How to grow colorful peppers
Colorful peppers have become a popular choice for urban gardening because of their gorgeous fruit color and dual ornamental and edible values. This article will use systematic planting teaching to teach you hands-on cultivation skills from seeds to fruits, turning the balcony into a colorful small vegetable garden. Key points for high-quality seedling cultivation Seed screening and activation treatment Select plump seeds with a diameter of ≥ 3 mm, pre-soaked in warm water at 45 ° C for 10 minutes, and then transferred to clean water at room temperature. Change the water every 2 hours during the soaking period to maintain dissolved oxygen. It is recommended to use a composite wrapping method of gauze + plastic wrap to accelerate germination. Maintaining an 85% humidity environment is more conducive to the germ breaking through the seed coat. When the intelligent temperature-controlled germination device makes a germination box, it can lay a 2cm-thick vermiculite as a moisturizing layer, and it can be used with a temperature-controlled socket to achieve precise temperature control at 25 - 30 ° C. It is recommended to ventilate for 15 minutes in the morning and evening to avoid the growth of mold and affecting the germination rate. Scientific matching of soil and facility preparation substrate golden ratio formula The ideal cultivation substrate is prepared according to volume ratio: humus soil 40%+ perlite 30%+ fermented sheep manure 20%+ rice hull carbon 10%. Add 5g of slow-release fertilizer granules to each liter of substrate to ensure a continuous supply of nutrients during the seedling period. It is recommended to use a green mountain basin with a diameter of more than 25 cm for container selection and pretreatment, and a 3 cm thick ceramsite drainage layer is laid on the bottom of the basin. New pots should be soaked in white vinegar solution to remove alkali, and old pots should be steamed and disinfected at high temperature. Precise sowing operation specifications: Diving positioning and soil covering techniques use the equidistant diving method to maintain a sowing density of 5cm × 5cm. After covering with soil, apply light pressure to keep the seeds in close contact with the soil, and the thickness of covering soil is strictly controlled within the range of 0.3 - 0.5 cm. Key points for micro-environment construction After sowing, build a miniature arch shed and cover 70% of the sunshade net. Use an atomizing spray can to keep the top soil moist to avoid seed displacement caused by impact of water droplets. Full-cycle maintenance strategy Water and fertilizer collaborative management Implement the "see dry and wet" irrigation method during the seedling period, and use 2000 times potassium dihydrogen phosphate to irrigate after the buds appear. After each batch of fruits is harvested, top-applied decomposed fish protein liquid fertilizer to promote continuous fruit setting. Plant type control technology The first picking is carried out at the 8th node of the main stem, retaining 4 - 5 primary branches. When the secondary branches grow to 15 cm, they are topped again, and combined with the pot turning operation to create a balanced plant type.
Through the above-mentioned systematic cultivation and management, combined with 4 - 6 hours of direct light every day, the harvest period can be entered in about 90 - 120 days. It is recommended to pick the fruit with the handle in the morning and store it in a cool and ventilated place for more than 2 weeks. Regularly observe the back of the leaves to prevent aphids from infesting, and use yellow sticky boards for physical control is more environmentally friendly and safe.