When and How to Sow Peppers: Agronomist's Advice
Growing sweet pepper seedlings is a difficult task. If sown early, they stretch out and wither; if delayed, the harvest won«t have time to ripen. When and how to sow peppers was explained by Nuraniya Sharygina, an agronomist at the Tyumen branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution »Rosselkhoztsentr« (Russian Agricultural Center).
Peppers belong to the nightshade family, like tomatoes, but their planting conditions are different, the specialist notes. Pepper seeds germinate slowly — from 7 to 14 days, grow slowly, and also react painfully to transplanting. Depending on the variety, they form a harvest 110-140 days after germination. Therefore, the agronomist says, peppers are sown 2-4 weeks earlier than tomatoes.
«In our area, almost all gardeners grow peppers in greenhouses, so to determine the exact sowing time, you just need to calculate when you approximately plant them in the greenhouse. From that date, subtract 70 days to get the seed planting date. For example, if you plant on May 5, I advise sowing seeds on February 25,» says Sharygina.
Before the procedure, it is recommended to germinate the seeds. For this, they are spread on gauze or a cotton pad in a saucer. Then cover and moisten with a growth regulator solution, for example, Emistim or Epin. The seeds are kept this way for several days, until sprouts appear. Usually, this takes 3-5 days.
After germination, the seeds are planted 2-3 pieces in separate cups filled with nutrient soil. The planting depth should not exceed one centimeter, Sharygina notes. Then the cups should be placed in a mini-greenhouse or covered with a cloth. It is also necessary to maintain the temperature within +25… +28 degrees Celsius (77–82 °F). If these conditions are met, peppers germinate in 10-14 days.
After germination, the air temperature should be reduced to +20… +22 degrees Celsius (68–72 °F) and additional lighting provided for at least 12-14 hours using a grow light. After the formation of two true leaves, the agronomist recommends watering with a calcium nitrate solution — 1 gram per 1 liter of water. Such feeding strengthens the stem and prevents the appearance of «black leg.»
Earlier we reported that it will get colder in Tyumen this week. When to dress warmer, see in the news at this link.
