Sweet bell pepper contains many vitamins. It is considered an antidepressant and serves as a preventive measure for many diseases. To have this vitamin on your table at any time of the year, you can plant it in own greenhouse. And in order for the harvest to be rich, it is important to know the features and subtleties of caring for this fragile plant.
Preparing the soil for planting
Since pepper is very heat-loving, seedlings should be planted when the average daily air temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. A polycarbonate greenhouse is well suited for growing peppers. It is this that protects against temperature changes.
It is best to plant seedlings in late spring - early summer. Do not plant peppers in cold soil, it should be warm, for this you can place manure on it.
It is best to start preparing the bed for planting with autumn period. To prevent the soil from freezing, you should bury hay or grass to a depth of about 30 centimeters in the fall. Thanks to this method, you can also warm up the soil in the spring.
Before planting peppers, the soil must be properly prepared. First you need to dig it well so that it is loose. After this, add fertilizer. To do this, make a mixture of the following ingredients:
- 1 glass of ash;
- humus;
- 1 cup double superphosphate;
- 25 grams of saltpeter for each square. meter of soil.
You need to fertilize the soil 24 hours before planting peppers, and right before planting you should dig up the soil again.
The soil for peppers should not be acidic. Dolomite flour can help remove acidity. It is very simple to use: scatter 100 grams of flour per square meter 15-20 days before planting. meter of beds prepared for pepper.
If you don't know how acidic the soil is, it can be easily determined. Take a teaspoon of soil, but not from the very top layer, place it on a dark, flat surface and pour in 9% vinegar. If foam appears, then there is more alkali in the soil, if there is little foam, then there is a sufficient amount of both alkali and acid, and if there is no foam at all, then the soil is acidic.
Planting pepper
Before planting, seedlings need to be watered well (2-3 hours before planting). It is best to plant peppers in the evening. When planting, you must consider the following rules:
- Do not plant peppers where tomatoes were previously grown. The best soil for peppers - after cabbage.
- Do not plant different varieties of peppers next to each other: sweet and bitter, as all peppers can become bitter.
- When planting, you need to make sure that only the root of the plant is in the soil. If there is also a stem there, this may slow down the growth of the pepper.
- Before planting, add peat to each hole in the greenhouse; it will help the roots to be healthy.
- Peppers should be planted at a distance of at least 30 centimeters from each other. If the pepper is short, then 20-25 cm will be enough.
- The distance between the beds should be about 80 centimeters.
- After planting, fertilize the soil surface, and especially the planting site of each bush, with humus. This will help the pepper quickly get used to new conditions.
For more information on how to properly plant bell pepper seedlings in a greenhouse, watch the video:
Top dressing
- 10 grams of ammonium nitrate;
- 30 grams of double superphosphate;
- 20 grams of calcium nitrate.
This proportion is calculated for 10 liters of water. Water all planted plants with this product.
In addition to this type of feeding, you also need to use organic fertilizer, because it speeds up the ripening time of the pepper. To prepare it, mix mullein with water in a ratio of 1:4. Let it brew for about a week. After this, add the same amount of water and stir. It is advisable to use this fertilizer in the evening when watering.
Care
The temperature in the greenhouse for peppers should be at least +16 degrees. Bell pepper– the plant is heat-loving, but the temperature should not exceed 35 degrees. In this case, it is necessary to create a shadow for the pepper.
Peppers need to be watered frequently a small amount water. Don't water too much - the roots may start to rot.
Pepper is unpretentious, it grows and ripens at room temperature and does not require special conditions growing. However, it needs competent care: garter, fertilizing, weeding and mulching.
After the first feeding described above, the second is carried out 2 weeks later. It is made from the same ingredients, but the minerals in the composition are doubled.
It is also very useful to feed peppers with nettle infusion. To prepare it, mix nettle with water 1:10 and let it brew for two days. During the season it is necessary to fertilize with chicken manure 4 times, mixing it with water 1:10. This type of fertilizer should be alternated with foliar fertilizer, for example, with this mineral fertilizer like nitrophoska. 1 tablespoon should be diluted with a bucket of water.
In hot, humid weather, it is necessary to remove side shoots, especially on the lower stepsons. If the weather is dry, then this is not worth doing. It is also worth removing from the bush the flower that is located in the center and grows from the first branch. This will help you get more harvest.
During the growing season, peppers must be pruned, removing the longest shoots - shoots located below the main fork of the stem and inside the crown. Carry out this event once every 10 days.
Peppers need to be mulched with straw in a layer of about 10 centimeters. Thanks to this, the plant can be watered less often, and it will also be protected from diseases. Straw does not allow the sun to pass through, so use it in unheated greenhouses only after frost. And if the greenhouse has heating, then you can mulch the peppers at any time after planting.
It is also necessary to tie up the pepper, as it is very fragile. This is done after mulching. It is best to tie it to a trellis installation, but you can simply tie it to pegs. Be careful not to damage the plant.
