How and what to feed peppers in a greenhouse in August: the best fertilizers and recommendations for their application
Properly selected fertilizer for peppers in a greenhouse is one of the guarantees of a good harvest. Gardeners combine mineral and organic fertilizers and use folk remedies. Particular attention is paid to the application of fertilizers in August - this month there is active growth of fruits.
Fertilizing peppers in a greenhouse by month
The timing of fertilizing in greenhouses coincides with the timing of fertilizing peppers in open ground.
In June, the planting holes are pre-watered generously so that the soil is moistened to a depth of 15 cm. In each of them upon landing add 150 g of compost, 5 g of urea, 5 g of potassium sulfate.
After two weeks, feed with a solution consisting of 15 g of ammonium nitrate, 5 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. The consumption rate is 1 liter of solution for each bush.
In July, the soil is moistened twice a week. Add 10 g of urea, 25 g of potassium nitrate, 25 g of superphosphate, previously dissolved in warm water, to a bucket of water. 1 liter of nutrient solution is poured under each bush.
Reference. In August, nitrogen fertilizers are not used so that nitrates do not accumulate in the fruits.
Then they continue to apply potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Top dressing made from wood ash, which is sprinkled on the ground around the bushes, is useful.
What to feed
When growing peppers, fertilizers are applied throughout the entire growing season. At different stages of development, the composition of the introduced elements changes.
In August, pepper has an active period of ovary formation and fruiting. During this period, he especially needs phosphorus, potassium, boron, and calcium. Calcium nitrate is most often used - it is sprayed on the leaf and watered under the root.
Reference. It is not recommended to combine calcium nitrate and superphosphate. The interaction reaction between them will negatively affect the growth of bushes.
At this stage of growth, the plant benefits from humate solutions. They strengthen the root system and help enrich the plant with nutrients.
Ready-made fertilizers
During the formation of the ovary and fruits, it is recommended to use complex mineral fertilizers: “Agricola”, “Mastvorin”, “Novofert Universal”, “Fertika Lux” and others. Additionally, they include microelements: boron, magnesium, calcium, as well as amino acids and polysaccharides. Fertilizers are applied by watering at the root and by foliar method. They are especially effective in delaying flowering.
Traditional methods
Many gardeners use banana peel infusion, because it has a high concentration of potassium. The peels of five bananas are poured with 5 liters of water and left for a day, or better yet, two. The solution is poured under the root.
Eggshell – a source of calcium. It is crushed to a powdery state and added to the compost pit.
“Green tea” is prepared from equal parts of herbs: nettle, coltsfoot, plantain, dandelion. The herbs are poured with water and infused for five days. Then dilute with water 1:10 and water each bush.
Yeast fertilization is effective, promoting the active growth of pepper. Take 20 g of yeast, 30 g of sugar and 1 liter of water. Leave in a warm place until fermentation occurs. Then the composition is diluted in 10 liters of water and applied to the root.
Iodine protects culture from many diseases. It is added to irrigation water in a concentration of 1:10. Sometimes whey or kefir is added to this composition.
Features of feeding depending on the period
At different stages of development, the plant requires certain microelements:
- when planting seedlings in a permanent place - nitrogen;
- when growing green mass - nitrogen, potassium, boron;
- for flowering – phosphorus, potassium;
- during the formation of the ovary - phosphorus, potassium, calcium.
After landing
To obtain a decent harvest, fertilizers are applied from the moment the seedlings are planted in the soil. If pepper seedlings receive all the necessary substances in the early stages of the growing season, in the future they will grow strong, resistant to various diseases, and with good immunity.
The first feeding is carried out when two pairs of true leaves appear on the seedlings. At this time, seedlings need fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen and less potassium. The first is necessary for shoot growth, leaves. If it is deficient, the seedlings will be elongated and weak.
For the first feeding, urea is used - it contains 46% nitrogen. For irrigation, prepare a solution in which the concentration of fertilizer is half that recommended for adult bushes, that is, 10 g of urea per 5 liters of water.
More often, nitrogen fertilizers are used, in which nitrogen is in the form of nitrates: calcium and sodium nitrate.
Potassium stimulates the growth of the root system of immature seedlings. If nitrogen affects the volume of green mass, then potassium improves its quality. The element is introduced using potassium sulfate and potassium nitrate.
The following organic fertilizers are used:
- An infusion of chicken manure, which is diluted at the rate of 100 g of the substance per 5 liters of water.
- Vermicompost in a concentration of 0.5 kg per 10 liters of water.
- Wood ash.It contains a large amount of potassium. A tablespoon of ash is poured into a liter of water. The next day you can water the seedlings.
The second feeding is carried out two weeks after the first. During this time, the seedlings have time to grow stronger. In this case, complex fertilizers are used, where phosphorus is contained in lower concentrations.
If humus was used when preparing the soil, the amount of nitrogen in the second fertilizing is reduced.
