How to grow chili pepper seedlings? All the key technical points are here

The optimal temperature for chili pepper seed germination is 25-30°C; below 15°C germination is difficult. The suitable temperature for seedling growth is 25-27°C during the day and 18-20°C at night. The soil temperature should be above 18°C.

In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, chili peppers are generally sown in October-November; in North China and Northeast China, sowing is done in February-April; in South China, sowing is done in December-January. The seedling age is 90-100 days in the south and about 60 days in the north. When transplanting, chili peppers generally require seedlings 18-25 cm tall, with 9-14 true leaves, intact cotyledons, large and thick leaves, large flower buds, and a well-developed root system.

Chili pepper seeds can spread many diseases, so seeds must be disinfected before sowing. Chili peppers can be sown with dry seeds, wet seeds, or even pre-germinated seeds, at 15-20 grams of seed per square meter of seedbed. When 50% of the seeds have emerged, the straw and plastic film should be removed immediately, and some water should be sprayed at noon (to raise the water temperature, put the water into the greenhouse in advance to warm it up) to prevent "helmet wearing." After the seedlings have all emerged, remove the film from the small arch tunnel during the day to allow more light, and ventilate moderately at noon, maintaining a daytime temperature of 20-25°C and a nighttime temperature of 15-18°C. Do not water unless the seedbed soil turns pale; watering should be done at noon on sunny days, and after watering, ventilate to remove moisture.

Chili peppers should be transplanted when they have two true leaves and one heart leaf. Generally, they are transplanted into nutrient pots, one plant per pot. Nutrient pots 8 cm × 8 cm in diameter are used, with 130-140 plants per square meter. The main task of chili pepper seedling management is temperature control, maintaining 23-25°C during the day and 13-15°C at night; in cold weather, attention should be paid to heat preservation and frost prevention. Ventilation should be strengthened; on sunny days or rainy and snowy days, the film of the small arch tunnel inside the greenhouse should be uncovered to increase light penetration and enhance seedling resistance. As the seedlings grow, their ability to adapt to low temperatures gradually increases, which is different from tomatoes and eggplants. Therefore, temperature management should show a slow decline. Throughout the entire seedling stage, the seedbed soil should be kept moist to maintain good seedling growth. The main diseases and pests during the chili pepper seedling stage include damping-off, gray mold, sclerotinia rot, and aphids, which should be controlled in a timely manner.