Pepper does not grow well in dense soil, so you should loosen it once a week. This must be done carefully, with a small rake, without touching the roots of the plants.
Pests and diseases
Frequent pests that attack peppers in a greenhouse are Colorado potato beetles, aphids, May beetle larvae, mole crickets and mites. For prevention, you need to carefully inspect the plants regularly.
If you find on pepper spider mite, the best drugs for its removal are Fitoverm and Lepidocid.
Mix all the ingredients and form them into balls and place them around the greenhouse.
To prevent the harvest from being spoiled by mole crickets, fill the holes one hour before planting the seedlings clean water. After planting, spray the peppers with a spray bottle. Every season it is necessary to spray the plants 3 times wood ash. This will help the pepper from diseases and pests.
Among the diseases of pepper, the most common are: macrosporiosis, blossom end and white rot, black leg and late blight.
Bush formation
It is necessary to form a bush in order to increase the yield. There are varieties of pepper that do not need to be formed, among them are weakly branching varieties and hybrids of pepper: Lastochka, Topolin, Zodiac, Florida, Barguzin, Dobryak and others.
If the pepper bushes are short - about 50 cm, then it is enough to simply cut off the weak shoots. Tall ones become heavy and large, and there are not enough nutrients for the development of fruits.
Tall bushes are those whose height is more than a meter. In such conditions, diseases develop and pests appear. To avoid this, you need to make the bush less frequent, and also improve the conditions: lighting, temperature and air humidity.
The formation of a bush occurs in several stages:
- If you grow seedlings yourself, then you should start forming a bush when the stems are about 15 cm tall. At this height, the stem begins to divide into branches. A bud appears at their junction. It's best to remove it.
- When you transfer the seedlings to the greenhouse, plant them in such a way that the bush can be expanded by several branches. Usually such peppers are planted 4-6 pieces per 1 square meter.
- To form a bush, you need to remove excess fruitless shoots and trim the plant. The shoots and leaves that are located below before the first branching should be removed.
- The branches that were formed after branching are called lateral branches of the first order. They grow as a stem with leaves. In the axils of these leaves shoots, stepsons, are formed. They should be removed by pinching.
- The middle branch of the first order is divided into 2 shoots. It is necessary to leave the stronger one along with the leaves and buds. And the weaker shoot must be removed.
- The same must be done with third-order branches.
- When inspecting the plant, always remove shoots without buds and yellow leaves.
All these actions must be performed until the growth of the bush reaches 1-1.2 meters. Then you need to trim the top of the plant, this will help redirect all the vitamins from the stem to the fruits themselves. And a month and a half before harvesting, it is necessary to cut off the tops of all orders.
Harvesting
Harvest can be done when the weather turns cold. Frosting of pepper in a greenhouse is not dangerous, but in this case its development and maturation stops.
In order to increase the yield, pick the fruits as soon as they are ripe. Do this at least once a week. However, it should be remembered that ripe peppers should be eaten almost immediately, while slightly unripe ones are suitable for canning and freezing.
We are already familiar with how to grow bell peppers in garden beds, and now let's talk about the features of growing peppers in a greenhouse.
This favorite vegetable is a rich storehouse of various vitamins and therefore every summer resident wants to grow it in his garden.
If at the height of the summer season peppers can be purchased at local markets literally “for pennies,” then in the fall, cunning traders ask fabulous money for the mouth-watering fruits. Let them ask! We have our own peppers grown in greenhouses.
- The greenhouse provides our pets with the most favorable temperature conditions, which increases the yield and taste of sweet peppers.
Growing peppers in a greenhouse is a very exciting activity, although it is not difficult, it still requires some knowledge and patience.
And we will try to help you in this responsible and interesting matter. Let's get started.
Soil preparation
When growing peppers in greenhouse conditions, a good, rich harvest is important to us. But for a pepper to really please with its luxurious offspring, it needs good care.
Pepper growing conditions will be ideal when competent preparation soil.
The greenhouse should be equipped with fertile upper layer soil. It can be taken from a garden plot (where carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, onions, cabbage grew).
- Collect the precious soil and transport it to the greenhouse. It is better to remove all old soil from the greenhouse (to prevent the pepper from becoming infected with infections). We will load the soil into the greenhouse in the fall and add humus or compost to it (5-6 kg per m²).
Such methods improve the composition of the soil and increase its aeration (ability to retain moisture).
Pepper is a demanding crop when it comes to soil; the plant needs fertile, soft and loose soil.
Therefore, the beds for peppers should be dug deeply (to a depth of 10-12 cm).
Before planting, add the following fertilizers to the ground:
- Nitrogen 30-35 g/m².
- Potash 40-50 g/m².
- Phosphorus 30-40 g/m².
- Organics (compost, humus) bucket/m².
Experienced gardeners have noticed that the richest harvest is obtained when growing peppers in a film-type greenhouse, and even the color of the film affects the number of fruits (the more transparent it is, the larger the harvest will be).
