SWEET PEPPER PRODUCTION- GENERAL
• Sweet Pepper (Green, Yellow or Red Pepper) does well in warm seasons of the year. Optimum temperatures for growing are 20ºC to 27ºC.Temperatures above 32ºC may cause shedding of flowers.
• Popular Sweet pepper varieties are Califonia Wonder, Jupiter, Florida Resistant Giant and Keystone Resistant.
• A well managed Sweet pepper crop should yield 6.4 tons of fruit per Lima. Harvest may extend for several months but is generaly discontinued after 2 months when bulk of the crop has been picked.
LAND PREPARATION/SOIL TYPE
• Deep well drained loamy soils with a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 is ideal.
• Effective rooting depth is 60 cm. Plough and harrow to a 60cm fine tilth seedbed.
PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING
• Sow directly by drilling in the farrows 1 to 2 cm deep at a seed rate of 0.5-1kg or raise seedlings in nursery beds and transplant 6 to 8 weeks later.
• Transplant during cool part of the day (early morning or late afternoon) to avoid wilting of seedlings.
• Space the plants at 40 cm between plants and 100 cm between rows to give a plant population of 6,250 plants /hectare.
FERTILIZER PROGRAMME
• At transplanting apply VegMixA 15gm/plant (94kg/Lima)-5cm away from the plant and 5cm deep.
• 21days from transplanting top dress Veg Top 24 2.5gm/plant (16kg/Lima) – 5cm x5cm deep.
• 35days from transplanting top dress Veg Top 24 2.5gm/plant (16kg/Lima) – 5cm x 5cm deep.
• 49days from transplanting top dress Veg Top 24 2.5gm/plant (16kg/Lima) – 5cm x 5cm deep.
• 63days from transplanting top dress Veg Top 24 2.5gm/plant (16kg/Lima) – 5cm x 5cm deep.
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
• Weeds compete with plants for nutrients and space; they can reduce yields by more than 25%. Keep the field free from weeds at all times.
• Plants must be trellised to keep them upright.
• Scout for pests and diseases every week and spray upon noticing a disease or pest. Red Spider Mites, Aphids, Leaf miner, Loopers and American Bollworms are commone insect pests while Cercospora, Powdery mildew and Downy mildew are common Pepper diseases.
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