Room hot pepper. Decorative pepper: description, planting and care during cultivation

Or maybe some of you have already planted these plants? Then let's talk about the next resident of our windowsill - sweet peppers.

Sweet pepper is very beautiful with its tight fruits, bright, tasty, filled with vitamins. This is exactly what we miss so much on rainy autumn days, and on harsh winter days, and during the period of spring vitamin deficiency.

Do you want to admire the pepper and eat it? all year round? In this case, feel free to start planting pepper on his windowsill, since these plants are ideal for caring for and growing in an apartment.

Pepper on the windowsill of the best variety

Ideal for planting houses will be compact, low-growing varieties pepper (they are the most unpretentious and persistent). The growth of this plant will reach half a meter and it will fit perfectly into the size of your window. The best varieties:

Treasure Island. After 90-100 days, the pepper will invite you to taste its juicy orange-red heart-shaped fruits. Their weight reaches up to 60 grams, the thickness of the peel is up to 7 mm.
The firstborn of Siberia. The harvest ripens in 108-113 days from the moment of germination. The fruits are large, up to 100 g (skin thickness up to 6 mm). Bright red in color, these peppers are aromatic and delicious.
Dwarf. A variety of pepper with juicy, red, fleshy, cone-shaped fruits. Their weight reaches up to 83 grams (walls up to 9 mm). The harvest can be harvested after 110 days from the time the sprouts appear.
Watercolor. Glossy, cone-shaped scarlet peppers will be ready for your table in 110 days. This one has small fruits, “one bite”, their weight reaches up to 30 grams, with a thin peel up to 2.5 mm.
Gift from Moldova. Large dark red peppers will delight you with a rich, sweet taste after 124-136 days. The weight of the fruit reaches 90 grams, the thickness of the peel is up to 6 mm.
Martin. Fragrant variety, whose red juicy fruits can be used to decorate the table after 130 days. The fruits are large, up to 84 grams, with thick (up to 5 mm in size) walls.

These pepper varieties are highly productive and will delight you with their attractive fruits all year round.

Seed preparation

To save future plants from infections, the seeds should be kept for 20 minutes in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate, then rinsed with cool water. And soak in nutrient solutions of epin or zircon (growth biostimulants):

Epin. Take 2 drops of it per 100 ml of water.
Zircon. Add 1 drop to 300 ml of water.

The seeds should be kept in the healing solution for about a day at room temperature. Then place them in damp gauze and place them in a dark, warm place.

Keep the pepper seeds there for 3 days at a temperature of +20° C to +25° C. Wet the cloth periodically warm water(it must not be allowed to dry out).

As soon as the seeds hatch, they can be transferred pepper on the windowsill.

Let's start landing

We need to prepare several containers in advance for pepper growing. Each pepper needs its own home, a separate wide and deep enough pot (so that the rhizome of the plant is spacious and comfortable).

Don't forget about a drainage layer (fine gravel, expanded clay or broken small pieces of red brick will do).

You can plant seeds at one of the most convenient periods for you:

The last days of February - the beginning of March. It is necessary to choose the most suitable time for planting (focus on the weather forecast). If, a week after planting the seeds, nature decides to pamper us with very warm, sunny weather, the pepper may slow down its growth. In this case, at home, at the beginning of its growth, it is better to keep the pepper on the north window for some time.
Winter months. When planting seeds in winter, it is necessary to ensure that there is 12 hours of daylight every day. Additionally, illuminate the pepper with fluorescent lamps.
The plant germinates well when the seeds are planted in late July or early September. Again, keep an eye on the weather forecast (for any upcoming days that are too warm).

Preparing the soil

For peppers, it is better to purchase ready-made soil (Terra-Vita or Ogorodnik). This soil is already enriched essential microelements and does not contain harmful microorganisms.

If you decide to use ordinary garden soil, first calcine it with a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, then water it with water. Or prepare enriched soil:

Sod land 2 parts
Humus 1 part
Clean, sifted sand 1 part

It is better to take turf soil from the place where meadow clover grows. Ash must be added to any soil (2 cups of ash for every 10 kg of soil). Pepper is extremely sensitive to the salt content in the soil and the level of acidity. Add to soil dolomite flour or lime (take 16 grams of the substance per 1 kg of soil).

Special hydrogels can be used. It's made for home gardening. When hydrogels are mixed with soil, they swell, absorb excess water and at the same time make the soil looser, preserving nutrients.

Planting seeds

To wait for the first shoots of pepper on the windowsill, you need to be patient. Peppers germinate after 1-2 weeks.

If the plant stubbornly refuses to germinate, increase the length of daylight hours (extend additional lighting from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

Plant two seeds in small peat pots (pre-filled with loose, fertile soil). Water and cover the top of the pots with cling film. Place them in a warm place at a temperature of + 25° C. The pots can be buried under adult, fruiting peppers in a lighted place (if you have already grown peppers before).
After the first, tender sprouts appear, pierce the film with a knitting needle in several different places. When the peppers confidently begin to grow and acquire the first two or three leaves, the film can be removed. And start transplanting (picking) one young sprout into a large pot. We remove the weaker plant.

Picking. Transplanting seedlings into a more spacious home (with root shortening). The shortened root begins to branch and develop more vigorously.

After picking, the rhizome becomes stronger, wraps around and holds the earthen lump better, and the homemade pepper itself on the windowsill brings more harvest. Dive process:

Fill the soil in the pot where you will replant the pepper with plenty of water a day before;
before picking, make a depression in the new soil in the center of the pot;
moisten the soil around the sprout generously an hour or two before surgery;
carefully take it and lift it along with the earthen lump, shake it off the ground;
very carefully shorten the spine by about 1/3 (you can pinch it with your nails);
delicately place it in the prepared hole in a new pot so that the central root does not bend and the leaves are 2 cm above the soil level;
Compact the soil around the seedling with your fingers;
Pour warm water over the transplanted pepper.

In order for the pepper to grow large and fertile, it needs to be replanted and grown in small, capacious buckets or large ceramic bowls.

Before picking, gradually accustom the young sprout to harsher conditions (gradually take it out into the fresh air, increasing the walking time).

But make sure that the small pepper does not fall under drafts or exposure to low temperatures that are detrimental to it (below +13° C).

Caring for our peppers

Operation	Pepper's wishes	Adviсe
Watering	As needed	Pepper on the windowsill should be watered with settled warm water (water temperature +30° C). Spray the pepper with additional warm water every day. So that in winter heating season the plant does not overheat, cover the battery with a damp cloth. Do not forget to constantly loosen the soil.
Lighting	In winter, daylight hours should be 12 hours	Periodically turn the plant with different sides towards the window. Fluorescent lamps Suitable for regular white spectrum. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
Temperature	Day +25° - +27° C Night +10 ° - +15° C	In summer it is good to keep the pepper on the balcony, in winter it is good to move it to windows facing south. Beware of drafts and sharp fluctuations temperature.
Top dressing	It is necessary to fertilize once every two weeks after watering.	You can feed peppers on the windowsill with purchased nitrogen fertilizers for indoor flowers. Or do nutrient solution(3 liters of water and 6 tablespoons of ash). As a top dressing, you can prepare decoctions of nettle, plantain, and clover. This is very beneficial for peppers.

The plant may suffer from a lack minerals. How to grow peppers in the most favorable conditions? Just monitor the condition of its leaves and apply it promptly. necessary fertilizer with suitable composition:

leaves curl, a dry edge appears at the edges - lack of potassium (add potassium sulfate or potassium nitrate);
matte leaf color with a grayish tint, the foliage begins to shrink - there is not enough nitrogen (it will help ammonium nitrate, which contains 35% nitrogen);
the lower part of the leaves acquires a purple color, and the leaves themselves begin to press against the trunk and stretch upward - there is little phosphorus (you need 16-18% phosphoric acid);
the leaf crown acquires a marbled color - the pepper on the windowsill lacks magnesium in the diet (magnesium is required in sulfate form).

Do not use potassium salt or potassium chloride (their composition with excess chlorine is harmful to pepper roots). But pepper is not afraid of excess nitrogen.

