Pepper picking rules
Pepper picking gives rise to a lot of controversy among gardeners, because the root system of plants is very delicate and sensitive, respectively, sprouts in a new place are less accepted. However, many people practice diving sweet peppers for seedlings. Let's consider what this process is for and how to properly carry out the dive procedure.
Pepper picking rules
What is picking for?
Some argue that picking sweet peppers for seedlings is a completely futile exercise, because there is a risk of damaging the root system. In fact, picking helps plants acquire the necessary immunity and develop correctly. The nightshades sown in one vessel over time begin to shade each other, and their root system intertwines with each other, which in the future, when transplanted into open ground, will lead to the death of most of the plants.
It turns out that it is imperative to dive the pepper, otherwise you will not get a good harvest. Timely transplantation into separate containers allows plants to develop a powerful root system, which in the open field can quickly adapt and develop normally. This approach allows you to provide sprouts with all the necessary minerals in the early stages of development and increase yields.
Acceptable dive timing
Seeds are usually planted in February. Already in March, pepper seedlings can be dived into separate containers. In cold regions, when planting seeds in March, the first transplanting of peppers occurs in April.
It is very important for the gardener to be able to dive the pepper correctly. Such processing is necessary when the sprouts already have 3-4 full-fledged leaves. After sowing the seeds, real leaves appear in about 15-20 days, after this period you need to cut the plants into different containers as soon as possible. When transplanting an underdeveloped or overgrown sprout into separate containers, the plants die. When the plant has 5-6 full-fledged leaves, transplanting is already a problem, because the root system is too developed and it will not work to dive peppers onto seedlings without damaging its roots.
In addition, there is a special lunar calendar for gardening work, which determines the most favorable numbers for transplanting. The most unfavorable periods for transplanting and sowing are the periods of the full moon and new moon. The ideal time to pick pepper is the waxing moon. It is at this moment that the transplant takes place without much damage to the plants. So, if you are still wondering when to dive pepper seedlings would be best, check the lunar calendar.
Preparatory stage
Let's take a look at how to properly dive sweet bell peppers. You need to prepare for the transplant in advance. Preparation stages:
- selection of containers and their disinfection;
- preparation of soil mixture.
The optimal volume of containers for diving should be 250-300 g, although often plastic cups or cut-off bottoms of bottles are used, which are at hand. Sometimes they practice planting in large pots, but this is a completely wrong approach. The fact is that the root system of the nightshade is compact in size and is located in the upper part of the soil, and the lower, not used, will sour, which will lead to infection and spread of various diseases among plants. You can use peat pots. This will allow you not to injure the rhizome once again when transplanting into open ground.
Next, we move on to preparing the soil mixture:
- turf;
- peat (if the pot is peat, then not needed);
- sand.
All components are mixed in equal parts. Organic matter must be added to the soil mixture, at least 35% of the total volume. Instead, you can add mineral fertilizers or superphosphates. The soil mixture should be thoroughly roasted in the oven before transplanting. Containers for nightshades are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate and dried.
Before transplanting, the seedlings, the night before or a couple of days before, need to be watered in order to be able to simply pull the sprouts out of the ground. Plants should not be watered immediately prior to transplanting.
Dive instruction
The number of peppers will increase after the correct pick
To correctly dive pepper seedlings, you need to perform a certain sequence of actions.
- In the soil mixture in new pots, you should make small depressions with your finger in advance and pour warm water into them.
- The seedlings should be carefully removed from the containers and the roots should be separated.
- Place the sprouts in the grooves and gently press the soil around the root. You should not deeply deepen the seedling, because the plant does not form adventitious roots during transplantation, and when deeply planted, the rhizome can rot. It should be ensured that the roots do not bend upwards during transplantation.
- after planting under the root, pour a little water.
- If too many depressions have formed, add a little more soil to the pot.
Picking pepper seedlings helps to increase the fruiting period. It is important to understand that any transplant for nightshades is stressful, so it will take a certain amount of time to recover and adapt to new conditions. This will take about a week. The fact that everything was done correctly and the adaptation process was successful can be judged by the newly appeared leaves. The picking of hot pepper varieties does not differ at all from the Bulgarian transplant procedure.
Post-transplant care
It is important not only to dive pepper seedlings correctly, but also to know how to care for pepper seedlings after a dive. Immediately after planting in new pots, plants should be removed to a warm, shaded place for several days. Under too bright light, nightshades do not grow well. Nevertheless, the ideal place is considered to be the one where the pots were standing before transplanting. In this case, you need to shade the plants from natural light using paper. How many days it will take for the sprouts to recover will depend on compliance with the rules of care.
Watering is carried out 3 times a week. Watering is carried out with soft water. The first feeding after picking the pepper is carried out after 14 days. Further fertilization is applied every 10 days. At this stage of growth, fertilizer is prepared from the following components: potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. After the arrival of heat, minerals begin to alternate with organic fertilizers. An excellent remedy is a decoction of nettle leaves.
It is shown to add trace elements 2 times a month. 50 ml of a mixture of:
- boric acid;
- copper sulfate;
- manganese;
- zinc sulfate.
Such fertilization has a beneficial effect on the plant's immunity and helps to fight the snail during the cultivation stage in the open field.
Preparing for transplanting into open ground
To properly dive peppers into open ground, you must first prepare the seedlings for a new microclimate. Throughout the entire period of growth in containers, the room temperature should be kept within 18 ℃. Before planting in the garden, the plants should be hardened.
The temperature should be gradually reduced. At first, direct sunlight can be destructive, therefore, first the seedlings are exposed to the sun for 1 hour, then this interval is increased every day.
In the future, transplanting into open ground is carried out in the same way as in pots. Prepare the beds in advance and apply nitrogen fertilizer. This will help the plants quickly adapt to their new habitat.
Picking sweet peppers for seedlings in open ground is carried out when the ground is completely warmed up and the period of possible frost has passed.
The time of the second pick usually falls at the end of May-beginning of June.
Conclusion
Almost all plants are not very fond of the process of transplanting into a new pot. But even the most productive variety will grow poorly without transplanting. Correct picking of sweet peppers for seedlings helps to strengthen the plant's immunity and prolong the fruiting period.
It is important to remember that the sweet before should not be planted in the garden next to the spicy one. By the wind or with the help of insects, pollen from the spicy variety can get into the Bulgarian, and then you will get a bitter harvest.