Know! Sweet peppers do not respect and are afraid of acidified soils. Therefore, in the fall, add to the soil dolomite flour(2 tbsp. per m²).
Planting peppers in a greenhouse is not such a difficult operation as when planting them in open garden conditions, but some rules must be strictly followed.
Planting our pepper
♦ Planting peppers in a greenhouse. This is a rather delicate matter, because no matter how hard we try to handle pepper seedlings very carefully, planting will still permanent place It's a lot of stress for her.
Therefore, be very attentive to our young peppers. Our future harvest directly depends on how smoothly the planting goes.
When should we start? Pepper seedlings can safely be considered prepared for adult life, If:
- The shoots have an even green, rich color.
- She turned 55 days from the day she was sown in pots.
- Buds can be seen in the leaf axils.
- The seedling grew a thick stem.
- Got 12-14 leaves.
- Its height reaches 25-30 cm.
In this case, the young pepper in the greenhouse will delight the owner with rapid establishment and excellent growth.
But for this you still need a suitable air temperature (if your greenhouses are unheated). For pepper, it is necessary that the soil warms up to a temperature of +15° C.
According to our climate middle zone this opportunity appears by mid-May.
If your greenhouse is heated, then feel free to plant pepper seedlings from late March to mid-April.
♦ How to plant peppers correctly. After the ground for our pepper has been prepared in the greenhouse, we need to decide how we will place our plants.
To grow peppers in a greenhouse, you can prepare thick polyethylene bags (each will be filled with fertile soil and given into the possession of the pepper).
Or, which is simpler and more convenient, form beds for planting seedlings.
- The most best time for planting young seedlings - evening hours. Before the procedure, the seedlings should be watered abundantly.
Planting is carried out in beds one meter wide, the distance between rows should be at least half a meter. But the planting density will depend on the characteristics of the pepper and its varieties:
- For hybrids, vigorous species: 35-40 cm.
- For medium-sized peppers: 25-30 cm.
- For short people: 15-20 cm.
Before the important procedure, each hole prepared for the pepper should be filled warm water(2 liters for each hole).
When planting seedlings, try not to bury the stem. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the pepper to grow strong root system and the growth and development of the plant itself will slow down greatly.
The lower leaves of the seedlings should be at ground level.
As soon as the seedlings are placed in the holes, we compact the soil with our hands and mulch it with humus or peat.
Gardener's advice. If you have a cold, film greenhouse, growing peppers in a greenhouse is best done for early-ripening, medium-growing varieties (up to 100-110 cm in height). And in winter, heated greenhouses Better conditions for growing tall, more productive species.
And further little advice to more efficiently use the entire area of the greenhouse, you can low-growing varieties Plant sweet peppers between tall peppers, compacting the plantings.
Greenhouse pepper and its features
Please note that immediately after transplanting the seedlings into adult conditions, the young pepper’s need for watering increases.
If you do not give the plant enough moisture, reddish-brown spots that look like burns will begin to appear on the fruits.
When growing bell peppers in a greenhouse environment, it is important to observe the following rules:
- Good lighting. But don't overdo it with sunlight. Peppers growing in film-type greenhouses are more susceptible to burns than when grown in polycarbonate greenhouses. But don’t darken the pepper! A plant growing in the shade will begin to produce poor, weak ovaries and develop poorly.
- Keep the temperature constant. For good development Pepper needs a regime of +23° C - + 30° C. Sudden changes in temperature have a very negative impact on the quantity and quality of the vitamin crop.
- Make sure to water regularly! Lack of moisture will have a negative impact on the quality of the fruit.
- Don't forget to loosen the soil! Loose soil guarantees excellent access of moisture and oxygen to the roots of the plant.
- Humidity! Our sweet pet will grow very comfortably at moderate air humidity: 70-75%. Sharp fluctuations normal levels are detrimental to pepper: its flowers and ovaries fall off, and the fruits become smaller and wither.
Note! Growing peppers in a greenhouse immediately after planting, for about 2-2.5 weeks, will give us cause for disappointment! Why?
Our freshly transplanted pepper will look weak and sick. At this time, he develops poorly - no surprise!
– the crop is sensitive and the plant needs time to adapt to unfamiliar conditions.
Experienced gardeners advise planting seedlings in a greenhouse while their stems are still grassy, then they will take root much faster.
- To help the pepper take root faster, regularly loosen the soil and spray your pets with growth stimulants (Bud, Enregen). Don’t get carried away with watering at this time!
We look after you with love!
♦ Drink – favorite hobby pepper Pepper is an extremely moisture-loving crop. According to the norm, water consumption should be 10-12 liters per m² for each irrigation.
At the same time, observing the regularity of water procedures 1-2 times weekly.
If we violate the water regime, the pepper runs the risk of developing a serious infection: gray rot.
- When our pepper begins to bloom, it is better to water the pepper using the sprinkling method, in other cases - only at the root! It needs warm water, at a temperature of about +25° C. Otherwise, the pepper will slow down its growth and make us wait a long time for the harvest.