We are waiting for the harvest

Most domestic pepper varieties are self-pollinating plants. By the way, they can also cross-pollinate. Therefore, try to keep different varieties of peppers away from each other.

When the first fruits appear, do not overload the plant - leave up to 4-5 fruits on it.

Getting your own seeds

To do this, we select red, ripe fruits. We carefully trim the pepper around the stalk and very carefully remove the seed pod, holding it by the stalk.

We devote the next 4 days to drying the seed carrier at a temperature from +25° C to + 30° C. And separate the seeds. They must be stored in a paper bag in a warm, dark place.

The maximum shelf life of seeds is 5 years.

Replanting the plant

Peppers need to be replanted on the windowsill once a year. He wants new, fresh land for a richer harvest (after all, he has already taken everything useful from the old soil). Change the soil completely to fresh one.

Replant the plant carefully, trying not to injure the root system with a lump of earth.

And after two years of the pepper’s life, it needs to be changed. It is a biennial plant and will readily pass the baton to younger and stronger peppers.

Have a rich harvest!

See you soon, dear readers!

Among perennial crops grown on windowsills, decorative peppers are especially popular. With proper care at home, continuous fruiting is observed for 3-5 years. To ensure that the hot spice is always at hand, you need to become more familiar with the cultivation features.

Popular types

It is effective to grow peppers at home in compact sizes, up to 50 cm in height. There are varieties indoor plants, they are also called Capsicum, the height of which does not exceed 20 cm - this dwarf varieties with numerous bright fruits and a fairly long wave-like ripening. Peppers growing on small green bushes are not only spectacular decoration any windowsill, but also an excellent spicy seasoning. There are many types decorative pepper, differing in fruit shape, size, leaf mass, duration of the fruiting period, color from green to purple.

Annual

In most cases, plants dry out after harvesting, which explains their name. But there are exceptions - these are certain varieties that, at home, are capable of bearing fruit for several years in a row. Annuals are distinguished by their short stature, compactness, their height is 30-55 cm. Depending on the varietal characteristics, the fruits may have different shapes and color.

Most often, California miracle, Atlant, Orange miracle, Kakadu, Habanero, Bogatyr, Anastasia are grown on windowsills. Phoenix, Redskin, Cherry Bomb, Tepin, and Siberian Prince have positive reviews.

Shrubby

This type of perennial plant is grown on window sills, balconies, and loggias. Shrub pepper is a good choice indoor culture, it stands out for its qualitative and quantitative fruiting (5-6 years), its height is in the range of 15-45 cm.

The crown of the plant is quite dense, the fruits are small in size, their number reaches up to 50 pieces. Among the famous small-fruited varieties are the Queen of Spades, Carmen, Ogonyok, Bride, and Salute. Bush pepper is also known as cayenne pepper.

Berry-bearing

This variety of homemade pepper fully lives up to its name; its fruits are distinguished by a flattened shape, rather than the usual cone-shaped one, somewhat similar to squash. The Bishop's Crown pepper variety is attractive due to its unusual shape, but its productivity indicators are average, up to 20 fruits from one bush.

Often in room conditions There are Lemon Lollipop and White Crystal, which have proven themselves exclusively on the positive side. They have high yields. They are sweet and not spicy in taste. Tall plants grow up to 80 cm and are best placed on the floor.

Chinese

This is a less common type of indoor pepper, its height does not exceed 50 cm. The compact bush is distinguished by its ovoid foliage, their color is light green, the surface is slightly wrinkled. The flowers attract attention with their white color, there is a greenish tint.

Peppers may differ in shape; there are specimens in the form of a flashlight. Chinese pepper is valued for its pungency and heat. Its only drawback is its relatively slow growth. Santa Lucia, Devil's Yellow, and Devil's Tongue are popular.

pubescent

This variety is also called fluffy pepper; due to its tallness (3-4 m), it is most often planted in open areas. At home, some of its types are suitable, in particular, Rokoto. It grows only up to 1 m in height. The plant is covered with dense pubescence (shoots, flowers, leaves).

The flowers can be single or paired and have an unusual purple color. Short peppers grow dark red, orange, brown or black. The fruits are quite spicy in taste.

Is it possible to eat decorative peppers?

Indoor decorative pepper not only decorates the room, it also brings benefits. This spicy vegetable, when used regularly, can:

improve the condition of the central nervous system;
normalize the hematopoietic function of the body;
improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
enhance brain activity;
reduce the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis, bronchial asthma, renal failure;
provoke the release of happiness hormones;
effectively fight pathogenic microorganisms both on internal and external tissues of the body.

But in order not to cause undesirable manifestations for the body, it should be consumed in moderate doses, otherwise you can cause a burn to the mucous membrane of the digestive system, increase the load on the heart, and increase arterial pressure.

The best varieties for indoor growing

Due to their high taste characteristics and yield indicators, the following varieties are especially popular:

This indoor plant is a mid-early crop; harvesting occurs 115-120 days after planting. The bush is distinguished by medium growth vigor and branchiness. The size of the pods is quite large, their weight reaches 45 g. They grow in a rich red color and have a burning taste.
Aladdin. The ornamental crop is characterized as medium-sized, its height is no more than 50 cm. The variety is in demand because of its ultra-earliness, it bears fruit abundantly and for a long time. Small peppers are distinguished by their cone-shaped shape, pronounced aroma and pungency. As they ripen, their color changes; when they reach technical ripeness, the skin becomes red.
The compact plant reaches only 31 cm in height. The flowers are purple, self-pollinating. Black fruits turn red when they reach technical ripeness. Black pearl pepper does not require large containers; flower pots with a volume of 1.5-3 liters will suffice.
This Dutch variety of hot pepper has won consumer recognition for its abundant fruiting. The productivity is high, even despite the low growth of the bush, height 20-30 cm.
This indoor pepper is famous for its productivity and undemandingness to growing conditions. The early-ripening crop pleases with its hanging red fruits, their length is up to 5 cm. The height of the bush does not exceed 45 cm, there are not so many leaves. The fruits have a sharp taste and are actively used for preparing assorted dishes, marinades, and as a spice.

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Necessary agrotechnical conditions

When growing peppers in a pot, certain recommendations should be followed to maintain its decorative qualities and productivity. Only A complex approach will allow you to get a strong and promising plant.

Choosing a place in the apartment

The best option The placement of the ornamental plant will be in a fairly sunny location. To increase the length of daylight, it is recommended to grow hot peppers on the windowsill of a south or east window. The leaves of the plant are acutely sensitive to direct sunlight, so in summer they need to be darkened.

To develop immunity, a pot of hot pepper is taken out to the balcony at night to artificially cause contrasting temperatures. It is good for the plant to change its location every 2-3 years or replant it to stimulate growth and development. If this condition is not met, the ability to bear fruit will cease after 5 years.

Illumination

Required condition To obtain a rich harvest there is a sufficient amount of sunlight. To fully satisfy the needs of indoor hot pepper, you need to place the pot on a windowsill with a southern, western or southwestern orientation. Considering the light-loving nature of the crop in spring and autumn period, she should receive up to 3-4 hours of sunlight. You should not exceed these time limits, otherwise, instead of benefit, you can cause burns on the sheet plates.

When there is a shortage of sunlight, hot peppers are provided with an additional source of lighting in the form of fluorescent lamps.

Temperature and humidity

Heat-loving indoor pepper grows and develops effectively at room temperatures of up to 25 degrees - in spring summer time. As for winter, the temperature should be within 10-12 degrees. Air humidity is of particular importance for decorative piquant crops. In case of increased dryness, the plant will shed its leaves, and its fruits will have a wrinkled surface. In winter, regular leaf spraying will be useful for hot peppers on the windowsill.

Preparatory work

When growing hot peppers at home, it is important to choose the soil, container and seed preparation wisely.

