table of contents
- paprika
- Preculture required
- Substrate
- time
- Pot size
- Prick out
- frequently asked Questions
Paprika is tasty and healthy. The red, yellow and green fruits are rich in vitamins and trace elements. It can also be grown in the garden. We show what is important when pricking your peppers.
In a nutshell
- Perennial in Central and South American homeland, annual in Central Europe
- Sow from February to March on the windowsill
- Prick out required for unhindered growth
- Planted outdoors from late April to May
paprika
Like the tomato, the pepper (Capsicum) belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The vegetables are divided into chilli, chili peppers, hot peppers and sweet peppers, depending on their heat. The capsaicin contained is responsible for the spiciness.
In their homeland, the subtropical areas of Central and South America, the pepper plant grows for several years. In Central Europe it is cultivated as an annual.
By the way, Columbus brought the plant with the tasty fruits to Europe.
More and more hobby gardeners are growing peppers in the greenhouse or outdoors. Those who pay attention to the needs of the plants and prick them at the right time can achieve good yields.
Preculture required
Paprika is an extremely cold-sensitive plant. For this reason, the sowing in a warm, sheltered place before you can prick the peppers. Sowing directly into the bed is possible from May. However, the success is less than with preculture in a heated room.
Instructions:
- Sow You paprika seeds between February and March in bowls with potting soil or peat pots.
- Put them on one warm place.
- spray The bowls and pots regularly with water.
- After about three weeks show up Cotyledons. Two weeks later, leaves can also be seen.
- Prick out The plants from the seed tray.
- Sit down one pepper plant in each pot.
- Water The pots regularly.
- When the plants are well established, set them up Outside temperatures of around 14 degrees Celsius onto the balcony to prepare them for moving outdoors.
- end of May, according to the ice saints, you can have the peppers plant in the bed.
Tip: If you don't have a garden, you can successfully cultivate peppers as a container plant. Use a large pot for each plant or a disused masonry bucket with drainage for three plants.
Substrate
Paprika seeds are first sown in potting soil. This is poor in nutrients, which promotes root growth. We recommend planting the plants in pots with a mixture of cultivation and garden soil even after pricking out. With this mixture, the demands of the vegetable plants can be met. In this way, stable, healthy roots develop until they are planted out in the field.
time
The best time to prick out the small pepper plants is a few weeks after sowing, when two small leaves appear in addition to the two cotyledons.
Pot size
We recommend moving each plant after pricking out in a plastic or clay pot with a diameter of eight to ten centimeters.
Prick out
Prick comes from the French word "picer" for "stab". That means pricking out a plant with the help of a prick stick and moving it to another location. Usually, seeds are sown in seed trays first. After a few days, small plants appear close together. To give them the space they need, they are pricked out and planted elsewhere.
Reasons At first glance, pricking peppers appears to be quite time-consuming. But the effort is worth it! Moving the plants prevents competition for nutrients, water and light. Anyone who refrains from pricking will receive thin, meager paprika plants. If they are crowded, they must sprout up quickly to get enough light. The rapid growth in height results in thin plants. After pricking each plant has enough space and enough light. The result of pricking is healthy and robust plants.
Prick peppers - instructions
Tool: Pricking stick, pricking fork, small spoon or kebab stick
- Fill in small potty with a Mixture of cultivation and garden soil.
- Press the Surface a bit firm.
- spray The substrate with water.
- Prick with that Prick stick next to a seedling into the earth.
- to leverage The little plant carefully.
- Prepare at the new location small planting hole before.
- Carefully insert the plant.
- Press the Earth around the seedling.
- When all healthy pepper plants have been implemented, spray the substrate with water at room temperature.
- Take care of the pepper plants regularly with water.
Note: Prick only the strongest plants.
frequently asked Questions
Bell pepper seeds do not germinate as reliably as other varieties. For this reason, three or four seeds are sown per potty. This procedure saves space and resources. The most robust plants are selected by pricking.
Even if you proceed very carefully, a piece of the root may break off when pricking out or some of the fine hair roots may remain in the ground. In most cases this is not a problem. Put the plant in the new pot and press the substrate well. Gently water the plant. She soon recovered! However, if the main root breaks off, the seedling can no longer be saved.
Put the bell pepper seedlings in the substrate of the new pot until just below the first two cotyledons.
Pricking sets consist of a pricking stick and a spatula or small spoon. With this set, the delicate plants can be carefully removed. Alternatively, you can use a shish kebab skewer and a wooden spatula or small spoon.
