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Caring for bell pepper plants


How Do I Grow Peppers At Home

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Peppers

By: Caroline Bloomfield

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Like most gardeners, when you’re planning your vegetable garden, you’ll probably want to include bell peppers. Peppers are excellent in all sorts of dishes, raw and cooked. They can be frozen at season’s end and enjoyed in dishes throughout the winter.

Brush up on some bell pepper info to learn all about growing these delicious and nutritious vegetables. A little knowledge about pepper plant care will go a long way.

What Growing Peppers Need to Get Started

Growing bell peppers isn’t difficult, but temperature is an important factor. While they’re fairly easy to grow, pepper plant care in these early stages is critical.

Always start pepper plant seedlings indoors. The seeds need the warmth of your house to germinate. Fill a seed tray with seed starting soil or well-draining potting soil, placing one to three seeds in each container. Place the tray in a warm location or use a warming mat to keep them between 70 to 90 degrees F. (21-32 C.) – the warmer the better.

If you find it helpful, you can cover the tray with plastic wrap. Water droplets will form on the underside of the plastic to let you know the baby seeds have enough water. If the drops stop forming, it’s time to give them a drink. You should begin to see signs of plants popping up within a couple weeks.

When your little plants get to be a few inches tall, gently pot them separately in small pots. As the weather begins to warm, you can get the small plants used to the outdoors by hardening the seedlings off – putting them out during the day for a bit. This, along with a little fertilizer now and then, will strengthen them in preparation for the garden.

When the weather has warmed up and your young plants have grown to about 8 inches tall (20 cm.), they can be transferred to the garden. They’ll thrive in soil with a pH of 6.5 or 7. 

How Do I Grow Peppers in the Garden?

Since bell peppers thrive in the warm seasons, wait for the nighttime temperatures in your region rise to 50 degrees F. (10 C.) or higher before transplanting them to the garden. Before you plant peppers outdoors, it’s important to be absolutely certain that the chance of frost is long gone. A frost will either kill the plants altogether or inhibit pepper growth, leaving you with bare plants.

Pepper plants should be placed in the soil 18 to 24 inches (46-60 cm.) apart. They’ll enjoy being planted near your tomato plants. The soil should be well drained and amended before you put them into the ground. Healthy pepper plants should produce peppers throughout late summer.

Harvesting Peppers

It’s easy to determine when your peppers are ready to harvest. Begin to pick the peppers once they are 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 cm.) long and the fruit is firm and green. If they feel somewhat thin, the peppers aren’t ripe. If they feel soggy, it means they’ve been left on the plant too long. After you harvest the first crop of peppers, feel free to fertilize the plants to give them the energy they need to form another crop.

Some gardeners prefer red, yellow or orange bell peppers. These varieties just need to stay on the vine longer to mature. They’ll start out green, but you’ll notice they have a thinner feel. Once they begin to take on color, the peppers will thicken and become ripe enough to harvest. Enjoy!

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How to Grow and Care for Bell Peppers (Capsicum annuum)

Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) may be the most colorful crop in the garden. Most often found in shades of red, yellow, orange and green, you can also grow white, purple, and brown varieties. Some even produce a rainbow of different colored fruits on one plant. Bell peppers grow into compact bushes with large, alternate leaves, white flowers and fruits on multiple branches. The fruits come in miniature, standard and giant sizes from blocky square-shaped peppers with raised shoulders, to more rounded shapes with tapered bottoms.

Bell peppers require warm temperatures to germinate and produce fruit. Like tomatoes, they belong to the nightshade family, but aren't nearly as fussy about growing conditions. What you do need to know is, despite being fairly sturdy and prolific, they are vulnerable to a host of diseases, some of which can topple your pepper patch like a row of dominoes.

Bell peppers don't pack heat like their hot pepper cousins and can vary in taste from sweet to a more predominant "green" flavor like parsley. Eaten raw or cooked this is a versatile fruit that adds color, flavor and vitamins to a host of dishes.

The foliage of all nightshade plants, including bell peppers, is toxic to people.

