Many gardeners grow sweet peppers on their property. There are no difficulties during care if you follow the rules. The plant can be grown both in the garden and at home, getting a good harvest. The main initial task is to grow strong, disease-free seedlings. You can often see banal mistakes being made that lead to irreversible consequences, for example, the fall of pepper seedlings. This unpleasant moment can significantly reduce the yield. To prevent a fall, it is advisable to identify the root cause in order to eliminate it. We will find out why the seedlings fall and disappear in the article.
Why pepper seedlings fall and disappear, the main reasons
Growing and soaking the seeds takes a certain amount of time, which is necessary for the seedling to hatch and grow further. The plant is painful when transplanted into a greenhouse. This is accompanied by many “apartment” destructive facts.
The main reasons for the fall of pepper seedlings:
- Insufficient lighting. With short daylight hours, plants need to be additionally illuminated with fluorescent lamps.
- Excessive heat emanating from heating appliances. Such heat is detrimental to young seedlings. It is not capable of creating a greenhouse effect.
- Increased humidity with frequent watering. Due to such a water imbalance, a fungal infection can develop in the area of the stem and roots.
- Lack of moisture.
- Tight container for numerous seedlings.
- Unusually cold draft.
- Seed sowing density.
Preventive measures
In most cases, the cause of pepper falling is a seedling disease. In any case, it is better to prevent the disease than to subsequently deal with already diseased plants. In any case, healthy seedlings get sick less often and therefore you should take preventive measures:
- To destroy fungal diseases, the soil and seedlings are treated with a solution of copper sulfate 2 times a month.
Important! For a more effective effect of copper-containing drugs, it is better to use emulsion liquids.
Errors in care that cause seedlings to become crooked and lower leaves to fall off
Care requires proper attitude towards culture. The growing process involves numerous nuances that are important to take into account. Below we will look at the main mistakes that gardeners or agronomists make. Read about the features of planting pumpkins in open ground here.
Overwatering
Due to frequent watering, a water imbalance occurs, which in turn leads to rotting of the root system and stem part. At this point, fungal strains may become active.
The other side of water imbalance is considered to be insufficient watering. In both cases, the foliage on the plant withers and the stem may rot.
A common mistake some gardeners make is overwatering with cold water. The seedlings at the first stage are very weak, so they may die from such watering.
Excess fertilizer
Seedlings can become too elongated if the seedlings are often topped up with fertilizers and mineral complexes. Nitrogen compounds should be used with caution. They should be diluted in a ratio of 1 liter of water to 0.5 g of powder substance. Fertilizers are used in doses so as not to cause plants to stretch or fall.
What to do to prevent seedlings from stretching
To prevent the plant from stretching, you need to plant the seeds correctly. How to do this correctly? First of all, choose a land
If you decide to purchase ready-made soil, pay attention to the composition of the soil. Peppers will not grow well in soil with a high content of minerals (especially nitrogen)
Soil that is universal for all vegetables is well suited.
Seeds should be planted at a distance of three centimeters from each other. Try not to place many peppers on one windowsill. During the germination process, they will obscure each other and reach towards the sun.
Planting pepper
In order for the plants to receive enough light, it is recommended to make reflectors: install a mirror opposite the window sill with plantings or place a sheet of foil that will reflect the sun's rays and direct them to the seedlings. This is necessary to ensure that all aspects of the crop consume light evenly. Otherwise, they will bend and turn, which will lead to damage to the seedlings.
If you pluck seedlings in a timely manner, you can stop their growth for a while. Typically, the plant can be planted in separate pots within 25 days from the moment the sprouts appear.
You can start fertilizing after two leaves appear. Superphosphate fertilizers work well. The second feeding is done a week after transplanting the seedlings. The third time you need to feed the plant after transplanting the pepper into open ground.
If after transplantation the seedlings continue to stretch, it means that the place for growing is poorly chosen. Try placing the container of pepper in another room. The containers should not be close to each other. It also doesn’t hurt to reduce the frequency of watering. The optimal temperature for pepper during this growing period is + 16 degrees.
Incorrect growing conditions
Unfortunately, when growing, gardeners can make serious mistakes that worsen the yield of seedlings. Sometimes such mistakes lead to the death of plants. For pepper you need to create a cozy greenhouse microclimate. Read about treating pepper seeds before planting.
Let's look at what rules gardeners do not follow when growing:
- At the first stage, high temperatures are acceptable for the seeds to hatch and germinate. When greens appear, the temperature is reduced from +25-270C to +20-220C.
- Pepper is a light-loving and heat-loving plant, this should not be forgotten. For the process of photosynthesis, sunlight plays a key factor. If there is not enough light, the pepper seedlings are weakened and may fall.
- It is important to monitor air humidity. Optimal indicators are 60-65%. If the air is too dry, the crop may wilt.