Before applying fertilizers (1-1.5 hours before), water the soil with water.
Important! Before adding microelements, the soil is pre-moistened so as not to “burn” the young roots.
Foliar feeding
Foliar feeding is an addition to root watering. In addition to the main ones, they are supplemented with necessary microelements - such as manganese and boron. Foliar feeding is especially effective when the plant has begun to wilt.
Application of foliar fertilizers in greenhouses does not depend on weather conditions - unlike fertilizing carried out on plots.
Foliar nutrition is carried out with the same fertilizers as when watering the soil. But for spraying, a solution is prepared whose concentration is half as much. This is necessary so that the composition does not burn the leaves.
Foliar feeding is carried out in dry, windless weather in the morning or evening, so that the sun's rays do not damage the wet leaves.
During the fruiting period
The next feeding is done during the formation of the ovary. At this stage, preparations containing potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium are used. The process of flowering and fruiting depends on the amount of potassium fertilizer applied. A lack of potassium leads to poor flowering.
It is replenished by watering with a urea solution (5 g per 10 liters of water).The application of nitrogen is stopped so that there is no excess of nitrates in the ripening fruits.
When the first fruits appear, mineral fertilizers are replaced with organic or “folk” ones. For cultivation in greenhouses, the Ecohuminate fertilizer based on natural humus is used. This fertilizer also stimulates the formation of ovaries.
Pour half a teaspoon of the product under each plant, then water it with water.
Calcium is introduced into the soil in the form of crushed eggshells.
Feeding if peppers do not grow well
If the pepper bush has small leaves and few shoots, then the fruits will be small. This is explained by the process of photosynthesis, as a result of which the necessary nutrients enter the plant through the leaf mass. Poorly developed bushes need nitrogen fertilizer. In this case, it is better to use complex fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, but with a greater predominance of the former.
Ammonium nitrate (10 g of nitrate per bucket of water) and urea are also used. The second does not cause leaf burn when sprayed.
Feed weak bushes with a solution of cow manure (1:10) - it is used carefully, as it can cause root rot.
Pepper does not like acidic soils; they are neutralized by adding chalk. In addition, chalk is a source of calcium, which plants need when growing their root system.
How to properly feed peppers in a greenhouse
If at the end of summer the pepper bushes grow healthy, bloom profusely and produce a lot of fruit, do not get carried away with mineral fertilizers.
If the bush is actively overgrown with green mass, but flowering is delayed or there are few flowers, stop using nitrogen-containing fertilizers and switch to applying fertilizers that contain predominantly phosphorus: superphosphate, double superphosphate.To prevent the ovary from falling off, add boron - 5 g of boric acid per bucket of water.
To speed up the process of fruit ripening and achieve harvesting at the same time, fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus are used. For example, potassium monophosphate, potassium-phosphorus preparation "Autumn", which also contains calcium, boron, magnesium. To replenish potassium and phosphorus, these fertilizers are applied in an amount of 10 g per 10 liters of water.
In August, peppers have an active fruiting period. In greenhouse conditions, a larger harvest is harvested from a pepper bush than from a cultivated one. in open ground. This is due to the fact that the required level of heat and humidity is maintained in the greenhouse. During this period, pepper especially needs phosphorus, potassium, boron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium.
Alternate fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and adding organic matter.
Attention! The composition of fertilizers should not include chlorine, since in closed soil it is weakly washed out of the soil mixture.
During the period of fruit formation, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of calcium nitrate (0.2 g per liter of water) or a chelated form of calcium (50 ml per 10 liters of water) - it is absorbed by plants faster. When watering, calcium nitrate is applied in the same concentration as when spraying.
Organic matter is introduced using herbal infusions and bird droppings, which are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20. Banana peels, infused in water for at least a day, are often used.
Frequency and abundance of fertilizing
The first fertilizing in the greenhouse is carried out 14 days after planting the seedlings. In this case, bird droppings or cow manure mixed with water in a ratio of 1:15 are used. Under each bush add 0.5 liters of solution.
After flowering occurs, a second feeding is carried out. To do this, minerals are added to organic matter.
The third feeding is carried out at the moment of fruit ripening and the first harvest.
Feeding in August is carried out once a week. Under each bush add 1 liter of prepared nutrient solution.
Useful tips
After watering, mulching with organic matter brings good results: compost, vermicompost, humus. With subsequent waterings, they will gradually nourish the root system of the peppers.
When fruiting in August, it is useful to sprinkle wood ash around the bush while loosening the soil - it has a high potassium content and will nourish the plant while the soil is moistened.
Conclusion
Now you know how to feed peppers in a greenhouse in August, and what to do if feeding with folk remedies does not help. The main thing is to follow simple rules, feeding the plants with the fertilizers that they need most during a specific growing season.
Be attentive to your peppers, surround them with care and quality nutrition, and they will certainly thank you with a tasty and rich harvest!