What compound fertilizer is generally used for growing chili peppers? When to sow and harvest? What to do during the flowering and fruit-setting stage? Plus field pepper mid-to-late stage management techniques
Chili pepper, aliases: cow horn pepper, long pepper, sweet pepper, bell pepper, red sea pepper, facing heaven pepper, is an annual or limited-perennial herbaceous plant.So what compound fertilizer is generally used for growing chili peppers? When to sow and harvest? What to do during the flowering and fruit-setting stage? What field pepper mid-to-late stage management techniques are there?According to pepper grower Uncle Fang, high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer is better for chili peppers. Because the element content is comprehensive and sufficient, the fertilizer should also contain the major elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as the secondary elements calcium, magnesium and sulfur, and in addition a portion of the necessary trace elements boron, manganese, iron, etc. Among them, the total content of major elements is 60%, and the content of any single element is no less than 6%.
When are chili peppers sown and harvested?
In the Jiangnan region, sowing is generally done in March, covered with plastic film to keep warm. Seedlings are transplanted in April, and pepper harvesting can begin in May-June.
What to do during the flowering and fruit-setting stage when growing chili peppers?
There are several reasons for low fruit-setting rates in chili peppers.
During pepper cultivation, it often happens that many flowers bloom but the fruit-setting rate is low, usually caused by poor flower bud differentiation due to a harsh environment. It may also be that the plant grows excessively, with vegetative growth too vigorous, competing for a large amount of nutrients, so fruit cannot set; or poor pollination, when the humidity inside the greenhouse is too high, pollen cannot disperse and pollination is affected, and so on for various reasons. Usually it is necessary to strengthen the control of temperature, water and fertilizer, strengthen pruning, and before flowering, at the young fruit stage and at the swelling stage, spray each time with pepper stem-strengthening agent + flower-promoting king No. 3 to control excessive shoot growth, balance flower formation, improve pollen fertilization quality, which can make the fruit stalk thicker, allow water and nutrients to flow smoothly, increase nutrient flow, and promote fruit development and swelling. And during the growing period, spray organic fertilizer to promote flower quality and reduce physiological flower and fruit drop.
Appendix: Field pepper mid-to-late stage management techniques
I. Skillful topdressing, timely watering
1. Timely topdressing
Because chili peppers bear many fruits and are harvested multiple times, the fertilizer requirement is relatively large in the mid-to-late stage, so topdressing is needed. The basic principle of pepper topdressing is “control nitrogen, stabilize phosphorus, supplement potassium with trace elements”. For plots with good soil fertility and sufficient base fertilizer, combine with watering and apply water-soluble fertilizer (drenching fertilizer) at 4 kg per mu, or urea 8 kg plus potassium sulfate 5 kg; for plots where no organic fertilizer was applied as base fertilizer, topdressing is insufficient, and there are signs of premature aging, after each harvest, combine with watering and apply water-soluble fertilizer at 6 kg per mu or urea 10 kg plus potassium sulfate 6 kg, used continuously 2-3 times.
2. Spray foliar fertilizer. By spraying foliar fertilizer, nutrition is enhanced, plant resistance is improved, and pepper yield and quality are raised. When the plant blooms heavily and the number of set fruits increases, root-outside topdressing can be used, with 0.1% urea plus 0.2%-0.3% monopotassium phosphate and other trace fertilizers, which can noticeably increase yield.
3. Supplement trace elements. Spray foliar zinc sulfate at 1500 times, chelated high calcium, Guoguang high potassium and other trace fertilizers to improve the heat tolerance of chili peppers and prevent the appearance of pepper little-leaf disease.
II. Pruning
Promptly remove the excessive branches below the branching point, injured branches and diseased branches, pinch off tender shoots, and promptly remove the old leaves, dead leaves and diseased leaves in the lower part of the plant, to promote the concentration of nutrients toward the fruit, to facilitate ventilation, light penetration and cooling, and to control the spread and transmission of pests and diseases, which can effectively increase single fruit weight.
III. Prevent the “three drops”
The phenomenon of flower drop, fruit drop and leaf drop during the fruiting period of chili peppers is called the “three drops”, and the “three drops” greatly affect pepper yield. To prevent and control the “three drops”, the following points should mainly be done: cultivate strong seedlings; choose well-drained sandy loam soil, and by no means practice continuous cropping, implement crop rotation; rational close planting, strengthen water and fertilizer management, so that plant growth and development are moderate; according to the temperature level, use different concentrations of anti-drop agent to spray flowers, in principle a lower concentration when the temperature is high and a higher concentration when the temperature is low, generally at a concentration of 30-50 mg/kg, each flower should only be sprayed once, and re-spraying should not be done, and it should be sprayed on rainy days or in the evening; pay attention to the prevention and control of pests and diseases.
