Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Spring Sowing and Seedling Raising of Peppers
(1) Preparation of the sunny seedbed: Choose a plot with fertile soil, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, where eggplants and tomatoes have not been planted in the previous crop, and build a sunny seedbed. For each mu planted, raise seedlings with a seeding rate of 150 grams, and the sunny seedbed should be more than 10 square meters. Apply sufficient base fertilizer, irrigate heavily to build up soil moisture, and use a small amount of urea, phosphate fertilizer and active potassium fertilizer. Because the sunny seedbed...
(1) Preparation of the sunny seedbed: Choose a plot with fertile soil, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, where eggplants and tomatoes have not been planted in the previous crop, and build a sunny seedbed. For each mu planted, raise seedlings with a seeding rate of 150 grams, and the sunny seedbed should be more than 10 square meters. Apply sufficient base fertilizer, irrigate heavily to build up soil moisture, and use a small amount of urea, phosphate fertilizer and active potassium fertilizer. Because the sunny seedbed is sealed, do not use ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium sulfate as base fertilizer, to prevent ammonia gas from harming the seedlings. For seedbeds with heavy clay soil and poor air permeability, some coal ash powder can be applied.
(2) Seed treatment: The day before sowing, turn and sun-dry the seeds thoroughly, soak them in a 1500-fold dilution of carbendazim and a 1000-fold 10% trisodium phosphate aqueous solution for 10 minutes, wash them clean with clear water, then soak the seeds in warm water at 50-60°C for 4 hours, and after draining, cover them tightly with a damp cloth to promote germination for 24 hours.
(3) Sowing procedure: Water the bottom soil thoroughly, apply fertilizer, level the land --- broadcast evenly --- cover with fine soil 0.5-0.8 cm, not exceeding 1 cm, then cover with plastic film --- cover the sunny seedbed tightly with plastic film, control the temperature at about 25°C during the day and about 12-15°C at night. After 60-70% of the seedlings emerge, remove the plastic film. Pay attention to moisture retention; a fine watering can may be used to spray water evenly to increase humidity, and flooding irrigation must be avoided.
(4) Seedling stage management: When the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, thin them in time, remove weak seedlings and pull out weeds. In the later stage, pay attention to controlling aphids; imidacloprid, carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl, and virus inhibitor can be mixed and sprayed to achieve the purpose of controlling both pests and diseases, ensuring the cultivation of strong, disease-free seedlings. Standards for strong seedlings: thick stems with short internodes, thick leaves with a deep color, complete stems and leaves free of pests and diseases, well-developed roots with white lateral roots, and 8 leaves at transplanting. About 15 days before transplanting (early April), ventilate from the top of the sunny seedbed to harden the seedlings, so that the pepper seedlings gradually adapt to the open-field environment and are prepared for transplanting. At the same time, water the sunny seedbed before transplanting, so as to reduce damage to the root system when moving the seedlings.
Practice has proved that cultivating strong seedlings and planting strong, pest- and disease-free seedlings is the fundamental guarantee for a bumper harvest of peppers. However, most farmers do not have the habit of controlling pests and preventing diseases during the seedling stage, and this point should attract the attention of the vast number of pepper growers.