How to prepare soil for pepper seedlings yourself

Peppers belong to the nightshade family of crops, which makes their root systems particularly delicate and sensitive. Because of this, growing peppers requires not only proper watering and timely fertilization, but also the appropriate soil composition.

General requirements

More than half the success in growing healthy and strong seedlings depends on choosing the right soil for the seeds. Among the key soil requirements for growing pepper seedlings are:

• lightness, looseness and porosity, ensuring the supply of oxygen to the root systems;
• the ability of the soil to pass moisture without forming crusts on the surface;
• the presence of organic fertilizers in the soil (bird droppings, cow dung, compost);
• In terms of chemicals, the soil should be rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, iron and potassium;
• The optimal soil acidity level is from 5 to 7 pH (high acidity is a favorable environment for the growth of fungi and bacteria and the spread of infectious diseases).

However, there are a number of contraindications for using this soil for growing pepper seedlings. These include the presence of clay in the soil, as well as contamination with various larvae, fungi, and microbes that cause diseases and subsequent death of plants. Peat-based soil is also unsuitable for use.

Seedling mixtures

An important requirement for preparing your own potting mix is ​​that all components must be prepared in the fall. Typically, individual components are placed in buckets, bags, or zip-lock containers and left to freeze throughout the winter. Experienced gardeners have five tried-and-true recipes for preparing pepper seedling mix:

1. Humus, sand, peat and soil in equal proportions.
2. Humus with lowland peat and the addition of superphosphates.
3. Sand, turf, humus and soil in equal quantities with the addition of 1 glass of wood ash for every 10 kg of mixture.
4. Sand and peat, one part each, with the addition of two parts turf.
5. Leaf soil, turf and humus in equal parts.

In all of the above options, sand can be replaced with a loosening agent. It's best to avoid using untreated turf or fresh compost when cultivating the soil. These can cause rapid bacterial growth and the spread of infections that can affect the seedlings.

Preparing the soil for pepper seedlings

The best time to sow pepper seeds is late February to early March. Soil preparation should begin 7 to 10 days before the planned sowing. Initially, the soil components are thawed and disinfected. If thawing is not a problem, soil disinfection can be accomplished in several ways:

1. Soil treatment with fungicides and insecticides. This option is only suitable in cases where there are genuine concerns about the soil quality, such as soil taken from a forest. All dosage requirements must be met and personal protective equipment must be used.
2. Steaming. This option is more suitable because it's less dangerous. The process itself lasts from 30 minutes to several hours. Afterward, the soils should be stored in clean, airtight containers or bags.
3. Oven heating at 50 degrees Celsius. Higher temperatures are not recommended for this type of soil treatment, as they will destroy beneficial microorganisms along with bacteria and fungi.
4. Treatment with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. This can be done by watering with either a regular warm solution or a boiling solution. In the latter case, the entire container is additionally covered to ensure better soil steaming.

After such treatments, the use of fertilizers is mandatory, but in moderation. Overly saturated soil with compost and mineral complexes can provoke disease and ultimately the death of seedlings.

The list of components for a suitable soil is well-thought-out and well-balanced, with each element performing its specific functions.

Humus

It's a misconception that humus and compost are the same thing. While humus is the result of rotted manure and can be used no sooner than two years after placement, compost is a mixture of various organic residues with the addition of rock phosphate, peat, and garden soil.

The optimal period for preparing compost for further use is between 2 and 5 years. At this point, the substance itself completely loses its manure odor; its aroma is more reminiscent of spring soil or forest litter. In terms of effectiveness, well-rotted compost is the best fertilizer for soils that will later be used for growing seedlings.

Baking powder

This material is used to increase soil porosity. Coarse river sand or wood shavings can be used as a loosening agent, making the soil lighter and providing the seedlings' root system with the necessary oxygen.

You can also use the following as a soil loosening agent:

• perlite, which significantly reduces the risk of fungal infections and their contamination of plants;
• sphangum, which protects the root system of pepper bushes from rot;
• vermiculite, which retains moisture and prevents it from drying out completely without watering.

River sand with large grains copes best with the task of loosening the soil.

Peat

Peat is beneficial because it allows the soil to better transmit oxygen to plant roots and also acts as a beneficial nitrogen-rich substance. There are three types of peat, but not all are suitable for growing peppers.

If you have access to lowland (the most nutritious), transitional, and surface (the most acidic) peat types, you should choose the first two. If only surface peat is available, it should first be treated with sifted wood ash or lime, which will normalize the acidity.

Leaf soil

This refers to the composition of the soil that forms under trees and includes rotted fallen leaves. This type of soil is rich in nutrients, which is why it is called leaf mold.

You can obtain this soil by going to a deciduous forest or by preparing it yourself. In the latter case, you need to collect fallen leaves and pile them in layers of regular garden soil. The resulting mixture should be watered periodically. To speed up the process, you can add urea, manure, or lime to the mixture. This soil can be used for growing pepper seedlings only after the leaf litter has completely decomposed, after 1.5 to 2 years.

Turf

Turf is the name given to the top layer of soil and comes in three types:

• heavy if it contains clay;
• medium, if in addition to clay there is also sand;
• light if the main component is sand.

When growing pepper seedlings, you can use medium or light turf. It should be harvested well in advance, in summer or fall. Collect the topsoil along with the grass, as if cutting it off. Wooden boxes are best for storing turf over the winter.

Is it possible to add soil to pepper seedlings?

Growing pepper seedlings generally doesn't require adding soil to the container or sprinkling it around the base of the stem. However, if this is necessary, it must be done with extreme care, avoiding touching or covering the first leaves on the sprouts. This process can be carried out in several stages, but it should be stopped as soon as the lower part of the stem begins to strengthen (lignify), as this can slow down root development, which in turn can lead to rotting of the entire plant.

Reviews

Valentina Vasilievna, 49 years old

Using fungicides to treat the soil is quite dangerous and toxic. This procedure should be carried out at least 1.5 to 2 weeks before sowing. A gentler method is to steam the soil with a boiling solution of potassium permanganate. As an additional treatment, you can use a soda solution of 100 g per 4 to 5 liters of water.