The Latest Pepper Seed Prices and a Detailed Guide to Growing Methods

Pepper, also known as lazi, lajiao, haijiao and so on, is an annual or sometimes short-lived perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Capsicum in the Solanaceae family. It originated in the tropical regions of Central and Latin America and is now widely cultivated around the world. In China it is mainly distributed in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei and other places. Let us take a look together below at pepper seed prices and growing methods!

How much does a packet of pepper seeds cost?

Note: There are a great many cultivated varieties of pepper, and their seed prices differ according to variety. When purchasing, be sure to look at the variety first (mainly at variety characteristics, yield, etc.) and then at the price. Therefore the prices above are for reference only, and the actual prices shall prevail!

What varieties of pepper are there?

1. Cherry pepper type: leaves are medium-sized, round, ovate or elliptical; the fruit is small like a cherry, round or oblate, red, yellow or slightly purple; used for dried chili or as an ornamental, such as the Chengdu Kouzi pepper and Wuse pepper of Sichuan.

2. Cone pepper type: similar to the cherry pepper, with a dwarf plant, but the fruit is conical or cylindrical and mostly grows upward; the taste is pungent, such as the Jixin pepper of Cangping, Guangdong.

3. Cluster pepper type: leaves are narrow and long; the fruit is clustered and grows upward, dark red in color, with thin flesh, a very strong pungency and high oil content, and is mostly grown as dried chili. It is late-maturing, heat-tolerant and strongly resistant to viruses, such as the Sichuan Qixing pepper.

4. Long pepper type: the plant ranges from short to tall, with strong branching; the leaves are relatively small or medium; the fruit generally hangs down and is long-horn-shaped with a pointed tip, slightly curved, resembling a ox horn, sheep horn or thread, such as the Dajiao pepper and Changsha Niujiao pepper.

5. Sweet bell pepper type: the plant is medium-sized and sturdy with weaker branching; the leaves are thick, long-ovate or elliptical; the fruit is large and plump with thick flesh, such as the large bell pepper, large sweet pepper and small round pepper.

Pepper seedling-raising techniques

1. Seed treatment: pepper seedlings are generally raised from the Spring Equinox to Qingming. Soak the seeds in 0.5% trisodium phosphate, or 300-400 times potassium permanganate, or 1% thiourea for 20-30 minutes to kill pathogens on the seeds, then rinse repeatedly and soak in warm water at 25-30 degrees for 8-12 hours.

2. Sowing and raising seedlings: after the pepper seedbed is prepared, water it thoroughly, then spray with 3000 times Lüheng No. 1 for disinfection, then scatter a thin layer of fine soil, spread the seeds evenly onto the seedbed, cover with a 0.5-1 cm thick layer of fine soil, and finally cover with a small tunnel to retain moisture and raise the temperature.

3. Seedling-stage management: after sowing pepper, with daytime temperatures of 25-34.7 degrees and a soil temperature of about 20 degrees, seedlings emerge in 6-7 days. After 70% of the young seedlings have pushed through the soil, scatter fine soil 0.5 cm thick over the seedbed when there is no water on the leaf surface. The seedbed must have an adequate water supply, but the soil must not be overly wet.

Pepper growing methods

1. Land preparation and fertilization: pepper has a long growing period and a weak root system. Before transplanting, plow 10-15 cm deep and apply 5000 kg of barnyard manure per mu, which can be mixed with 15-20 kg of superphosphate. Use short irrigation and short drainage ditches, with all ditches connected, so that the field does not accumulate water after rain.

2. Timely transplanting: pepper is best transplanted in furrows or on the flat. Cover with shallow soil at transplanting and gradually earth up to close the rows later. After transplanting, relying only on drought to check seedling growth will damage the root system, so during the pepper seedling stage, manage with light seedling checking or none at all, and promote growth all the way through.

3. Transplanting density: pepper has a compact plant type and is suitable for dense planting, which has great potential for increasing yield, especially for green peppers that keep growing until autumn. The usual density is 3000-4000 holes per mu, with a row spacing of 50-60 cm and a plant spacing of 25-30 cm. Generally, 2 or 3 plants per hole are used.

4. Cultivation and weeding: after the transplanted pepper plants survive, carry out one shallow cultivation in time; when the plants begin to grow, carry out one more focused cultivation; and carry out one more cultivation before the plants close their rows. Cultivation is combined with weeding and earthing up.

