Kira Stoletova
Germination of pepper seeds is one of the preparatory processes for the cultivation of seedlings of this culture. Do not plant seed directly into the soil. This method doesn't pay off. To get quality seedlings, preparation is necessary.
Why sprout pepper
This method of growing seedlings is used for both spicy and sweet species. Seeds infected with fungal diseases or other bacteria are disinfected. Also, this method helps to improve the sowing quality of the material. Its germination is significantly increased.
If you germinate pepper from seeds, then the seedlings adapt more easily to the conditions environment... The sprouts have powerful stems. The use of special preparations affects the future indicators of crop yield. After all, seeds are saturated with trace elements and nutrients. Germination accelerates seedling growth and improves its defense mechanism.
Seed preparation for germination
This is a multi-step process. It takes effort and time. To accelerate the emergence of sprouts, it is necessary to carry out preparatory measures.
Seed selection
Pepper seeds quickly lose their germination. Therefore, when buying them, you should pay attention to the expiration date.
When buying, you need to pay attention to the manufacturer. Famous brands are preferred. If the seed is processed, then this is written on the package. Its price will be much higher, since it has antifungal protection, and it is improved with the help of growth stimulants, trace elements.
If the grains were not amenable to processing or there is no confidence in its implementation, it is necessary to carry out this procedure at home. Otherwise, the peppers will not germinate well, the plant may be sick in the future. The quality of the crop will be in jeopardy.
Seed sampling
Before germinating bell pepper seeds, you need to calibrate them and check for germination. For this, the grains are lined on paper and the smallest ones are selected. They are not used for planting. To distinguish hollow seed from full seed, proceed as follows:
- add 35-40 g of table salt to 1 liter of water, mix;
- the seeds are dipped in the solution for about 5 minutes.
Low-quality grains will float up, they are removed. The fit ones will fall to the bottom. To prepare for the next step, the remaining bell pepper seeds are washed fresh water and dried. This event is carried out just before germination.
Disinfection
Disinfection is an important part of this process. The health of future seedlings depends on it. At home, seed dressing can be realized with the help of potassium permanganate. They do it like this:
- prepare a 1-2% solution of the substance, it should be pale pink;
- the grains are wrapped in cheesecloth;
- dipped in liquid for 20 minutes;
- after extraction, rinse with running water;
- dried.
An agent such as Fitosporin can help to disinfect the seed. To do this, add 4 drops of the drug to 1 glass of water. The solution has a detrimental effect on fungi and bacteria. Does not pose a danger to humans, animals and insects.
Before placing the seeds in the solution, you can soak them for a while (less than 2 hours) in water with a temperature of 40-45˚С. First you need to wrap it in a soft cloth. To germinate pepper seeds, disinfection is carried out no earlier than 2 days before. Otherwise, they will lose their sowing qualities.
Treatment with growth stimulants
Germination will be good if saturated Bell pepper useful substances even before planting. The objectives of this procedure:
- increased germination;
- increasing plant immunity to diseases;
- adaptation to adverse environmental conditions in the early stages of development.
A good source of nutrients is readily available organic matter such as wood ash.
It contains many vitamins and minerals. The solution is prepared in this way: add 20 g of ash to 1 liter of water, insist for a day, stir regularly. The grains wrapped in gauze are dipped in the prepared product for 5 hours. Then they are washed and dried. Ash water can be stored for a long time.
In order for the development of plants to be rapid, it is necessary to stimulate the seed. For this purpose, I use biological and chemical substances. Chicken egg and aloe juice are some of the most affordable products that contain a lot of nutrients. They can be combined - the juice is mixed with a beaten egg and the seeds are poured over. After soaking in such a solution, purchased preparations are also used: "Energena", "Epin-extra", "Zircon". They are used strictly according to the attached instructions.
Heating
Some gardeners use this method to speed up the germination of pepper seeds. After all the above procedures, the seeds are warmed up. To this end, they must be laid out on a windowsill on the sunny side or placed in warm water (40˚C). You can also use a thermos. A well-warmed seed material activates growth processes, then they will germinate better.
Germinating seeds
The procedure begins in February - early March. To germinate the seeds correctly, melt water is taken for the pepper.
It activates biological processes well and stimulates the growth of seedlings. If tap water is used, it must be defended. Then the chlorine contained in the liquid will evaporate.