How to get planting material

To grow hot peppers, it is better to choose seeds taken from dried fruits. Alternatively, they can be purchased at specialized retail outlets or in online stores, which offer a range of planting material decorative and exotic crops. If you sow it in February-March, you can count on a harvest in September-October. To successfully grow on a windowsill, you should choose the right seed material and produce it pre-sowing preparation.

Pre-planting seed treatment

The choice of seeds should be focused on self-pollinating varieties; if you use other varieties, pollination will have to be done manually, which is not always convenient and effective. To speed up the germination process, purchased or collected seeds need to be kept in a container of water for several days. But they are first treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, kept for 30 minutes. Wood ash is used as a natural growth stimulant; it is added to water for soaking seeds.

Soil and container for planting

The pots are filled either with ready-made seedling substrate, which is sold in specialized retail outlets, or with nutritious soil prepared independently from leaf soil (2 parts), peat (1 part), river sand (1 part), coconut fiber (1 part) and perlite ( 1 part). To avoid negative consequences for plantings in the form of development various kinds diseases, the soil mixture is disinfected with fungicidal preparations such as Previkur. A 1% solution of potassium permanganate is suitable for these purposes.

To plant seeds in the ground, you will need separate 200 ml containers. To transplant an adult bush, it is better to take pots with a volume of over 3 liters.

Technology of sowing seedlings

To achieve good results, you need to know how to properly plant hot pepper from seeds at home.

When to sow

When cultivating at home, it is very important to adhere to the timing of planting seed material. Sowing the piquant crop in containers or other containers is allowed throughout the year, as long as the temperature in the room is maintained in the range of 20-25 degrees. Varieties with early or very early ripening are sown from April to mid-May, and plants with medium or late ripening - from the last days of February to the first days of May.

Depth and pattern of seed placement

The prepared seed material is planted either in a common container (2-3 cm between seedlings) with further picking, or separately, using peat cups. When growing indoor pepper, you need to know that it does not tolerate transferring it into a deeper container; its growth processes can slow down significantly. It is more efficient to immediately sow in pots with a volume of 3 liters. Planting depth seed material should not exceed 1.5-2 cm. Sprouted specimens should be used extremely carefully, the root should be directed downwards.

Seedling care

To grow a healthy and strong plant, you need to properly care for it.

First shoots

In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they need to create greenhouse conditions. To do this, cover the containers with plastic wrap and place them in a warm and bright place. The recommended room temperature should be at least 24 degrees. When shoots appear, the covering material is removed. You can expect sprouts from fresh seeds in 10-14 days. If old copies are used, then this process will take 2-3 weeks. Growing seedlings will find a comfortable temperature within 18-20 degrees.

Picking to a permanent place

Sprouts can be replanted at the stage when they have two pairs of true leaves. From small pots with a volume of 200-300 ml ornamental plants transferred into large containers filled with fertile soil. It is important that after the manipulations the pepper is at the same level as it grew before.

If you dig deep into the ground, then due to the lack of the ability to form additional roots, the spicy plant will die.

Features of growing on a window

Caring for decorative peppers involves timely application nutritional compositions, moisturizing, bush formation.

Watering and fertilizing regime

In spring and summer, the soil is moistened as it dries. The water should be at room temperature and standing (1 day). In drought conditions, the plant sheds leaves and flowers, so watering is done regularly, but in moderate doses. In hot weather, leaf spraying 2-3 times a day is effective.

Identify the deficiency nutritional components in the soil can be determined by its external condition. If there is not enough phosphorus, the lower leaves turn purple. Nitrogen deficiency is detected by the light color of the leaf mass. Feed hot peppers once every 2 weeks. Nitrogen compounds are used for leaf treatments, and phosphorus-potassium compounds are used for bush treatments. Care at home must be of high quality, otherwise the fruits will be small and not sharp.

Diseases and pests of indoor species

The spicy perennial most often suffers from an attack by spider mites. This harmful insect appears on plants under conditions high humidity in the air. Mealyworm attacks bushes if there is no disinfectant treatment of the soil before planting. If you overdo it with watering, then there is a high probability of developing dangerous diseases on the plantings - late blight, root rot. If lesions of different colors are detected on leaf plates, they should be treated with copper-containing preparations. A clear manifestation of root rot is the wilting of the bush. To save it, the soil is replaced with new one.

Bush formation

When cultivating pepper at home on the windowsill, you need to periodically prune it; thanks to this procedure, productivity indicators significantly increase decorative culture, a beautiful crown is formed and growth processes are enhanced. At the first fruiting, each side shoot is pinched. Since hot peppers tolerate shortening quite painlessly, from time to time it will benefit from pruning half the length of each branch.

Flowering period and subtleties of pollination

It is more convenient to grow self-pollinating varieties indoors. If you want to increase the amount of harvest, you should lightly shake the plant at the flowering stage or go over all the flowers with a soft brush. To stimulate the appearance of new ovaries, carry out abundant watering.

It happens that the buds of hot peppers fall off. The reason for dropping flowers may be non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology. It is necessary to properly organize irrigation, feed the plant and control the air temperature in the room.

Harvesting

The fruits of indoor hot peppers are collected as they ripen; here you need to focus on the varietal characteristics of each specific species. There are varieties (Jalapeño) that, when they reach their technical maturity, lose their pungency. Therefore, they are picked earlier, while still unripe. If you plan to collect seed material, the peppers must be fully ripe and red, orange or yellow in color. After being picked from the bush, these specimens should dry out for 2-3 days.

Hot pepper like perennial, has its own characteristics. To achieve a high-quality harvest, correct agricultural practices must be followed.

Decorative indoor pepper is an opportunity to extend the feeling of summer throughout winter period. The plant called pepper is actually a member of the Solanaceae family. Its second name is capsicum.

Ornamental pepper is a perennial that can be grown indoors. Its homeland is South America and Asia. The height of the plant, which is a branched bush with oblong leaves, is from 20 to 50 centimeters.

The flowers of decorative pepper are small and white. The crop is self-pollinating, and after flowering, round or oblong fruits of yellow, red, orange or purple. The fruit size is from 2 to 5 centimeters, depending on the variety. A feature of homemade ornamental peppers is the simultaneous formation of flowers and fruits of varying degrees of maturity. The fruits of decorative peppers, due to the content of the alkaloid capsaicin, are hot, bitter and spicy. The stems and leaves of the plant are poisonous.

For successful cultivation, it is important to know how to care for ornamental peppers. Care at home is basically the same as growing other indoor plants, but also has some nuances.

The most popular types with photographs

Different types of ornamental peppers differ in the shape of the leaves, the time of fruiting, the color and shape of the fruit:

Annual. Varieties of this species have a pronounced vegetable, sweetish taste, which is why it is called indoor paprika. Some varieties of this species may dry out after harvesting the fruits. Annual pepper bushes are compact in shape, 35-55 centimeters high. Popular varieties:

Tepin.
Redskin.
Siberian prince.

Bush (cayenne). Perennial species, most suitable for growing on a windowsill, balcony, loggia. Fruits up to 6 years. The height of the bush is from 15 to 45 centimeters. Each bush produces 45-50 fruits. Varieties of this species:

Carmen.
Firework.
Bride.

Ornamental bush pepper

Berry-bearing. It got its name from the flattened shape of the fruit. The original fruits of this species resemble squash. The taste of the fruit is sweetish, with a slight amount of pungency. The species is tall, up to 80 centimeters. Berry pepper varieties:

Lemon lollipop.
White crystal.
Crown Bishop.

Chinese. A less common species in home cultivation. Bush up to 50 centimeters high. The fruits vary in shape. The most original ones are in the form of a flashlight. The disadvantage of this species is its slow growth. Popular varieties:

Santa Lucia.
Devil's tongue.
Devil's yellow.

Pubescent. Mainly grown in open ground, due to his height. Only certain varieties are suitable for growing indoors. For example, Rokot, up to 1 meter high. This species received its name due to the pubescence of the leaves, stems and flowers.

Selection of planting material

For growing at home, it is recommended to choose varieties with a height of no more than 40-50 centimeters. Such bushes can be placed on the windowsill in small pots. Varieties of various colors and shapes will look impressive, creating a contrasting play of colors.