If sprinkling is carried out regularly, the pepper can self-sterilize (after all, its flowers are pollinated independently). So don't risk losing your harvest!
And when directing a stream of water under the root of the plant, make sure that the soil does not erode. Add mineral complex fertilizer to the water for irrigation 2-3 times a month.
Do not allow drops to fall on the leaves of the plant. Perfect time for watering - morning, 9-11 o'clock.
Advice from an experienced gardener. Growing peppers in a greenhouse should be done with constant ventilation of the pepper house. Ventilate the greenhouse after each watering!
But do not create a draft. It is enough to open the doors on one side or the window.
If it’s too hot outside, you can remove the film from one greenhouse side.
♦ Mulching. To ensure that the soil in the greenhouse retains moisture, mulch it with a layer of straw, sawdust, humus or compost. Make a layer of mulch 3-4 cm deep.
But moisture preservation is not the only purpose of mulch. She helps:
- Keep the soil loose.
- Prevents the appearance of weeds.
- Allows pepper roots to receive oxygen.
♦ Healthy nutrition. Very important aspect, to which gardeners devote Special attention– feeding pepper.
If our vitamin-rich pet receives the amount of useful nutrients it needs, it will better resist attack by pests.
You should feed the pepper several times:
- During the flowering period. He needs organic matter; you can use settled slurry (1x10) or urea solution (4-5 g per bucket of water). At that time good help dry nitrophoska (30-40 g per m²) will be used for the development of pepper.
- During fruiting. During this period, we feed the plant with bird droppings diluted in water (ratio 1x12, where one part is bird droppings).
The rest of the time, peppers are grown in a greenhouse by applying fertilizers every 10-12 days.
As a top dressing, use rotted mullein diluted in water (6 parts of water per part of mullein).
But do not overuse this fertilizer - otherwise the pepper will intensively grow green mass and forget about the fruits.
Herbal mulch is also suitable for nutrition. It is laid out in a 10 cm layer under the bushes.
Once a month, feed the pepper with complex mineral fertilizer (20 g of potassium chloride, 40 g of superphosphate, 20 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water). This feeding can be combined with watering.
♦ Formation of a bush. A well-formed pepper bush will delight the owner with a lush appearance and a rich, mouth-watering harvest.
The process of pepper formation depends on the characteristics of its variety:
- On tall varieties, pinching and trimming of excess shoots is done.
- For medium-sized varieties of pepper, formation will consist of removing the lower and barren side shoots. This will improve plant lighting and air circulation.
- Low-growing, dwarf types of peppers do not need shaping at all, they are already good.
You should pinch out excess shoots very carefully, neatly and competently, carefully following all the rules:
- Removing flower crown buds. As soon as the main stem of the plant reaches a height of 20-25 cm, it begins to branch. At the site of the branches, a flower bud is formed. It is this that should be removed as early as possible so that the branching process proceeds correctly.
- Pinching out unnecessary shoots. An ideal pepper should consist of a stem and 2-3 strong shoots that come from the fork of the crown bud. It would be advisable to remove all other shoots and branches. They are removed by cutting off the top or growing point.
- Removing excess shoots and lower leaves. While growing peppers in a greenhouse, periodically inspect your pet for the growth of barren (empty) shoots. They need to be removed. Most often, unnecessary branches are formed just below the branching of the main stem of the pepper. In this area we should also destroy all the leaves that shade the planting and impair pollination.
- Pinching skeletal branches. This procedure should be carried out after collecting a sufficient number of fruits, this will speed up the ripening of the rest of the crop. All growth points located on the main stems of the pepper should be pinched. After the procedure, the growth of the pepper stops, and all the energy of the plant is spent on feeding the ripening fruits.
♦ Caring for peppers, garter. The pepper definitely needs to be tied up!
Before planting, prepare the trellis and install trellis structures before planting the pepper.
- Tie the plant up very carefully! Any, even small, damage to the stem can provoke suppuration and disease of the crop.
The trellises themselves look like peculiar stairs. On wooden frame 4-5 transverse steps of twine or wire are tied.
In the future, when growing peppers in a greenhouse, the plant will rely on them.
To save time and effort, drive wooden sticks next to each bush and tie the main stem with a regular cotton ribbon 2-3 cm wide.
Tie loosely, do not allow the tape to “dig” into the plant.
Cleaning vitamins
Sweet peppers have two stages of maturity:
- Technical(35-45 days after the start of flowering). During this period, the fruits are still green, but have already grown to their final size.
- Biological. The fruits are already fully ripe and colored in their varietal color. At this time, the seeds of the pepper also ripen.
At the stage of technical maturity, the pepper contains a sufficient amount of vitamins; the appetizing fruits are already suitable for eating.
In this phase, when you press on the fruit, you can hear a slight crackling sound.
But, of course, the most delicious peppers are when they reach the biological stage of maturity. At this time they are tasty, juicy and filled with all vitamins.