The seeds are laid out on a gauze or napkin folded in several layers. Cover from above in the same way. You can use cosmetic discs, sponge. Moisten with water. Placed in a vessel with a lid, leave in an environment with a temperature of 25-28˚С. You can achieve such indicators using a radiator. It should be opened every day to ventilate. You can not use the container. But then you need to make sure that the fabric remains wet. And in the evening, they cover it with plastic wrap.
For most of our country, it is a seedling culture, since only the climate of the southern regions allows planting sweet pepper seeds directly into the ground. It should be noted that the plant does not always tolerate transplantation. Based on this, it is recommended to grow seedlings either in pots or sow with an optimal density that excludes picking. There are several ways preliminary preparation sweet pepper seeds for sowing, among which the most demanded are:
Cold hardening;
Germination;
Etching;
Treatment with various growth stimulants.
Also among gardeners, the use of potassium permanganate is especially popular: sweet pepper seeds are disinfected in a 1% solution of this substance. If the temperature conditions throughout the entire germination period remain in the range from 22 to 28 ° C, it is possible to sow with sprouted sweet pepper seeds. This type of sowing is particularly effective, which makes it popular among gardeners. Under these conditions, red bell peppers emerge very quickly. The determination of the sowing time is carried out by taking into account the age characteristics of the seedlings: for example, early ripening varieties of pepper are recommended for planting in open ground not earlier than 45 days from the day of sowing the seeds, mid-season varieties are ready for transplanting on 60-65 days.
It is necessary to start preparing seeds for sowing in February. For this, the completed seeds are selected and disinfected for 30 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate in proportions of 1 g per half a glass of water, after which the seeds of the Bulgarian pepper must be washed. Improving the quality of seedlings and accelerating the emergence of seedlings will be promoted by the use of humate and sodium oxyhumatom, as well as physiological substances that regulate growth. Their preliminary soaking in a solution of wood ash prepared a day before the process will have a positive effect on the condition of the seeds (proportion: 2 tablespoons of ash per liter of warm water). sweet is placed in the above solution in homemade gauze or cloth bags for 3, maximum 6 hours. After soaking, they begin to germinate directly, for which it is required to cover the seeds on top with a damp cloth. The optimum temperature for the comfortable condition of the seeds is 20-25 ° C. For effective germination, it is possible to place the seeds in
After 4-5 days, the seeds should become noticeably swollen and partially germinate. If all the conditions have been met, and the end result meets expectations, it is required to sow in pots or boxes with fertile soil, compost or a special mixture of peat - 4/9, black soil - 2/9, sand - 2/9 and wood ash - 1 / nine. The seeds of Bulgarian pepper must be evenly spread in loose soil at a distance of 3 cm from each other in several rows, the intervals between which should be about 6 cm.Then the crops must be sprinkled with a layer of original soil of 1 cm, compacted a little and watered with water at room temperature. Watering is recommended with great care, so as not to wash the seeds. When the moisture has been absorbed, to prevent the soil from drying out, cover it with a film. The emergence of seedlings requires a temporary decrease in the ambient temperature to 15-17 ° C - for 3-5 days, as well as removing the film. Further, it is recommended to maintain a constant temperature: 20-25 ° С - during the day and 10-13 ° С - at night. At the initial stage of growth, seeds require watering every other day or two, preferably in the morning. Further frequency of watering is determined by the state of the seedlings. In addition, the soil needs to be loosened periodically.
There are certain rules for growing hot peppers at home.
Sowing seeds is best done in February. This requires about a two-liter clean container, which should be treated with boiling water. Lay a drainage in the form of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot, but crushed stone or charcoal is also suitable. On top of the drainage, we fill in the soil, consisting of humus, leafy earth and sand in a ratio of 5: 3: 2. Before planting the seeds, the soil must be spilled with boiling water and after it has cooled down, sow 2-3 peppercorns, soaked in advance and already swollen, into small holes 1-1.5 cm.
Cover the pot with the planted grains with plastic or glass and place in a warm place. When shoots appear in 5-7 days, move the pot to a sunny window spot. When the first true leaves appear, the peppers can be cut into separate pots, and it is better to remove the extra ones so as not to disturb the roots.
When the plant grows up to 20 cm, pinch the top of the head. This is necessary for better branching of the bush, in which the fruits will form.
Do not forget to water the plant regularly and periodically feed your pet with fertilizers, then you will definitely wait for the harvest on your windowsill.