 Common Name  Bell Pepper, Sweet Pepper
 Botanical Name Capsicum annuum
 Family Solanaceae
 Plant Type Fruit, annual
 Size 18 in. to 3 feet tall
 Sun Exposure Full sun
 Soil Type Fertile loam
 Soil pH Neutral 6.5-7
 Bloom Time Summer
 Hardiness Zones 9-11 (USDA)
 Native Area Mexico, Central and South America
 Toxicity Foliage toxic to people

How to Plant Bell Peppers

It takes about 75 days for a bell pepper to mature to its green stage and another two to three weeks to develop fully ripe color of red, yellow, orange and more, depending on variety. Due to the time they take to mature, it's best to start peppers from seed 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost date, or purchase seedlings for transplanting into the garden.

When to Plant

Grown as a garden vegetable annual, bell peppers need heat both to germinate and grow. Seeds germinate best at 75 degrees F, and established plants need daytime temperatures of 75 degrees F and above. In most growing zones, bell peppers are planted out in late April or early May.

Selecting a Planting Site

Bell peppers require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. Plant them in well-worked, loamy soil with good drainage. Avoid areas where nightshades grew the previous year and separate the pepper patch from tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants by planting beans in between. Peppers also adapt well to raised beds and container gardening.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Place plants 18 inches apart in rows 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart. Dig a hole deep enough so the upper portion of the pepper sits at the same level as in the pot. It's okay to pinch off the seed leaves, but avoid stripping and exposing the stem. Peppers don't require staking, however plants heavy with mature fruit will benefit from a single stake for support.

Bell Pepper Plant Care

When you start with strong, healthy transplants and follow a fairly standard care routine, bell peppers are not hard to grow. They are vulnerable to a number of diseases including bacterial, fungal and viruses. Soil borne disease can be hard to eradicate and manage so the best course is prevention by employing good garden practices: crop rotation, removing crop debris, and improving soil quality with compost and cover crops.

Light

Bell peppers need 6 to 8 hours of direct sun daily. Avoid planting them next to taller crops like corn that block the sun.

Soil

A nutrient rich, loamy soil that drains well supports disease resistance and a well-developed root system. Peppers thrive in soil with a balanced pH level of 6.5 to 7.

Water

Bell peppers require 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Drip irrigation works best and soaker hoses provide the deep watering needed. Overhead watering and too much or too little water leads to fungal and bacterial problems. Water early in the day to avoid wet foliage overnight.

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Temperature and Humidity

Bell peppers flourish in daytime temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees F and nighttime temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees F. At 90 degrees F and below 60 degrees F blossoms can be damaged resulting in blossom drop or small, misshapen fruit. Relative humidity levels of 50 to 70 percent are sufficient. Higher levels can encourage color development in varieties other than green.

Fertilizer

Heavy feeders, bell peppers benefit from scheduled applications of fertilizer. Apply one with a slightly higher NPK ratio of phosphorous such as 5-10-10 at planting time and again when blossoms set. As fruits begin to form a balanced NPK of 10-10-10 can support development. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen early in the season which can cause excessive leafy growth instead of blossoms, buds and fruits.

Pollination

Flowers have both male and female parts for self-pollination. You don't need more than one pepper plant or insect pollinators to get fruits. Cross-pollination can occur when different varieties are grown together but it won't affect the current crop. Saved seed, however, won't produce a plant the same as the parent.

Types of Bell Peppers

Dozens of varieties are available including heirlooms and hybrids. Many have been cultivated for disease resistance and for fruit size and color. No matter where you live, you can find a bell pepper to grow in your garden.

Variety vs. Variety

Bell peppers are often referred to as sweet peppers, but not all sweet peppers are bells. Sweet Banana, Corno di Toro, Marconi, Gypsy Hybrid, Lipstick, and other sweet peppers produce narrow, elongated fruits with more seeds than the blocky fruits of bell peppers. Both types are used interchangeably but bell peppers are better for stuffing while long, thin, sweet peppers are often used in salads and for pickling.

Harvesting Bell Peppers

When it comes to picking your peppers, it's all about color and that first frost date for your growing zone. Choose a variety with a "days to maturity" that falls within your growing season and remember, seedlings set out too early just sit, waiting for temperatures to warm up. The number of days to maturity usually refers to the "green" stage of the fruit. If you are growing other colored types, add two to three weeks for the fruit to reach full color and flavor. Harvest peppers when they are uniformly colored and feel slightly heavy and solid depending on size.

