusions and fermenters;
• beet remains are added to composts.

Recipe for a decoction of beet tops for magnesium starvation of plants:

• Chop 4-5 lower beet leaves;
• tightly fill a liter jar with “salad”;
• pour boiling water over the contents;
• keep the infusion for 12-24 hours;
• strain the mixture, dilute in 10 liters of water;
• shed wet ridges of pepper;
• infusion consumption for 1 bush - 1 liter of diluted decoction;
• the number of feedings is 2-3, with a break of 7-10 days.

The infusion is used for watering and spraying .

Iodine

Spraying plants with solutions containing iodine is the prevention of fungal and bacterial infections (late blight, rot, fusarium).

Regenerating fertilizer for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.

Either milk or whey is used as a basis. You can prepare a solution with water.

Preparing the masterbatch takes a few minutes:

• pour 150-200 g of milk/whey into 2 liters of purified water;
• add 2-3 drops (no more) of iodine;
• Every 2 weeks, as a preventive measure, spray the plants leaf by leaf.

Garden greens

Large amounts of magnesium are found in plants of the Chenopodiaceae family. Beets, spinach, quinoa, pigweed, and twigs are excellent raw materials for preparing magnesium natural fertilizers.

Nutritious fermented teas and fermenters containing difficult-to-digest microelements are obtained from weeds.

For example, all Solanaceae are in dire need of magnesium and nitrogen supplements. Green fermentations, infusions and decoctions are an excellent alternative to classic mineral fertilizers (magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, etc.).

Nettle infusion

Nettle is a ruderal plant, a weed. But in terms of its chemical composition, the stinging herb is priceless.

Nettle fertilizer contains:

• vitamins E, C, K, B-carotene affect the quality of fruits and resist pathogenic infections of pepper;
• chlorophyll provides photosynthesis;
• flavonoids, tannins, glycosides - useful substances for soil disinfection and activation of soil microflora;
• macro- and microelements (potassium, magnesium, iron, silicon, boron, etc.) stimulate the growth and development of the vegetative parts of seedlings.

The first feeding of pepper after planting in the ground

The pepper is fed for the first time approximately 15-20 days after planting in the ground. Well-developing seedlings are fertilized later, poorly growing ones - earlier. At the very beginning, a mixture of:

• potassium humate – 1 tbsp. l;
• urea – 2 tsp;
• water – 5 l.

If the pepper is growing well, but no flowers are expected, the plantings are fertilized:

• urea – 2 tsp;
• superphosphate – 2 tsp;
• plus water - 10 l.

Growing hot pepper seedlings from seeds

Given the long growing season of the crop, experienced gardeners recommend planting prepared seedlings in the beds. Seedlings are grown in several stages:

1. Planting material is pre-germinated. To do this, in early March, wrap hot pepper seeds in a wet cloth and place them in a warm place for 5-7 days.
2. Prepare containers. A drainage layer (expanded clay, brick chips) is poured onto the bottom of the boxes. The container is filled with nutritious soil (a layer of turf is mixed with sand and compost).
3. Shallow holes are made on the surface of the earth with a step of 3-5 cm. The germinated seeds are placed in the ground, lightly sprinkled with earth and irrigated.

To speed up the germination process, cover the container with glass or film and place it in a warm place. To grow strong seedlings, seedlings dive as soon as the first leaves appear. To do this, the sprouts are carefully dug up and planted in separate containers.

How to feed peppers during flowering in an open garden

The second time, so that flowering is consistent and a lot of ovary is formed, the plants are watered with a solution of:

• bird droppings – 250 g;
• manure – 500 g;
• superphosphate – 1 tbsp. l;
• with water – 5 l.

Or:

• superphosphate – 1 tsp;
• potassium nitrate – 1 tsp;
• urea – 2 tsp;
• for 10 liters of water.

