These plants, in fact, are close relatives and belong to the same family of solanaceous. Kinship is confirmed in practice: tomatoes and peppers love heat, light, and drought is equally unbearable.
Both cultures are well perceived dressing, care for them is almost the same, the main thing is to know when to plant tomatoes and peppers for seedlings.
In this "almost" lie some secrets, especially at the stage of caring for seedlings.
When to plant peppers and tomatoes for seedlings?
This is largely depends on the geographical location.
In Moscow, in central Russia, in its northern regions, tomatoes and peppers have to be grown by means of seedlings, making sowing at the junction of February and March.
In the south of Russia, in Ukraine, you can begin to sow in mid-January, and finish in early February.
Lunar calendar: about sowing dates
According to his recommendations pepper is best sown in the first phase of the moonwhen she is under the influence of Scorpio, or Libra, or Sagittarius, or Aries.
In terms of months, by date, it looks like this:
- January: 15-16, but it is possible and 17-20;
- February: 11-12, also fit 13-16;
- March: 9-10, but also 16-17.
For tomatoes, such numbers are recommended lunar calendar:
- February, 10, 13-14, 17-19, if you grow tomatoes in the greenhouse;
- March, 12-13 or 16-17, if the tomatoes grow in the open field.
Planting peppers and tomato seedlings - step by step instructions
To meet the expectations of a good harvest, you must:
- get good seeds;
- prepare them thoroughly sowing;
- sow seeds and get viable seedlings. We consider this position in detail.
Selection of tanks for seedlings
These can be special wooden boxes or random items: plastic cups, milk bags, shoe boxes, clay pots.
Important! In the boxes and packages it is necessary to make holes on the side and bottom for air access.
Seed preparation
Seed treatment is preceded by sowing tomatoes and peppers for seedlings. First they are thrown into the brine.
Those that remain to float on the surface need to be thrown away - they will hardly ascend. The rest should be soaked in water with the addition of a growth stimulator for a couple of days for swelling.
You can then leave the seeds on a wet napkin for peking or immediately plant in the ground.
Landing
Let us consider in more detail how to plant seeds on tomato and pepper seedlings?
We fill the prepared containers with earth for seedlings of pepper and tomatoes, pour them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (pink). Lunach do finger, piercing the soil to 1½ cm deep, at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other.
In one well we put 2 germinated seeds, we fall asleep with dry soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, lightly press. Watering is no longer necessary, after landing, you can simply sprinkle the earth.
We collect all the containers on pallets, cover with a film on top and put in a place quiet, warm, without drafts.
Emergence of seedlings
If the temperature under the film can be kept at 24-26 ° C, then 3-5 days after planting tomatoes will sprout, but shoots need to wait 7-12 days. If it is colder, germination will slow down.
As soon as sprouts appear, all containers immediately move closer to the light, on the window sills. Now the temperature must be reduced to 16-18 ° C, otherwise the tomatoes will go to unreasonable growth. Peppers do not tend to stretch out, 20-22 ° C is optimal for them.
Highlighting sprouts
Young shoots need highlightingMarch sun is clearly not enough. Fluorescent lamps are preferable here, mainly because they do not heat up and are not dangerous for closely located plants.
It is also recommended to use foil, mirrors, rinse the glass on the windows to the maximum transparency so that there is more light. If it is enough, plant growth accelerates noticeably.
Tip! In the first three days, it is desirable to cover the shoots continuously, day and night; then this period is reduced to 16-18 hours per day.
Seedling care
Initially, the seedlings do not water, they only sprinkle the soil. It is necessary to water 1 time every 3-4 days sprouts of pepper, after 5-7 days - tomatoes. Watering is done in the morning with warm water, previously settled. Magnetization of water gives a good effect, you can buy special tips for this.
Attention! From drafts sprouts must be kept, especially afraid of their pepper.
Dive
A dive of tomatoes is made when the second true leaf appears. Boxes with seedlings are watered abundantly and, acting carefully, transplant plants into large pots 10–12 cm high and 7–10 cm in diameter.
The roots are not pinched, in order to avoid infection from the soil, but if the sprout is from more resistant hybrid varieties, it can be pinched for better branching of the root system. It is useful to put a superphosphate under the roots, several granules, and sprinkle them with earth.
Top dressing
It is recommended to feed the peppers anyway, but as far as tomatoes are concerned, it is useful to pay attention to the color of the leaves and the general appearance of the sprouts.
The weakness of the stalks, their pallor suggests that the plant needs to be fed. If his appearance is vigorous, and the color of the leaves is dark green, then everything goes well.
Feed can be a solution of bird droppings or liquid types of fertilizers, for example, such as the "Effect".
Hardening
Hardening is the accustoming of sprouts to fresh air and lower temperatures. Hardening events start to do 2 weeks before the scheduled date of landing in the ground.
For this purpose, it is possible to place the seedlings on a balcony or a veranda, open a window, and in good weather take it out to the yard if it is not colder there than + 15 ° C. The time spent on the air every day must be increased from 20 minutes.
Preventive treatment for diseases
She must be held 2-3 days before planting seedlings in open ground. This is protection from phytophtora, infection with this fungus threatens to destroy the plant.
Later, after placing the plants in the place of permanent residence, the next stage of crop cultivation will begin.
If the seedlings turned out strong and viable, then the development of plants promises to be successful, and the harvest - rich.
So, we told when to sow peppers and tomatoes for seedlings, described the rules for planting tomatoes and peppers for seedlings.
Useful materials
Read other articles on pepper seedlings:
- Proper cultivation of seeds and whether to soak them before sowing?
- How to grow black pepper peas, chili, bitter or sweet at home?
- What are growth promoters and how to use them?
- The main reasons why the leaves are twisted at the shoots, the seedlings fall or are pulled out, and also why the shoots die?
- Terms of planting in the regions of Russia and especially the cultivation in the Urals, in Siberia and the Moscow region.
- Learn yeast based fertilizer recipes.
- Learn the rules of planting Bulgarian and hot peppers, as well as dive sweet?
