Why pepper does not turn red in the greenhouse: find out the reason and accelerate ripening
At the stage of biological ripeness, bell pepper has excellent taste. The vegetable is used fresh and for canning. It can be grown in greenhouse conditions and in the beds in the garden.
It happens that the development of culture slows down, and the fruits do not acquire the desired color on time. From the article you will learn why the pepper does not turn red in the greenhouse and how you can accelerate its ripening.
The content of the article
Why does pepper not turn red in a greenhouse or greenhouse
Bell peppers may not turn red if the seed selection vegetables were purchased from the supermarket. Usually on the shelves are large-fruited peppers with thick walls, which have a high yield. They are brought from countries with warm climates and long summers. The ripening period for such peppers is late.
In most of the post-Soviet space, climatic conditions are not suitable for growing peppers from a store, as they do not have enough solar heat to fully ripen and turn red.
reference... On a bag of seeds, the manufacturer writes the terms of technical ripening of sweet pepper - the period when the vegetable is poured. Pepper coloration occurs during biological maturation. Up to 30 days pass between these stages.
Southern culture is sensitive to any changes in weather conditions. With a cold snap or drought, the plant can completely discard foliage and ovaries, refusing to bear fruit. The following are factors that can significantly affect the maturation of bell peppers.
Feature of the variety
Before sowing seeds, you need to make sure that the variety is selected correctly. Bell pepper can be rich green, orange, red or yellow when ripe.
The inhabitants of the middle zone and northern latitudes have adapted to cultivate very early and early pepper varieties. For the southern territories, late-ripening crops are suitable. The best choice for temperate and cool climates is hybrids. They tolerate small frosts well, are resistant to many diseases, and have excellent taste.
Lack of nutrients in the soil
Pepper is a demanding crop for the presence of calcium in the soil. You can fill its deficiency with wood ash. The mineral is good for pepper at any stage of development.
The southern culture does not tolerate clay soil well. Sandy loam, light soil enriched with biological humus is an ideal choice for growing sweet peppers. You should not allow an excess of nitrogenous compounds: this will negatively affect the yield, will increase the green mass.
It is recommended to feed the plant every 14-16 days. Organic matter, mineral complexes are suitable for soil enrichment. At the time of fruit formation, you need to add phosphorus to the top dressing, and so that the pepper does not rot - calcium, calcium nitrate (2-3 times is enough for the entire growing season).
Not enough warmth
Bell pepper is a thermophilic culture. At low air temperatures, its fruits acquire a dark shade. As a rule, this happens if the temperature drops below 15 ° C.
To preserve the harvest in cool weather, it is recommended to cover the plantings at night with any covering material, this will help the plant not to freeze. It is much easier to adjust the temperature in greenhouse conditions than outside. Not far from the plants, containers with heated water are installed or stones heated in a fire are laid along the paths.
A comfortable temperature for the development of bell pepper is within 25-30 ° С during the daytime, at night - not lower than 18-20 ° С, otherwise the ovary will begin to fall off.
Attention! Dangerous for pepper and overheating of the air over 35-37 ° C. In this case, due to the dryness of the air and the drying out of the soil, the plant withers. Pepper drafts are also harmful.
Not enough lighting
Paradoxically, an excess of sunlight can only harm the plant. Pepper is a "short day" culture. You will get improved yields by providing the plant with about 12 hours of daylight.
Foliage and fruits should receive ultraviolet light evenly in the required amount. This will help the plant to form, ripen and color in its natural color. In the shade, the culture stretches out, forms little ovary. According to gardeners, this situation can be corrected by installing a reflective screen. It will shine light on the bell pepper.
A tall plant is placed in the center of the garden bed, and undersized plants are placed on the sides. If the plant grows in a greenhouse, the coating should be good at letting in ultraviolet rays.
Attention! For the intensive flow of lighting inside the polycarbonate greenhouse, a reflective screen or devices with ultraviolet reflection are installed.
Planting too dense
If the planting of bell peppers is heavily thickened, the soil will quickly begin to deplete. Closely growing seedlings shade each other, so the lighting is unevenly hitting the seedlings.
When planting crops, maintain a distance between rows. It is equal to 60-70 cm.In a row, tall seedlings are planted at a distance of 35-40 cm, undersized varieties - 30 cm.
Important! With compacted plantings, soil moisture increases, which can lead to root rot or disease.
Too much ovary
If a lot of ovary forms on the bush, then the vegetables do not always have time to fully fill up to the desired size and color. Therefore, it is recommended to remove the first inflorescence, which is located in the branching area of the stem. The name of such a flower is crown.
In some cases, several crown inflorescences may form. If you want to get high-quality fruits, be sure to pinch them. If this is not done, the culture will begin to grow new branches, and all the power will be spent not on the formation of the ovary, but on the green mass. Only a strong bud is left in the internode.
Do not leave many ovaries on the plant, otherwise the fruits will be small, and biological ripeness will slow down. The optimal amount for a tall pepper bush is 17-25 ovaries.
We eliminate the reasons
In whatever climatic conditions bell pepper grows, it needs to be given proper care for full maturation. Consider how to fix the situation when the fruits do not turn red:
- Close the doors and vents in the greenhouse at night. Additionally, you can use agrofibre.
- Install heat accumulators between planting rows. These can be containers with heated water, heated stones or bricks. During the day they will be heated by the sun's rays, and at night they will give off heat to the plants.
- Strictly monitor soil moisture. It should be slightly damp. Do not over-water.
- Don't feed the culture fertilizer with nitrogen. During the period of pouring the fruits, it will be enough to add wood ash under the bushes in 1-2 tbsp. l., phosphorus and potassium.
When planting this vegetable, the main condition for obtaining high yields is good quality seeds. In most of the country, it is better to use ultra-early or early ripening varieties. Mid-season crops are suitable for greenhouse conditions.
How to ripen peppers
According to experienced gardeners, bell peppers should not be kept on the bush and wait until it is fully ripe. The fruits are removed when they have become shiny, with weighty walls. You can wait for new buds, but you don't need to pull too much.By this time, the fetus already manages to accumulate all the nutrients necessary for full ripening.
Life hacks of experienced farmers
After the first harvest, the bell pepper continues to bear fruit and blush. If the color does not appear for a long time, you can try to speed up this process using folk methods.
A few secrets:
- Put a banana peel under the bushes.
- The first four flowers must be pinched. The plant only benefits from this, since the first inflorescences from the mother bush draw out a lot of juices.
- To make the bell pepper turn red or yellow faster, the fruits are picked and put into wooden boxes along with apples, ripe tomatoes. The boxes are covered on top. Redness will occur in a matter of days. This is explained by the fact that ripening vegetables release ethylene. It is he who affects the fruits of the pepper. Thus, a chain reaction starts.
Read also:
how to salt bell peppers for the winter whole quickly and tasty.
Where and how to keep bell peppers for the winter.
The benefits and harms of green bell pepper for the health of women, men and children.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that bell peppers are considered a capricious and demanding crop, the methods of cultivation are available to everyone. For good harvest performance, stick to agricultural practices and follow the advice of experienced gardeners who know how to speed up the ripening process of the pepper.