To obtain a complete and safe fertilizing with droppings and manure, all components are mixed and infused for 5 days. If immediately after flowering the plants are fed with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate, there will be more ovaries and less blossom end rot. Treating the pepper with a boric acid solution (10 grams per 5 liters of water) at the same time will improve the quality of future fruits.

Yeast feeding

One of the most accessible and effective natural fertilizers is yeast. They increase the level of yield and give plants the ability to resist diseases and withstand unpleasant weather conditions.

Few people know about yeast feeding. But it is rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, copper, sodium and zinc. In yeast, all substances are in a special form, due to which they are easily absorbed by the roots from the soil.

Due to the fact that yeast contains a small amount of potassium, it must be used in combination with wood ash or preparations containing magnesium.

Important! According to vegetable growers, different types of yeast do not affect the efficiency of using fertilizer.

In addition to the fact that yeast saturates the soil with essential minerals, it also helps improve its structure. In soil that is fed with yeast, soil bacteria grow intensively, significantly increasing the availability of microelements for plants by processing organic matter.

The most common yeast fertilizer for peppers is prepared from 200 grams of yeast, 5 liters of water and sugar. The yeast needs to be kneaded by adding a tablespoon of sugar. Sugar helps speed up the growth process of fungi. Stir the sugar-yeast mixture until smooth, mix with a small amount of water and leave in a warm place for two hours. After this time, dilute the yeast with water and pour fertilizer over the peppers at the rate of 0.5 liters per young plant and 1 liter per adult.

Folk remedies for feeding peppers

Chemistry is effective, efficient, fast, but when plantings develop within acceptable limits, it is better to feed the plants with simple, harmless means for better growth and increased immunity. Everything you need can be found either in a home medicine cabinet or in the kitchen. What is suitable for fertilizing peppers already in the garden?

Yeast

“Live” is better (50 g), but dry (10 g) is also possible, dilute in 5 liters of water, add half a glass of sugar, as soon as bubbles begin to appear, the feeding is ready. Thanks to yeast, the root system and above-ground parts develop more intensively, and the yield increases.

Garden greens

This refers to the tops of potatoes or tomatoes, as well as nettle, wormwood or dandelion. Everything that was collected is crushed, the container is filled with green “shavings” to 1/6 of the volume, filled to the top with water, and kept for about a week. To feed, 1 liter of herbal liquid is diluted in a bucket of water. The fermented infusion of the herb strengthens the plant as a whole.

Green fertilizer from nettles for peppers

Iodine

A simple human alcohol medicine, and as for pepper, it protects against diseases and stimulates development. The recipe is the simplest: for 1 liter of water, 2 drops of iodine. If you add half a glass of whey, the feeding will be more effective.

Banana peel

You can take fresh, but they say that dry is better for preparing fertilizer. The peel of 2 bananas is dried in the shade, ground into powder, poured with 1 liter of water, and left for 3 days. For fresh peels of water, take 1.5 liters. Product for increasing productivity.

Ash

Ash as a fertilizer in dry form is used during soil preparation in the beds, as described above, or in the form of a solution for watering seedlings 10 days after planting in open ground.

The best varieties of hot peppers for open ground

When choosing a suitable plant variety, the following characteristics of the crop must be taken into account:

• ripening time. Most peppers have a growing season of 4-5 months, so when choosing a variety you need to take into account the climatic characteristics of the region;
• resistance to temperature changes, diseases, low light are important characteristics of the variety;
• The degree of bitterness is an important indicator (varies from mild to hot). When choosing chili, you need to focus on your own taste preferences.

Impala is a suitable variety for growing in regions with difficult climates. The elongated fruits have a pleasant spicy taste. The growing season is 2 months, the plant is resistant to diseases and does not require special care.

The Danube variety ripens well in areas with a temperate climate. The growing season is 3.5 months. Large elongated red-green fruits ripen on bushes about a meter high. Advantages of the variety: high yield, resistance to drought, temperature changes, and diseases.

