Many gardeners grow sweet peppers, but not everyone can boast of a rich harvest of this vegetable. In order to reduce all losses to a minimum and get a decent result, it will be enough for you to follow certain rules.
Among gardeners, pepper has acquired the reputation of being a rather demanding crop. In many ways, of course, the whimsical nature of this vegetable is explained by its heat-loving nature, but it would be wrong to discount the role of agricultural technology. So, what rules for growing peppers must be followed in order to get a bountiful harvest at the end of the season.
Take care of pepper based on the characteristics of its variety and place of growth
Even at the planting planning stage, study information about which varieties and hybrids of pepper are best suited for growing in your region and keep in mind that measures for caring for plants in open and protected ground may differ.
In the same way, the requirements that different varieties place on the formation process may differ. Short ones, for example, can easily do without it, while when growing their tall relatives, they will have to deal with the formation.
Try to give preference to varieties that were specially bred for cultivation in your region and purchase seed only from trusted producers! Carefully study the selected varieties and keep in mind that for planting in greenhouses and open ground you need to select the appropriate seed material.
Varieties and hybrids of pepper for open ground: Arsenal, Barguzin, Big Mama, Eroshka, Sorvanets, Yunga, Pinocchio F1, etc. Varieties and hybrids for growing in a greenhouse: Apricot Favorite, Atlant F1, Belladonna F1, Californian Miracle, Lastochka, etc.
- The best varieties of sweet peppers for open ground
Top 20 best pepper varieties to plant this season.
- 16 best varieties and hybrids of sweet peppers for the greenhouse
Which sweet pepper is most often grown in a greenhouse to obtain large yields? Check out our selection of the most popular varieties and hybrids.
Features of growing chili peppers
Growing chili peppers requires the same basic conditions as sweet peppers. But there are several features. It is necessary that there are two types of bitter pepper - tall and short.
Seedlings of the first type are planted at a distance of 30 cm, and low-growing ones - 15-20 cm from each other. To get more ovaries, you should get rid of the first buds - this stimulates vigorous flowering.
Keep the beds clean
Since there is much less space in an enclosed space, plants have to be placed close to each other. Close proximity of plants and high humidity are the main risk factors for the development and rapid spread of various diseases. That is why it is important to weed the plantings in a timely manner and get rid of uninvited green “guests”.
Sometimes it happens that another one “breaks through” into the territory that you have allocated for growing one crop. If it just so happens that another “decent” plant has settled next to your peppers, do not rush to get rid of it.
For example, onions and garlic will help repel pests and suppress the growth and development of pathogenic bacteria, and basil, marigolds, coriander, catnip, marjoram, tansy and thyme will attract pollinating insects to the plant.
It is interesting that weeds can also play a good service for your harvest. For example, nettle, chamomile and dandelion contribute to the speedy ripening of vegetables. If there are 1-2 specimens of one of these plants in a greenhouse with peppers, it makes sense to postpone fighting them until the end of the season, when you have already harvested the entire crop.
- A good neighborhood: what can be planted next to pepper
Not all vegetables get along well in one garden bed. Today we are choosing neighbors for our beloved bell pepper.
Methods for arranging irrigation in open ground
Using a variety of watering systems greatly simplifies the care of pepper plantings. When choosing a suitable method, one must take into account its advantages and disadvantages, take into account the area of the site, and the presence of natural bodies of water nearby.
See also: Yeast fertilizer for peppers - fertilizer recipes
Mechanical irrigation
With this method, a forced irrigation system (drip or sprinkler) is installed. The design consists of a water tank and plastic pipes connected to it. Pipes with a diameter of 30-50 mm are laid along the beds, from which a special dropper is directed to each plant.
When arranging beds with pepper, it is advisable to do subsoil watering (in this case, moisture is supplied directly to the root of the bush). Since pepper is a moisture-loving crop, it is advisable to install a pump for constant water supply. If there is no power source for the pump, you need to install a large container of water on a high support next to the beds.
This method simplifies watering the beds, but it is necessary to constantly monitor the process (manually turn the pump off and on) and monitor the water pressure.
Manual
This is the most budget-friendly and primitive option for irrigating peppers. The watering method is suitable for cultivating a small area bed. To ensure that water is evenly distributed around the bush, use a special garden watering can.