Use a sharp sterile snipper, or hand pruner to remove fruit leaving an inch of stem attached. Peppers can be refrigerated for one to two weeks or washed, seeded, sliced and frozen for eight to ten months.

Tip

Like tomatoes, peppers that show come color will continue to turn when picked early but the fruit won't develop full flavor and will shrivel if left out too long.

How to Grow Bell Peppers in Pots

Due to their compact, bushy form, bell peppers adapt readily to growing in pots. Choose a pot at least 12 inches in diameter with plenty of drainage holes. Both plastic and ceramic pots work well.

  1. Fill the container with an organically rich potting mix. Avoid using garden soil.
  2. Make a hole in the center deep and wide enough to accommodate the seedling's root system.
  3. Backfill around the roots, gently pressing down to seat the plant but avoid compacting the soil.

The quality and nutrient value of your potting mix will determine how often to add fertilizer. Apply a 5-10-10 when planting and again at first bloom. Add a balanced 10-10-10 when fruit starts to form. Peppers grown in pots need to be watered more often than those in the ground.

Pruning

Pruning is not required, but you can remove branches that don't produce buds or fruit to direct energy toward peppers already developing. Use a sharp, sterile hand pruner and cut branches at their base.

Propagating Bell Peppers

Greenhouse growers may offer a variety of bell pepper seedlings, but starting plants from purchased seed greatly extends your options. Seeding is the easiest method and fresh seed gives the greatest germination rate as pepper seeds are short-lived.. Start seeds 10 to 12 weeks before you plan to set the seedlings out in the garden. You need a tray with one to two inch cells or small pots with drainage holes, and soilless seed starting mix.

  1. Dampen the seed starter with warm water. Fill the cell tray or pots with the seed starter.
  2. Using your index finger, poke a shallow hole in the center of each pot.
  3. Place a seed in each hole and cover with seed starter.
  4. Cover the tray with a plastic dome or use plastic bags to cover pots.
  5. Place the starts in a warm location with steady temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees F. Bottom heat aids germination.
  6. Maintain moisture but avoid overwatering which can cause damping off. Watering from the bottom helps. If the soil surface appears dry, add water.
  7. Once seedlings emerge, remove the plastic.
  8. Peppers can be potted up when the first set of true leaves appears. Waiting until several sets of leaves are present results in a stronger stem and helps avoid damage during repotting.
  9. Use 3 to 4 inch pots for repotting and switch to a quality mix or add fertilizer.
  10. When daytime temperatures warm up, begin hardening off your seedlings by placing them outside for several hours each day.
  11. Plant peppers in the garden when nighttime temperatures are steady at 60 degrees F and above.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Healthy pepper plants are not affected much by insect pests. Most damaging are aphids, thrips, flea beetles. pepper weevils and hornworms. Pepper weevils ruin fruits by laying eggs in the flesh. Larvae tunnel through the inside causing damage and rot. Hornworms can defoliate a mature plant and flea beetles can defoliate young seedlings.

Bell peppers are vulnerable to disease and once a fungal or bacterial infection sets in, it can spread through the patch affecting an entire crop. Particularly susceptible to fungus, peppers also can succumb to bacterial wilts and cankers. Viruses endemic to bell peppers include cucumber mosaic virus and tomato spotted wilt virus.

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  1. Vegetable Families. Missouri Botanical Garden.

  2. Bell pepper. Plant Village

planting, care, types and varieties, photo.

Details

Cultivation of Bulgarian pepper

Bulgarian pepper is a source of beneficial vitamins that help restore strength and strengthen the body.

"Bulgarian" pepper got its name from a Bulgarian breeder, and its real homeland is America.

Yellow, red, orange and green, cone-shaped and oval - they are all so different, but there are so many necessary and useful things in these peppers. Sweet pepper among vegetables occupies a leading position in terms of vitamin C content. Bell pepper fruits also contain vitamin P, vitamin A, B, carotene, folic acid, as well as calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, copper, iodine, magnesium, sodium and zinc .

