Have you seen those farmers who produce crazy amounts of peppers? And well-cared peppers that are colorful, hot, and sweet.
Now, you might be tempted to think these pepper farmers use special methods. w How do they care for their peppers?
With plenty of space, light, temperature, humidity, fertilizer, water supply, your peppers will develop healthily. If you follow these pepper vegetable care tips, you’re sure to get the largest and the best harvest you’ve ever had!.
The Pepper Plant
Peppers are in the nightshade family, along with eggplant, potatoes, tobacco, and petunias. Peppers are native to the Americas, originating in Central and South America.
Nowadays, they are found all over the world. Pepper plants are versatile in climate zones.
There are over 4,000 varieties of peppers cultivated in the world. The common types include:
- Bell
- Poblano
- Anaheim
- Serrano
- Habañero
- Cayenne
- Rocoto
Peppers are becoming one of the most popular vegetables due to their great taste and high nutritional value.
7 Care Tips for Peppers
Soil Requirements
The pepper plant does well in soil rich in organic nutrients, and well-drained. They don’t like soil with too much water. Soil with much water can cause
- Mildew
- Rotting
- Stunted growth
If your farm or greenhouse soil is poorly drained, amend with compost or worm castings, and coarse sand to improve drainage.
Your pepper will also tolerate acidic soils. However, they perform better in alkaline soil. The acidic conditions will make your pepper plant leaves turn yellow and not grow. You can check your soil by using a test kit to test the pH. If your soil is acidic add lime to neutralize it.
Regular Watering
It is important to keep your soil dry. Allow your soil to dry between watering. However, do not let it dry to the point where your pepper starts drooping.
Ensure you give your pepper a regular amount of water. Irregular watering can stunt their growth, slow down fruit production, and is a contributing factor for blossom end rot.
You can install a drip irrigation system. Set it on a timer, and it will take care of water for you. If you struggle with giving them the right amount of water, then use a moisture meter to make it easy to get right.
Control the Amount of Light and Temperature
Light is the single most important factor in pepper growth and development.
You need to make sure that the temperature is between 15° and 34°C (60-90° Fahrenheit). Temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit will slow down the growth
If the temperature is lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit your peppers will not mature. Keep in mind high light temperatures can increase the production of peppers. However once the temperature and light go beyond the limit, it will also cause damage to your peppers.
In summer and during high temperatures, you should use shade to increase your yield. The pepper requires a shading rate of between 40 and 50%.
The pepper needs both energy-saving combined with high light transmission and energy screens to allow you to save energy and control the greenhouse temperature. You can achieve this by using a transparent energy-saving screen.
In case of heat loss and light intensity control during the day, you can use a diffusion shading screen.
Keep an Eye on Humidity Level in Your Pepper
It is important to maintain the humidity level in the pepper’s environment. When the weather is humid, you can feel your skin becoming moist. Keeping a stable climate with proper humidity levels will help to prevent disease and extend the growing season.
The optimum humidity for peppers ranges from 40 – 60%. This can be achieved by regular watering combined with regular ventilation of the greenhouse. Adjusting temperatures higher or lower will increase or decrease the humidity accordingly. If it becomes too humid, this may provide an ideal environment for fungus to develop on your pepper plants.
To combat this, increase ventilation or lower temperatures to allow some of the moisture to evaporate out of the greenhouse, lowering the humidity level and preventing fungal development.
Protect Your Pepper from Frost
If you live in an area where the temperature drops below freezing, protect your pepper plant from frost damage. Frost can stunt the growth of pepper plants, and in some cases, it can kill the entire plant. Some ways to protect your pepper plant include:
Plant peppers that are tolerant of frost. If you live in an area where temperatures regularly drop below freezing, look for a variety of pepper that can tolerate your weather conditions. For example, if you live in a region with cold winters, choose a variety that is rated to withstand up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use row covers to protect young plants from frost. Row covers are lightweight fabrics designed to block out light and provide warmth for plants in early spring and fall when temperatures might dip below freezing. They’re fairly inexpensive and easy to use — just stretch over young plants about a week after their first set of leaves appears. You can buy row covers at most garden centers or home improvement stores.
Protect from Pests and Diseases
Pepper plants are susceptible to spider mites, aphids, and whiteflies. These pests can cause yellowing of the plant or wilting. Aphids suck the juices out of the leaves and spider mites feed on plant tissues, damaging them. Whiteflies also feed on plant juices and their presence causes leaves to curl.
There are many ways to control pests，such as eliminating pests or reducing their food source. Remove weeds along the edge of your garden bed since they attract pests. But the best way to do this is to install anti-insect nets for your peppers.
Birds are another common problem when growing peppers in your garden. Birds like to eat peppers when they ripen and will peck at them until there’s nothing left but the stem. Use bird netting over the plants when they’re young so that they have time to develop before birds have a chance to damage them.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous tips to take for your pepper. It is not difficult to care for your pepper from the soil, waiting, controlling light and temperature, and diseases. But it does require a bit of forethought. But remember, for this to work, you need to use protective netting.
You can take a bold step to care for your peppers by protecting them from firm light and temperature. Eyouagro is the largest supplier of climate screens in the world. They have experience and produce innovative and customized netting for your needs. To know more about the options of the screen you can contact Eyouagro or send your request to info@eyouagro.com