IV. Intertillage and weeding
In the mid-to-late stage of pepper growth, due to watering, fertilizing, rainfall and other farming operations, soil compaction and damage to soil moisture are easily caused. Before the canopy closes, the film should be broken in time for intertillage, to promote deep root growth and prevent premature aging; the depth and range of intertillage should be based on not damaging the root system; generally, after intertillage and hilling, watering should be done in time to benefit pepper growth; removing weeds benefits the vegetative growth and reproductive growth of chili peppers; if the field management work throughout the entire growth period of chili peppers is done well, the plant grows robustly, stress resistance is relatively enhanced, pest and disease damage is lighter, the number of pesticide applications can be reduced, production costs are lowered, yield increases, and the returns from chili peppers can also be raised.
V. Disease prevention and control
The main diseases of chili peppers in the mid-to-late stage include viral disease, phytophthora blight, anthracnose, bacterial wilt and sunscald, etc., and the pests include fruit borers, red spider mites, aphids, etc.
(I) Prevention and control of pepper diseases
1. Viral disease: aphid control should be done well to reduce virus transmission. After chili peppers are infected, they cause flower drop, fruit drop and leaf drop. Generally, yield is reduced by 20%-30%, and in severe cases by 60%-70%. When aphids are found in the field, spray immediately for control, using 20% acetamiprid 8-12 g or 70% imidacloprid 6-8 g, mixed with 60 kg of water, uniformly sprayed to control aphids. At the early stage of the disease, use 30% dufulin at 60 g per mu mixed with 60 kg of water to spray for control of viral disease, spraying once every 5-7 days, continuously 2-3 times, which can achieve relatively good results. If the disease is severe, with leaves shriveling and internodes shortened, add 98% sodium nitrophenolate or brassinolide 4 g to the above agents to promote faster cell division and reduce the damage.
2. Anthracnose: insufficient fertilization or excessive nitrogen fertilizer, poor field drainage, and sunscald on fruits all easily induce anthracnose. High temperature and frequent rain favor the occurrence and epidemic of anthracnose. Control methods: apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to improve the plant's disease resistance; practice rational close planting to reduce the occurrence of sunscald; at the early stage of the disease, spray: 65% zineb 500 times solution; 70% thiophanate-methyl 1000 times solution. Once every 7-10 days, 2-3 sprays in total.
3. Phytophthora blight: control methods for phytophthora blight: chemical control should be carried out at the early stage of the disease, choosing 72.2% propamocarb aqueous solution 600-800 times for root drenching. Or use 52.5% cymoxanil.famoxadone at 25 g per mu mixed with 60 kg of water for uniform spraying.
(II) Pest control of chili peppers
1. Fruit borer: the key is to seize the period from the peak hatching stage to the peak 2nd-instar stage, when the larvae have not yet bored into the fruit, to apply the pesticide. Use 200sc chlorantraniliprole (Kangkuan) at 20 ml per mu mixed with 60 kg of water for spray control, with very good control effect.
2. Red spider mite: the key to chemical control is to promptly spray for control when leaf curling is found early on the central plants in the field. The focus of spraying is the young tender parts in the upper part of the plant, especially the underside of the top few tender leaves. Use 1.8% abamectin 1500-2000 times solution for spraying; after the first spray, a second spray must be done within 3-5 days for good effect, then spray again after 7 days, continuously 3 times. Routine spraying should be done after 5 p.m.
3. Aphids: mainly damage plant leaves, causing leaf deformity. In production, prevention should be done in advance, using 20% acetamiprid 8-12 g or 70% imidacloprid 6-8 g, mixed with 60 kg of water, uniformly sprayed for control; if the weather is dry and the aphid population is large, continuous spraying is required for control.
VI. Prevent premature aging of chili peppers in the late stage
Chili peppers often suffer premature aging of the plant due to water shortage and fertilizer depletion in the late stage. At this time, attention should be paid to taking measures to keep the plant robust, not let the plant decline, promote fruit ripening, and ensure yield. Do well the “three preventions”: prevent excessive growth, prevent shading and closure between rows, prevent delayed fruit picking. Maintain soil moisture, with the surface preferably alternating between dry and moist. Pay attention to supplementary fertilization in the late stage. Although the late growth stage of chili peppers has passed the peak fertilizer requirement period, sufficient fertilizer must still be applied. Pay attention to the principle of more frequent fertilization with a smaller amount each time.
VII. Timely picking
1. Green peppers: most chili peppers are eaten as green tender fruits, so they can be picked as long as they grow to a certain size; but green peppers are most suitably picked when the fruit skin is deep green, relatively hard and glossy; early fruits should be picked appropriately earlier, so as not to affect plant growth, and they can also fetch a good price; mid- and late-stage fruits are picked after reaching a certain degree of maturity, to improve quality and yield; because green peppers are marketed earlier and sell at a relatively high price, picking green peppers for market can obtain relatively high economic value. Green peppers can be picked for market 15-20 days after the flowers fade. The same plot is generally picked once every 2-3 days.
2. Red peppers: for harvesting red peppers, they can generally be picked about 50 days after the flowers fade. Picking should be timely, picking as they turn red. Otherwise it affects plant growth and fruiting.
While picking chili peppers, take diseased fruits, insect-damaged fruits and dead branches and rotten leaves out of the pepper soil and destroy them in a centralized manner, to reduce damage.