Townspeople who do not have summer houses, consider that the summer season begins in the summer. But active time for gardeners, gardeners does not begin in the summer and not even in the spring, but in the winter.
Already in January, summer residents are busy buying seeds, choosing the best varieties so that it all grows on their site, and pepper is planted on seedlings in February.
The path to a bountiful harvest begins with a small seed, a sprout breaks out of it, which turns into cucumber lashes, lush tomato bushes and peppers with delicious juicy fruits.
Today, let's talk about when in February you can plant peppers for seedlings?
Sowing peppers for seedlings in February
itvery naughty plant. It must be planted in fertile land, to ensure timely watering and the correct temperature regime. Sweet pepper is an annual plant, grown only by seedling. When to sow pepper for seedlings in February? The most optimal time for sowing seeds of sweet pepper in central Russia is mid-February.
In January, planting them is still early, as the winter month does not give enough light and the plants will be sluggish and weak, or additional lighting will be needed.For the southern regions of Russia, sowing begins earlier, as the warm climate allows earlier to plant seedlings in greenhouses and open ground, and for the northern ones later.
Many gardeners use the lunar sowing calendar, while planting dates may be different each year.
Seed selection
When the best varieties are selected from a huge abundance of varieties, it is time to plant. Seed preparation for sowing is a very responsible matter. Peppers don't always sprout welland if old seeds are caught, the time of emergence of shoots is increased, therefore when buying seeds you need to pay attention to the implementation period and acquire first class seeds.
Pre-seed is necessary hold in 3% saline solution, bad ones will come up, they are not suitable for sowing. The remaining seeds need hold in a solution of manganic acid potassium for 30 minutesand then rinse in clean water.
If you sow germinated seeds, the seedlings will appear on the 5-6 day, but experienced gardeners are advised to sow dry seeds. The shoots appear at the same time for 10-15 days, sometimes later, after 20 days, knowing this you can calculate when you need to sow peppers for seedlings in February, taking into account the long germination periods.
Planting pepper seeds for seedlings in February
Prepared for sowing seeds are sown in the ground. For seedling the soil should be warm and moist, seeds are sown to a depth of 2 cm. After the seeds are sown in the ground, cover them with a plastic wrap and leave at a temperature of 25-30 degrees until the first shoots.
Seeds hatch for 14-15 days, but if the temperature and humidity do not meet the necessary requirements, shoots appear later, after 20-30 days.
ATTENTION! Pepper grows poorly and develops in low light, shoots become thin and weak, so you need to use artificial lighting to lengthen the daylight hours to 12-14 hours.
Do not wait for good seedlings without dressings
In the phase of one or two leaves should be carried out first fertilizing of ammonium nitrate seedlings, and two weeks before planting, with fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus. Water the seedlings with water at room temperature, limitedly, on average once every 5-7 days.Approximately two weeks before transplanting seedlings into the ground, it should be watered often, but not abundantly.
Landing in the ground
In the second decade of May, if weather conditions allow, the seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse, while the soil should warm up to 16-18 degrees. By the time of planting, the height of the plants should reach 25-30 cm, 12-13 leaves should appear on them.
The vagaries of nature
It happens that the seedlings have already been taken to the country house and planted in a greenhouse, and the night temperature drops sharply, the nights become very cold. That only ingenious gardeners come up with in order to save the plants from death!
Many use electric heaters in greenhouses, cover the seedlings with a double layer of some covering material, put buckets or barrels of water that heat up during the day, and give off their heat at night.
Therefore, when planting seedlings in the ground is necessary to daytime temperature was not less than 22-25 degrees, but night - not less than 17-20 degrees.
IMPORTANT! Pepper loves a shallow planting, so it should be planted no deeper than the cotyledons or the first real leaves.
Pepper Care
Pepper care is similar to tomato care. It should be watered 1-2 times a week.spending an average of two liters of water per plant, water temperature should be 25-30 degrees.
On warm days, when the sun is shining, the greenhouse need to be ventilated, Do not allow the temperature to rise above 32-35 degrees, as this will lead to a deterioration in fruit set.
The first feeding seedlings need to be made two weeks after disembarkationusing superphosphate, potassium sulphate, diluted mullein or bird droppings. Feed must be repeated every 10-15 days.
We hope that following our advice, you will correctly calculate when in February to plant peppers on seedlings and get a high yield of tasty sweet peppers. The dishes made from peppers are very tasty and healthy, and there is more vitamin C in them than in many other vegetables.
Useful materials
Read other articles on pepper seedlings:
- Proper cultivation of seeds and whether to soak them before planting?
- How to grow black pepper peas, chili, bitter or sweet at home?
- What are growth promoters and how to use them?
- The main reasons why the leaves are twisted at the shoots, the seedlings fall or stretch, and also why the shoots die?
- Terms of planting in the regions of Russia and features of cultivation in the Urals, in Siberia and the Moscow region.
- Learn the rules for picking sweet peppers.