Antioxidants, which are part of the bell pepper, rejuvenate cells, thin the blood, and also clear cholesterol. Pepper increases hemoglobin in our blood. The fruits of red pepper contain lycopene, which prevents cancer. Peppers are recommended for beriberi, to increase appetite. Pepper juice is also useful, especially when mixed with carrot juice.

Regular use of pepper improves skin condition, improves visual acuity, enhances hair growth. Scientists strongly recommend fighting depression, insomnia with the help of bell pepper. To do this, just eat red bell pepper.

Bell pepper varieties

Thanks to plant breeders, today vegetable growers have a huge selection of modern pepper varieties. When choosing a variety of sweet pepper, you need to take into account the climate conditions in which the bell pepper will grow. In the south of our country, the choice is very large - there are suitable conditions for growing sweet peppers, even late-ripening varieties. However, in the north of Russia, where a cool and short summer, only early ripening varieties are suitable. As well as pepper hybrids.

Early and medium low-growing varieties are suitable for growing pepper in the middle zone of our country: Tenderness, Gingerbread Man, Winnie the Pooh, Gift of Moldova, Myasisty 7, Postrel, Krepysh, Suite, Funtik.

The list of medium -sized early varieties and hybrids is even more extensive:

AGAPOVSKY , Chrysolite F1 , Rapsodia F1 9004 2 Buratino F1 9004 2 9004.0043 Dobrynya , Broke , Health , Orange miracle F1 , anniversary .

It is best to choose several varieties of bell peppers with different ripening periods. Then the whole season you can provide yourself with a fresh harvest.

Bell pepper seedlings

When growing pepper seedlings, the question immediately arises - when to plant the seeds? You can make a calculation. The age of bell pepper seedlings when planted in open ground should be 75 days. Pepper planting usually begins in May.

Bulgarian pepper seeds

Sweet pepper seeds before planting, you can not warm up, just hold them in potassium permanganate. Take a teaspoon of potassium permanganate in a glass of water, dip the seeds in this solution for 20 minutes, then rinse with water. Pour the prepared seeds with water with a stimulant (Epin) for 10 hours, then drain the water and, without washing, place in a warm place to swell the seeds for 10 hours. When the seeds swell, the nutrient reserves pass into the active phase, and the substances that prevent germination go into the water.

To plant bell pepper seeds, you can use ready-made purchased nutrient soil. The soil should be permeable, loose, porous. The finished mixture must be poured with a solution of potassium permanganate and calcined.

Bell pepper seeds are planted in already watered furrows to a depth of 1 cm, at a distance of about 2 cm.

Boxes with crops are placed on a warm windowsill. Seedlings will appear within a week. Water as needed, once a week. Mostly spraying with potassium permanganate, water or growth stimulants is used.

Bell pepper seedlings in the two-leaf phase must be dived. You can dive pepper into peat pots or plastic cups, filling them with nutrient soil.

The next care for pepper seedlings is watering, top dressing.

Planting bell peppers

Pepper loves sunny areas protected from strong winds. Best of all, sweet pepper will grow on the soil where the predecessors were beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers. It is not recommended to plant bell peppers where potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes were previously planted.

Before planting bell pepper, the bed is filled with ash and compost: per 1 sq. m of land half a bucket of compost and a glass of ash.

Bell pepper seedlings are planted in the evening at a distance of 40 cm from each other, between rows 55 cm. The holes are poured with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then mulched with earth. Pepper seedlings are deepened into the ground to the bottom two true leaves.

For two weeks, bell pepper takes root, and grows poorly. To help him, it is necessary to loosen and stop watering.

As for top dressing, the first one can be done about a few weeks after planting.

And some more recommendations for the successful cultivation of sweet pepper:

  • To increase the yield of pepper, the flower that begins to grow from the first branching of the foliage must be removed.
  • Pepper is a pollinated plant, so if you plant not only sweet peppers, but also bitter ones, then you need to plant them away from each other. Because, pollinated by bitter pepper, sweet pepper will also begin to taste bitter.
  • Plant basil, marigolds, calendula between rows of bell peppers, this will scare away pests.
  • Regular harvesting of pepper encourages the formation of new ovaries. Harvest fruit more often and you will have a good harvest.