For growing on a windowsill, it is best to purchase low-growing varieties.

Ornamental pepper seeds can be purchased in specialized stores. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the date of seed collection. When properly stored, seeds remain viable for up to 5 years, but germination decreases annually, so seeds no older than 1 year will give the highest percentage of germination.

Planting material must have a uniform color and structure, without dark spots, damage, twisting. High-quality ornamental pepper seeds have a smooth, cream-colored surface.

Rules for growing peppers at home

Growing peppers indoors requires compliance with some recommendations and rules, without which success will not be achieved.

Accommodation in the apartment and selection of soil

The room for decorative peppers should be as light and ventilated as possible, but without drafts. Western or eastern windows are ideal for the plant, since pepper is demanding of lighting. If the room's windows face south, it is not recommended to keep the pepper on the windowsill: the tender leaves will suffer from sunburn at midday.

If the pepper is on a south window, it needs shading

But without sunlight, peppers cannot grow. It is extremely important for him to receive 3-4 hours of open sunlight a day. If there is not enough sun, you need to provide it artificial lighting. The lack of light immediately affects the condition of the decorative pepper. It branches poorly, blooms poorly, and practically does not form fruit.

A particularly difficult period for perennial peppers is November-January. At this time, daylight hours are very short. And the plant is stressed. The condition of the pepper is restored by additional illumination with fluorescent or phytolamps. The daylight hours of a southern plant should be at least 12 hours.

The soil for peppers should be as loose and breathable as possible. This crop does not tolerate dense soil. The ideal substrate is obtained by mixing leaf turf, peat and sand in equal quantities. You can add a small amount of sawdust. To increase nutritional value, add a small amount of humus.

Advice. To ensure that the soil composition is ideal for growing peppers, experienced gardeners advise adding agroperlite or vermiculite to the substrate. These ingredients prevent soil compaction and promote moisture retention.

With short daylight hours pepper needs additional lighting

Temperature and humidity

The recommended temperature for growing peppers is 24-25 degrees in spring and summer, 15-18 degrees in winter. Pepper loves differences in day and night temperatures, so in summer it is recommended to keep it on a loggia or balcony.

Pepper needs moderate humidity. It does not tolerate waterlogging, but also reacts negatively to lack of moisture. When the moisture content in the room is less than 50%, it is recommended to spray the peppers with a spray bottle.

Sowing rules

The time for sowing pepper when growing it from seeds is early February. The first stage is growing seedlings. Seeds are processed disinfectant solution(potassium permanganate or), then soak for 12 hours in a small amount of water for 12 hours. If the seeds are old, they can be pre-treated. This technique does not affect the development of the plant in the future, but the germination energy is doubled. Freshly harvested seeds do not need stimulation.

When the seeds swell, they are placed in seedling containers. For 5-6 seeds, a 300-400 ml pot or tray is quite suitable. The container is filled with soil. At the stage of growing seedlings, a ready-made mixture for seedlings from the store is quite suitable.

Ornamental peppers are grown strictly through seedlings

The seeds are placed at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from each other so that the sprouts do not interfere with each other after germination. The top of the crops is sprinkled with soil in a layer of 0.5 centimeters. All seeds must be completely covered with soil. Then the surface is moistened with a spray bottle. The soil should be slightly moist, but not wet, since in waterlogged soil the seeds will begin to mold and rot.

Greenhouse conditions are created for the seeds. Cover the top of the container with film and place it in a bright, warm place. To germinate, seeds need a temperature of at least 24 degrees.

Important. Do not place the container on a window in direct sunlight. In such conditions, a greenhouse effect will be created under the film, and the seeds will simply “cook”.

When shoots appear, the film is immediately removed from the planting container. Fresh seeds germinate in 10-14 days. The process of germination of old seeds may take several weeks. After the emergence of seedlings, the air temperature is briefly reduced to 18-20 degrees.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place

To transfer to permanent place Seedlings are ready for cultivation at the stage of two pairs of true leaves. Each sprout of decorative pepper is grown in separate pot. When several plants are planted together in one container, the weaker ones will stop growing and will not bear fruit.

Only one plant can be grown in a pot

To begin with, small pots of 200-300 milliliters in size are suitable. It is not recommended to plant immediately in a large pot, since soil undeveloped by roots will acidify during watering. When transplanting, the plant is placed at the same level at which it grew previously. It is not recommended to bury the plant, since additional roots do not form on the pepper stem, as happens, for example, in tomatoes.

A layer of drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot. To prevent the drainage mixture from clogging the hole in the bottom, place a fragment of a ceramic pot on it with the convex side up. The pot is filled with pre-prepared soil mixture and the sprout is planted in it. The soil around the plant is lightly compacted and moistened abundantly. During the rooting process, approximately 7-10 days, the pepper is not watered. Until the roots have taken root, excess moisture is not absorbed by the plant, and the root may rot.

Advice. When transplanting a sprout, pinch off its main root a little. This technique promotes education large quantity lateral roots and the formation of a powerful root system.

How to grow decorative peppers from cuttings

In spring and summer, ornamental peppers can be propagated by cuttings. For rooting, a side shoot is cut off. The cut is treated with a root formation stimulator and placed in a mixture of sand and soil (1:1). The cuttings are watered abundantly and covered with a glass or plastic cap. The pot is placed in a bright, warm place.

To propagate ornamental peppers, you can use the cutting method.

During the rooting process, the cap is lifted daily for ventilation. To make the cutting take root faster, it is recommended to pinch the top of it. The cutting can be immediately planted in a pot in which it will grow in the future. In this case, the pot is filled with the substrate recommended for growing ornamental peppers. If the cutting has taken root in the sand-soil mixture, after 20-30 days it is transferred to a larger pot along with the earthen ball in which it grew previously.

Cultivation care

Standard care for indoor peppers

When grown in a pot, caring for ornamental peppers includes the following:

Watering. In spring and summer, peppers need to be watered as the soil dries out. For irrigation, warm water that has been standing for at least a day is used. The earthen clod should not be allowed to dry out. If the plant wilts, it may lose its leaves and flowers, and there will be no fruit.
Spraying. On particularly hot days, pepper should be sprayed every 2-3 days.
Feeding. Ornamental pepper is a nutrient-demanding crop. The plant will indicate a lack of any substance by its appearance. Purple shade lower leaves indicates a lack of phosphorus. Lightening of the leaves indicates a lack of nitrogen. Peppers need fertilizing with mineral mixtures every 2 weeks. Phosphorus-potassium mixtures are applied at the root, nitrogen fertilizers- on the foliage.
Crown formation. Pruning decorative peppers is a mandatory procedure that helps increase the number of fruits and the formation of a beautiful crown. When the first fruits form, each shoot is pinched. The crown of the main stem is pinched immediately after the first flowers appear on it. This technique promotes the growth of new side shoots, and the pepper bush becomes fluffy and round. It is also recommended to trim all shoots that escape from the general crown.

Transplanting decorative indoor peppers

It is necessary to replant ornamental peppers with partial soil replacement every year. The main goal of this procedure is to increase the nutritional value of the soil. In order not to injure the plant, which reacts extremely painfully to transplantation, some gardeners use partial replacement of the soil in the pot without removing the plant from it.

Possible diseases and pests

Most often, ornamental peppers are attacked mealybugs and spider mites. Mealyworm attacks the roots of the plant. To prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to disinfect the soil before planting.

Plants are often affected by mealybugs

Spider mites appear on peppers when the recommendations for moisture content in the air are violated . The plant must be bathed regularly and the air humidified. In winter, when the humidity level in the apartment drops sharply due to heating, it is recommended to place an open container of water next to the pot of pepper.

If the soil is waterlogged, peppers may develop root rot or late blight. If any spots appear on the leaves, the plant must be treated with a copper-containing preparation. The appearance of root rot is indicated by wilting of pepper leaves. In this case, the plant is removed from the soil and completely replaced.

