Temperature and humidity regime for peppers. Temperature and humidity go hand in hand. Quite often increasing the one has an effect of the other. So keeping a good balance can be difficult. The ideal temperatures at which peppers grow are between 18°C at night and 30°C during the day. The grower must make sure that [...]

Trellising sweet peppers is common practice in commercial greenhouses. Although labour intensive, it increases quality and quantity of fruit yields, so it cannot be ignored. You cannot grow a bush type pepper economically since these varieties do not produce the yield per square meter over the same growth period as trellised types. Hydroponically grown peppers [...]

Pruning peppers will have a significant  effect on yields over the production life of the crop.  The correct pruning method will also increase ventilation and thereby decrease disease and pest pressure, reducing production cost. Peppers do not form side shoots in the true sense such as tomatoes. The stem of a pepper plant splits into [...]

Planting density in bag culture systems Pepper & tomato planting density influences yields, diseases and quality of the end product. Get it right the first time. Peppers are planted in the same density as tomatoes in hydroponic bag culture systems. Each plant should be 40 cm apart in the double rows, the double rows should [...]

There are approximately 10,000 plant species that are used as vegetables, but only 50 of those are of any commercial value. In order to simplify planning and discussions they are classified into three groups: according to method of culture according to botanical classification and according to economical importance (in South Africa)     [...]

Always transplant seedlings that are in good condition. Rather discard the extra small seedlings and give them a chance to grow in the nursery.  They can be used as replacements if some of the other seedlings die off. TIP: Use the strongest seedlings in the middle of the greenhouse since the microclimate is best suited [...]

Not all pesticides and fungicides are equal.  They come in a variety of formulations and the seedling grower must know when and where to use them for optimal results. Although seedlings grow for a limited time in a nursery, pest and disease management is crucial to healthy seedlings and plants. If considerable effort has been [...]

Seed treatments are useful for many vegetable crops for the prevention of damping-off and some other root diseases, as well as eliminating certain diseases carried on the seed itself. Seed treatment is not recommended for the inexperienced to used this type of method. It is easier to ask the seed supplier if the seed has been [...]

A clean nursery is the first vital step towards producing a healthy crop and forms part of a good seedling disease management program. Not only must the seed be disease free, but the environment in which the seedling will germinate and grow for 4-6 weeks, should also be free of diseases. The first step in [...]