High air temperature
This is a mistake many inexperienced gardeners often make. Some people place containers with young shoots that have appeared on heating appliances. Increased heat dries out the soil, which can lead to withering, falling or death of seedlings.
Optimal conditions for growth are room temperature. Please note that containers with seedlings should not be installed near windows either. This place usually experiences drafts and temperature changes.
In order to get healthy seedlings from the seeds, during germination, maintain temperatures up to +25-270C. When the first leaves appear, it is reduced to +20-220C. Subsequently, for normal development, the temperature is +23-250C. If you do not adhere to this schedule, the planting material will slowly germinate. Shoots may appear only after a month. Read how to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground here.
It is considered a grave mistake to place boxes with growing seedlings on a heating device. The containers are usually small in size, so at a temperature of +30-330C the soil dries out quickly. This situation leads to the death of planting material that has just hatched.
Lack of sunlight
Pepper does not tolerate insufficient room lighting. Plants become weak, stretch out, and begin to fall. In the future, such seedlings give low yields. At the same time, pepper is a short-day crop. For normal development, it needs light for a short time, but quite good.
In practice, creating such conditions is not at all difficult. To do this, at 19:00, containers with seedlings are covered on top with a light-proof material, for example, black lutrasil. With this method of cultivation, the crop develops resistance to temperature changes.
Incorrect transplant
The culture does not tolerate picking or transplanting, unlike tomato bushes. After these procedures, the pepper's root system recovers much more slowly. The lag is 15-20 days, which affects the entire growing process.
It is recommended to sow seed material in single containers such as plastic cups. This will save you from picking in the future. The plant is removed by transshipment and placed in a permanent place in open ground. It is important to keep the earthen ball intact so as not to disturb the root system. Thus, the gardener will be able to gain an additional 15-20 days for growing early varieties of pepper. This material will tell you about the automatic micro-drip irrigation system for greenhouses Aquadusya.
Dry air
Usually, dry air is always observed in winter. At this time of year, heating devices operate, which significantly dries out the apartment air. When the first young shoots appear, most gardeners immediately place boxes with plantings on the radiator or window sills. Heated air is supplied to them from below from radiators, keeping them dry.
Due to the impact of elevated temperatures, the top layer of the soil substrate dries out very quickly. A dense crust appears on the soil surface, preventing oxygen from reaching the roots. After a while, the young roots begin to rot, become crooked and die, and the plant falls. Find out what to do if pepper seedlings have stretched out in this article.
Crop density
When seeds are sown densely, the seedlings lack the full amount of nutrients, which causes poor plant development. The seedlings touch each other, which is why they begin to grow straight upward. This increases the overall load on the thin stem of the pepper. As the crop grows, it begins to sink lower and lower to the soil.
With further development, the plant grows, so it is necessary to ensure that the foliage does not touch. Good lighting is important for sweet peppers, and leaves from nearby plants will only get in the way. If the seedlings are not thinned out, the crops will become very elongated.
What to do, how to help seedlings
Pepper has been cultivated for a long time and agrotechnical techniques for saving seedlings have been developed and are helping. The main thing is a correct analysis of the reasons.
If the lower leaves turn yellow
When yellowing starts from the lower leaves and gradually moves upward, the cause is most often a lack of nitrogen. In order to grow the crown, the plant takes nutrition from the lower leaves and they begin to die.
Feeding with urea or ammonium nitrate will help replenish nitrogen reserves. You can also use complex mineral fertilizer. Assess whether the plants have enough light.
Lack of light can also cause chlorosis. If you don't have lighting, be sure to organize it. In low light, the seedlings will not only turn yellow, but also stretch. The reasons may also be natural. With age, older leaves gradually die off, a process that begins with yellowing.
Cotyledons
When losing cotyledon leaves, it is important at what stage of seedling growth this occurred
- If the peppers have already developed true leaves, then the death of the cotyledons is a natural process. They have already fulfilled their function, the plants no longer need them.
- If the first pair of true leaves has not yet formed, the situation is much worse.
We can talk about nitrogen starvation or watering with cold water. In the first case, feed the seedlings with ammonium nitrate. And if you watered the seedlings with water at insufficient temperature, do not do this in the future.
Pepper is a heat-loving crop; due to hypothermia of the roots, it can die. As first aid, provide seedlings with bottom heating for several hours. Perhaps the seedlings can be saved.
If the seedlings turn yellow and the leaves fall off
Leaves turn yellow and fall off if the seedlings receive excess moisture. After watering, the soil should not be wet, but moist. Excessive dampness causes the roots to rot, which leads to the death of the plant. A decrease in temperature can also lead to this unpleasant phenomenon.
At temperatures below 14 degrees, the roots stop absorbing nutrients normally. To survive, the bush begins to draw minerals from the leaves, which as a result turn yellow and die. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to carefully monitor compliance with the temperature regime and ensure that the pepper is kept at the optimal temperature - 22 degrees.