The way to get fruits by May
Observing the development of homemade pepper, amateurs from the Ivanovo region came to an interesting conclusion that in our northern conditions it is possible to change the maturation of pepper on the windowsill. They use springtime ones filled with bright sunbeams days for flowering and ripening of fruits.
Peppers are sown in the fall in bowls on the windowsill. They create not very comfortable conditions for the pepper, so that it does not have time to pick flowers in the period before the New Year, so that it does not exhaust its strength for growth in the darkest "dead" days. So the plant is saved from stretching the shoots. At the moment when the days begin to arrive, the pepper is transferred to a light window (east or south). The plant soon blooms and produces an average of 10 beautiful pods. Yes, the fruits are such heroes, which never happened before the fall.
And immediately after the harvest is taken, the plant throws out a couple more vigorous shoots and blooms again. By the second half of September, another crop is ripening, with only three of the 20 pods being small. Thus, about 30 pods are removed from one bush per season, almost 5 times higher than the average yield!
The main secret of a high yield is that by the time of the very first flowering (at the beginning of February), the autumn sowing season pepper has time to develop good powerful roots. From March to early October, that is, during the period of abundant sunshine, the pepper actively sets the fruits and uses the strength to pour them.
A fertile plant can not be thrown away in the fall, let it go before winter. In winter, at the beginning of January, it must be transplanted into a new substrate, cut off the old shoots in half, then transfer the pot to a light window (east or south). Such care can bring up to three harvests per season.
On a note
When planting peppers, it is still better not to dive them, as they react painfully to a transplant. And they have a good attitude towards transshipment. When the seedlings disperse, just pinch off the extra weak seedlings. Yet important point- do not miss the time when the roots begin to squeeze in the pot and sprout out.
Peat pots are by far the best for seedlings. For normal growth, the peppers are transferred into spacious containers and pots 30-50 cm high. Be sure to put drainage on the bottom of the planting containers (a layer of expanded clay, broken brick).
Sometimes, to support ripening fruits, they put props, spray the bushes with warm, settled water from the spider mite.
To get a good harvest, peppers are recommended to be grown in two trunks, constantly forming them with a pinch. A strong shoot is left on each stem, and the weak ones pinch over the first leaf. Although peppers are self-pollinated like tomatoes, it is better to shake the plants periodically so that pollination is more effective.
Pepper is the same perennial as cherry tomatoes, the bush can delight you with a harvest for five whole years. You can grow sweet on a windowsill in the same way. bell pepper... Imagine what a pleasure it is to watch a ripe pod pouring in front of your eyes when the weather is “bad” outside the window!
How to germinate pepper seeds correctly
Most gardeners, when planting pepper seeds, soak them. The main purpose of such a procedure is to awaken the vitality of the seeds from sleep, and also to reduce the content essential oils that can impede the rapid emergence of seedlings. The implementation of this procedure does not present any difficulty, so all gardeners, without exception, can easily perform it.
For soaking, you will need to use settled or melted water (snow). The soaking process usually lasts at least a day.
You will need a flat wide dish, on which the used seed is placed in several layers and poured over with water. It is recommended to spread the seed on a damp cloth, with the water slightly covering the cloth. Otherwise, the seeds may suffocate, which will reduce the number of shoots.
Certain difficulties can arise in the presence of dry air in the room, which leads to rapid evaporation of moisture from wide dishes. In this case, you will need to regularly add water or place the dishes in a plastic bag. But at the same time, in no case tie the bag, since without air, the seeds can quickly suffocate.
Pepper seeds are soaked for 24 hours at room temperature. Experienced vegetable growers recommend changing the water to fresh, settled every 8-10 hours. Performing this procedure will allow you to significantly increase germination rates.
If, without soaking, when growing seedlings, the first shoots usually appear on 15-20 days, then by performing such a soaking, you can get friendly shoots for 5-7 days. This significantly speeds up the cultivation of seedlings and the receipt of the subsequent harvest.
Soaking seeds in a growth promoter
Many gardeners perform seed soaking not in plain water, but in growth stimulants. This allows to guarantee the rapid growth of seedlings, and also improves the similarity rates of this vegetable crop.
Pepper, according to its taste, is conventionally divided into 2 groups.
- Sweet (vegetable). It is also called Bulgarian. For the specific aroma of fruits, the content of vitamins and other substances and compounds necessary for the body, sweet peppers are referred to the group of the most valuable vegetable crops.
