Growing pepper on a windowsill

Some people who live in apartments also want to have their own small garden. Growing pepper on the windowsill is a good alternative to cottage cultivation.

Growing pepper on a window sill ike

Select seeds, soil and capacity

Select seeds

First you need to decide on the type of vegetable which is suitable for growing under window conditions.The main differences between different varieties are the taste and size of the fruit. Usually they are divided into 2 categories: sweet and spicy. But also take into account the ripening time.

The best varieties of sweet Bulgarian vegetable are:

• Salute;
• Treasure Island;
• Dwarf;
• Golden baby;
• Watercolor;
• Study;
• Carat.

If you want to plant a bitter or spicy look, you should pay attention to such varieties:

• Falcon’s Beak;
• Campanula;
• Bishop’s Crown;
• Coral;
• Fiery Virgin.

It is necessary to evaluate the quality of the seed. To do this, purchased seeds are placed in warm water for 5-10 minutes. Those that come up – low-quality and empty, they need to be thrown away. If the seeds remain at the bottom of the container, they can be used for planting.

Soil selection

The vegetable on the windowsill grows well in a special soil mix. But making soil for a vegetable crop on your own is also not difficult. The following components are mixed:

• 2 parts of turf land;
• 1 part of sand;
• 1 part of humus;
• 1 part of peat .

Another option for the seedlings is to mix 1 part of sawdust, 1 part of sand and 3 parts of turf soil. Sawdust can optionally be replaced with peat.

The acidity of the soil should not exceed 5-7 pH. Clay cannot be added to the created soil.

If the soil is purchased, it is necessary to study its composition. If it consists 100% of peat, then the probability that it will grow a large and healthy crop is low.

Select a container

For growing pepper seedlings, the usual Plastic container. The optimal size is 20 * 15-20 cm. In this capacity, it will be possible to place up to 30-40 seeds.

For a dive, take peat pots into which each sprout is transplanted. Such containers do not block the air exchange, trap moisture and are well suited for windows.

Peat pots are later replaced with wooden crates or plastic containers. They are selected in accordance with the size of the plant and its root system. Instead of plastic pots, you can take ceramic. It is important that there are holes at the bottom. They are needed to drain excess fluid.

Processing

Seeds must be decontaminated before planting

After preparing the seeds of pepper, soil and containers, they are disinfected. A manganese solution is perfect for this. Recipe:

• take 5 g of manganese;
• dilute in 10 liters of warm water;
• let it brew for 1-2 hours.

If the seeds are processed, then they are placed inside the solution for 15-20 minutes. Then it is washed with warm water and dried.

If you need to till the soil, then it is simply watered with a manganese solution. Consumption – 5 liters of solution per 1 m2 (about 10 medium pots). A day after treatment, the soil must be loosened to remove the soil crust and give access to oxygen.

You can disinfect the container simply by pouring it with boiling water. If desired, the walls of the pot or container are wiped with alcohol.

Growing conditions

When growing peppers on the windowsill, you must adhere to the same conditions as when planting the vegetable in the open ground. They select lighting, temperature conditions and monitor the level of humidity.

One cannot put sweet, bitter, sharp varieties on one window. After the pollination process, their tastes are mixed, especially in sweet varieties that will have a bitter aftertaste.

Lighting

This variety of pepper loves to fall on it sunlight, but in small quantities. Therefore, from time to time it needs to be removed in the shade so that the leaves do not dry out or the seedlings do not begin to stretch before the ripening period.

Lighting requirements:

1. Pepper seedlings should be placed in the south or east window.
2. On especially sunny and hot days, transfer to a cool, shaded place in the house (corridor, balcony, room in the western part of the house).
3. The lack of light negatively affects the condition of the pepper, especially sweet. If cultivation occurs in winter, it is necessary to use additional light sources – phytolamps or any other lamps. Remember, the daylight hours when growing pepper on the windowsill are 10-12 hours.

Temperature conditions

Vegetables almost always need warmth. The plant can withstand temperatures up to 12 ° C, but it grows better with a temperature climate of 24-27 ° C.

Seedlings of pepper cannot be in a draft. Otherwise, it will quickly die or give a bad crop.

Do not make sharp temperature jumps. Pepper on the windowsill reacts poorly to them and can fade.

Humidity level

Vegetable culture loves moisture, so it is good to grow it in the kitchen, where the humidity level is high. If necessary, you can transfer the seedlings for several hours to the bathroom or basement.

Planting

Shooters need sunlight

Peppers are planted in late February or early March. You need to focus on the weather and what it will be according to the forecast a week later.

Landing is carried out according to the following rules:

• in 1 hole, you can put up to 3 seeds of pepper;
• the distance between the holes is at least 3 cm;
• the depth of planting is 2 cm.

A pot with plantings is placed on the windowsill near the battery or other warm place. For a quick shoot of seedlings, it can be poured and covered with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect. And after 5-7 days, put on the window on the sunny side.

Pepper Care

All care procedures must be done in a timely manner. Only in this case, you can expect a great harvest.

Watering

This vegetable crop must be watered with standing, warm water (minimum temperature – 34 ° C). In winter and spring, watering under the root is carried out 2 times a week, and once every 1.5-2 weeks – spraying the entire bush, wiping the leaves with a soap solution to prevent diseases.

In summer, when the room temperature exceeds 28 ° C, pepper on the windowsill needs daily watering. Spraying the entire plant is also carried out every day, sometimes 2 times.

If in the winter the bush of pepper is near the battery, it must be covered with a damp cloth. This will help to maintain a normal level of humidity and protect the plant from overheating.

Pinching

Bushes of lettuce bell pepper require garter after their height reaches 15-20 cm. Pinch the top of the head so that the plant does not bend, does not stretch, does not bloom before the set time. Another purpose of this procedure is to improve branching so that as many fruits as possible are formed.

Feeding

The purpose of feeding is to enrich the vegetable culture with vitamins and eliminate the deficiency of minerals. High-quality plantings stimulate growth.

Feeding is carried out every 15 days and only after watering. This is necessary so as not to burn the roots.

The first feeding is carried out when planting in the ground. 150 g of lime per 10 kg are added. Also add 2 cups of wood ash.The components do not need to be mixed with water, they are immediately introduced into the soil mixture. Such dressing is needed to increase the plant’s resistance to pests, improve soil quality.

Other options for feeding peppers:

1. The second dressing is carried out after the formation of 2-3 real leaves. For it, take 5 g of urea, 50 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium salt. Dissolve in 5 l of warm, boiled water. This is enough to feed 5-7 adult pepper bushes.
2. The third gravy is carried out on the basis of organic components after fruit set. It will take 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ash, 2 g of urea. They are bred in 1 liter of water.
3. The fourth feeding is done on the basis of broths. Occurs 14 days before harvest. Use decoctions of clover, chamomile, nettle, plantain.

Loosening the soil

Even if the vegetable is grown at home, cultivation is carried out. It is necessary to remove the soil crust that appears the day after watering.

Loosening stimulates the growth of bushes. It’s important not to touch the root system in the process.

Pests and diseases

Excessive and heavy watering , poor soil quality, ignoring seed disinfection – the main reasons why the plant is affected by pests or diseases.

The main pests of the vegetable:

Conclusion

It is quite possible to grow peppers at home . First, seeds, soil and containers are selected, which are carefully processed after purchase. To give the pepper a lot of high-quality yield, it is watered 2 times a week, loosened, pinched, and fed.