The disadvantages of the method are obvious - the watering process takes a lot of time, especially in areas with dense, heavy soil, physical strength is required to carry a watering can with water.
A non-standard option is to place a plastic bottle of water near each bush (2 or 5 liter containers are suitable). Several holes are made in the cap/bottom of the bottle, through which the soil will be constantly and evenly moistened.
Automation
Installation of an expensive irrigation system for beds is justified if the site is very remote. Thanks to special equipment, it is possible to remotely set the operating modes of drip/sprinkler irrigation systems. It is justified to install an automatic irrigation system in open beds in the southern regions, where dry and hot weather can persist for a long time. Naturally, it only makes sense to install irrigation systems on large areas.
Take time to form bushes
Forming a bush allows you to direct all the forces of the plant in the “right direction”. If this is not done, the pepper will begin to spend nutrients on growing green mass, and not on the formation of ovaries, when such a need really arises. The main stages of the formation of pepper bushes:
When the first flowers appear on the seedlings, they are removed so that the young plant spends nutrients on strengthening the bush.
As soon as the plant planted in the ground adapts to new conditions, begin forming bushes. To do this, remove all the lower shoots up to the first fork, and along with them, carefully separate the crown flower from the stem.
Reduce the number of ovaries to 20 per bush so that the plant does not waste its energy on “extra” fruits.
To ensure that the last pepper crop has time to fully ripen, remove all new flowers at the end of August.
The crown flower is the flower that forms at the first fork of the bush.
- How and why to plant peppers
Understanding the formation of peppers is very simple. You just have to carefully examine the bushes.
Planting seedlings
Bell pepper is a heat-loving plant. Young specimens are planted in the soil after the threat of spring night frosts has passed. The time for planting seedlings depends on the regional location of the dacha. As a rule, peppers are planted starting in mid-May. Bell pepper seedlings for open ground must undergo a hardening process. To increase resistance to adverse factors, plants should be taken out into fresh air in warm weather. Hardening of young individuals is carried out gradually, starting from several minutes.
Planting pattern for peppers 70x30 cm or 50x50 cm:
- A few hours before planting, young plants are watered abundantly. The culture at the time of transplantation should be vigorous and healthy. Lack of moisture can have a detrimental effect on the establishment process. Withered plants shed their first buds and retard their development. A weak and wilted plant during transplantation means a significant reduction in yield.
- Young seedlings are planted in the afternoon. At night, the culture will not fight the sweltering heat and will devote all its energy to survival. In the case when it is cloudy outside, pepper seedlings can be planted at any time of the day.
- Prepare holes in the soil for planting plants. Each hole should be watered generously: 2 liters of water per plant. It is best to use water for irrigation at room temperature, heated in the sun.
- The seedlings are transplanted with a ball of earth. Each plant should be separated from the container and planted in the prepared holes not too deep: plant the pepper 3 cm deeper than it grew in room conditions. Pepper does not form adventitious roots well. But still, their appearance contributes to better nutrition of the crop.
The plant is not picky about the composition of the soil. But it still grows better on loamy soil.
Carry out regular disease and pest prevention
Regularly inspect plants planted in the ground for the first signs of disease or pests. Please note that the use of certain drugs is largely determined not only by the degree of infection of the plant, but also by the development phase of the pepper.
So, for example, during the budding period they act according to the following scheme:
10 days after transplanting the plants to a permanent place, treat the bushes with Aktara according to the instructions. To prevent diseases (Alternaria blight, late blight, etc.), use Fitosporin-M solution.
If you notice something is wrong in the early stages, then a decoction of wormwood (3 kg of fresh herbs per 10 liters of water boiled for 20 minutes) or biological products (Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide, etc.) will help you.
If things have gone too far and it is still not possible to control pests with traditional tobacco dust, the “heavy artillery” will come to the rescue: Alatar, Herold, etc.
Shar Pei, Bushido, Zhukoed, Inta-Ts-M, Qi-Alpha and others will help in the fight against Colorado potato beetles. Anti-Mites, BioKill, Fitoverm and other drugs are used to treat spider mites.
You can learn how to protect a plant during the growing season, flowering and fruiting from the following article.