Ukrainian chili pepper is also quite popular. The growing season is 4 months. The plant tolerates temperature changes, but does not develop well in shady places. The variety is distinguished by high yield - 1.5 kg per square meter of bed.

The Astrakhan hybrid is resistant to diseases and bad weather conditions, and is characterized by high yield. The growing season is 4 months, so it is better to plant in the southern regions. The red, elongated fruits have a moderate pungency.

Peppers grow poorly. What to do?

Despite all the seemingly correct care, until yesterday everything was fine with the plants, but today it’s a pity to look at the plantings. What is the problem and how to solve it? There are only two reasons for “artificial” pepper diseases: the gardener did not pay enough attention to the beds or the bushes lacked microelements. In the first case, you will only need further proper care. In the second case, the necessary fertilizers are applied. About what signs to determine what is missing and what fertilizers to correct the situation are described in the article devoted to growing tomato seedlings.

Video “Varieties of peppers”

From the video you will learn what types of peppers there are.

Pepper's favorite fertilizer is ash, which can be used during any growth period, but with a mandatory interval of 10–14 days

Feeding the bush can be root or foliar. It is better to do the latter in the evening so that the nutrient moisture does not evaporate from the leaves so quickly.

Winter care

After fruiting ends, the plant will enter a dormant period. To help him survive the winter, the following is recommended:

• remove existing flowers and unripe fruits;
• lower the temperature regime to +18 °C;
• do not fertilize;
• reduce the number of waterings while increasing spraying with water.

In the spring, if necessary, you need to prune the bush by cutting off long side branches.

Growing errors

When planting and growing peppers, gardeners sometimes make mistakes that can lead to a lack of flowering and fruiting and even to the death of the crop.

Table: the most common care errors when growing hot peppers indoors

For indoor varieties

Fertilizer for indoor peppers should be given in doses and at certain times.

Do not feed with manure or mullein with urea. In the spring, after hatching from the seeds, complex preparations for tomatoes are used. The addition of superphosphate and urea should be done carefully: 3 g of the product is enough for 1 liter of liquid.

When grown on a windowsill, watering with calcium nitrate is allowed (no more than 10 g per 5 liters of liquid). You can irrigate with the addition of ammonia: the substance drives away midges from the roots, but with frequent use it accumulates in the soil, which leads to the death of the bush.

Indoor varieties grow on the windowsill for many years, so you need to change the soil more often. As a safe fertilizer for peppers, water the ground with potassium permanganate or nettle infusion. Sometimes treatment with soda is allowed, but the substance strongly alkalizes the soil.

Diseases and pests

The plant has good resistance to diseases, but pests that want to feast on the burning fruits are generally difficult to find. Chilean peppers can get sick with the following pathologies:

1. Blackleg (usually at the seedling stage and in the greenhouse).
2. Powdery mildew.
3. Late blight.
4. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).
5. Fusarium.

Possible pests that sometimes settle on foliage include:

1. Aphids.
2. Spider mite.
3. Whitefly.

Fungi should be combated by treating with fungicides (antifungal drugs), and insecticides (substances to kill pests) should be used against insects. Fungal pathologies in emergency cases can be cured with fungicides, among which are usually used:

1. Abiga Peak.
2. Bayleton.
3. Bordeaux mixture.
4. Gamair.
5. Maksim.
6. Copper sulfate.
7. Oksikhom.

Bacteria and viruses cannot be cured. Regarding the fight against insects, the best insecticidal and acaricidal agents are considered:

1. Agravertine.
2. Akarin.
3. Actellik.
4. Karbofos.
5. Karate.
6. Mites.

But the use of poisons can harm the gardener, so we must try to get rid of problems with folk remedies - although they do not help radically, they do not cause harm to the body.

Note!

If the gardener follows pepper farming practices and properly cares for the plant, the risk of disease or insect infestation will be reduced to a minimum.

