What are the key points of high-yield, high-quality pepper cultivation techniques?

Pepper is a very common vegetable in our daily life, and its nutritional content is very high. At present, farmers all over the country are growing peppers, but do you know what high-yield, high-quality cultivation techniques there are for peppers?

1. Planting temperature

The suitable temperature for pepper seed germination is 23-30℃. If the temperature is below 15℃, the seeds cannot germinate. Pepper seedlings require a relatively high temperature; if the temperature is too low, growth will become slow. In the early stage of flowering and fruiting, the suitable daytime temperature is 20-25℃, and the suitable nighttime temperature is 15-20℃. In the fruiting stage, if the soil temperature is too high, especially when strong light shines directly on the ground, it is extremely unfavorable to the growth of the pepper root system, and at this time it is easy to cause virus disease and sunscald.

2. Site selection and land preparation

When choosing a cultivation site for peppers, you should try to choose plots that are convenient for irrigation and drainage, and deep plowing should also be carried out. It is best to carry out winter plowing, leaving the land fallow to freeze, thereby improving the soil and eliminating overwintering pests and fungal spores.

Before planting, the land also needs to be prepared and beds made. The bed width is generally 1.3-1.7m (including ditches), with 2-3 rows planted. While making the beds, apply 50-80 loads of decomposed barnyard manure, 15 kg of superphosphate, and 25 kg of plant ash per mu as base fertilizer.

3. Raising seedlings and sowing

Here we introduce the seedling-raising method using a small plastic arch shed.

1. Seedbed treatment

First, it is necessary to choose a plot with its back to the north and facing south, high and dry with good drainage, convenient water source, and where solanaceous crops have not been planted, as the seedbed. Second, it is best to dig the seedbed deeply and heat the soil during the dog days of summer, sprinkle a layer of human and livestock manure on it, and after drying in the sun, cover it with plastic film to prevent the loss of nutrients when it rains.

2. Sowing

Before sowing, we need to water the seedbed soil thoroughly, then break up and level the seedbed soil. After sowing, cover the seeds with fine soil mixed with old bran ash or coal ash, with a thickness of about 2cm, just enough to cover the seeds. Then it can be watered. After the water is absorbed, cover with plastic film, and finally enclose it with thin bamboo poles or bamboo strips to form a small arch frame with a height of about 0.5m. Cover the arch frame with plastic film and compact the film with soil, which helps prevent wind. It is recommended to use bricks on both sides to press it down, so that the film can be uncovered at any time for ventilation.

4. Seedbed management

During the period from sowing to emergence, generally no management is needed. When emergence begins, the plastic film must be removed immediately, otherwise leggy seedlings will form. After emergence, do a good job of ventilation. On sunny days, the film can be uncovered at 9 a.m. and still covered at 4 p.m. Even on rainy days, ventilation should be carried out as much as possible.

If the seedbed soil turns white and the seedlings wilt, watering is needed. Two hours after watering, check again. If some areas still appear dry, supplemental watering is needed so that the seedlings grow uniformly. Do not water on rainy days or freezing days, otherwise excessive humidity will lower the bed temperature, making disease more likely. In snowy weather, straw windows can also be added, and a layer of plastic film can be placed over the straw windows. An electric light can also be installed inside the bed, which helps protect against cold and preserve the seedlings.

5. Planting out

For planting out peppers, a soil temperature above 15℃ is suitable. If planted too early, the lower soil temperature will cause peppers to grow slowly and drop flowers, which means the goal of early maturity cannot be achieved. The planting distance should be determined according to the specific conditions of early-maturing and late-maturing varieties. Farmers should choose a sunny afternoon to carry out planting out, but the seedbed should be watered that morning, which is more conducive to pulling up the seedlings.

6. Cultivation and weeding

After the plants survive planting out, carry out one shallow cultivation in time. When the plants begin to grow, carry out one focused cultivation. Before the plants close the rows, carry out one more cultivation. During cultivation, combine it with weeding and hilling up the soil.

7. Fertilizer and water management

1. Fertilizing

After planting out, seize sunny days to apply seedling-promoting fertilizer. Each application should not be too large or too concentrated, otherwise it will easily cause excessive vegetative growth and delay flowering and fruiting. After the first and second layers have set fruit, apply more fertilizer to promote fruit enlargement.

2. Irrigation

After the fruit begins to be harvested, the soil is even more required to have sufficient fertilizer and water so that the plants can grow and bear fruit normally. If heavy rain falls after watering and before the soil has dried, leaf drop and dead plants will be quite common, and this is most prominent during the period from the end of the dog days to the beginning of autumn. Therefore, when irrigating, farmers must decide the irrigation time according to the weather forecast. The irrigation depth should not exceed three-quarters of the bed ditch, and it should be carried out at night or early in the morning, and it must be irrigated and drained quickly.

8. Harvesting and seed saving

1. Harvesting

In most cases, we harvest green fruits for fresh eating, but we also harvest red fruits. If making dried peppers, then mature red fruits must be harvested. Harvesting should be timely, otherwise it will affect the growth and fruiting of the plants.

2. Seed saving

According to the characteristics of the variety, select standard plants and attach markers to them as seed-saving plants. Harvest the first layer of fruit early for market, and leave 2-4 layers of fruit as seed fruit. Once the seed fruit is red and ripe, it can be harvested, but further selection is still needed for fruits with the characteristics of this variety. Spread the harvested seed fruits in a cool place to after-ripen for 5-7 days, then cut them open to take out the seeds, and after drying them in the air, store them.

That is all for the sharing of high-yield, high-quality pepper cultivation techniques. I wonder if you have learned them?