Experienced gardeners advise harvesting when the pepper has reached the technical maturity stage.
After finishing growing pepper in a greenhouse, harvesting at this time increases the yield by 30-35%.
This happens due to the fact that energy and substances used for seed ripening are saved.
- Harvesting begins in mid-July and continues until September. The fruits of the peppers are trimmed weekly (very delicately and carefully) with sharp pruning shears. They must be cut together with the stalk.
Important point! Fruiting in sweet pepper occurs in waves, since this plant is not able to bloom and grow fruit at the same time.
It first blooms and then bears fruit. Then, after a short break, the process is repeated.
Therefore, it is recommended to collect the first wave of peppers in the technical ripeness phase, and the fruits of the second wave can already be left to ripen on the bushes (weather permitting).
It is forbidden! Roughly pick the peppers. Remember that the stems of this plant are extremely fragile, but the stalks are rigid. By pulling the fruit, you can break off the rest of the shoot!
Try to remove all the fruits before the first frost arrives!
How to save the harvest
Like many vegetable counterparts, sweet peppers have poor shelf life.
If stored improperly, the plant may begin to rot within two or three days.
It is better to keep peppers at the technical stage of maturity until the onset of the biological phase in a cool place, at a temperature of +9°C-+11°C.
If you keep the peppers in the refrigerator open plastic bag, they ripen within 30-35 days.
- Do not store peppers in a warm place! They will quickly lose their taste and lose their shiny, appetizing appearance.
For fruits for storage, you need to carefully cut off the stalk, but leave a small part of it. Carefully inspect the fruits - they should not show the slightest traces of dents, cracks, damage or diseases.
For storage, peppers can be placed in boxes and sprinkled with sawdust.
So we got acquainted with the process of growing peppers in a greenhouse, which is very interesting, albeit a little unusual, especially for novice gardeners.
But the long-awaited, rich harvest - and it will certainly come if all care recommendations are followed, will be a great reward for the time, nerves and effort spent.
And watch a short video about planting peppers in a greenhouse.
See you soon, dear readers and have a rich harvest!
Heat-loving bell peppers are often grown in a greenhouse, creating optimal conditions for growth.
Pepper is a useful, heat-loving crop, so even when planting in open ground, pepper seedlings are used.
Let's consider features of growing sweet peppers in a greenhouse: sowing seeds, caring for seedlings, watering, fertilizing, pest and disease control, harvesting.
For sowing seeds and growing seedlings, film, glass greenhouses or greenhouses are used. Nowadays, polycarbonate greenhouses are widely used for growing peppers.
The main thing is not to combine the cultivation of sweet and bitter peppers in the same greenhouse, since pepper is capable of cross-pollination.
It is not easy to choose a pepper variety for growing in a greenhouse from all the variety available on the market. Pepper varieties differ in color, size and shape of fruits, and taste.
Some varieties are bred specifically for growing in a greenhouse. Most prolific Orange miracle, Tenderness, Winnie the Pooh.
The best early ripening pepper variety for the greenhouse Apricot favorite. Also classified as early and mid-ripening is the Atlant variety, which is compact and prolific.
An early ripening variety suitable for growing in a greenhouse - Cardinal. The bushes of the variety are more than 1 m high and reach ripeness after 100 days.
Before sowing seeds, they must be treated with a 1 percent solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. For rapid growth seedlings, seeds are treated with growth stimulants.
Seeds are sown in February (so that they can be transplanted into a greenhouse at the age of 60-65), in cups or pots, deepened 5-15 mm into the soil. The soil should be fertile and light.
For better pepper yield in a greenhouse, use 2-month-old seedlings that have 6-10 leaves and a height of 20-25 cm.
Pepper seedlings are planted in greenhouses in early April. Make beds with a distance between rows of 50 cm. Make holes for transplanting seedlings.
Pour 1 liter of chicken droppings or manure solution into each hole (dilute a glass of 200 g of chicken droppings or 500 g of manure in a bucket of water at a temperature of 50 degrees).
It is good to water the pepper seedlings in cups so that you can easily remove them without damaging the roots. Transplant seedlings into holes and tie them to pegs.
Video - Forming peppers (all the subtleties and nuances of forming bell peppers)
Growing and caring for peppers in a greenhouse
The main thing in care is compliance with the thermal regime, timely watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and weeding.
Be sure to ventilate the greenhouse and provide shade in hot weather.
Watering peppers produce 1-2 liters of water at the root every 2-3 days. Peppers are moisture-loving and cannot tolerate even short-term drought.
Support optimal temperature– during the day 20-27 degrees, at night 15 degrees. When the fruiting period begins, the temperature may be reduced.
Hill up bushes when the soil is moist. Once the soil dries, loosen the rows, about once a week. If there is no possibility of loosening, mulch the soil with straw, humus, and sawdust.
To form bushes, remove excess shoots, leaving the 2 strongest side shoots, remove excess leaves and shoots below the main branching zone. The plant will concentrate on the development of ovaries, and not on the growth of green mass.
