Sprinter – (F1) Bell Pepper Seed

Blocky red bell for heated and unheated tunnel production.
Sprinter has a vegetative plant that keeps it strong through adverse weather conditions, whether too hot or too cold. Benefits from at least some heat, but will produce high yields of beautiful, large, dark-red fruits through a variety of conditions. Excellent flavor. High resistance to tobamovirus races 0-3. Avg. 3,650 seeds/oz. Mini: 10 seeds. Packet: 25 seeds.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Capsicum annuum
CULTURE: Sow seeds in desired medium 6–8 weeks prior to transplanting. Maintain a constant 80–90°F (27–32°C) soil temperature. When first true leaves just show, transplant the seedlings into cell-type containers or blocks. 2" or larger containers will produce larger, stronger root systems; 4" blocks are the standard. Grow plants at 70–74°F (21–23°C) days and 68°F (20°C) nights. Fertilize with a complete nutrient solution (EC 1.5–2, pH 5.2) or equivalent as needed to keep plants dark green and healthy. When transplanting into the greenhouse, maintain temperatures of 73°F (23°C) days and 70°F (21°C) nights for the week after transplanting. This promotes rapid vegetative growth and root establishment. 7–10 days after transplanting, lower temperatures to 63–64°F (17–18°C) nights and 73–75°F (23–24°C) days. For two-stemmed plants, use a plant density of 3–3 1/2 plants/square meter, which results in 6–7 stems/square meter (9 sq.ft.). Plants can be pruned to 4 stems, maintaining 6–7 stems/square meter (9 sq.ft.), but fruit will be smaller. Remove flowers up to the second or third node after initial branching to allow the plant to reach a suitable size before trying to support a fruit load.
TRELLISING: We recommend pruning the plants to 2–4 stems and trellising them up a string, like greenhouse tomatoes.
HARVEST: Harvest peppers when they are 80% or more final ripe color.
DISEASES AND PESTS: Use crop rotation or new media to reduce soilborne disease problems. Use regularly scheduled releases of beneficial insects to control pests.
DAYS TO MATURITY: From transplanting.
SEED SPECS: SEEDS/OZ.: 3,200-4,150 (avg. 3,700).
TRANSPLANTS: Avg. 950 plants/1,000 seeds.
MINI: 10 seeds.
PACKET: 25 seeds.