Difficulties and secrets of growing indoor peppers

The main problem with growing ornamental peppers at home is the lack of sunlight. Pepper is a child of the sun, and without it it will not feel comfortable. To compensate for this deficiency, in the summer you can place pots of pepper outside or on the balcony.

In the summer, pots of peppers can be taken outside

The multi-colored miniature fruits that form after flowering give indoor peppers a special decorative appearance. To increase the number of ovaries, experienced flower growers advise periodically shaking the pot with pepper during the flowering period or brushing the flowers one by one with a soft brush.

You can get acquainted with the features of growing ornamental peppers from the proposed video material. Enjoy watching!

Chili peppers are grown not only in the garden or in the greenhouse: you can also sow them in boxes on the windowsill. This way, your favorite fresh seasoning will always be at hand. In addition, decorative hot peppers in the form of a green bush with bright fruits decorates the interior.

ON THE PICTURE: Pepper on the windowsill will become a spectacular green decoration for the kitchen.

Selection of hot pepper varieties for indoor culture

It is not recommended to use seeds from chili pods purchased at greengrocers. Industrial varieties from Southeast Asia are usually sold there. These seeds are not suitable for growing at home.

For an apartment or house, indoor hot peppers belonging to the species are preferable.- Annual or vegetable pepper. It preserves the varietal qualities of wild “ancestors” from low-light undergrowth. This pepper can cope with a small space in a flower pot and a lack of sunlight.

ON THE PICTURE:The unpretentious Capsicum annuum takes root well both in open ground and in containers.

Popular varieties of indoor peppers

The concept of “pepper in a pot”, or “indoor pepper”, is relative. Any hot pepper that is suitable for this purpose in size and level of requirements for living conditions is sown in a pot on the windowsill. Sown for decorative purposes and for food use varieties growing in open ground or in a greenhouse.

For individual chili varieties very similar (Solanum pseudocapsicum), popularly called " Jerusalem cherry " . Nightshade fruits are poisonous, and only varieties of vegetable pepper are used in cooking.

The following varieties of indoor peppers are usually grown:

"Ogonyok" Grows well at home. Mid-early variety. Fruiting occurs 115–120 days after emergence. The pods are bright red, elongated, smooth, quite large: each weighs 45 g. The taste is classic: hot pepper. Medium-sized bush, branched.
"Aladdin" Ultra-early ripening, bears fruit abundantly and for a long time. The height in open ground is 50 cm, in the room no higher than 35–40 cm. The fruits are small, numerous, elongated-cone-shaped, spicy and aromatic. At the stage of technical ripeness, the pods turn from green to cream and purple, then turn red. At indoor growing It is less bitter than street fruit, but this does not affect fruiting.
"Bell" *("Christmas bell* ") Variety refers to the species (Capsicum baccatum). The fruits look like a berry, a small squash or a bell, gracefully suspended on the stalks. Fruit weight 60–100 g. The severity is unevenly distributed. The placenta has a burning taste, and the remaining parts have a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Leaves and stems with characteristic pubescence. The fruits ripen 150 days after emergence. The variety needs pinching.
*"Explosive Ember"* ") Unusual purple-green foliage. The color of the pods depends on the stage of maturity: purple, creamy, pink, scarlet. The fruits are small, up to 2.5 cm long, very sharp. The variety is early ripening, the fruits ripen in 115–120 days from sowing. The bush is compact, height 20–30 cm.
" Poinsettia *"("Poinsettia")* Bunches of fruit at the ends of the branches resemble the original flowers. Plant height 30–35 cm. The name duplicates the name of another plant popular in the West, the beautiful Euphorbia, also called. Fruits up to 7.5 cm long turn red when ripe. The pods have a very pungent taste.
" Garda Firewax *" ("Garde fireworks")* The bushes are low, 25–30 cm tall. The bush is densely strewn with pods sticking up. The plant simultaneously contains pods of several colors: green, lilac, orange and red. Pods up to 5.5 cm long. The taste is spicy.
"Nosegay" One of the most compact and miniature peppers. Height no more than 15 cm. Small, round fruits change color when ripe from green to cream, orange, and finally red. Can grow in small flower pot capacity 1 l. The taste of the fruit is medium spicy.

Especially decorative varieties of peppers

"Variegatta"- variegated variety.
"SHU"-also differs in variegated, variegated color. The fruits are mostly yellow or purple. Powerful beautiful bush.
"Purple Tiger" ("Purple Tiger")-a low bush with light purple small fruits and variegated foliage. Refined, good in compositions.
"Salsa Orange"-Very popular variety with small fruits orange color. It resembles indoor pepper "Ogonyok" and needs the same growing conditions. The foliage is large, dark green. Small bright fruits look very attractive on it.
"Rowanushka"- a variety with small multi-colored pea-shaped fruits, reminiscent of mountain ash clusters. The bush is compact, with small, slightly curled “boat” leaves. The pepper berries “sit” in them.

ON THE PICTURE:Original decorative foliage of the Variegata variety.

ON THE PICTURE:Potted pepper"SHU" with yellow fruits.

ON THE PICTURE:Searing and sophisticated "Purple Tiger".

ON THE PICTURE: Bright and colorful "Orange Salsa".

ON THE PICTURE:Round-fruited variety of domestic pepper "Ryabinushka".

You can choose the variety of hot pepper according to your own taste, using the review in the article: "".

Growing indoor peppers

Soil selection and preparation

By nature, pepper is a perennial, so it can grow at home for up to 10 years. To successfully grow a crop, you first need the right soil. Store-bought mixtures are only suitable for seedlings. For a permanent container or pot, it is better to prepare the soil yourself.

Peppers like slightly acidic soil (pH 5.0–6.0). Composition of a suitable soil mixture:

neutralized peat: 4 parts;
compost or leaf humus: 4 parts;
or agroperlite: 2 parts. The last ingredient retains moisture well and prevents excessive compaction of the soil.

ON THE PICTURE: Mulching the soil in the pot will help preserve required humidity and will increase the level of light, which is especially important for peppers in winter time.

When and how to sow hot peppers for growing indoors

Optimal sowing dates:

Sowing peppers in boxes for growing indoors is done all year round, taking into account the characteristics of the crop:

Early spring varieties sown from the beginning of November to the last days of December.
The right time to sow summer crops - March, April.
Autumn varieties sown in July-August.

You can sow decorative peppers in boxes in winter, but in this case additional lighting will be required.

Agricultural technology for sowing homemade hot pepper:

To sow indoor hot peppers, you need small pots with a capacity of 0.2 liters. At the bottom of such containers pour garden or clean medium size. The optimal thickness of the drainage layer is 2–3 cm. Then the containers are filled with the soil mixture described above to 2/3.

Pepper seeds, pre-treated with Epin-Eksta or potassium humate, are planted 1 cm deep into the ground. After this, they are sprinkled with nutritious soil, which is slightly compacted. The sowing is covered with an opaque film and placed for germination at a temperature of +23–25°C.

ON THE PICTURE:Sprouted hot pepper seeds.

Growing seedlings:

After sprouts appear 7–12 days protective film cleaned up. On the fourth or fifth day, the temperature drops to +16–18°C. In the future, for the pepper seedlings to survive and grow stronger, the soil temperature should be +20–22°C, the air temperature - +24°C and above during the day, +18–20°C at night.

Seedlings are regularly and moderately watered with soft, settled water at a temperature of +20°C.

It is important not to allow the soil to become waterlogged: it will destroy the fragile roots of the peppers.

Picking is done at the stage of two or three true leaves. Before it, the seedlings are fed with a solution of 1 tbsp. l. calcium nitrate in 10 l. water. Two to three hours before picking, the sprouts must be watered to prevent the soil from falling off the roots.

After the seedlings have finally become stronger and grown to the stage of 6–12 leaves, they are transplanted into containers 3–5 liters deep.

ON THE PICTURE:In order not to waste time on picking in the future, you can immediately sow the seeds of decorative peppers in separate pots.

Conditions for keeping and caring for peppers on the windowsill

Watering and air humidity:

After planting in a permanent container, indoor peppers are watered frequently and sparingly. During fruiting, the plant requires more moisture. Watering is done in the morning, at the root, with further careful loosening of the soil.