For a greenhouse, choose compact varieties; pepper is a fragile plant, the stems can break under the weight of the fruit. Be sure to tie up stretched plants. Harvesting is carried out in the morning, carefully cutting or tearing off the fruits along with the short stalk.
When growing pepper in a polycarbonate greenhouse plant care remains unchanged.
When growing in a greenhouse, you cannot do without fertilizing. Urea or a solution of bird droppings are used as fertilizers. To prepare the solution, dissolve in water urea or chicken droppings in a ratio of 1 x 15. Pour 1 liter of solution at the root of each bush.
Before fertilizing, sprinkle on the beds wood ash.
Timing of fertilizing
First feeding 2 weeks after transplanting the seedlings into the greenhouse.
Second feeding during the period of ovary formation.
Third feeding during the period of fruit ripening.
If you have not noticed a deficiency on the plants during the entire growing season, the proportion of fertilizers does not need to be changed.
Even when grown in a greenhouse, diseases and pests can appear.
At sudden temperature changes the plant may get sick; when the temperature drops to +10 degrees, spots appear purple and raid.
Pepper is susceptible to blossom end rot if the humidity regime is disturbed. To combat, sprinkle a handful of ash under the root in a timely manner.
Video - HOW TO FORM PEPPER CORRECTLY! CARE AND FEEDING!
By following agrotechnical care rules when growing peppers in a greenhouse, bell peppers will thank you with an excellent harvest of healthy fruits.
Heat-loving pepper requires proper care, otherwise you won't get it high yields. Moreover, in most regions of Russia, due to the harsh climate, this crop is grown in greenhouses, under shelters.
Open ground is a privilege of the southern regions, where you don’t have to limit yourself in choosing varieties of sweet peppers. For the middle zone and even more so in areas such as the Urals, North-West, Siberia, it is recommended to choose early-ripening varieties that are resistant to the vagaries of the weather. But in a favorable season, gardeners in these regions also harvest good pepper harvests from open ridges, provided the correct agricultural technology is used.
Pepper is a crop with a long growing season, so it is grown through seedlings, and only then is it decided to plant it in a permanent place. You can grow it directly in the beds, choosing a sunny place protected from the winds, you can cultivate it under arches with film or non-woven material. It all depends on climatic conditions, variety, and care. We will tell you about the features of care and open ground, and in the greenhouse.
Rules for care after planting in the ground
Deciding to grow peppers in beds under open air, are determined in advance for it appropriate place and prepare the area.
Site selection and soil preparation
The ridges should be located in a well-lit area, with only slight partial shade allowed. The soil is fertile, loose, moisture-absorbing and breathable. Pepper likes to grow on neutral or slightly acidic soils, but ridges with acidic soil not suitable for culture.
ON A NOTE! The optimal acidity level is 6.2 – 7.0 pH.
To neutralize acidity in soils that are too acidic, add wood ash and fluff lime. Change acidity alkaline soils Adding moss will help (it is better to take it from peat bogs). 
The ridges are dug up in the fall, and then rotted manure is added (about 5-6 kg per square meter). It is recommended to add phosphorus and potassium additives during spring digging.
It is required to observe crop rotation, returning the pepper to the same place no earlier than after 4 years. It cannot be grown after crops such as:
- potato;
- eggplant;
- tomatoes.
These are all crops related to peppers, part of the vast nightshade family. They have the same diseases, so there is a high risk that the pepper may “catch” some kind of infection of the vegetables that grew on this ridge before it. But grow it after pumpkin, legumes, all types of cabbage, and cucumbers.
Transplanting
Peppers are planted in the ground only when stable warm weather. The soil should warm up to +14ºC…+16ºC (indicators at a depth of up to 10 cm), and in many regions this time comes only in early June. You can also plant the crop in the last week of May; here everything depends on the weather in a particular season and climate.
Typically, in the North-West and Siberia, gardeners do not take risks, and if peppers are planted in the greenhouse a little earlier, then there is no need to rush into planting them in open beds. A few days will not be critical, but your seedlings will not be exposed to possible cold snaps. 
For more successful adaptation, the peppers begin to harden approximately 10-14 days before the “move.” They are accustomed to temperatures at outdoors, sun rays. First, the peppers are taken out for about 15-30 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent in the air to several hours.
ON A NOTE! Hardening will ensure rapid adaptation of seedlings during transplantation, and the plants will not experience stress.
When planting, it is advisable to use the transfer method, removing the peppers from containers (cups, boxes) along with a lump of earth. If the seedlings were grown in peat pots, V homemade cups made of paper, then it is planted in the holes right along with them. The seedlings should be approximately 55-60 days old.
Holes are made on the ridge, maintaining the distance and planting pattern. It is recommended to grow peppers taking into account the characteristics of the variety and plant height:
- for low-growing plants, you can leave up to 20 cm between plants;
- medium-sized peppers grow from each other at a distance of up to 30-35 cm;
- tall varieties and hybrids will need to be left from 40 to 60 cm.