- Pungent (bitter, spicy) has a pungent taste due to the presence of the alkaloid capsaicin.
Hot peppers are mainly used as a seasoning for dishes and pickles, and sweet peppers in technical and biological maturity as a table vegetable for fresh salads, stewing, pickling, pickling, preparing individual dishes in the form of mashed potatoes, stuffing with cereals, vegetables, meat.
These vegetable crops characterized by a long growing season. To obtain a harvest of biological maturity, they need 90-180 days. There is no such a long warm period in the absolute majority of regions of Russia, therefore they are grown through seedlings with subsequent planting in open ground or in greenhouses, under shelters, in high greenhouses and other rooms that maintain the required temperature, humidity and lighting.
The specifics of preparing seedlings are the same for both groups of peppers - sweet and hot.
Technology for growing pepper seedlings
When to plant peppers for seedlings?
In order for the seedlings to be ready for planting in the open ground of the southern regions, sowing seeds in prepared containers is carried out in the last decade of February or the first decade of March. Moreover, early and medium varieties are sown in February, and late ones in March.
V middle lane In Russia, sowing for seedlings is carried out from 10 to 25 February and it is better to sow early, middle and late varieties with a gap of 2-3 weeks.
Preparing soil mixture for pepper seedlings
As with other seedlings, we prepare the nutrient mixture in advance. It includes: turf or leafy soil (2 parts), humus (1 part) or high peat (2 parts) and sand (0.5-1.0 part). The mixture is mixed and disinfected by one of the methods of physical influence (freezing, steaming, calcining). You can treat the soil mixture with a 1-2% solution of potassium permanganate. After drying, mix with a solution of trichodermin, planriz or other fungicides that promote the reproduction of beneficial microflora with the simultaneous destruction of fungal pathogens. Before filling the container, add nitroammofoska 30-40 g and a glass of wood ash to a bucket of soil into the prepared soil mixture. In the absence of a ready-made complete fertilizer, you can use a mixture of 15-20 g of nitrogen, 30-40 g of phosphoric, 15-20 g of potash fertilizers and a glass of wood ash.
Preparing pepper seeds
Pepper seeds germinate in 2-2.5 weeks. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, self-harvested seeds must be prepared for sowing. It is better for novice vegetable growers to purchase seeds in specialized stores. They go on sale already processed and prepared for sowing.
For self-preparation:
- We divide the seeds into fractions. Dilute a spoonful of salt (30 g) in 1 liter of water and put the seeds in the solution for 5-10 minutes. Defective, lungs will float to the top. High-quality ones will sink to the bottom of the container with the solution. We drain the light seeds, and wash the heavy ones under running water and dry them until flowing at room temperature.
- To increase immunity, we temper the seeds. During the day, we keep them in a warm room at a temperature of +20 .. + 22ºС, and at night we place them on the lower shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature fluctuates between +2 .. + 3ºС. Quenching is carried out for about 3-5 days. Be careful when quenching. Only dry non-germinated seeds are hardened.
- To prevent diseases of young seedlings, the seeds are disinfected.
Pepper seeds are etched in several ways:
- The simplest is processing in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate. Dissolve 1 g of the drug in 0.5 l of water and put it in a gauze bag in the solution for 15-20 minutes. We wash the seeds from the disinfectant solution under running water.
- You can disinfect (pickle) seeds from bacterial infection with black leg, root and root rot, wilting in a solution of one of the biofungicides phytosporin-M, alirin-B, gamair SP, trichodermin, albite according to the recommendations. We do not wash the seeds.
- We enrich seeds in a nutrient solution using growth stimulants epin, ideal, zircon, novosil, ribav-extra and others. You can use complex microfertilizers Mikrovit, Cytovit. Moreover, the treatment with stimulants, micronutrient fertilizers and biofungicides can be combined in one solution (we prepare it as a tank mixture). Seed material in a gauze bag is immersed in a nutrient solution for 12-15 hours. Without rinsing, sprinkle on paper or natural (not synthetic) fabric and dry at room temperature until flowing. Simple and effective method pre-sowing enrichment of seeds with microelements, this is soaking in a solution of wood ash. We insist 2 tablespoons of dry ash in a liter of water for a day. We filter the solution and dip the seeds into it in a gauze bag for 3-5 hours. Then (without rinsing) we spread it on paper or a dry napkin and dry it until flowing at room temperature.
