What to check in a chilli nursery before you transplant

Chilli seed is small and easy to bury too deep. A light cover and even moisture beat a heavy watering that crusts the bed. If germination on the pack is 80% min., a well-run nursery should give you a usable stand — not a perfect carpet.

Crowding is the usual mistake. Seedlings that stretch for light transplant poorly and pick up damping-off. Thin early. Morning sun and afternoon shade in April–May heat will save more plants than extra urea.

We select chilli lines for colour after drying, not only for green yield. If your market is the dry chilli mandi, transplant from a nursery that was not over-fertilised — rank plants make watery fruit that fades on the mat.

Match the lot to the season. Kharif and rabi chilli from Manganga are packed as separate lots when the field run differs. Do not mix leftover nursery plants from two batches in one bed if you need a uniform picking.