Typically, low varieties of peppers are grown on beds, but in any case, it is important to take care of installing supports in advance. The holes are shed with warm, settled water, and the moisture is allowed to slightly absorb into the soil. Then the plants are planted in the holes, making sure that the root collar is at soil level. It is not recommended to bury peppers; it is advisable to plant them at the same level as they grew in pots.
IMPORTANT! If you plan to collect your own seeds from peppers, take care to isolate the varieties. It is also necessary to plant sweet and hot peppers away from each other.
The soil near the stem is carefully compacted; you can immediately, or after a day or two, the surface of the soil can be mulched with hay, rotted compost, bark, or chopped straw. 
Protection from cold and heat
To plant the crop, it is advisable to choose a cloudy day so that the sun does not burn the plant in the first hours. If this is not possible, schedule work in the evening. After planting, the peppers need to be slightly shaded, and here the best option will use non-woven material.
This material will provide the planted seedlings with comfortable conditions, protect them from the hot rays of the sun, and, if necessary, protect them from cold weather. Many gardeners specially install arcs on the beds, and then cover them with agril, lutrasil, or spunbond.
The peppers are not watered for about a week, and only after 6-7 days can the soil be irrigated with water. But it all depends on the weather and the condition of the plants themselves, the recommendations are conditional, and so you need to navigate each specific situation in my own way.
Watering
In order for the pepper fruits to be juicy and tasty, you need to organize correct watering. This is especially important for plants in the garden, since there is no schedule for rain and it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the plants and soil moisture.
If there is regular precipitation, then you can do without watering. Usually, peppers are watered once every 5-6 days; after the ovaries appear, you can water more often, but only as the soil dries out. For those who, due to their work schedule, can only come to the site on weekends, it is recommended to mulch the soil. This will protect the plants from drought, ensure a normal level of moisture in the soil, and get rid of weeds. The mulch layer is made from 6 to 10 cm, and as the thickness decreases, mulch (hay, sawdust, peat) is added. 
ON A NOTE! Pepper bears fruit in waves. Therefore, after the first wave and harvesting of fruits, you can take a short break in watering, and then, when following colors and ovaries, they are renewed.
Water only with warm, always settled water. In case of frequent rains, loosening is carried out to prevent moisture from stagnating in the soil.
Weeding and loosening
If there is no mulching, the soil near the peppers must be carefully loosened. Since most of the root system is located in the top layer of soil, they loosen the soil very carefully, trying not to touch the roots of the plant.
After watering, a crust forms on the soil; it slows down the penetration of air into the ground, which negatively affects the roots of plants. Light, regular loosening destroys the crust, provides oxygen access to the soil, and promotes better development of the roots of the pepper, and therefore the plant itself.
Some gardeners, during the period of buds appearing and mass flowering of pepper bushes, hill them up. Loosening is not only about destroying the crust, but also getting rid of annoying weeds. In open ground (especially after rain), weeds grow very quickly, and without weeding they can choke out the peppers. So you should regularly loosen and weed the plantings, and even better, use mulch. 
Top dressing
With well-fertilized soil on the ridges, the pepper will have enough nutrition for the first time. But it is still recommended to then carry out several feedings. Typically, plants are fed 3-4 times per season using organic matter, wood ash, complex fertilizers or ready-made compounds.
The first time feeding is carried out no earlier than 12-14 days after planting in a permanent place. You can take mullein diluted in water or bird droppings (1:10 and 1:20).
During the flowering period of the crop, superphosphate and potassium humate are suitable. If you use superphosphate, it is recommended to grind it first. For the third feeding (14 days after the second), ash is infused; you can also feed the peppers with superphosphate infusion. In proportions: take about two glasses of ash per bucket, two tablespoons of superphosphate are enough.
IMPORTANT! Do not exceed the dosage of components, especially nitrogen.
An excellent “lunch” for peppers is an infusion of herbs, for which nettle is most often used. It is necessary to chop the plants, put them in a tank (up to half), fill with warm water to the top and close. Leave for about 3-4 days, then dilute the infusion with water (liter per bucket) and water the peppers. The same infusion is suitable for eggplants and tomatoes. You can add ash to the composition. 
By observing the plants, you can determine which components are missing in the nutrition of peppers. With a lack of nitrogen, peppers grow poorly, the leaves are small, light green, with a gray matte tint.
If there is a deficiency of potassium, the leaves of peppers begin to dry out and curl, but if there is little phosphorus, then the leaf blades will become covered with purple spots on the underside. With such changes in leaves, it is urgent to fertilize with suitable fertilizers.
Wood ash, in addition to fertilizing, is also used to repel pests and as a preventive measure against various diseases. In open ground, peppers are harmed by aphids and spider mites, and in the evening they are attacked by slugs. Garlic infusion for spraying, ash infusions and dusting, mustard powder and a mixture of ash and tobacco dust, scattered between the rows - these are simple, but sufficient effective ways prevention and control of pests.