- Pepper seeds germinate very slowly, so they are germinated before sowing. Seeds prepared for sowing are scattered on a thin cloth folded in several layers in a shallow saucer. We moisturize it. We cover the same on top and leave at a temperature of +20 .. + 25 ° C. Every day, sometimes 2 times a day, we wet the material. In such a humid chamber, the peppers will nourish and germinate in 2-3 days. Lightly dry the seeds and sow them in a prepared container.
When processing seeds yourself, be careful and careful. Follow the recommendations exactly. Do not try to increase the concentration of solutions, temperature, soak duration, or other preparation methods. Instead of improving, you can get negative results.
Preparing pepper seedlings
The amount of prepared nutrient mixture and container depends on the area allotted for growing the pepper crop. With a seeding pattern of 5x4 or 6x3 from one square. m. of usable area are removed 500 pieces of seedlings. If you need a little pepper, the seedlings can be grown at home - on a windowsill or in a specially allotted warm and bright place in individual containers (cups). With this cultivation, picking of seedlings is not required.
Sowing pepper seeds
I moisten the soil in the prepared container and apply a specially knocked down grate with a ready-made sowing scheme. If there is no grate, then with a stick I draw the soil on the squares corresponding to the scheme. In the middle of each square or in a separate container (glass, peat-humus glass, special cassettes) I place 1-2 seeds.
I sow seeds 1-1.5 cm, cover with foil or glass and put them in a warm place (temperature 25 ° C) indoors or place boxes in a greenhouse. To obtain healthy developed seedlings, it is very important for this thermophilic culture to maintain the temperature regime in the seedling structure.
- From sowing the seeds to the emergence of seedlings, the temperature of the soil mixture should be maintained at +20 .. + 28 ° С. Peppers are characterized by low germination energy, therefore, seedlings in cold soil are uncooperative, late.
- During the first month from the emergence of seedlings, the temperature regime of the soil changes and is +15 .. + 17 ° С at night, and +20 .. + 22 ° С during the day. During this period, the air temperature for the first week is maintained within the range of +14 .. + 16 ° С, and at night we lower it to +8 .. + 10 ° С. In the subsequent time, before quenching, the air temperature at night is maintained at +11 .. + 13 ° С, and during the day +18 .. + 25-27 ° С, shading on sunny days. The temperature change pattern is necessary to prevent the seedlings from pulling out.
In boxes, seedlings grow up to 30-32 days of age. With the appearance of 1-2 true leaves, the seedlings dive into another container, including individual containers with a feeding area of 8x8 or 10x10 cm. When transplanting, the seedlings are immersed in a moist soil mixture until the cotyledons. We place the containers with a dive in an openwork light partial shade or use a temporary shade from the sun. Seedlings in individual containers are not dived.
Pepper seedling care
Care for seedlings before planting in open ground or permanently in a greenhouse consists in maintaining optimal humidity, temperature regime and an adequate supply of nutrients.
Watering pepper seedlings
The soil should be moist without drying out. I water it in 2-3 days. After the formation of 3-4 leaves, I switch to daily watering. Water for irrigation must be heated up to +20 .. + 25 ° С. After watering, I mulch the soil, often with dry sand. In order to avoid fungal diseases of the root system, I water the seedlings with a solution of biofungicides (trichodermin, planriz and others) every 2 weeks. Due to the high humidity, I thoroughly ventilate the greenhouse (no drafts).
Top dressing
I feed seedlings twice. The first feeding is carried out in the phase of 2-3 true leaves with mineral fertilizers in the composition of 50 g of granular superphosphate, 30 g of ammonia and 20 g of chlorine-free potassium per 1 sq. m of area in dry or dissolved form (for 10 liters of water). After feeding, watering is required to wash off the remaining fertilizer. They can cause chemical burns on young leaves. I spend the second feeding 7-10 days before planting on a permanent basis with the same composition. But, if the seedlings grow vigorously, then I do not use nitrogen fertilizers in the second feeding.
Seedling hardening
I harden the seedlings 2 weeks before planting. I gradually limit the amount and rate of watering. Drying of the upper crust of the soil mixture is allowed. I reduce the temperature in the greenhouse to the level of the outside air. When growing seedlings in a house, apartment, I take out seedlings in an unheated corridor, first for 4-6 hours, increasing the stay in natural conditions up to around the clock.