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Bulgarian pepper cultivation and care in the open field and greenhouse, photo

The pride of every gardener is a large and healthy bell pepper, the cultivation and care of which are discussed in detail in our article. We will talk about the rules for planting pepper in a greenhouse and open ground, and about the agrotechnical features of the crop, from seed processing to harvesting.

Contents:

Preparation of seed
Growing bell pepper seedlings
Bell pepper: outdoor cultivation and care
Sweet pepper: cultivation and care in the greenhouse

Bulgarian pepper cultivation and care

Growing pepper requires care and attention. But if you prepare strong and healthy seedlings, properly care for them, then the result will be an ideal harvest of large and juicy vegetables.

Seed preparation

According to the lunar calendar, it is recommended to sow pepper for seedlings during the days of the growing moon. To grow seedlings of pepper, the seeds are sown as early as February, because by the time they are transplanted into the greenhouse - in early May, or into open ground, the seedlings must reach three months of age.

Preparation of pepper seeds before sowing

Staged seedbed preparation

  1. Disinfect seed in 1% iodine solution for half an hour, then rinse.
  2. Immerse them for 5 hours in warm water (up to 50°C).
  3. For final germination, leave the seeds in a warm room for a couple of days, covered with a damp cloth.

If sowing for seedlings, prepare the soil by mixing earth with sand (one to one), add the same amount of humus to get a ratio of 1:1:2. For every kilogram of soil, add a tablespoon of ash.

Agrotechnics for sowing bell pepper seeds for seedlings

  • After filling the boxes with prepared soil, moisten it.
  • Make grooves in the ground 1.5-2 cm deep.
  • Plant the seeds at a distance of 4-5 cm from one another so that the seedlings do not swoop down in the future.
  • Sprinkle with earth and pour well with warm water. Cover the container with polyethylene or glass and place in a warm room.
Sowing bell pepper seeds for seedlings

The presence of light does not matter at the moment. But after seed germination, additional lighting is required from 7 am to 9evenings.

Cultivation of bell pepper seedlings

When the first shoots appear, after 4-7 days, the shelter will need to be removed.

Pepper seedling care

Watering is necessary for seedlings once a day, it is desirable to carry out the procedure in the morning or in the evening. Use warm water, preferably melted water, infused to room temperature (up to + 30 ° C). Before watering, loosen the soil to a depth of 5-6 cm.

Watering pepper seedlings

High soil moisture can lead to black leg disease, but the soil should not dry out completely. To avoid diseases and the appearance of pests, the air must be constantly moistened by daily spraying, and the room must be ventilated.

  • Maintain daytime temperatures at 22-27°C and night temperatures at 14-16°C.
  • Dive the first sheet that appears, this will prevent tangling of the roots.

Feeding pepper seedlings

Seedlings are fertilized twice during cultivation.

  • The first time - after the formation of 3-4 leaves (in 13-15 days after the first shoots). Use urea: 1 tbsp. for 10 liters of water. To improve the effect, first crush the soil with ash.
  • The second time - 4-5 days before transplanting into the ground. The composition is used the same as for the first time, but superphosphate (1 tbsp) is also added to it.

Nettle infusion is also an effective top dressing.

Bulgarian pepper: cultivation and care in the open field

Proper outdoor pepper care involves careful preparation. You will need tools and tools for watering, weeding, fertilizing and warming from frost.

Planting pepper seedlings in open ground

Timing of planting peppers in open ground

For planting, it is necessary to wait for warm weather so that the soil warms up.

  • In the south of Russia and in the middle lane - in late May or early June.
  • For the northern regions, this time comes by mid-June, when the threat of return frosts has passed.

Hardening seedlings before planting

For outdoor pepper cultivation to be successful, seedlings must be hardened off 14 days before planting.

Hardening seedlings in boxes on the veranda
  • Within a few days, open the window for 1-2 hours if the weather is warm.
  • Having built a sun shield from plywood sheets, hardening is carried out on a balcony or veranda for a week.
  • If the night air temperature is not lower than 14 degrees. Celsius, then it is no longer brought into the room.