Pepper needs air humidity of 65–75%. If the room is dry, spraying will be necessary.

Temperature and ventilation:

Indoor hot peppers are kept at a temperature of +20–28°C. Regular ventilation of the room is mandatory, but drafts are undesirable.

ON THE PICTURE: In the summer, it is useful to place ornamental peppers outdoors.

Lighting:

All types of pepper, even those originating from those growing in shaded undergrowth, have difficulty withstanding the winters of temperate latitudes. Short daylight hours combined with cloudy weather are a severe test for “immigrants from the south.”

Peppers are particularly susceptible to lack of light from November to January. Plants not only stop blooming, but also stop growing. Some varieties shed their leaves when there is a lack of light.

ON THE PICTURE:One of the secrets to the decorative appearance of an indoor pepper bush is uniform lighting of all parts of the plant.

Feeding:

Hot peppers in a container are fed once every 10–12 days. To prepare something suitable for him mineral fertilizer , can be diluted in 10 l. water of choice:

30–40 g superphosphate;
15–20 g ammonium nitrate;
25–30 g of potassium sulphide.

Mineral fertilizers alternate with organic ones. Simple recipe organic fertilizer for indoor peppers: dilute half a jar of bird droppings in granules in 10 liters. water.

The composition of the fertilizer depends on the phase life cycle plants. For example, during the active growing season, a sufficient amount of calcium is essential. Therefore, foliar feeding calcium nitrate 0.2%. When planting buds, peppers need nitrogen. To increase the activity of roots at the stage of fruit formation, phosphorus fertilizers are applied.

Trimming:

With proper care, peppers in a pot will delight you with their decorative appearance and productivity for 8–10 years. However, it is advisable to update it every three years, cutting off old and too powerful shoots. Young peppers look more aesthetically pleasing.

First, shoots directed inward and those that bear fruit are cut off. At the beginning of flowering, the crown bud, the first in the branching of the stem, is necessarily removed.

Let the indoor pepper grow, bloom and bear fruit to its glory!

Fruiting, as a rule, abundant. At the same time, there can be from 20 to 50 fruitlets on a bush, and their total number per season reaches up to a hundred.

Hot pepper growing at home, how often does it bear fruit?

This plant is a perennial and will delight you for 5-6 years.

Varieties of small peppers

shrub varieties .

Preparing and sowing peppers

They feed

If you want to get pepper seeds

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Hot peppers can be grown not only on garden plot, but also at home. SuperDom will tell you how to grow hot peppers at home.

How to grow hot peppers from seeds at home

Some varieties of hot peppers boast compact dimensions, so they can be grown at home on a windowsill. To do this, just follow a few simple rules.

Features of planting hot peppers

It is rarely necessary to transplant peppers into another pot, so initially you should choose a suitable container for it.

The volume of the pot is required to be at least 5 liters. A drainage layer of stones or expanded clay is laid on its bottom.

The soil in the pot must be well-permeable to moisture and air, and its composition may vary.

Pepper on the windowsill. Growing from seeds in winter and summer

A mixture of humus, turf soil and mullein in a ratio of 7:2:1 is well suited for growing hot peppers. You can take a mixture of turf soil and humus in proportions 1:2 or 3:6 with the addition of one part of mullein.

You should not add rotted compost to the soil, as it is the causative agent of pepper diseases.

It is necessary to plant hot pepper seeds at the very end of winter. If you bought the seeds in a store, they do not need additional processing. Seeds collected at home should be kept for 20 minutes in a 1% manganese solution, then rinsed with clean water.

In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they must be placed in a growth stimulator solution for 2 days.

When planting, they are laid out in shallow grooves and then covered with earth. Until germination, containers with seeds should be kept at temperatures up to 25 degrees Celsius. Immediately after their appearance, they must be moved for a week to a cool place - up to 17 degrees Celsius.

If you grow seedlings in a common container, then you should plant them in pots when they have two true leaves.

The seedlings are transplanted into a large pot after two months.

How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill: necessary care

Caring for an adult plant includes only two activities - watering and fertilizing.

Peppers should be watered regularly with warm, settled water.

During particularly hot seasons, it is recommended to spray the leaves of the plant with water in the evenings.

If the water for irrigation is hard, then the top layer of soil should be changed regularly.
It is also worth regularly loosening the soil in the pot, and periodically turning the pot itself to ensure that the plant is evenly illuminated by the sun.

In winter, the pepper can be provided with additional lighting.

Growing peppers at home: how to properly fertilize

The first feeding of hot peppers is carried out a couple of days after picking, the second – after 10 days.

Complex compounds are used as fertilizers. mineral supplements for indoor plants.

Fertilizing should be done every month, and to protect against diseases, foliar fertilizing with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate can be carried out.

Exotics in the apartment: how to grow an avocado on the windowsill

Home Tips Grow small-fruited peppers on the windowsill at home

Christmas pepper is the name given in English-speaking countries to small-fruited hot peppers, with pots of which Europeans decorate the window sills of their kitchens. They can be understood; who would refuse to admire the graceful peppers in winter, burning like lanterns among the bright green foliage?

Multi-colored hot pepper lanterns have a double benefit: decorating windows and obtaining fruits that, when fresh, will add a piquant taste to any vegetable and meat dishes. If you dry peppers from only one plant, you can provide yourself with seasoning for canning for the entire summer-autumn season.

Small-fruited pepper bushes are low (15-50 cm), compact, leaves are small, fruits are single or grow in bunches. Their shape is different varieties different, they can look like balls, plums, elongated pyramids, cylinders that point down or up.

The color is also pleasing to the eye: orange, bright yellow, red of all shades, less often white or black.

Hot chili pepper: growing from seeds, planting and care

There are varieties whose peppers change color several times during ripening, for example, first lilac, then orange and red, and all of them decorate the bush at the same time; add to this the flowering that does not stop during fruiting, and you will understand why this plant is so popular in the world. many countries.

Fruiting

Indoor pepper not only lifts the mood, bestows fruits, but also takes care of the health of its owners. Thanks to its bactericidal properties, where it grows, the air is cleaner, there are fewer harmful microbes and people get sick less often.

Hot pepper also has a beneficial effect on other indoor plants - they are rarely damaged by insects, and if necessary, owners always have a means of protection against aphids, whiteflies and caterpillars. They will no longer bother you if you leave fresh or dried peppers in water for a day (1:10), strain, and sprinkle the plant suffering from pests and the soil in the pot. You can make a garland from peppers and decorate your kitchen with them. And if you extract the seeds from the fruits, you will receive first-class planting material.

Ornamental peppers grow well not only indoors, but also on the balcony, loggia, and also in the summer in the garden bed under the film, returning to the window sill in the fall.

Varieties of small peppers

For growing on a window, we recommend domestic shrub varieties, which are not inferior in decorativeness to foreign ones, bear fruit all year round and can decorate the windowsill for as long as 5 years. This Indian Summer, Carmen, Bride, Twinkle, Queen of Spades, Rowanushka, Fireworks, Inflorescence, Flint.

Preparing and sowing peppers

As practice has shown, it is best to sow sprouted seeds from the end of February to the first ten days of March. Can be used as a primer ready mixture for peppers, tomatoes, eggplants. The seed box is filled with this mixture, watered, and the next day sowing is carried out, deepening the seeds by 1 cm. Afterwards, the seed box is covered with film or glass. Place in a warm place and keep in this form until shoots appear.

Transplanting and caring for small-fruited peppers

When 3-4 leaves form on the seedlings, they are transplanted one at a time into 1-1.5 liter pots. A hot pepper bush does not need a large pot, but it should be beautiful, not inferior in decorativeness to the plant planted in it. The pot must have a hole to drain excess water and drainage placed on the bottom.

It is better to place the pot on a south, south-east or south-west window. In the north, during the autumn-winter period, you will have to provide additional lighting in the mornings and evenings, since pepper is light-loving. It also loves moisture, so it needs regular watering. You only need to water with settled water at room temperature, pouring it into the tray as the plant drinks it.