- Calendar for treating peppers against diseases and pests
If you want to grow healthy and beautiful peppers, do not forget to treat them against diseases and pests. And we will tell you when and how to do it.
Feed your plants in a timely manner
Systematic feeding is the key to a decent harvest. Nutrient deficiency leads to “stretching,” slower growth and lower yields, not to mention the fact that weak plants are more difficult to resist various diseases.
Regardless of whether you use industrial fertilizers or try to get by organically, remember that exceeding the dosage can be harmful or even fatal to plants.
At each stage of its development, pepper needs different fertilizers. You can find out what products are permissible to use in the period before planting in the ground, during the growth, flowering and fruiting of this fruit crop, in the material devoted exclusively to this topic.
- How to feed sweet peppers for growth and harvest
In order for the bell pepper to please you with its juiciness and excellent taste, you should also please it with proper and timely feeding.
Feeding peppers after planting in the greenhouse and soil
How to feed peppers so that the seedlings are strong and plump? To do this, she needs nutrients. Since the plant receives them through the roots from the soil, the soil should be enriched with the fertilizers necessary for the crop.
The first feeding of peppers after planting should be done only after the seedlings have taken root, that is, after about two to three weeks.
Pepper feeding options:
- Foliar feeding (spraying foliage) with a solution of nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per bucket of water). The Nitrofoska fertilizer contains potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, which are necessary for plants to grow foliage, form buds and develop.
- Root feeding with a solution of chicken manure (10 parts water – 1 part manure).
- Instead of nitrophoska, you can use urea and superphosphate, the solution of which is used to water the seedlings. To prepare the solution you will need 10 liters of water, 10 grams of urea and 5 grams of superphosphate. In this way, the plants will be provided with nitrogen and phosphorus. Each bush will need a liter of this fertilizer.
- During budding, peppers are fed with potassium and phosphorus. At this time, nitrogen is not needed, as it only helps to grow foliage. Also, do not use potassium chloride, as peppers do not like chlorine. You can prepare a solution of potassium sulfate (1 teaspoon) and superphosphate (matchbox), which are dissolved in a bucket of water. Each plant is watered with a liter of nutrient solution.
You will be interested to know: Sowing pepper seedlings in Siberia and the Urals according to timing and the Lunar calendar in 2022
Use superphosphate only if the soil on your site is not enriched with phosphorus.
A day or two before fertilizing, the plants should be watered.
Do not allow the soil to dry out
Water the pepper in the morning between 9 and 11 o'clock with rain or settled warm tap water at the root, making sure that the liquid does not get on the leaves. This is done every 4-6 days depending on the condition of the soil. Make sure that it does not dry out or become crusty.
However, we should not forget that pepper loves light and loose soil, so under no circumstances should moisture stagnate. To do this, the next day after watering, loosen the soil in which the pepper grows, while simultaneously getting rid of weeds.
When growing peppers in a greenhouse or greenhouse, do not forget about ventilation, but make sure that there are no drafts. If the weather is very hot outside, you can make life easier for the plants by removing the film from one side of the greenhouse.
Basic rules for watering peppers
Without fertilizing and shaping, the crop will produce fruits that will not correspond to the varietal description. But with improper watering, gardeners risk being left without a harvest at all.
Is it possible to create a watering schedule?
Even gardeners with many years of experience in growing the crop cannot predict how many times pepper will have to be watered per week. This depends on many factors:
- soil composition and structure;
- weather;
- lighting intensity;
- air and soil temperatures;
- stage of development, health and height of bushes;
- volume of the root system;
- differences between day and night temperatures;
- planting density.
And this is an incomplete list. It is much easier to water peppers not according to a schedule, but when the crop needs water.
Infrequent or too much watering
Watering the pepper from time to time will prevent the fruit from cracking, like tomatoes. The consequences will be more serious, including the death of the bush.
If watering the pepper is not enough:
- it grows slowly and develops poorly;
- gets sick more often;
- if the soil is too dry, the crop may die, the seedlings may die quickly, an adult bush will first shed its leaves;
- buds and ovaries fall off;
- ripe fruits are not juicy enough;
- the wall is thin;
- the ovaries may become deformed.
