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Bell pepper Red shovel belongs to mid-season, productive varieties. The fruits are very large, elongated, weighing up to 450 g. Bushes of medium height, up to 65 cm, moderately leafy. The root system is superficial. The fruits contain a large amount of carotenoids, including lycopene. The plant is demanding for heat, does not tolerate drafts. When fully ripened, the fruits turn a deep dark red color.
The fruits are used fresh, they are prepared lecho, canned. Large-fruited sweet pepper Red shovel is recommended to be grown in seedlings. The fruits have a pleasant aroma and taste, a fantastic yield. If transportation over long distances is planned, then the fruits must be harvested in a state of technical maturity.
Grade advantages: high and stable productivity, presentable appearance, resistance to hot weather conditions. After heat treatment, the fruit does not lose its structure, remain as dense and elastic.
Growing seedlings
You can grow healthy, strong seedlings yourself, even in a city apartment. An important stage is the selection and preparation of soil and seed.
Purchase seeds only at specialist stores and from trusted suppliers. The shelf life of pepper seeds is 2 years. Before planting, the seeds are treated with a solution of growth stimulant, fungicides, potassium permanganate. Pots for seedlings can be of various diameters. Do not skimp on the place, give the seedlings as much space as possible.
The soil for growing seedlings of bell pepper should be structured, light and fertile. The soil mixture can be prepared independently from garden soil, humus, peat, mixing components in certain proportions.
Aloe juice is an excellent biostimulant, it disinfects pepper seeds from many diseases. For the preparation of soil mixtures and pest control, you can use needles.
The first stage of growing seedlings is planting seeds in prepared containers (boxes, bowls, pots). Do not plant seeds deep in the soil, sowing should be superficial. After sowing seeds, sprinkle the surface of the soil from the sprayer, cover with plastic wrap or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
The planting material is planted at the beginning of March. During this period of the year, the daylight is not long enough, sunlight is not enough for the normal development of plants, so you need to ensure that the pepper is highlighted with special lamps. Illumination is carried out for two hours in the morning and in the evening. Additional lighting is the key to getting good seedlings. Otherwise, you will get frail, weak plants that will be sick for a long time and will not tolerate transplanting to the ground.
The first sprouts will appear 7-8 days after sowing the seeds. Seedlings are watered with warm water through a strainer. Do not allow stagnation of water in containers and excessive waterlogging of the soil, this can lead to fungal diseases, decay and wilting of plants.
At the age of 25 days, plants dive into separate containers. A pick is a transplanting of seedlings from a container into the ground or another container with a pinch of the root tip.
After picking, the root system of pepper begins to grow, plants grow faster, become stronger. After the pick, you need to feed the young pepper with nitrogen fertilizers.
Planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse
Seedlings are planted in open ground at the age of 50-55 days. Do not rush to transfer pepper to the street, wait for steady heat. When the air temperature drops to 13-12 degrees, the plants stop growing.
In the planting holes add rotted compost, manure, some ash, water the soil. Remove pepper from cups with a lump of earth, try not to injure the root system. The roots of bell pepper grow slowly, the plant does not tolerate transplantation as well as, for example, tomato seedlings.
After transplanting seedlings, the soil is watered again. It is recommended to irrigate with warm water strictly under the root or in the holes. Do not allow drops of water to fall on the foliage, this can lead to sunburn.
Crop care
Pepper is responsive to fertilizing with organic fertilizers. You can independently prepare a wonderful fertilizer from grass. Any garden grass, weeds, nettle, etc. are suitable for herbal infusion.
The plant material is placed in a plastic container, filled with warm water, covered with a lid, and left for three weeks for fermentation. After fermentation, the slurry is filtered, diluted with warm water and water the plants. Pepper, fed with liquid fertilizer, gives an excellent harvest, less sick.
Do not forget to weed in a timely manner, loosen the topsoil. It is also recommended to mulch the plantations of bell pepper with mowed grass, hay or sawdust. Under a layer of mulch, earthworms and other beneficial insects are activated. Mulch allows you to retain moisture in the topsoil.
Another important agricultural technique that allows to increase productivity is the earthing up of bushes. When hilling, the soil is saturated with oxygen, becomes loose, and roots develop faster. It is recommended to spray the plantings with a urea solution, this will protect the plants from viral diseases.
During flowering and fruit setting, plants need to be fed with phosphorus fertilizers, and to prevent the development of apical rot of fruits, potassium nitrate must be introduced into the soil in a timely manner.
If the plants are overloaded with fruits, tie them to the support. Take away stepsons and lower leaves.
When growing pepper in a greenhouse, remember that at temperatures of 35 degrees and above, pollen becomes sterile and pollination of flowers does not occur. Organize devices for ventilating greenhouses, do not allow the temperature to rise above 34 degrees.
Pepper loves sunny, calm places. If wind blows in the area where this crop is grown, take care to create a shelter, otherwise you will not wait for a high yield. In addition to traditional means of combating diseases, proven folk remedies can be used.
Red Shovel pepper is not a hybrid; seeds can be harvested from it for growing in the garden in subsequent years.
Video: growing pepper from A to Z
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