Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Pepper Seedling Cultivation in Summer and Autumn
Colorful peppers get their name from the bright and colorful hues of their fruit skin, which can be red, yellow, white, green, purple, black and so on. Local vegetable growers call them "five-color peppers," "seven-color peppers" or colorful sweet peppers. They can be eaten raw, cooked, or used to complement dishes, and can also be pickled or made into sauce. Both yield and economic returns are high...
In late summer and early autumn, high temperatures and strong sunlight make seedling cultivation somewhat difficult. However, fellow vegetable growers should note that by strictly following the technical operating procedures, applying technique to seedling cultivation and scientific management, and adopting the following measures, you can ensure that pepper seedlings grow vigorously and healthily.For pepper seedling cultivation in summer and autumn, while doing a good job of seed treatment, natural room-temperature germination, and selection of plug trays for sowing, the main challenges to solve are high temperature and drought, strong winds and rainstorms, preventing seedlings from becoming leggy, and preventing pests and diseases. Once these are handled, everything will be fine.
Seed treatment: After selecting a good variety, first sun-dry the seeds for 4 hours, then disinfect them with trisodium phosphate solution, and then soak them in clean water for about 8 hours. Remove them, let them dry slightly, and prepare for germination.
Room-temperature germination: The current room temperature is generally around 30°C, which is the suitable temperature for germination. Wrap the soaked seeds in cotton cloth, then wrap another layer of plastic film to retain moisture. Rinse the seeds with clean water every half day, then wrap them up again to continue germinating. They will sprout in about 60 to 70 hours. When the sprouts are about 3 mm long (at this point called "seed showing white"), it is best to sow; if you cannot sow in time, store the seeds at around 8°C and create sowing conditions as soon as possible.
Preparation of plug trays: Use specialized seedling substrate. Each bag can fill 12 trays of 72-cell plug trays, and each tray can grow 72 seedlings. Vegetable growers can calculate the number of plug trays and the amount of seedling substrate needed according to their own requirements. Mix the seedling substrate with an appropriate amount of phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, specialized biological micro-fertilizer and other trace elements, add water and stir evenly, fill the plug trays and level them off (just scrape flat with a straight wooden board), then sow.
This is only the beginning of the seedling cultivation work. The important part of growing good seedlings is still ahead. Preventing high temperature and drought, rainstorm waterlogging, leggy seedlings, and pests and diseases, these are the top priorities of the entire task.
Preventing high temperature: After sowing, water the plug trays thoroughly and spray with Previcur, then cover with plastic film to retain moisture. At this time, attention should be paid to shading and cooling, strictly preventing the seeds from being steamed and damaged, which would affect emergence. During this period, the daytime temperature should be kept below 30°C and the nighttime temperature below 18°C. Once about 80% of seedlings have emerged, the plastic film can be removed. As the seedlings grow, the time of covering with shade netting can be shortened, which is more beneficial to seedling growth.
Preventing drought: After sowing and emergence, always pay attention to the moisture of the seedbed. Do not let it become too wet or too dry. Many vegetable growers, afraid of leggy seedlings, control watering and cause the plug trays to become excessively dry. At this time, the fine hair roots are damaged by dehydration and drought, affecting future absorption capacity, resulting in weak seedlings that are prone to disease. Therefore, water appropriately, and the best time to water is on a sunny morning.
Preventing leggy seedlings: Regardless of the crop, leggy plant growth is caused by weak light conditions and insufficient photosynthesis, high temperature, high humidity, and so on. The main reason for leggy pepper seedlings in summer is high nighttime temperature, strong respiration, and excessive nutrient consumption, as well as sufficient nitrogen fertilizer and water causing leggy seedlings. In addition, seedlings that are too dense shade each other, affecting photosynthesis. Therefore, to prevent leggy seedlings, attention should first be paid to preventing excessively high nighttime temperatures and excessive humidity in the plug trays; second, apply less nitrogen fertilizer when watering with soluble fertilizer; third, once the seedlings reach a certain size, widen the spacing between plug trays to increase ventilation and light penetration, enhance photosynthesis, and avoid leggy seedlings.
Preventing rainstorm damage: For seedbeds set up inside a shed, generally use the one-film-two-net covering method (plastic film plus shade netting and insect-proof netting). When heavy rain comes, pull down the shed film and bury it well to prevent rainwater from washing over the seedlings and spreading pathogens through rainwater.
Preventing pests and diseases: At this stage, since the external environment is more favorable for pest outbreaks, pest control should be strengthened. For example, install tightly sealed insect-proof netting in the seedling shed; use the taxis of pests to set up yellow sticky boards to trap aphids and whiteflies, and blue sticky boards to trap thrips; when necessary, use chemical agents for control. The diseases that should be prevented at this time are seedling damping-off, rhizoctonia rot, and viral diseases in the mid-growth stage. In addition to seed disinfection, seedbed disinfection should also be carried out. After sowing, spray or drench with Xiangnong No. 4 or Miaojundi mixed with Fengshou No. 1, which can effectively suppress soil-borne seedling diseases and promote root development during the seedling stage, resulting in uniform and strong seedlings.