If peppers are not watered enough, the leaves lose turgor. Pests will immediately take advantage of this, since it is much easier for them to pierce or gnaw through soft, sluggish vegetative organs than dense and elastic ones.
You also shouldn’t water the pepper too often. The root of the crop does not recover well. If, due to waterlogging, it or the lower part of the stem begins to rot, then at best it will take a long time to recover, which will delay the onset of fruiting. At worst, the plant will die.
When to water
You just need to monitor the soil moisture. You can’t wait for the leaves to droop - they will most likely fall off after that. Even when water soaks and oedema appears, they begin to water the seedlings again at the first signs of loss of turgor - when the vegetative organs become softer than usual, but do not have time to establish.
The crop needs to be watered often, but not too much. The soil should be constantly moderately moist, but not wet.
Focusing on dried soil crust is fraught with consequences. It may get wet underneath and the root will begin to rot. However, the surface of the substrate should not be compacted; after each moistening it must be loosened.
Mulch the soil
Using mulch has a number of advantages. Firstly, it helps the soil always remain loose, secondly, it prevents the growth of weeds, and thirdly, it helps to retain moisture, and, therefore, saves time that you would have to spend on watering the plants.
At the same time, do not forget to regularly update the layer of mulch every 3-4 weeks as it subsides.
- 10 mistakes you make when mulching
An agrotechnical practice such as mulching, which is beneficial for soil and plants, can be harmful if mistakes are made when performing it.
Despite the fact that pepper is considered a somewhat capricious crop, many gardeners reap a rich harvest of this vegetable. Follow our recommendations and you will join their number!
How to water peppers and tomatoes
Tomatoes and peppers are one of the most common vegetables that summer residents grow on their plots during the summer season. They are great for making salads, marinades, and pickling. In order for vegetables to have excellent taste, proper watering is necessary.
Instructions
- Watering plants is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. It has its own characteristics and rules. Tomatoes and peppers are very heat-loving plants. They love sunlight and moisture. However, when watering, direct the water so that it does not fall on the stems and leaves. Indeed, in direct sunlight, the plant can get burns on wet leaves. Use settled water and be sure to be warm. Cold water is used to harden off plants during the seedling stage.
- Monitor weather conditions carefully. In hot and dry times, water once every two to three days. It is advisable to water tomatoes and peppers in the evening, when the temperature drops a few degrees: the effect of watering will last longer. In hot weather during the day, water quickly evaporates from the surface of the earth, and there is also a risk of burning the roots and stems of the plant. In cold and rainy weather, keep watering to a minimum. Plants can suffer from excess moisture just as from lack of it. A large amount of water causes the soil temperature to drop sharply and air humidity to rise by 80-100%. Under such conditions, flowers are pollinated worse, and the ovaries form poorly.
- High humidity causes various diseases. So, one of them is bacterial canker of tomato. At the first stage of infection, ulcers appear on the plant, which eventually turn into cracks. Fungal gray or white coating (white rot) - cobweb-like pubescence occurs on leaves, stems and fruits. With excessive watering, tomato fruits become less sugary and acquire a watery texture. In a greenhouse with a warm and humid climate, peppers and tomatoes are often affected by powdery mildew. As a result of the disease, the fruits crack and rot. Basic ventilation of the greenhouse is used as a preventive measure against diseases. In some cases, this requires removing the film.
- Approximate frequency of watering peppers and tomatoes: 2 times a week. Please note that the soil must have a structure that allows it to absorb large amounts of moisture. The sprinkling method (irrigating plants from the very top) is not recommended for peppers and tomatoes: this negatively affects the growth and development of plants. Also, do not use hose watering with cold tap water: this will injure the plant roots and upset the acid balance. Watering with soft rainwater has a good effect on tomatoes and peppers. Therefore, during rainfall, do not forget to collect water in watering containers. Watering is often combined with the application of fertilizers. So, add a small amount of manure or other fertilizer to the water for irrigation according to the instructions. Fertilizer frequency for adult plants: once a week.
- Maintain air humidity at an optimal level by mulching the soil. Place organic remains on top of the ridge: straw, compost, weeded weeds. The layer should be about 5 cm. This will slow down the evaporation of moisture, reduce the number of weeds, and keep the soil loose. Over time, organic matter decomposes, and the soil is enriched with useful substances and minerals.
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