Site selection and soil preparation for growing peppers

Select the plot where you plan to grow peppers. It should be protected from strong drafts and well lit. The bed must be pre-treated:

  • In autumn, the soil is carefully dug up and loosened, after which complex potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied (50 grams per 1 sq.m.)
  • In the spring, 40 g of ammonium nitrate per square meter is applied to the top layer of the soil.
  • Five days before planting the seedlings, the soil is disinfected with a solution of copper sulfate (1 tbsp per bucket of water).

Tip

If you use different varieties, it is best to grow peppers outdoors at a distance from each other, as the crop tends to cross-pollinate. You can distinguish varieties by planting tall plants - corn, tomatoes or sunflowers.

Procedure for planting pepper seedlings outdoors

Pepper does not tolerate cold soil, so it is better to raise the height of the beds by 20-50 cm.

Planting pepper in open ground
  • Pepper seedlings are watered to take them out of their containers by the roots, planted in the morning or evening when the sun is not too strong.
  • Planted vertically according to the scheme 40x40 cm.
  • Peppers are sprinkled with earth, the area around it is slightly compacted and well watered with warm water.
  • The leaves of young plants break easily, so put a peg on each and tie it up.
  • Loosen the soil around the plant to provide oxygen.
  • Cover the bed with a film, stretching it over pre-installed arcuate rods. After rooting, remove the film.

Tip

Build a shelter for the peppers from the cold with the available materials at hand, building a tent from roofing felt, boards or cardboard. From above it can be covered with burlap or agrofibre.

Pepper pinching outdoors

For the proper formation of the bush and good development of the fruit, pinching is carried out every 10 days. When the plant reaches a height of 25 cm, cut off its top. As a result, the stem will give a lot of shoots, they must be partially removed, leaving 5-6 top ones. They will serve to form the crop. Pasynkovanie carried out in hot, but not dry weather.

How to properly pinch a pepper

Tip

To attract insects to your yard that will pollinate peppers during flowering, spray them with a special sugar syrup. It is prepared as follows: in a liter of hot water dissolve half a glass of sugar and 2 grams. boric acid.

Pepper watering outdoors

Outdoor cultivation of bell pepper does not require abundant watering. The first time it is watered during planting, the second - after 5 days, then - once a week. For watering one plant, 1-1.5 liters is enough. But as you grow older, the rate can be doubled.

When the pepper begins to bloom, water only with warm water (20-22 degrees Celsius). Watering is stopped 2 weeks before the vegetables are completely harvested. After each watering or rain, the soil must be loosened.

To reduce the number of waterings and better retain moisture at plant roots, mulch peppers with 10 cm of overripe straw.

Pepper dressing outdoors

Pepper care after planting in the ground necessarily includes three dressings per season.

Feeding peppers in high beds
  1. The first is carried out two weeks later. Nitrogen fertilizers are necessary for good growth. To do this, dilute a tablespoon of superphosphate and urea in a bucket of water. You can mix urea (1 teaspoon) in the same volume of water. Pour 1 liter of this composition under each plant.
  2. The next top dressing is done during flowering. Since potassium is needed to set fruits, use wood ash. Feed again with urea, as in the first feeding.
  3. The last time pepper is fed with the appearance of the first fruits. To do this, dilute potassium salt and superphosphate (2 teaspoons each) in 10 liters of water.

Watch the growth of the pepper, it may need additional feeding. It can be foliar, since the plant can receive the necessary substances not only through the roots, but also through the leaves.

Pepper problems and solutions

  • If the leaves turn yellow, they lack nitrogen. To provide this substance, spray with a solution of urea in water in the ratio: 1 tablespoon per bucket of water.
  • If the pepper loses its ovaries, then prepare a solution of boric acid: a teaspoon in a bucket of water.
  • In case of poor fruit development, feed with superphosphate or ash: a teaspoon per 5 liters of water.

Foliar top dressing is carried out exclusively in the morning or evening, otherwise the leaves may burn in the scorching sun. In this case, the weather should be calm. Fertilization with yeast has a good effect on the development of peppers.

Recipe for yeast dressing for peppers

For preparation, you need 100 grams of fresh yeast. They are soaked in 0.5 liters of water for a day. Before use, add 5 liters of water to the solution.