They feed plant once every 10-14 days, more often in the spring and summer. For feeding, you can use any complex mineral fertilizer (mortar, Kemira-lux, Kemira-universal, nitrophoska), dissolving 1 teaspoon in 5 liters of water. Before feeding, the bush is watered, and in a pot, and not in a tray.

In order for the pepper to bear fruit all year round, he daytime temperature required 22-24 degrees and night 17-19 degrees. And so that it does not suffer from overheating on the windowsill in winter, the battery should be covered.

In spring, peppers need to be transplanted into fresh soil. With the onset of warm weather, it is advisable to take it out onto the balcony, placing the pot in a place where there are no drafts. Indoor peppers can even be planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse if its sweet counterpart does not grow there. Otherwise, cross-pollination will occur, and instead of a sweet vegetable pepper, you will get a bitter one, albeit with large fruits.

If you want to get pepper seeds, you have to wait until the fruits are completely ripe. Then dry them, crush them and select the seeds. They retain germination for 3-4 years.

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Home Tips Grow small-fruited peppers on the windowsill at home

Grow small-fruited peppers on the windowsill at home

Small-fruited pepper bushes are low (15-50 cm), compact, leaves are small, fruits are single or grow in bunches. Their shape is different for different varieties; they can look like balls, plums, elongated pyramids, cylinders that point down or up.

The color is also pleasing to the eye: orange, bright yellow, red of all shades, less often white or black. There are varieties whose peppers change color several times during ripening, for example, first lilac, then orange and red, and all of them decorate the bush at the same time; add to this the flowering that does not stop during fruiting, and you will understand why this plant is so popular in the world. many countries.

Fruiting, as a rule, abundant. At the same time, there can be from 20 to 50 fruitlets on a bush, and their total number per season reaches up to a hundred. This plant is a perennial and will delight you for 5-6 years.

Ornamental peppers grow well not only indoors, but also on the balcony, loggia, and also in the summer in the garden bed under the film, returning to the window sill in the fall.

Varieties of small peppers

Preparing and sowing peppers

As practice has shown, it is best to sow sprouted seeds from the end of February to the first ten days of March. As a primer, you can use a ready-made mixture for peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. The seed box is filled with this mixture, watered, and the next day sowing is carried out, deepening the seeds by 1 cm. Afterwards, the seed box is covered with film or glass. Place in a warm place and keep in this form until shoots appear.

Transplanting and caring for small-fruited peppers

If you want to get pepper seeds, you have to wait until the fruits are completely ripe. Then dry them, crush them and select the seeds. They retain germination for 3-4 years.

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How to grow peppers at home?

Hot pepper is a flexible plant that allows you to get fruits not only personal plot, but also at home. In addition to practical use, this plant can become an interior decoration, since many varieties for growing in the room and on the balcony are very decorative. The region of origin of this plant is South America, from where it migrated to Europe along with the explorers of Columbus.

The unique taste of this variety of pepper is due to the content of the alkaloid capsaicin, a substance that is not found in any other type of vegetable. The degree of pungency of the varieties of this plant is determined by its presence. Useful qualities of hot pepper:

Despite such a number useful properties, the use of hot pepper has its own characteristics, which can bring a lot of unpleasant sensations.

In case of contact with the mucous membrane of the eyes or damaged skin, a chemical burn is guaranteed. Getting hot pepper juice under your nails leads to irritation of the skin under the nail plate. Abuse of this seasoning can lead to damage to the gastric mucosa and the appearance of gastritis.

To minimize these manifestations, it is enough to observe moderation and handle hot peppers with gloves. If pepper juice gets on the mucous membranes of your eyes, you should immediately rinse them with plenty of water and consult a doctor.

The main condition that must be observed when choosing a variety of hot pepper is its ability to grow and bear fruit in conditions of lack of lighting, limited space for root growth, and have a compact bush size. These requirements are met by varieties of indoor hot peppers belonging to the species “Annual or vegetable pepper” (Capsicum annuum).

Hot pepper variety "Aladdin"

Equipment and soil for growing peppers

Before you start growing hot peppers at home, you need to prepare equipment to perform basic technological operations:

Container for sowing seeds.
Peat pots for seedlings.
Tray for water drainage.
Watering can with a fine strainer.
Humidifier.
Lamp for additional illumination of plants.
Mineral fertilizers.
Ready-made or self-composed soil for growing plants.

Since hot pepper will have to be kept in the same container at home, its selection should be taken responsibly. A pot or box must be “breathable”, have a device for draining excess moisture, be convenient for watering and rooting operations, and be spacious enough. It is better if it is a ceramic or wooden pot with a tray, and its volume will not be less than 5 liters.

Tip No. 1: Try to provide a container for an adult plant on a spacious tray, where you can place a pot with a plant and put expanded clay and sphagnum moss. By watering these moisture accumulators, they create a special microclimate around the plant, which is very important in winter - during the heating season.

The soil for growing seedlings and filling a pot for the growth of an adult hot pepper bush must be nutritious, structural, water- and breathable, and absorb moisture well.

Mixtures for growing hot peppers

If there is humus in the soil, it will subsequently be able to better retain the nutrients supplied during fertilizing. There is no need to avoid adding rotted compost or manure humus to soil mixtures - during the ripening process they have lost viable weed seeds, but are saturated with beneficial microflora that will resist pathogens of plant diseases.

Seed preparation

They begin growing hot peppers at the end of February, so that the peak of seedling growth does not occur during short daylight hours, and the plants do not have to be supplemented with additional light. Seeds purchased in a store have usually already been pre-planted and do not need to be soaked or treated to prevent diseases. This is evidenced by their color; it can be green or red. If hot pepper seeds are collected at home, you need to work with them before sowing.

Most The best way seed treatment - dressing for 20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or manganese sulfate. After aging, the treated seeds are thoroughly washed in clean water and germinated until biting. To do this, they are placed for 2 days in a stimulant solution:

“Energen” - 10 g per 200 ml of water;
“Bud” - 1 g per 1 liter of water;
“Epin” - 4-5 drops per 200 ml of water;
Aloe juice – 5 g per 200 ml of water.

After aging, the seeds are laid out on a damp cotton cloth and constantly sprinkled with water so that they do not dry out. If the room temperature is within +20+30⁰C, then after 4-5 days the seeds will begin to grow.

Growing seedlings

Sowing is done in two ways: with picking and without picking. Using the first method, you can select the most powerful and strong specimens; without picking, the period of growing seedlings is reduced from 60 to 45 days. When grown without picking, the seeds are immediately sown in cups or peat pots, in which they will grow until planted in a permanent place. When growing pickled pepper seedlings, sowing is carried out in a box or container.

Growing peppers without picking

The treated seeds are laid out on the soil surface in shallow grooves at a distance of 2 cm from each other. In pots they are sown in shallow holes with 2-3 seeds in each. The crops are sprinkled with a small layer of soil to compact the soil. Before germination, boxes and pots should be kept at a temperature of +24+26⁰ C. The soil should be sprinkled with water to prevent the formation of a soil crust and successful germination.

After the emergence of seedlings, they are transferred to a room with a lower temperature for 5-7 days (+15+17⁰ C). This measure will prevent the seedlings from stretching out and provide them with strong roots. A week later temperature regime changes again - during the day +23+25⁰ C, at night -+16+17⁰C. When the seedlings have 2 true leaves, they are picked.

Tip No. 2: Do not water the crops too much, otherwise they will be affected by the fungal disease “black leg”, when a dark constriction appears on the stem and the plant dies. For prevention, you can dust the soil under the plants with sifted ash.

Epin-extra solution

The picking is carried out in pots filled with a nutrient mixture, deepening the seedlings to the cotyledon leaves. Then they are watered with a solution of “Epin” or “Zircon” (3-5 drops per 1 liter of water). To obtain a fibrous root system, after selecting plants from the seed box, pinch the central stem of the seedling by a third. When growing without picking, at the same time, leave one of the strongest plants in the pot, adding soil to its cotyledon leaves.