Caring for peppers in a greenhouse
With a short and cool summer in open ground, it is difficult to provide good conditions for pepper. If there is no heat, then hope to receive good harvest it is difficult for this capricious and very heat-loving culture. Greenhouses help out, in which gardeners even in regions such as Siberia and the North-West get very good results 
Agricultural technology for sweet peppers in greenhouses differs little from caring for plants in open ground. The basic techniques are the same, but the following must be taken into account:
- Regular watering (in a greenhouse, providing plants with moisture falls entirely on the gardener);
- Ventilation of shelters. In greenhouses on hot days the temperature can be very high and the humidity can be just as high. Pepper grows poorly in such conditions, so it is necessary to open the vents, doors, and windows, carefully ventilating the plantings.
- It is necessary to replace the top layer of soil in greenhouses every season, and be sure to disinfect the soil and all supports of the shelter. When greenhouses are used for many years, harmful microorganisms accumulate inside, which can be detrimental to plants. Therefore, greenhouse treatment special compounds for disinfection is mandatory for everyone.
- It is convenient to grow tall peppers in a greenhouse using trellises as supports. Wire is pulled over the frames, twine can be used, and as the peppers grow, they will rest on such structures. If you don’t want to use trellises, then make stakes and tie the pepper stems to them with a wide cotton ribbon.
IMPORTANT! The stems and branches of sweet peppers are fragile. It is necessary to tie them up very carefully, and you should not use ropes or twines that can cut the stem.
- If you prepare your own pepper seeds at the end of summer, then the hot and sweet varieties are immediately planted in different greenhouses.
- When growing tall peppers in greenhouses, it is necessary to form the plants. They are pinched, excess side shoots, lower leaves, and the central (crown) bud of the plant are cut off.
- The wave-like nature of the harvest also determined the characteristics of pepper harvesting. It is advisable to harvest the first fruits in greenhouses at the stage of technical maturity. This makes it possible for subsequent fruits to form and grow, and in general, to increase productivity. The second wave of fruit can be left to ripen on the plant.
Frequency of watering in the greenhouse
For plants in a greenhouse, it is necessary to provide comfortable growing conditions:
- sufficient amount of moisture;
- warm;
- lighting;
- nutrition.
On the ridges there may be enough rainfall for the peppers; in the greenhouse they are watered 1-2 times every 7 days. It is recommended to follow the watering schedule, increasing the volume of water during the flowering period. But it is important to prevent excess moisture in the soil, since in conditions closed space The air humidity in the shelter immediately increases.
ON A NOTE! The watering rate is 10 liters per square meter. But they take into account the condition of the plants, soil type, and weather conditions.
After watering, it is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse and loosen it the next day. And again, as in open ground, mulching the soil is recommended to obtain higher yields. If possible, you can install a drip irrigation system in the greenhouse. 
Water the peppers very carefully, trying not to get on the leaves and ovaries. The water temperature is about +22ºC, and regardless of where the water comes from - a well, a reservoir, rainwater, it must be settled. Excess moisture in the soil leads to the appearance of diseases in pepper, and this is always extra hassle, the use of various drugs and possible crop losses. Compliance with the irrigation regime and all agricultural techniques will eliminate problems.
Application of fertilizers for peppers in a greenhouse when growing in a greenhouse
Another important condition for obtaining a harvest in a greenhouse is fertilizing the pepper. Properly organized nutrition of the crop, when the peppers have enough of all elements, ensures the normal development of the crop and helps increase immunity. Peppers in the greenhouse are “fed” 3-5 times per season, taking into account the fertility of the soil and the condition of the plants themselves. Tall, productive hybrids require more nutrition, so you need to prepare mullein in advance (poultry droppings can be used) and complex fertilizers.
Just as in open ground, the first fertilizing is done with organic matter and no earlier than two weeks after planting the peppers. It is also permissible to use urea (make an aqueous solution, 4-5 grams per bucket of water), dry nitrophoska.
For the second feeding, you need to take phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and use an ash solution. It is carried out during fruiting, strictly observing the dosage of all components. It is advisable to combine fertilization and watering for better absorption of nutrients by pepper. 
They also give a good effect foliar feeding pepper by leaves, so many gardeners use:
- urea solution (one teaspoon per bucket of water will be enough);
- superphosphate (treated with the composition in a bucket of water - two teaspoons);
- boric acid (take a bucket of water and dilute one teaspoon of the product in it).
Foliar feeding is especially convenient if plants require the addition of microelements. When applied at the root, they are absorbed more slowly and worse, but when peppers are processed by leaves, results are achieved faster. If the peppers grow normally, bloom, and produce a harvest, you can do without spraying. The recommendations are intended to help in organizing proper care, as well as in case of any difficulties.
Compliance with all techniques, optimal temperature regime, knowledge of some of the characteristics of the crop will allow you to grow pepper crops even in regions of risky farming. By the way, the experience of many summer residents only confirms this.
