Pepper fertilizing

Sweet (Bulgarian) peppers need fertilizing at all stages of vegetation, including during fruiting. Fertilizers applied during this period improve the taste of the fruit, accelerate its ripening and increase its shelf life.

At the stage of fruit ripening, peppers need potassium most of all, which is "responsible" for the accumulation of sugars in the fruit and its taste, as well as magnesium, calcium and phosphorus.
 

Foliar fertilizing with potassium fertilizers, such as potassium sulfate (7-10 g per 10 l) or potassium monophosphate (5 g per 10 l), will help speed up the ripening of peppers. These nutrient solutions are well absorbed by plants and give a quick effect. In addition, 10-14 days after foliar feeding, apply one of the named fertilizers under the root: dissolve 10-15 g of the preparation in 10 liters of water. The consumption rate is 1 liter per bush.

Kalimagnesia will help to replenish the lack of potassium and magnesium at the same time. For root feeding, dissolve 20 g of fertilizer in 10 liters of water. The consumption rate is 1-2 liters per bush. For foliar feeding, reduce the amount of fertilizer to 10-15 g.

At this time, you can also use potassium-phosphorus fertilizer from mineral mixtures: dissolve 2 tsp of potassium sulfate and superphosphate in 10 liters of water and water the pepper plantings. The consumption rate is 1 liter per bush.
 

Not all summer residents are positive about using mineral fertilizers during the ripening period of fruits. Some prefer natural dressings and folk remedies.

During the fruiting period, peppers can be fed with wood ash - a source of potassium, calcium and several dozen other useful elements. To prepare an ash solution, pour 1 glass of ash into a bucket of water, mix thoroughly and spray the bushes with it.

Peppers also respond well to herbal infusion dressings. To prepare it, chop fresh nettles and fill half a bucket with it. Then add water to the top and leave to infuse in a warm place for a week. Before use, dilute 1 liter of nettle infusion in 10 liters of water and pour the prepared dressing over the peppers.

Some gardeners recommend feeding peppers with banana peels, which contain a lot of potassium, at the stage of fruit ripening. To prepare a nutritious infusion, pour 3-4 banana peels with 3 liters of hot water. After three days, strain the infusion and pour it over the peppers.

Eggshells, a source of calcium, are also used to feed peppers during the fruiting period. Grind dried eggshells, pour them into a 3-liter glass jar to about the middle. Then fill it to the top of the jar with hot water and leave to infuse in a warm and dark place for several days. Use the prepared infusion for watering under the root.

A technique such as removing leaves growing above the fruits of the lower tiers will also help speed up the ripening of peppers. In this case, the pepper bushes will be better illuminated by the sun and will ripen faster. In addition to leaves, you should regularly remove side shoots, which take away nutrients from the bush, thereby slowing down the ripening of the fruit. You should also remember about the temperature: the optimum temperature for this southern crop is considered to be 20-25°C during the day and not lower than 15°C at night. At lower values, the ripening process of the fruit slows down.