How to Grow Peppers in Winter: Detailed Planting Methods and Tips

Peppers are a vegetable with a pungent taste, and the sowing and harvesting season is generally spring and summer, so how do you grow peppers in winter?

1. Basic Introduction to Peppers

Peppers are annual or limited-perennial plants in the Solanaceae family, also called ox horn pepper, long pepper, sweet pepper, bell pepper, etc.

The early growth of peppers begins with the germination stage. After sprouting and sowing, they generally emerge in about 5-8 days, the first true leaf appears in about 15 days, and the seedling stage lasts until flower buds become visible.

The seedling stage requires relatively high temperatures, with 25-30 degrees during the day and 15-18 degrees at night being best. Seedlings are not tolerant of low temperatures, so cold protection should be noted. If peppers are kept at 35 degrees, it can cause flower and fruit drop.

2. How to Grow Peppers in Winter?

1. The suitable growth temperature for peppers is 25°C-30°C. If the local winter temperature is relatively low, they need to be grown in a greenhouse.

2. Select varieties with strong adaptability, disease resistance, and high yield, then carry out seed soaking and sprouting treatment.

Yuejiao No. 3 pepper and Fukang No. 1 pepper, bred by the Vegetable Research Institute of the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, are relatively suitable pepper varieties.

The detailed steps for seed soaking and sprouting treatment are as follows: first soak the peppers in water for 5-6 hours, clean them, then soak them in a 1% copper sulfate solution for 5 minutes, remove them, and keep them moist for sprouting.

One day before sowing, water the base thoroughly and apply an appropriate amount of base fertilizer, then evenly scatter the seeds on the seedbed.

3. Once the pepper seedlings grow to a certain extent, they can be planted out, and transplanted at a suitable density.

Before planting, combined with land preparation, apply 5000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure and 15 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu. Make raised beds 1-1.5 m wide.

When the seedlings grow to about 10 cm, under suitable environmental conditions, they can be moved to the field and planted at a row and plant spacing of 33×33 cm, then water thoroughly to settle the roots.

4. After transplanting, field management such as seedling recovery, fertilization, pruning, and watering is needed.

Seedling recovery: focus on keeping warm and moist. If there is no plastic film mulch, intertillage can be carried out. From after seedling recovery to before flowering, water reasonably according to the weather, water lightly when dry, and keep the soil moist. Before the rows close, earth up to protect the roots, and water after earthing up.

Fertilization: for foliar topdressing, 50 grams of monopotassium phosphate can be mixed with 15 kg of water and sprayed on the leaves, which helps enhance photosynthesis, promote deep root growth, promote robust plant growth, and at the same time enhance the plant's disease resistance.

When the first pepper reaches 3 cm in size, fertilize in combination with intertillage, applying 200 grams of decomposed dry manure powder and 10 kg of urea per mu. Topdressing should preferably be done after each fruit harvest, and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium should be used together, applying 15-20 kg of compound fertilizer per mu with irrigation water to supplement the plant's nutrition.

Pruning: cut off inner branches and old, diseased, and disabled branches. Above the 3rd level of branching, leave 2 leaves and pinch off the tips. Remove the lower old leaves and diseased leaves to reduce nutrient consumption. At the same time, earth up once again to promote new roots and prevent lodging.

Watering: peppers have strict water requirements and are neither drought-tolerant nor waterlogging-tolerant. They prefer relatively dry air conditions. Water according to the growth conditions of the peppers.