Caring for an adult plant

Seedlings that have reached the age of 50-60 days are transplanted into a separate container in which the plant will spend the entire growing season. Watering is carried out regularly, as the soil dries out with warm, settled water. If you keep the plant on a limited “drinking” regime, it will begin to shed the ovary. To prevent such shedding in hot weather sunny days hot pepper is sprinkled with water. To prevent sunburn, spraying is carried out in the evening.

If the soil in the pot is depleted, transshipment is carried out annually new soil and into a larger pot. If watering is carried out with hard water, replace the top layer of soil in the container for growing peppers.

Fertilizer and feeding

Soluble fertilizer Agricola

The first feeding is carried out a few days after the picking, the second – 10 days after it. To do this, use complex fertilizers:

Agricola.
Kemira, Kemira luxury.
A mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (35 g/17 g per 10 liters of irrigation solution).

Proponents of organic farming can apply organic fertilizers: solution of mullein or chicken manure (1:4 and 1:10, respectively). The diluted raw material is aged for about a week for fermentation, filtered, and used after re-dilute - 1 liter of suspension per 10 liters of water. If desired, you can use ready-made Bucephalus horse manure concentrate.

An adult hot pepper plant is fertilized monthly complex fertilizer for indoor plants, following the instructions for use. To prevent crown rot of fruits, foliar feeding of adult specimens is carried out with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate.

5 answers to specific questions

Question 1: Do plants need to be pollinated additionally?

Answer: most varieties of hot peppers for home grown– self-pollinating hybrids. If the variety needs pollination, shake the plant or transfer pollen with a soft brush from one flower to another.

Question 2: Is it necessary to plant hot peppers growing indoors?

Answer: An adult fruit-bearing plant does not need either supports or pinching. The fruits of this plant are usually small, and the bush can easily withstand the load.

Question 3: Is it possible to propagate hot peppers from cuttings?

Answer: To rejuvenate an old bush with valuable fruits, you can use the vegetative propagation method. To do this, cut off 2-3 branches and place them in a container with a root formation stimulator dissolved in water. After 3-4 weeks, the seedlings will have developed root system. They are planted in a pot with an updated substrate after 1.5 months young plant will begin to bloom.

Question 4: Does the plant need additional lighting?

Answer: Yes, it is necessary. In winter and autumn, the daylight hours for hot peppers are extended by placing a lamp over them for 1 hour in the morning and 2-3 hours in the evening. If lighting is not carried out, you need to at least rotate the bush on the windowsill around its axis so that it does not become one-sided.

Question 5: How to prepare a solution from the fruits of miniature hot peppers for treating indoor plants against pests?

Answer: The fruits are poured with boiling water at the rate of 1:10, left for 24 hours, filtered, and treated with a spray bottle. You can use both dry and fresh fruits.

Growing hot peppers at home is a fun activity. The high decorative qualities of this plant are combined with the benefits of practical use. If you follow the growing technology, an excellent result is guaranteed - a healthy and beautiful plant.

Growing various varieties on the windowsill vegetable crops- This is a kind of alternative to gardening. Although, for many, this activity is a continuation of the summer season. Hot decorative pepper, or scientifically Capsicum, on the windowsill serves not only as a hot seasoning for culinary dishes, but also has the function of decorating the room. Every season more and more peppers appear with different colors and the shape of the fruits and leaves, for example: “Black Pearl”, “Bishop’s Crown” or, still rare due to its extraordinary shape of the fruit, “Peter Pepper” (photos are presented below), etc. And if you want pepper remained bright, blooming and fruitful for a long time, it is very important to know what its proper cultivation is.

We are used to growing pepper seedlings and then planting them in a greenhouse, like annual plant. But in fact it is a perennial crop. And growing decorative pepper at home, you can verify this. With the right approach, the plant can actively develop and produce crops for up to 6 years. One of the main conditions is to choose special varieties of pepper with compact bushes and a high degree of fruiting for growing at home. By the way, you can collect the seeds of your own pepper and, after drying for a short time, plant them, constantly getting new bushes.

There are two favorable periods when you can sow homemade pepper seeds.

If you want to get a harvest by autumn, then sow in the second half of July; sowings done at the end of January will bear fruit in April. Experienced gardeners practice planting in December or even at any other time of the year, but with the obligatory provision of light and warmth.

Since it is recommended to immediately plant peppers in a permanent place, it is better to initially take a suitable container. For one plant, up to 50 cm high, a 2-liter pot is enough; For a taller plant, select a pot of at least 5 liters.

Before sowing, soak the pepper seeds for a couple of hours in Epin or HB-101 solution. Plant 2 seeds not deeply, sprinkle lightly with a light peat soil substrate or vermiculite. Cover the plantings with film and place in a warm place. Ventilate as condensation accumulates. Seeds germinate at t° = 22-24°C, from a week to two.

But, as often happens with us, the seeds do not always germinate, so the recommendation is this: plant separately in peat tablets, and then place them together in the phase of two or three leaves in a permanent place in the pot. Maybe instead peat tablets use tea bags. Do not forget to remove the wrapping from peat tablets, and plant tea bags whole.

It is possible to sow in small cups (no more than 7 cm in diameter), so that later the plant can be transferred from them to a large pot. Then it will be a “transshipment” and not a “picking”, and you will not affect the root of the plant.

Fill the pot like this: 2 cm of drainage at the bottom, then a mixture of soil. Of course, I will write that you can make the right soil yourself from peat, sand and humus (or turf soil) in a 1:1:1 ratio, but why? For sale special land for growing peppers.

Hot peppers: how to grow on a windowsill

Take it, bake it in the oven or place it in the microwave for half a minute. Add vermiculite, about ¼ of the total volume. Fill the pot with this soil. By the way, before filling the soil, place the peel of one banana on the drainage layer. This trick will help feed the plant with potassium for a long time.

Then water the soil thoroughly hot water and when it drains, plant seeds or replant the plant; When planting seeds, do not forget to compact the bottom of the hole.

During the growth of decorative pepper, take care of it: maintain t° = +19-22°C; water when the soil dries 1.5-2 cm deep; feed once every two weeks. At first, before the flowers appear, nitrogen fertilizers are used; during flowering and fruit appearance, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are used. Choose fertilizers based on vermicompost. With proper care, the harvest can be harvested every 2.5-3 months.

Decorative hot pepper is a light-loving plant, but like most crops it does not tolerate direct sunlight. A good place for it is on the windowsill of a window facing southwest. If this is not the case, install reflectors made of a mirror or foil, or a special lamp for illumination.

Pepper varieties for growing at home are less demanding on lighting, but at first, while the plant is young, it requires 12 to 14 hours of light, so take care of additional lighting in the autumn-winter period.

If the pepper has finished bearing fruit and dropped its leaves, do not rush to throw it away entirely. Cut the plant to about half its height, remove the pot from the windowsill to a place where t° = +16°C, do not feed, only occasionally spray the soil so that it does not dry out completely. After a while you will see how the decorative pepper will resurrect.

And hot ornamental peppers grown on the windowsill require

additional shaking - this is necessary for high-quality pollination of flowers;

pinching over the 5th leaf - this will give more branching, which means more flowering and fruit.

Pepper flowers may fall off if the growing conditions are not met:

If heat, above +28°С;

if the soil is dry, even for a short time;

if it is very dry in the room (spray the plant with a spray bottle with a mist-like (that is, with very small holes) spray or install a humidifier);

if there is not enough potassium (feed with ash, 2 tablespoons per liter of water, or liquid potassium humate).

And one last thing. Give the plant a warm shower by covering the ground with a piece of film that can be tied around the trunk, like a bib. By washing the leaves with water and a weak soap solution, you will thereby protect the entire crop from pests and diseases.

Pepper on the windowsill will look great not only in the kitchen, but also in the interior of any room. If you have small children, be sure to warn them about the dangers of eating the beautiful fruits.

And with the onset of the summer season, decorative hot peppers will decorate any flower garden or flower bed in the garden.

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