How to Grow Pepper Well? A Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Technical Key Points
In recent years, the market for pepper has been very good. Although it is only used as a seasoning, it can be used in many ways. Adding a little pepper powder, pepper sauce, or pepper oil to many dishes makes them more delicious. Moreover, pepper now appears in an increasingly wide range of forms on the market, and it is also loved by many food enthusiasts. So today let us learn how pepper is grown, and how to grow it better. Let us take a look below.
1. Land Selection and Land Preparation
For pepper cultivation, we need to select land twice: the first time for the seedbed land, and the second time for the planting land. For the seedbed land, we should choose flat land with relatively little wind, sufficient water sources, good drainage and irrigation, and sufficient soil fertility, while the planting land only needs soil with good drainage and relatively sufficient fertility. The soil of the seedbed land should be finely prepared, and at the same time stones and other substances in the soil should be cleared out, then an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer or plant ash should be spread, and finally water ditches should be opened. For preparing the planting land, either full reclamation or hole reclamation can be used for planting, but it should be noted that the planting land is best with a certain slope, and water ditches should also be made properly, which facilitates drainage.
2. Scientific Sowing
There are mainly two ways to sow pepper: cutting propagation and seed seedling raising. Seed seedling raising has a longer growth cycle, while cutting propagation has a relatively faster growth cycle. Seed seedling raising mainly involves evenly scattering the seeds on the prepared seedbed, watering an appropriate amount, and then covering with film to promote sprouting, while cutting propagation can be carried out directly in the planting land. However, if conditions permit, it is still best to first raise seedlings in the seedbed and then transplant. For pepper seeds, plump, glossy, pest-free, high-quality seeds should be selected for planting, while for cutting propagation, only undamaged seedlings about 20 cm long are needed for cuttings.
3. Reasonable Close Planting
When the pepper seedlings grow to about 40 cm, we can transplant them. During transplanting, we should make the seedlings carry as much soil from the seedling land as possible. When digging out the seedlings, we must be careful and absolutely not damage the roots of the pepper seedlings, as this will reduce their survival rate. Finally, plant them at a spacing of 3 m between rows and about 2 m between plants. After planting, water them in time to ensure the survival rate of the pepper seedlings.
4. Field Management
About 10 to 15 days after planting, we fertilize reasonably at 30 jin per plant, pull out the weeds in the field, and carry this out together with intertillage, which can improve soil permeability and thus promote nutrient absorption for the growth of the pepper seedlings. Pepper is a perennial plant, so its field management needs to be carried out according to specific growth conditions and growth cycles. For example, a three-year-old pepper tree mainly needs potassium fertilizer and phosphorus fertilizer during the fruiting period, along with an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer, while for pepper trees after five years, more attention should be paid to winter maintenance fertilizer.
5. Pruning and Shaping
The branches and leaves of the pepper tree grow relatively quickly, so during its growth process we need to carry out reasonable pruning and shaping. First, during the growth period of the pepper, we need to prune away the impurities at the bottom. When it grows to a certain height, cut off the tip branches and leaves so that it grows horizontally as much as possible. During the fruiting period, in order to increase pepper yield, we need to prune the relatively densely growing branches according to the principles of keeping the large and removing the small, and keeping the strong and removing the weak. After the pepper is harvested, we need to cut off the diseased branches, insect-damaged branches, and weak branches of the pepper tree, so as to ensure next year's yield.