To get a rich harvest, you need to understand when to plant pepper seedlings in 2023. It is important to take into account the recommendations of the lunar calendar and the climatic features of the region. If you choose a favorable day, you will be able to protect the seedlings from many pathologies and even death. Compliance with the rules for planting work and providing care for seedlings is also of no small importance.
Lunar calendar schedule
The lunar calendar is formed in such a way as to take into account the most optimal days for planting vegetable crops.The phases of the moon affect the development of plants and their resistance to parasites and pathologies. They also affect the growth of vegetable crops in general.
Choosing the right moment for planting helps to better adapt the vegetable crop and obtain more nutrients from the soil. Pepper is planted for seedlings in early or mid-February, since it can only be moved to a permanent site in March. This can be done under suitable climatic conditions.
Lunar phases affect the development of the roots of all plants. To plant seed material, you should focus primarily on the waxing Moon. During this period, there is an intensification of the development of cultures. Therefore, carrying out planting work could not come at a better time. Also during this period, you can prepare and cultivate the soil and feed vegetable crops.
You can't plant peppers on a new moon. At this time, there is a risk of plants losing all vitality. Therefore, during such a period, you can prepare and loosen the soil for subsequent planting.
Schedule by region
It is recommended to plant vegetable seeds taking into account the climatic characteristics of the regions. In places with a milder climate, you can begin planting work already in the first half of February. This primarily applies to the southern regions of Russia.
Sometimes peppers take a long time to sprout. Therefore, there is no point in postponing planting work.In the north, sowing can be done at the end of February. In the Moscow region, this procedure should be carried out from mid-February to early March.
In the Urals, planting work should be carried out from mid-February to March. But it is better to give preference to early, low-growing varieties. When planting seed material in peat tablets, it is recommended to do this from the beginning of March to the 10th.
It is not recommended to plant pepper seedlings later than mid-March. In this case, the culture may outgrow. There is also a risk of flowers appearing and falling off. In such a situation, after planting the plant in the soil, you will have to wait for flowering for another month.
How does variety affect planting time?
In the northern regions of Russia, it is not recommended to plant late varieties, since with a short summer the pepper will not have time to ripen. Late varieties take a long time to fully ripen. This takes 4-5 months.
Early ripening and early varieties are ideal for planting as they produce a harvest in approximately 3 months. However, it is important to take into account that crops of foreign selection are distinguished by their demanding climate. Therefore, experts advise giving preference to local seeds.
Hybrids that are marked F1 are not suitable for subsequent procurement of seed material and do not inherit varietal characteristics. The most popular hybrids include Atlantic and Maxim. Isabella and Alyonushka would also be excellent options.
At the same time, the name of the variety contains the mark F1. She says that these are hybrid varieties that belong to the first generation.Despite the fact that such crops cannot be used for harvesting planting material, they are highly resistant to pathologies and pests. In addition, such plants bring a bountiful harvest and produce high-quality fruits.
Among the common varieties of pepper, it is worth highlighting such crops as Snow White, Zdorovye and Kolobok. These plants are early. You can also give preference to varieties such as Marconi and Prometheus. These crops are considered mid-season. Among the late varieties of pepper, the most popular are Nochka F1 and Zolotaya Medal.
Best days to plant in 2023
In 2023, it is recommended to plant peppers to produce seedlings on the following days:
- January 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 25, 29;
- February 21, 22, 24, 25, 26;
- March 1, 2, 3, 7, 24, 25, 29, 30;
- April 4, 5, 13, 21, 22, 25, 26.
It is also permissible to plant pepper seedlings on February 1-3. During this period, the moon is growing. In addition, it is located in the sign of Cancer. Although this constellation is not very fertile, it is much better than Leo, Aquarius and Aries. Such seedlings will have well-developed roots. In this case, the harvest may not be abundant enough.
How to prepare seeds
To increase the germination of seed material, it is important to carry out the preparatory work correctly. If you violate this rule, there is a risk of getting a not too abundant harvest. Conventionally, preparation is divided into several stages, which include the following:
- selection of seed material;
- disinfection;
- saturation with valuable substances;
- soaking seeds.
