Transplanting and thinning young peppers: we work with seedlings correctly

Sweet peppers are a delicate and demanding culture, but very tasty and vitamin-rich, so many gardeners are not stopped by the difficulties in caring for it. It is especially difficult to dive peppers: the slightest damage to seedlings can reduce yields, cause plant diseases and even their death. In order not to spoil everything at the very beginning of growing, you need to observe the timing of the pick and act according to certain rules.

Do pepper seedlings need a pick

Picking is the process of transplanting young shoots into separate containers. There, they will continue to grow stronger and receive sufficient nutrition from the soil. If you do not dive the seedlings, then the young plants will be cramped in one pot, they will begin to stretch out and hurt. A frail seedling will most likely die in the open field, at best it will give ovaries, but there will be few fruits, and their taste will not please the grower.

Picks can be avoided by immediately planting peppers in separate pots or peat cups. This is exactly what many experienced gardeners recommend to do with seeds.

Still, the general sowing of seeds and further separation of the shoots has a number of advantages:

1. This procedure will help conserve nutrient-rich soil and pots as not all seeds can sprout.
2. It is easier to choose the strongest and healthiest pepper sprouts from the common box.

Picking is an important part of growing horticultural crops. Young plants will receive more nutrients, which means that their root system will form correctly and will be ready for transplantation in more severe open field conditions.

Sowing and picking dates

Transplanting pepper into new containers should be early. If you are late with the pick, then the roots of the sprouts will probably get confused. This is fraught with injuries and painful condition of the peppers after transplantation. Compliance with deadlines is one of the most important rules of this procedure.

Three weeks later, with the appearance of the first shoots, you need to prepare for moving. If the sprouts already have 3-4 true leaves, they are ready to change the container to a new one. Transplanting shoots with two leaves is allowed, but in no case should shoots that have only cotyledonous leaves be disturbed. Their root system has not yet formed.

Sowing in the middle lane and beyond the Urals is planned for early and mid-February, thus, the pick is carried out in late February-early March.

Many gardeners prefer to determine the exact day of picking according to the lunar calendar. Very young sprouts are quickly filled with strength in a new place if they were transplanted to the growing moon.

Tanks and soil

Pots for the growth of peppers should be roomy, since in them the root system will grow until transplanted to the site. The optimal volume is 200-300 ml. More seedlings are not needed, since the root system will not have time to master the entire soil, and it will sour, and this is dangerous diseases.

Other requirements for capacities:

1. The presence of drainage holes. They can be not only at the bottom, but also at the bottom of the side parts. Removing excess moisture is a guarantee of root health.
2. Sturdy and waterproof construction. Growing in paper cups from newspapers is convenient for moving on to the site, but the soft material will get wet and sour. It is better to take plastic and wooden containers. Peat cups are also recommended, but they sometimes take in a lot of moisture, depriving it of pepper.
3. Purity. It is best to disinfect before placing soil and seedlings.

The soil is purchased special for seedlings of peppers.You can make it yourself by mixing 2 parts of garden soil, 1 part of sand, 1 part of humus and a little wood ash. Another version of the soil mixture: 5 parts of humus, 1 part of peat, 4 parts of sod land.

The addition of mineral fertilizers will allow the cut sprouts to quickly settle down in a new place.

How to supplement the soil, proportions per 1 m³:

• 600 g of ammonium nitrate;
• 1 kg of superphosphate;
• 800 g of potassium chloride.

How to dive correctly

The most viable pepper sprouts are selected from the common pot. They have a healthy shoot and leaves, the root system is not twisted, without traces of rot. All weak and spoiled peppers will not be suitable for further cultivation. That is why gardeners prefer to sow more seeds than the mature shrubs planned for the site.

All stages of the correct movement of sprouts from a common pot to separate ones:

1. In a few hours, the soil in the box with sprouts is moistened. This will gently extract the roots. Not damaging the underground part is the most difficult thing in a dive.
2. It is convenient to get the sprouts out of the ground with a small spatula or spoon. They finish the soil and pull out the sprout along with a lump of earth on the roots. It is recommended to hold a fragile plant by the internode or cotyledonous leaves, but not by the upper leaves.
3. The roots are examined. They should not be twisted.
4. To stimulate the growth of lateral roots, pinch the central one by 1/4.
5. In new pots, make a recess of a suitable size. It is recommended to moisten the soil before filling the containers so that no lumps form.
6. The sprout is placed in a recess so that the roots do not bend, and sprinkle with soil. It is allowed to tamp it slightly. It is important when moving to maintain exactly the same planting depth as in the previous container. Deepening the stem to the cotyledonous leaves will lead to decay of the roots and death of the seedling.
7. After transplanting, the peppers are immediately watered. The amount of water is moderate.

Advice
In order not to provoke mass infection of seedlings when changing soil, it must first be ignited in the oven or poured with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Leaving in the first days after the pick

After transplanting, the pots with peppers should stand in a shaded place for 1-2, and preferably 3-4 days. Direct sunlight is dangerous for young plantings. The air temperature for successful adaptation is kept in the region of 20-22 degrees Celsius. Saplings adapt the fastest in the same place where they grew earlier. You just need to arrange the shadow.

Peppers that are cut will stop growing for a while. This is normal since the underground part of the plant adapts first. In the first 3-4 days, the leaves may even wither. There is no need to overmoisten the soil; over time, the aboveground part will recover and start active growth.

How to properly care for seedlings so that they grow strong and successfully take root in the open field or greenhouse:

1. After a short shade, the peppers are returned to normal daylight hours. Additional lighting is organized using a lamp. The air temperature in the room is 23-24 degrees.
2. Sprinkle the peppers with a little water at room temperature, strictly at the root.
3. Fertilizers can and should be applied, but not earlier than 2 weeks after the pick. The best option is a ready-made fertilizer mixture for vegetable seedlings. You should not allow an excess of nitrogen, you should not take risks and use manure fertilizer. It is better to trust the proportions in the finished formulations. Overfed peppers can get sick.
4. Before and after feeding, the soil is moistened with clean water. This way, the nutrients will not damage the young roots.
5. Seedlings are often attacked by pests, for example, aphids. It is very difficult to remove insects from bushes, so prevention is the best defense. Spraying with biological products will not affect the growth of peppers - these substances are used every 2-3 weeks.

Peppers are a demanding crop, but we need a crop of crispy, sweet, vitamin C-rich fruits.Picking allows you to get more vegetables from the bush. Correctly transplanted plants will be less susceptible to diseases and pests, and they will have a lot of energy to set useful fruits.