A guide to growing peppers

Growing peppers in a greenhouse is quite similar to growing tomatoes or cucumbers, but peppers are extremely sensitive to moisture. A stable soil moisture level will ensure optimal growth and development of peppers. It is important to mention that all types of peppers like one and the same thing - a long, warm, stable growth period.

For the best results when growing peppers, you will need to give each plant about 2.25 liters of water per week. It is recommended to distribute this amount of water evenly so that the soil moisture level remains stable, around 60-80%. Cloudy, cool weather will reduce water requirements and warm days will require more water, but the most important thing is to stay within recommended soil moisture levels and the GRAAS iRigator automatic watering system will make this very easy.

How to recognize pepper growth disorders?

If the plants develop, it is affected by too little or too much soil moisture, too low soil temperature. The cause of wilting can also be salted soil and the formation of a hard soil pad.

Yellowing leaves - the green parts of the plant turn yellow due to a lack of nitrogen or magnesium. If it is difficult for the roots to get air (compressed soil), yellowing of the leaves may occur. It can also be related to iron absorption problems. The lower leaves may turn yellow as the plant ages, and the same symptoms may appear when pests damage the plant's roots.

Curled leaves - Leaf curling occurs due to various factors. One of them is uneven leaf growth, when the central part of the leaf grows faster than the width of the leaf. A lack of potassium and boron can cause the lower leaves to curl, and the upper leaves may curl due to insufficient magnesium, zinc or molybdenum. Too high ambient temperature also affects the situation. In addition, pests such as spider mites or aphids that have attacked the plants can also cause the leaves to curl. Fruits remain small when the plant grows too fast. This situation can be influenced by temperatures that are too low or too high, as well as low pH levels.

Examples of growth disorders in peppers.

What are the main diseases of peppers and how to prevent them?

Fusarium wilt of seedlings - the first sign of this disease is graying in the lower part of the stem of the seedling, its softening and finally the death of the plant. The causes of plant disease can be infection by Phytophtone and Pythium fungi, excessive amount of water applied, low air and ground temperature (10 - 18 °C), insufficient amount of sunlight. In order to prevent this problem, preventive measures are used - spraying of fungicides.

Gray rot - the skin of the plant gradually separates from the pulp, white and gray mycelium appears. The disease develops when the air and soil temperatures are too low, the lower leaves are not harvested, nitrogen fertilizers are applied or the plant receives too much water. To combat this, you will have to spray with fungicides.

Verticillosis is another common pepper disease. Common signs of the disease include wilting of the plant, wilted leaf edges, and stunted or stunted growth. This disease occurs when the soil is infected, when crop rotation rules are not followed, or when mechanical damage is done during planting. The easiest way to avoid this is to disinfect the soil before planting seedlings.

Alternaria - first on the lower, and then on the upper leaves, large brown spots appear, reaching a diameter of 0.5 - 1 cm. After some time, the leaves wither and begin to dry, dark, black spots appear on the fruit. This disease can affect both seedlings and adult plants. The usual conditions for the spread of this disease are high temperature, excess moisture. To avoid this, it is advised to follow the crop rotation recommendations and avoid excess moisture.

Example of leaves affected by Alternaria.