The timing of planting pepper seedlings to a permanent place
Pepper seedlings are planted in open ground when the soil warms up in the main root layer (10-15 cm) up to +14 .. + 16 ° С and the threat of spring return frosts has passed. This period falls on the third decade of May and the first half of June. Before planting, seedlings are watered abundantly to reduce damage to the root system. Sluggish seedlings do not take root well, they lose their first buds.
Characteristics of pepper seedlings for planting
The seedling age ranges from 60-80 days, depending on the variety. Seedling height 17-20 cm, 7-10 well-developed leaves. Recently, in the southern regions, plucking-free growing of seedlings has been used according to the 8x8 or 10x10 cm scheme. When 4-6 leaves are formed, such seedlings (naturally after hardening) are planted permanently. The survival rate is high, the harvest is excellent. Plants don't get sick.
Sweet pepper varieties
At home, it is better to cultivate varieties rather than hybrids. They are characterized by increased resistance to growing conditions and do not require special care as hybrids.
According to the ripening period, pepper is divided into early, medium and late with transitional forms (mid-early, medium-late, etc.).
Early varieties of pepper
Early varieties form a harvest in technical ripeness in 95-110 days and in biological ripeness 10-12 days later. For growing on summer cottage The best varieties are: "Duel", "Winnie the Pooh", "Health", "Red Elephant", "California Miracle and others.
Medium early varieties of pepper
The harvest is formed in technical ripeness on days 110-125: "Topolin", "Swallow", "Victoria", "Flight", "Prometheus", "Yellow Bouquet", "Gift of Moldova" and others.
Mid-season
In recent years, mid-season varieties have been successful and are recommended for household plots: "Tolstoy Baron, Bogatyr", "Prometheus". They form a harvest in technical ripeness on days 128-135. They are distinguished by excellent taste, fleshy fruit walls and large weight - up to 140-200 g.
Late-ripening varieties
Late-ripening varieties and hybrids are popular for warm regions and for cultivation in cold regions in greenhouses. Recommended hybrids: "Night F1", "Paris F1" and varieties "Albatross", "Flamingo", "Anastasia" and others.
Hot pepper varieties
Early ripe: "Gorgon", "For the mother-in-law", "Fiery maiden", "Mother-in-law's language", "Jubilee," Ogonyok and others.
Mid-early: "Adjika", "Double abundance", "Astrakhan 147", "Miracle of the Moscow Region" and others
Mid-season: "Red Fat Man", "Bully", "Elephant Trunk" and others.
Late ripening: "Vizier", "Hercules", "Habanero", "Little Prince" and others.
Attention! As usual, we ask you to write about your methods and tricks of growing pepper seedlings in the comments to this article. Please do not forget to indicate in which region you grow them and in what time frame you plant and plant permanently. Thanks!
To obtain good harvest sweet pepper, you must go through all the stages of agricultural technology of this culture. The first is the germination of pepper seeds. To many vegetable growers, this procedure seems unnecessary, and they neglect it, but in the future it will certainly affect the growth of seedlings, their quantity and the volume of harvested products.
The most productive bushes grow from healthy large pepper seeds, which are fully ripe and fully loaded with nutrients. If you sow all the seeds without sorting, some bushes will definitely lag behind in development. In the future, one cannot count on a good harvest from them.
The task of the gardener at the initial stage is to select the strongest specimens, so that then the whole season does not waste time and energy on growing obviously weak bushes. This is the main reason why pepper seed germination is needed.
The second, and no less important reason is the rejection of hollow bodies that will never rise. The seeds in the fruits of the pepper develop unevenly, and not everyone has enough nutrients. If there are a lot of such defective grains among those sown, the sowing will have to be repeated. And since sweet peppers are a southern crop with a long growing season, bushes from re-sown seeds will not have time to give up the entire crop before the onset of cold weather.
The third reason is the ability to slightly increase the future yield by soaking in various solutions. As a rule, disinfectants are used first, and then nutritious and stimulating germination and further development. Such measures are believed to increase yields by 7-10%.
How long does pepper seeds germinate?
The germination time of pepper seeds largely depends on the conditions in which they are found. This culture is thermophilic and at air temperatures below 20 ° C, seedlings can never be expected. As the temperature rises, the rate of seed hatching also increases. Optimal conditions for them are 26-28 ° С. In such a microclimate, pepper shoots appear together and quickly. Seeds sown dry, without soaking, germinate in 8–12 days. Seedlings from prepared seeds appear several days earlier.
