How to grow chili pepper seedlings in a seedling tray? Sowing methods and steps

SummarySeed selection: choose high-quality chili pepper varieties with disease resistance, high yield and strong adaptability. Seedling tray: a seedling tray with about 72 cells is preferable. Soil: use plant ash, vermiculite, etc., combined with odourless chicken manure and organic fertilizer, and mix to prepare a nutrient soil. Seed treatment: sun the seeds, then soak them in warm water, and finally sprout them before sowing. Sowing preparation: the seedling tray needs to be disinfected, and the sowing time is from mid-January to early February. Sowing management: pay attention to keeping warm and preventing freezing, and do a good job of watering and fertilizing.

1. Selection of chili pepper varieties

For chili pepper seeds, choose chili pepper varieties with strong disease resistance, high yield, strong environmental adaptability and good commercial qualities.

2. Selection of the seedling tray

Seedling trays are generally chosen in a size of 54cm×28cm; calculate the number needed according to the actual situation. Usually the tray should have about 72 cells.

3. Soil for the seedling tray

Use plant ash, vermiculite and perlite as the most basic raw materials, then supplement with odourless chicken manure and organic fertilizer, etc., stir evenly to prepare a nutrient soil. Use urea, monopotassium phosphate, chicken manure or cow manure, peat, vermiculite and perlite in a ratio of 1:0.6:7:70:23.

4. Treatment of the seeds

1. The chili pepper seeds used for growing seedlings should first be sunned for 2-3 days, then soaked in warm water at 55°C for about 15 minutes. You can also soak the seeds in a 1% copper sulfate solution for 5 minutes, or soak them in a 10% trisodium phosphate solution for about 20-30 minutes. After soaking, rinse off the excess liquid medicine with clean water.

2. Then put the seeds into warm water at about 30°C and continue soaking for a week, then sprout them at a temperature of 25°C-30°C for about 3-4 days. You can also sprout them in an incubator. Once 70% of the seeds begin to show white, they can be sown.

5. Preparation before sowing

1. First arrange the seedling trays neatly, then disinfect the seedling trays. If the seedling trays are reused, they need to be disinfected with a 0.3% potassium permanganate solution. After the disinfectant dries, fill them with the culture soil. The height of the culture soil should be level with the surface of the seedling tray.

2. Stack and press in groups of 5 or 10 cells, pressing until the culture soil in the cells is 1cm below the surface of the seedling tray. Place the pressed seedling trays neatly on the seedbed, water thoroughly to soak the bottom, and wait for the right time to sow.

6. Sowing for seedling raising

Chili pepper seeds are generally sown from mid-January to early February. Put 2-3 chili pepper seeds into each cell, then cover with culture soil, spray a small amount of water and cover with a layer of plastic film.

7. Sowing management

1. Temperature management

When you see that 30% of the chili pepper seeds have sprouted, remove the film in time and provide appropriate ventilation and light. During the day the temperature should be kept at 28°C-32°C, and at night at 16°C-18°C. In late March the temperature should basically remain stable above 15°C. On nights with cooling or frost, carry out heating and freeze-prevention measures in time, so that the chili pepper seedlings are not damaged by freezing.

2. Water management

(1) During the cotyledon and root-extension stage of the chili pepper seedlings, reduce the relative humidity of the culture soil to 80%. This can increase the air permeability of the culture soil.

(2) During the true-leaf growth stage of the chili pepper, increase the amount of watering according to the growth of the seedlings.

(3) During the hardening-off stage of the chili pepper, reduce the amount of watering to the plants, making the plants more robust.

(4) Do not water in cloudy and rainy weather when there is insufficient light  .

(5) Do not water the chili pepper seedlings after three o'clock in the afternoon.

(6) Pay attention to replenishing water for the chili pepper seedlings growing at the edges of the seedling tray.

3. Fertilization management

During the seedling stage of the chili pepper, basically no topdressing is carried out. If there is a nutrient deficiency, you can spray the leaves of the chili pepper seedlings with a 1g/kg urea solution or monopotassium phosphate solution.