When and how to plant pepper in a greenhouse correctly: step by step instructions for novice gardeners

Novice gardeners grow seedlings of bell peppers on windowsills and balconies and wait for advice: when and how to plant peppers in a greenhouse. And if in the southern regions the seedlings can easily grow simply in the ground, then in the middle lane and northern regions you have to try to make the vegetable bear fruit.

Read about how to properly cultivate bell peppers in greenhouses in our article.

The timing of planting seedlings in the greenhouse

There is no specific date for planting seedlings. Experienced gardeners closely monitor the weather, temperature, sun to decide when to plant. This happens most often in mid-May.

However, there are universal requirements for planting seedlings in a greenhouse:

1. The seedlings were planted about two months ago (60-70 days).
2. The stems have at least 10 leaves, and they have reached a height of 25-30 cm.
3. The temperature in the greenhouse does not drop below 10 ° C, especially at night.
4. The ground in the greenhouse warmed up to 15-18 ° С.
5. If the bed is in the shade, then it is planted later than the climatic norm.
6. Seedlings are planted in the ground in cloudy weather. If this is not possible, then in the morning or in the evening

If you pay attention to folk signs, then the plants are planted in a greenhouse when the mother-and-stepmother begins to bloom and the mountain ash blooms. But you can plant peppers in open ground when the rose hips begin to bloom: people have always believed that this means the end of morning frosts.

It will not be superfluous to look into the lunar calendar and determine the approximate dates. The days when the new moon and full moon occur are prohibited for planting.

Important! Frosts often occur in late May - early June, so be sure to provide additional heating for the greenhouse and the seedlings themselves.

Greenhouse and soil preparation

There are two ways to prepare the soil for peppers. Manipulations begin in the fall.

Method 1:

1. Remove the soil in the greenhouse by 30 cm.
2. Put small leaves, humus, straw on the bottom and cover the bed with soil, pour water over it.
3. Spread the fallen snow over the ground in the greenhouse.

This is the so-called "warm" bed.

Method 2:

1. Dig up the soil, clear of weeds and unnecessary vegetation, stones.
2. Apply organic fertilizers in the form of compost or rotted manure at the rate of 1-2 buckets per 1 sq. m.
3. A week before planting seedlings, water the soil with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers.
4. Before starting work, water the beds with water previously melted from the last spring snow.

In the last days of March, the soil and the structure itself are disinfected from pests and pathogenic microbes. For this, the insides of the greenhouse are treated with a solution of laundry soap and a smoke bomb is used to disinfect the soil.

For a good harvest, a Bulgarian vegetable requires fertile land, so you should first apply nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers, at the rate of 40 g per 1 sq. m.

If the soil is acidic in the greenhouse, the beds are sprinkled with wood ash or dolomite flour. If the soil is heavy (loam, clay), sawdust, peat, rotted manure or sand are introduced to facilitate it.

For lovers of magic and conspiracies! When planting pepper, a conspiracy is sentenced:
"Be ugly, peppers, large and large, for old and small, baptized for the whole world"

Planting process

Two weeks before planting the peppers, gardeners are advised to start hardening the seedlings.To do this, the seedlings are taken out into the street, first only on a sunny warm day, and in the last couple of days they are left overnight.

Two days before planting, the plants are watered with a solution of potash fertilizers and sprayed with Bordeaux liquid (a mixture of slaked lime and copper sulfate), which helps to protect the seedlings from fungal and bacterial diseases... The mixture is prepared at the rate of 50 g per 10 l of water.

It is better to plant seedlings in individual peat cups - there will be no problems when planting in a greenhouse - the roots are not injured during transplantation.

In cases where peppers grow in a common container, holes are prepared in the garden for each bush to the same depth as in pots. Seedlings are watered before transplanting, giving time to absorb. They take it out with a spoon, not pulling it by the stem, but prying it from below, so as to injure the roots and stem as little as possible.

When many unnecessary branches are formed on the stems below, they are carefully cut or torn off so that they do not take nutrients for themselves.

Important! When planting seedlings in the ground, do not bury the root collar of the plant.

Landing scheme

The harvest largely depends not only on the planting time, but also on the correct formation of the ridge.

Distance when planting seedlings

Still at the stage selection of peppers it is worth considering the area and height of the greenhouse, the way cultivation... In a low greenhouse, it is worth growing undersized varieties, in the open field - frost-resistant ones.

Ridge formation rules:

• tall varieties are located at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other;
• undersized varieties - 25-30 cm;
• the distance between the rows is 70-80 cm, so that there is room for the formation of the crown.

Bush formation

It is worth forming a bush in tall varieties. In stunted ones, they simply remove excess, rotting or diseased processes.

Follow these guidelines:

• they begin to form a bush from a height of 25-30 cm, a lower plant may die or stop developing;
• the very first bud is removed, then the plant will begin to actively grow new shoots;
• the stem is formed into several shoots, choosing for this strong and without diseases, the rest are pinched or cut off the tops;
• if the remaining shoots again form forks, then the same actions are repeated: stronger shoots are selected, the tops of the rest are pinched, the first buds are removed;
• everything that grows inside the bush is cut off, because they thicken the bush, preventing it from bearing fruit well;
• no more than 20 fruits are left on the bush;
• closely monitor the appearance of rotten, light processes, which are immediately removed so that diseases do not arise;
• when the peppers are fully grown, the buds are blooming, the fruits are forming, it is recommended to remove the main top, then the fruits will be larger and richer in taste;
• when the stem reaches a height of half a meter, the plant is tied to wooden mini-trellises;
• if the plant is tall and the height of the greenhouse allows, the stem is tied with a rope to the ceiling of the greenhouse.

Important! At the beginning of planting, the plant will wind up, lower the branches and leaves, but with proper care, it will rise in a couple of days, raise the leaves to the sun and begin to turn green with a vengeance.

Pepper care

Pepper care does not end there. Even planted seedlings on time, properly formed bushes require close attention.

Watering

It is important to water the peppers correctly:

• watering in the morning;
• consumption: a bucket of water per 1 sq. m;
• once a week until bud formation;
• twice a week during flowering and fruiting;
• direct a stream of water under the root without affecting the leaves;
• use only warm and clean water to prevent hypothermia of the plants.

Important! Plants are watered often and little by little, because with a lack or excess of moisture ovaries may fall off.

Top dressing

An important stage in the formation of the crop is feeding:

• once every two weeks with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer (urea) during the growing season;
• once every 14 days with phosphorus fertilizers during the period of fruit formation;
• a couple of times a season it is allowed to feed a mullein.

Important! If the plant sheds ovaries, then it does not have enough sunlight. In such situations, it is worth removing all the leaves, leaving only flowers and fruits.

Additional care

• regular weeding to remove weeds;
• loosening the soil for oxygenation;
• garter stems;
• do not leave unattended and observe the appearance;
• leaves twisted around the edges indicate a lack of potassium;
• if the underside of the leaf turns purple, then the pepper lacks phosphorus;
• grayish leaves indicate nitrogen deficiency;
• the absence of ovaries and the rapid growth of greenery indicate an excess of nitrogen, in which case watering with an infusion of ash is carried out.

Important! Loosening too deep can damage the root system, which in turn leads to the death of flowers and the death of the plant.

Conclusion

In the greenhouse, the vegetable is protected from natural disasters, but this does not automatically guarantee a high yield. The quantity and quality of fruits also depends on the efforts, competent approach and skills of the farmer. It is necessary to transplant, fertilize and water the crop on time. And then the pepper will delight with sweet, juicy fruits until late autumn.