If the temperature in the house or apartment does not exceed the minimum allowable for peppers, boxes with them are placed next to heating batteries, stoves or heaters. Bright light before the appearance of green "loops" is not needed, so do not be afraid that the seedlings will stretch out.
Selection and preparation of seeds for germination
Preparatory activities will be useful both for self-collected seeds and for those purchased in the store. Seed companies often save budget and report substandard or expired bags in bags. Therefore, it is first necessary to select mature, full-bodied specimens.
Dilute 1-2 tablespoons of salt in a liter of warm water and mix. Then the planting material is poured into it. After a few minutes, the grains will separate - the hollow ones will float, and the rest will sink to the bottom. With a slotted spoon or strainer, the floating ones are selected and thrown away, and the rest are washed from salt.
Now the seeds need to be disinfected. Usually a solution of potassium permanganate is used. This is the cheapest and effective remedy for the destruction of pathogens, which could hurt the plant that gave the seeds.
To prepare the solution in a glass of water, dilute several grains of potassium permanganate, mix and leave for 2-3 minutes to dissolve. When a dark pink color is reached, the solution is carefully poured into another dish, leaving undissolved particles at the bottom. Seeds are placed in the poured solution and left in a place protected from light for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
The disinfected seeds are soaked in a growth stimulant solution. You can use both store drugs and folk remedies. The first include the well-known Epin, Energen, Ecosil, Baikal M. Soaking in them is carried out according to the instructions for the preparation.
Popular folk remedies include honey, ash extract and aloe juice. Prepare them as follows:
- A teaspoon of natural honey is diluted in a glass of warm water.
- One tablespoon of sifted wood ash is poured into a liter pure water, insist during the day and filter.
- Aloe leaves are washed, cut into pieces, laid out in glass jar and put away in a dark, cool place for two weeks. Then juice is squeezed out of the leaves, which is diluted in half with clean water.
You can use all three methods, but one of them will suffice. Planting material should be soaked for 12-24 hours.
Germination methods and their features
For successful germination, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for the seeds - sufficient temperature and humidity. If the temperature is too low and the humidity is too high, the seeds can become moldy, and the low humidity will prevent them from nibbling.
Experienced vegetable growers germinate planting material of peppers in the following ways:
- Take a shallow container such as a lid for jars and two cotton pads, moisten them with water and wring out. One disc is placed on the bottom, grains are spread on it and covered with a second disc. Cover the top with a film. Cotton pads can be replaced with gauze pads or clean cotton rags.
- Select a disposable plastic container with a lid of such a size that the dish sponge fits snugly into it. The sponge must be new. It is also moistened with water, wrung out and placed in a container with the hard side down. Seeds are laid out on the top side. The container is not tightly closed with a lid. The sponge is convenient because its top layer maintains a constant moderate moisture.
- The method of germination in "diapers" saves space. You can use it on regular table germinate a huge amount of seeds not only of pepper, but also of other garden crops. To do this, you need a strip of polyethylene 10–12 cm wide and a piece of toilet paper of the same length, but a little narrower. The film is spread on the table, paper is placed on top of it, aligning along the bottom edge, and moistened with water from a spray bottle. Seeds are laid on top of the paper, maintaining intervals of 1.5–2 cm. Then the “diaper” with seeds is carefully rolled up and placed vertically in a vessel of a suitable diameter.
When using any of the options, do not forget to add water to the containers in a timely manner and ventilate them several times a day.
Seeds hatch at a suitable temperature for 5-6 days. Then they can be sown in pots. The method of germination in "diapers" is convenient in that it allows keeping pepper seedlings in them until the moment of picking, that is, after the appearance of the first true leaf.
Sowing sprouted pepper seeds
Overexposing sprouted seeds in cotton pads is extremely undesirable, since overgrown roots can be easily broken when planting. The optimal time for sowing seedlings comes when the length of the root will be equal to 2-3 diameters of the seed. If much more seeds have sprouted than it was planned to plant, specimens with the strongest root are selected from among the seedlings.
The seedlings are laid out in prepared containers with a moistened soil mixture to a depth of 0.5–1 cm, sprinkled with earth without lumps and lightly compacted by hand. Without compaction, the root can remain airborne and dry out. Until the green "loops" of pepper appear above the surface of the soil, the boxes are kept covered from above in a warm place and regularly moisten the top layer of the soil. After the emergence of sprouts, the shelter is removed, and the seedling containers are transferred to a bright place.
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