Windowsill

The windows on the south side of the house receive the most sunlight and this is where the pepper will be most comfortable.

But what if, say, the windows face the west or east? Following the sun, moving a pot with a plant from one window to another is not an option, besides, not everyone in their apartment has rooms with windows facing different directions of the world.

And here we found a little trick - place a mirror or other reflective material behind the plants and install additional light sources.

Peppers are sensitive to cold temperatures; a lack of heat will significantly slow their growth. It is for this reason that you should avoid cold windows and drafts.

How to plant correctly

Since chili peppers love heat, in temperate climates they often do not have enough time to produce a harvest. Therefore, it should be planted in open ground using seedlings. The following steps are performed.

1. First, the seeds must be germinated at a temperature of at least 25 degrees. To do this, they are wrapped in wet gauze and kept warm for 7 days. This must be done no later than the beginning of March.
2. Next, you need to prepare boxes with soil filler, in which the seedlings will then be grown. At the bottom there is a drainage mass consisting of fragments of brick, expanded clay or foam. The components are mixed. The next layer is a layer of turf with compost and the addition of sand. Before planting, it is better to disinfect the soil. The surface needs to be leveled and compacted a little, and fertilizer must be applied. Then make holes in it for planting seeds about 1 cm. At what distance to plant is determined individually, but the distance is more than 5 cm.
3. Germinated seeds are placed in the ground and irrigated with water. The containers need to be covered with a transparent film and placed in a warm place so that the crop can form the first shoots. When sprouts begin to appear on the surface, the containers should be moved to a well-lit place and the film should be removed from the surface.
4. When leaves appear on the stems of the plants, the shoots dive. To do this, you need to carefully pull out the stems with a knife blade, trying to damage the root as little as possible. Then they are planted in peat pots. Watering plants can be done with settled, heated water.
5. Peppers are transplanted into open ground after 2 months of cultivation in peat pots. First you need to check whether the pepper is ready for the street; to do this, you need to place a couple of bushes on the windowsill and see how they react to the temperature. Then we plant the contents of the pots in the ground.

In order for the formation of hot pepper to be successful, it needs to be constantly looked after. The culture requires frequent watering. It is also important to regularly loosen the soil at the roots and remove weeds. Before planting hot peppers, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with fertilizers.

When planting sweet and bitter pepper varieties close to each other, cross-pollination can occur and the taste of the fruit changes.

Pros and cons of growing

Hot pepper has a lot of useful qualities and is successfully used both in cooking and in medicine and cosmetology.

• Its advantages include:
• contains a large amount of vitamins C, PP;
• strengthens the cardiovascular system, helps cleanse blood vessels;
• has an antimicrobial effect, being an effective remedy in the fight against colds;
• stimulates blood circulation, which prevents the formation of blood clots, and is used even for frostbite;
• has a fat-burning property, helps to maintain and not gain weight;
• removes toxins from the colon;
• preserves the youth of the body, inhibiting the aging process;
• used for the prevention and prevention of cancer;
• helps fight diseases such as atherosclerosis, rheumatism, gout, myositis, radiculitis, arthritis;
• helps improve healthy hair appearance;
• increases the body's defenses;
• stimulates the production of endorphins - “hormones of happiness”, which help reduce the effect of stress on the body, increase vitality and dull pain;
• improves the functioning of the stomach and digestive system;
• increases the flow of oxygen to organs and tissues.

Important! It is necessary to work with hot peppers with caution, observing safety precautions, since this product can cause skin irritation, increase inflammation of open wounds and even cause burns to mucous membranes.

• However, the benefits of the product can only be felt if it is consumed correctly and in moderation, otherwise this hot pepper can have a negative effect:
• burn the mucous surfaces of the stomach;
• put excessive stress on the cardiovascular system, increase blood pressure as a result of increased blood circulation;
• significantly stimulate appetite and increase salivation;
• provoke an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the digestive tract, kidneys and liver.