First, you need to pay attention to choosing the highest quality seeds. To do this, you need to remove small and large grains. It is best to leave medium-sized seeds.After this, they need to be placed in a salt solution. In this case, empty grains will float to the surface.
To make a saline solution, you need to take filtered or boiled water and add 1 tablespoon of salt to it. It is important to note that the liquid must be at room temperature. The seeds should be left for about 5 minutes. After this, the floating grains should be removed. They are empty and not suitable for planting.
Then you should treat the seed material by soaking it in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It takes a maximum of a quarter of an hour to keep it in the liquid. Then the grains should be removed from the solution, washed and dried. This will help increase the resistance of seedlings to pathologies.
After this, you need to prepare a nutrient solution and soak the seeds for seedlings in it. However, not all gardeners carry out this procedure, since it is not mandatory. However, thanks to this manipulation, the seedlings will become healthier.
To prepare the solution, you need to take 500 milliliters of water and 10 grams of wood ash. They must be mixed and left to infuse for a day. After this, the seeds must be wrapped in gauze and immersed in the solution for 4-5 hours. Then they need to be dried.
At the end, the seeds of future seedlings should be soaked. To do this, she needs to create a humid environment and leave it like that for at least a week. A wet washcloth is an excellent option. Place the seeds on it and cover the top. During the following time, it is important to ensure that the washcloth remains damp.
Finally, the seeds need to be hardened.Many gardeners are confident that this will help the seedlings better adapt to temperature fluctuations. The procedure should be carried out at a temperature of -1 degree. To do this, the seeds must be left overnight in any place with suitable temperature parameters. After which they can be planted.
Planting Guide
To plant peppers to obtain seedlings, you need to prepare a mixture of soil and sand. To do this, you need to mix soil, peat and sand in proportions 2:1:1. Then fertilizer should be added to the soil - ready-made or homemade.
In the second case, you need to take half a small spoon of urea and 2.5 milliliters of potassium humate. The components should be mixed with 1 liter of water - boiled or filtered. It should be at room temperature.
If you don’t want to prepare the substrate for seedlings with your own hands, you can purchase universal soil. In this case, a small amount of wood ash should be added to it. Many gardeners additionally calcine the soil in the oven. This helps get rid of parasites that can harm seed and crops.
It is recommended to plant pepper seeds in small holes up to 1.5 centimeters. After which they need to be sprinkled with earth and moistened with water from a spray bottle. When planting seed material in a common container, it is necessary to maintain an interval between seedlings of at least 3 centimeters in size. To plant seeds, you can use containers or ordinary plastic cups. It is best to use peat tablets for this purpose.
Features of transplantation
At the stage of the appearance of the first buds and at an air temperature of +15-18 degrees, seedlings can be planted in open soil. However, it must first be hardened. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend spraying pepper with Epin a day before. Due to this, the seedlings will better withstand the effects of stress. In addition, you don’t have to worry about the buds falling off.
It is recommended to replant the sprouts with a lump of soil. This will help avoid damage to the root system. In addition, the plants will take root better and immediately begin to grow. This is especially true for planting plants in Siberia and the Urals.
Feeding and hardening
Hardening off peppers is required in order to strengthen the roots of the seedlings. To do this, 2-3 weeks before planting in a permanent place, it is recommended to place the seedlings in the open sun. At first this needs to be done in doses, but gradually the time needs to be increased. To harden the seedlings, they can be placed on the balcony. It is also acceptable to open windows.
1-1.5 weeks before planting seedlings in open ground, they need to be fed. To do this, you should prepare a solution from the following components:
- 5 liters of water;
- 5 grams of ammonium nitrate;
- 7 grams of potassium sulfate;
- 13 grams of superphosphate.
If the composition gets on the foliage of seedlings, it must be washed with plain water. It should be at room temperature.
Plants need additional feeding at the stage of flowering, fruit set and ripening. Root fertilizers should be applied every 2 weeks from June to August. In May and August, seedlings should be sprayed with sodium humate.
Planting pepper seedlings has a number of features. For crop cultivation to be successful, it is important to strictly adhere to the basic recommendations.In this case, the choice of a favorable date for planting is of particular importance.
