How and when to prepare a chili nursery?

October 21, 2023

Every chili farmer faces a crucial decision: Should they establish their own nursery or purchase ready-made plantlets from a commercial nursery? The answer to this question is influenced by various factors.

If your goal is to cultivate a unique chili variety that isn't commonly grown in your area, it's unlikely that you'll find suitable plantlets at a commercial nursery. In such a situation, it's advisable for the farmer to create their own chili nursery.

Chili nurseries managed by neglectful owners often lead to the propagation of virus-infected plants. In these cases, purchasing plants from a commercial nursery becomes impractical.

When farmers have no other alternative, they may need to buy plants from commercial nurseries. In these instances, it's crucial to seek out professionally managed nurseries that guarantee the production of virus-free plants.

Nevertheless, if you are considering establishing your own nursery, here are some essential tips for chili nursery cultivation:

Sowing should take place in a protected environment. Typically, plants are ready for transplantation within four to six weeks under moderate conditions. In colder environments, this may extend to eight to ten weeks. Therefore, for summer cultivation, the nursery should be prepared a month before the expected transplantation date, while for winter, it should be prepared two months in advance.
Depending on the size of the seeds, for one acre of cultivation, you will require between 125 grams to 400 grams of seeds.
The choice of cultivation density will determine the number of plants needed for one acre. This can range from 18,000 plants (with 2.5 square feet of space per plant) to 22,000 plants (with 2 square feet of space per plant).
Chili nursery trays typically come with 104 cavities. Based on the calculations above, farmers may need between 175 to 225 trays and 4-6 quintals of potting mix.
If you are using untreated seeds for one acre, it is recommended to use 5-10 ml of Thiamethoxam 30% FS and 5-10 grams of Captan 75% WS for seed treatment. These treatments will safeguard the seedlings from sucking pests and issues like damping off and root rot.
For the potting mix, add 20 kilograms of fully composted cow dung manure, 100 grams of superphosphate, and 50 grams of muriate of potash. Ensure that the seed depth does not exceed 1.5 cm. Before uprooting the seedlings from the nursery trays, they should be lightly irrigated.