Pepper Fertilizer Recipe with Dry Yeast

Dissolve one package of dry yeast in a bucket of water, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, leave for 2 hours to activate the fermentation process. Dilute the infusion with water at the rate of 0.5 liters per 10 liters of water.

Apply this top dressing only to sufficiently warm soil. It can be applied no more than twice per season. After fertilizing with yeast, be sure to add wood ash.

Protection of pepper against diseases and pests in the open field

  • To protect peppers from major pepper pests, dust with wood ash three times during the season. This should be done early in the morning when there is still dew on the plant.
  • To prevent damage by the bear, 1 hour before planting the pepper, fill the wells with onion water (0.5 kg of onion peel insist on 10 liters of water for three days).
  • If you find aphids infestation during the growing season, treat with a solution of 1.5 liters of whey in a bucket of water. After spraying, crush with ash.

Harvesting dates for outdoor peppers

  • The fruits are harvested when they have acquired the size and color appropriate for ripening. Since these vegetables are fragile, it is better to cut them with a stalk.
  • The first crop appears by mid-August, then it is harvested every week until frost.

Advice

Select a few large fruits to prepare seeds for next year. Do not remove them until the end of the summer, allowing them to fully mature. Cut and wrap in paper until dry. Cut and collect the seeds. Their varietal characteristics can persist for three years if cross-pollination does not occur.

Sweet pepper: cultivation and care in a greenhouse

Since pepper is a very heat-loving crop, its cultivation in the open field most often begins with seedlings. When sowing pepper seeds into the ground, they are carefully processed and well hardened. That is why many gardeners prefer growing bell peppers in a greenhouse, where ideal growing conditions can be created for the plant.

Growing bell peppers in a greenhouse

For planting seedlings or sowing seeds, glass, film greenhouses or hotbeds are used. It is also now widely practiced to grow peppers in a polycarbonate greenhouse.

Technology for planting bell pepper in a greenhouse

Peppers are planted in the greenhouse at the beginning of April. Can be sown from seeds, but for better yields, use 2-month-old seedlings 20-25 cm high, which already have 6 to 10 leaves.

Planting bell peppers in a greenhouse
  • Ridges are prepared in the greenhouse at a distance of half a meter from one another.
  • They make holes corresponding to the size of the container in which the seedlings grew.
  • Pour a solution of manure or chicken manure into the holes. To prepare it, half a liter of manure or a glass of litter is dissolved in a bucket of warm water (about +50 C).
  • Pour 1 liter into each well.
  • Pepper seedlings are watered to take them out of the container with the roots.
  • Then the pepper is planted in prepared holes and tied to pegs.

Growing and caring for peppers in a greenhouse

The main care for peppers in a greenhouse is to observe the optimal temperature regime, water, regularly feed, weed and loosen.

Drip automated watering of pepper in a greenhouse
  • The greenhouse must be ventilated and shaded in hot weather.
  • Peppers are watered every 2-3 days, 1-2 liters of water is poured under the root of each plant.
  • Growing peppers in a greenhouse involves maintaining the optimum temperature. During the day it should be at the level of 20-27°С, at night - 15°С. After the onset of fruiting, it can be reduced by a couple of degrees.
  • Bushes are spudded when the soil is still damp. After the soil dries out, it is necessary to loosen the aisles.

Caring for peppers in a polycarbonate greenhouse is the same as caring for a regular greenhouse.

How to properly feed peppers in a greenhouse

Growing peppers in a greenhouse is not possible without sufficient nutrients. For top dressing, urea is used in a similar proportion. But it is better to use a solution of bird droppings in water in a ratio of 1 to 15. They are watered with 1 liter of each sprout. Before top dressing, pepper care includes sprinkling with wood ash.

Fertilized pepper beds in a greenhouse
  • The first feeding is carried out two weeks after planting in the greenhouse.
  • The second - at fruit set.
  • The third - before the harvest.

The composition of fertilizers can be the same for each of the procedures, if the plant does not show signs of a lack of any trace elements.

Total

Bulgarian pepper, the cultivation and care of which we examined, will please you with an excellent harvest, subject to agrotechnical rules.

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