5. Reasonable fertilization: after transplanting pepper, seize sunny days to apply a seedling-promoting fertilizer. After the first and second layers of fruit have set, apply more fertilizer to promote fruit growth. After the fruit begins to be harvested, the soil is even more in need of sufficient fertilizer and water so that the plants can grow and bear fruit normally.

6. Drainage and irrigation: when irrigating pepper, be sure to decide the irrigation time according to the weather forecast. The irrigation depth should not exceed three-quarters of the furrow, and it should be done at night or early in the morning, with quick irrigation and quick drainage.

7. Timely harvesting: peppers grown for fresh eating are mostly harvested as green fruit, though red fruit can also be harvested, while peppers grown for dried chili must be harvested as ripe red fruit. Harvesting must be timely, otherwise it affects plant growth and fruiting.

Pepper pest and disease control

1. Damping-off

[Damage] Damping-off mostly occurs at the seedling stage. In the early stage of the disease, water-soaked lesions appear at the base of the stem, which then rot and the seedlings topple over.

[Control] It can be controlled by regulating water and with chemicals. In the early stage of the disease, spray with 58% metalaxyl·mancozeb 500 times solution or 72.2% propamocarb hydrochloride 600 times solution.

2. Phytophthora blight

[Damage] It harms stems, leaves and fruit. When stems are infected, brown lesions appear in the early stage, and later the branches or the entire plant die. When leaves are infected, water-soaked spots appear initially and later turn dark brown and soft-rot.

[Control] It can be controlled with 72% cymoxanil·mancozeb 500 times solution, or 64% hymexazol·mancozeb 600 times solution.

3. Bacterial wilt

[Damage] Bacterial wilt mostly occurs during the full-flowering and early-fruiting stage. In the early stage of the disease, individual branches may wilt first, then it spreads to the whole plant. The whole plant wilts and dies but the leaves do not fall off.

[Control] In the early stage of the disease, use 72% agricultural streptomycin 2000 times solution or 14% copper ammonia complex 300 times solution to drench the roots, promptly pull out diseased plants in the field, and spread lime for disinfection.

4. Anthracnose

[Damage] Infected fruit produces grayish-brown lesions with concentric rings, on which small black dots are densely borne. When dry, the lesions shrink and are prone to cracking.

[Control] It can be controlled with 25% prochloraz 500-750 times solution or 70% thiophanate-methyl 800 times solution.

5. Viral disease

[Damage] In plants with viral disease, mosaic, deformity and rosetting appear at the top, causing leaf drop, flower drop and fruit drop, etc.

[Control] Disinfect the seeds before sowing, and spray promptly before the disease occurs or in its early stage with 20% moroxydine·copper acetate 400-600 times solution or 1.5% zhibingling 1000 times solution.

6. Mites

[Damage] Mites prevent the young tender parts of the plant from growing normally. Young stems become twisted and deformed, affected leaves become stiff, curl downward and shrivel, and the underside of leaves and the fruit turn brown, causing the fruit to lose its commercial value.

[Control] Acaricides such as 99% paraffinic mineral oil (Lüying) 150-250 times solution, 24% spirodiclofen (Manwei) 4000-6000 times solution, or 20% amitraz (Manke) 1000 times solution can be used, once every 6-7 days, sprayed 2-3 times in succession.

7. Thrips

[Damage] Adult and nymph thrips rasp and suck the sap of heart leaves, tender buds, floral organs and young fruit, causing the growing point to shrivel, tender leaves to twist, flowers to drop, young fruit to become deformed, and the epidermis to turn brown, seriously affecting plant growth and reducing fruit quality.

[Control] When there are 3-5 insects per plant, pesticide spraying is needed. Alternately use 3% acetamiprid 1500 times solution, 10% imidacloprid 1500 times solution, or 5% lufenuron (Meichu) 1000 times plus 25% thiamethoxam (Aketai) 2000 times and other agents for control.

8. Spodoptera litura

[Damage] Spodoptera litura is an omnivorous, voracious pest that mainly harms tender leaves and young fruit.

[Control] Alternately use Spodoptera litura nuclear polyhedrosis virus 1000 times solution, 10% chlorfenapyr (Chujin) 1200-1800 times solution, or 48% chlorpyrifos 1000 times solution, and spray for control in the afternoon or evening.