With advanced nitrogen starvation, the leaves also begin to turn yellow and then fall off. At the first signs of nitrogen deficiency, apply root and foliar fertilizing with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. For spraying, use 2 times less concentration. To prevent such conditions, one granule of the drug “Azogran” can be placed under each bush.
With a lack of iron, the upper leaves begin to turn yellow. If you do not feed the seedlings on time, they may die. Peppers can lose foliage due to improper picking, during which the roots were damaged.
Try to do this procedure as carefully as possible. If the problem has already arisen, spray the bushes with Epin to strengthen their immunity
Pepper diseases that cause seedlings to wither and die
At the initial stage, a young plant has a weak stem structure, so it can be susceptible to many diseases. Most often, seedlings are overcome by blackleg or fusarium.
Why do cotyledon leaves fall and curl - Black Leg
The causative agents of this unpleasant disease develop in the soil. The spores actively manifest themselves in relation to weakened seedlings.
When a seedling has a black leg, the first thing that happens is the cotyledon part of the seed begins to rot and fall off. It gradually becomes brown in color and thins out. Structural cells fill with fluid and become soft to the touch. This link will tell you about tomato diseases and their treatment.
The disease can also be caused by the gardener himself if he uses untreated soil to plant seeds or waters the seedlings with cold water.
The disease can be initiated by the following moments:
- insufficient ventilation of the room;
- frequent watering of seedling bushes;
- the gardener waters the pepper seedlings exclusively with cold water;
- contaminated soil substrate.
After infection by fungal spores, the stem begins to turn black at the very base. The seedling dries out and dies. When seedlings are massively damaged, they fall.
Fusarium and yellow leaves
The disease can affect a garden crop at the very initial stage of development, for example, during the germination process. The clinical picture of the disease is characterized by the appearance of yellow leaves on seedlings. When you cut the stem, you can see a brown ring inside.
What to do - treatment at home
You can try to cure blackleg using the following methods:
- Add manganese crystals to a glass container and stir until completely dissolved. The color of the water is barely noticeable. Pepper seedlings are watered with a weak solution.
- The soil is loosened and hilled up to cover the root collar of the plant.
- The soil in the container where the seedlings grow can be powdered with wood ash.
- If seedling disease is recognized in a timely manner, diluted Fundazol can be used.
But it is almost impossible to fight fusarium. The diseased plant is removed from the common box to avoid infection of other seedlings.
Prevention
It is not possible in all cases to completely cure pepper seedlings infected with fungal spores. Therefore, it is better to take preventive measures at the initial stage in order to preserve the plants.
- The first step is to disinfect the planting material. The seeds are wrapped in gauze and dipped in a manganese solution or growth stimulant.
- Bacteria actively multiply in soil with high acidity. To reduce it, ash, which has antibacterial properties, is added to the soil when planting.
- Seedlings need to be watered with settled warm water.
- From time to time the soil is loosened to provide more air access. This will prevent a crust from forming on the surface.
- After finishing work with seedlings, it is advisable to disinfect garden tools in order to destroy fungal spores and viruses.
By following the simplest recommendations and promptly resorting to preventive measures, you can protect seedlings from various diseases.
How to save seedlings
Before deciding what to do with diseased seedlings, you need to establish the reason why pepper seedlings disappear.
First of all, it is necessary to conduct a visual inspection of the plants for the presence of rot or fungus. When blackleg is damaged on dead seedlings, the naked eye can detect a dark constriction at the base of the stem and its drying out.
If no signs of disease are found, the cause is sought in the mistakes that even experienced gardeners make when caring.
Disease Control
Seedlings that have fallen and withered due to disease are immediately removed, and the soil is sprayed with fungicides. Previkur, HOM, Ordan are suitable for these purposes. The drugs are allowed to be used when the seedlings have 4-6 true leaves. Processing can also be carried out per sheet.
If the soil is very waterlogged, sprinkle it with wood ash to draw out excess liquid. This folk remedy also inhibits the further development of fungi.
Eliminating care errors
If seedlings are placed on a window, they must be removed from there and moved to a warmer place. Pepper seedlings should also not be placed too close to radiators, as the heat will cause them to dry out and die.
As soon as ideal temperature conditions are created (from +23 to +25 degrees during the day and +16 - +18 at night), the seedlings are provided with additional lighting with phytolamps. Ideally, plants are illuminated for 2-3 hours in the morning and the same amount in the evening.
Pepper does not like dense soil, so it must be loosened after each watering. If, after moistening, the soil sticks together and forms a crust, adding Vermiculite or Biohumus will help correct the situation. Gradually, the seedlings will be reanimated and will stop falling and dying.
Seedlings should be watered no more than once every 3-4 days with settled water at room temperature. If it happens that the soil is too flooded, you must sprinkle the soil on top with ash and stop moistening until the soil is completely dry.
