How to Grow Peppers with Plastic Mulch? The Latest High-Yield Cultivation Technique Tutorial

Peppers grown with plastic mulch are generally sown and raised as seedlings in late December and transplanted in mid-to-late April the following year; they are then pulled up in late October, with a growing period of 10 months and an average yield of around 4000kg per mu. They can be intercropped with wheat, or a crop of peppers can be grown on land left idle over winter. The average output value per mu is generally around 2500 yuan. The key points of their cultivation technique are as follows:

Raising Strong Seedlings

Varieties of peppers grown with plastic mulch are generally based mainly on the Bianjiao series, with sowing from mid-to-late December to early January. Before sowing, treat the seeds first, then place the disinfected seeds in warm water at around 30°C and soak for 8-12 hours. Once the seeds have absorbed enough water, wrap them in a clean damp cloth and keep them at 28-30°C to sprout. When most of the seeds have split and shown white, they can be sown. Seedling raising for peppers grown with plastic mulch is generally carried out in a greenhouse or on a heated bed. After sowing, keep the seedbed temperature at 25-30°C during the day and 18—20°C at night. Once the seedlings have all emerged, lower the daytime temperature to 20-25°C and keep it at 15-18°C at night. From 5-7 days before pricking out, gradually remove the film for ventilation to harden the seedlings at low temperature.

Pricking Out in Good Time

Peppers grown with plastic mulch all need pricking out, generally in early-to-mid March, when the seedlings have 3 true leaves and 1 heart leaf. The day before pricking out, water the sowing seedbed appropriately so as to reduce root damage when lifting the seedlings. The spacing for pricked-out seedlings should preferably be 8-10cm square, with two plants per hole; at the same time, large and small seedlings should be separated. After planting, cover promptly with a small arched shed, and if the night temperature is low, add straw mats as well. For 3-5 days after pricking out, generally do not ventilate; uncover the straw mats during the day and cover them at night, trying as much as possible to raise the temperature of the pricking-out seedbed to promote root growth and help the seedlings recover. After 5-7 days, new leaves can be seen growing and the recovery period is over; afterwards, the amount of ventilation can be gradually increased according to the weather. From 7-10 days before transplanting, that is, around April 10, ventilate day and night to harden the seedlings. In order to control excessive seedling growth, apart from watering at pricking out, generally do not water again until a single watering to lift the seedlings is given before transplanting to the field.

Land Preparation and Fertilisation

Peppers should not be grown on the same land repeatedly. The plot for growing peppers with plastic mulch should preferably be land that has not grown solanaceous vegetables within 2-3 years; the best preceding crop is alliums, followed by legumes, cabbage types and so on. Before land preparation, spread more than 5 cubic metres of decomposed organic fertiliser per mu, 50kg of superphosphate and 20kg of potassium sulphate as base fertiliser. After ploughing, make small high ridges 60cm wide every 40cm, and cover with film about 7 days before transplanting to raise the temperature.

Transplanting at the Right Time

Peppers grown with plastic mulch are generally transplanted in mid-to-late April (around Grain Rain). When transplanting, first dig holes on the small high ridges at a row spacing of 40cm and a plant spacing of 33cm; the triangular seedling arrangement is the most suitable, with 4000 holes and 8000 plants per mu. If water and fertiliser conditions are relatively poor, the planting density can be appropriately increased.

Field Management

On the basis of watering well at transplanting, water promptly to help the seedlings recover after the recovery period; then generally do not water again until the first pepper has set. When the first pepper has grown to about 3cm, water and give one heavy top dressing, applying 15-20kg of urea and 10kg of potassium fertiliser per mu, and thereafter give a top dressing every 2-4 waterings. Watering should be done frequently in small amounts, and flooding irrigation must be avoided; when rainfall is excessive, drain promptly to prevent waterlogging. Under normal circumstances, the first peppers should be harvested in good time to avoid “dragging down the plant”.