How to feed hot peppers in a pot. Capsicum (decorative pepper): proper care for the "light" on the windowsill

Capsicum belongs to the Solanaceae family, its varieties are divided into hot and sweet. The bitter taste comes from the alkaloid capsaicin.

Decorative indoor pepper effectively stands out on the windowsill and serves as a source of spices for cooking a wide variety of dishes. In everyday life, it is called "light", although in fact several dozen species and varieties of plants are found in culture. It is not only the burning taste and attractive appearance that makes it popular, but also the ease of growing at home.

Variety and Seed Selection for Successful Growing

It is easiest to propagate decorative indoor peppers by seeds. Key to success in right choice planting material.

How to choose seeds for planting at home

Seeds taken from the dried fruit are excellent. Can be purchased planting material in gardening stores - or in online stores offering seeds of exotic and ornamental plants. If you start planting in February-March, you can easily get fruits in September-October of the same year.

First you need to decide what kind of pepper you want to end up with - high or low, spicy or not, with berries or a classic “pepper” shape. As a rule, this information is on the package. However, when purchasing, it is necessary to pay attention to how long ago the seeds were collected?

Hot pepper seeds proper storage can remain viable for up to 5 years, but every year the percentage of germinating drops. It is better to grow indoor peppers from seeds harvested last season if you plan to harvest this year.

The most important! The selected seeds should not have flaws - dark specks, strong twisting, damage, traces of rot. Quality seeds are pale yellow, almost White color.

How to choose the best variety

Distinguish early-ripening, mid-ripening, late-ripening. You can enjoy the fruits of early ripe varieties in 65-100 days from the moment of emergence. Fruits from mid-ripening plants can be obtained in 100-120 days. But late-ripening varieties will be able to please you with a harvest only after 120-150 days.

bush height. As a rule, lovers of indoor hot peppers prefer abundantly fruiting bushes up to 30 cm high - this optimal height bush for home pepper production. There are also very miniature bushes 15 cm, and real giants up to a meter high.

fruit shape. Most fans prefer classic conical or elongated peppers. Fruit round shape, berries, are often mistaken for a close and poisonous relative - nightshade, and are considered inedible. This is not so - such a pepper can also be eaten, but if you are not sure that it is not a nightshade, then it is better not to risk it. There are fruits and exotic forms, for example, Aji orchid.

Fruit and leaf color. This is especially important if you plan to grow the plant as an ornamental. There are very decorative varieties room pepper, for example, bolivian rainbow, fish, which, as they mature, change their color several times, and in final stage ripening may be yellow, orange or red.

The foliage of some varieties may also be interspersed. different colors- white spots and dashes, lilac stripes that become brighter, the more sunny place position of the plant.

sharpness- if you plan to eat a crop of hot indoor pepper for food, it is important to make sure that you can do it - there are absolutely not sharp species, but there are so bitter that it is not safe for an unprepared person to eat them. Especially appreciated among gourmets habanero- fruits, depending on the variety, are pungent, but have an incomparable citrus-floral aroma and taste!

If you want to have a hot pepper at home just for the sake of beauty, then the sharpness is not important, but on decorative properties(bush height, shape and color, maturation features) should be given special attention.

Seed germination technology

For planting five seeds of hot indoor pepper, a 300 ml plastic or ceramic flower pot is quite suitable. If you plan to plant in individual containers, then you can choose smaller pots or use yogurt cups.

Step-by-step instructions for growing peppers from seeds at home:

1. Pour drainage at the bottom of the container - expanded clay is best.
2. Place soil on top. Usually choose a ph-neutral soil for houseplants or a mixture for peppers and tomatoes. garden soil not suitable, as it may contain insect larvae, fungal spores that adversely affect seed germination.
3. Seeds are recommended to be pre-soaked in warm water for several hours for swelling and faster germination. Sometimes a stimulant is added to the soaking water, in particular - Appin, to improve germination. The use of a stimulant will not affect the plant in the future, but if the seeds are collected 2-3 years ago, then the probability of successful germination will be higher. Can be planted without soaking.
4. Spread the planting material evenly over the surface of the soil at a certain distance from each other. This is necessary so that as they grow, young plants do not interfere with each other.
5. Sprinkle the seeds on top with soil - approximately 0.5 mm, so that they are completely covered. If the surface of the soil is dry, moisten it with water, preferably from a spray bottle for flowers. It is important that the soil surface is slightly damp, but not wet - otherwise the seeds may rot.
6. As the top layer of the soil dries, it must be moistened regularly.
7. It is desirable to put on top of the pot plastic cup, thereby constructing a greenhouse. This is especially true if the landing takes place in February-March, and the air temperature in the room can be below 25 degrees.

At a temperature of 22-25 degrees shoots appear through 10-14 days if the seeds were collected 2-3 years ago, then the germination process may be delayed for another 1-2 weeks.

Seedlings need to be ventilated periodically - briefly raise the greenhouse so that young plants get used to environment. Gradually, the periods “without a greenhouse” should be increased, and eventually completely removed.

Transplanting young plants to a permanent place

When two pairs of true leaves appear on the seedlings, it is necessary to plant them if the seeds were planted in one container. If the seedlings were planted in individual pots, then the plants can be transplanted into a larger pot when roots appear at the bottom of the water hole.

Leaving all the plants in one pot is not worth it. Decorative bitter indoor pepper is grown according to the principle one pot - one plant. The fact is that, being planted together, weaker specimens are “muffled” by stronger ones. The weak ones will lag far behind in growth and development, flowering will be late and poor, and fruiting may not occur at all.

When planting, it is better to use small deep pots of 100 ml. Transplanting a young specimen immediately into a very large pot is not useful - the “extra” land will begin to turn sour from watering. It is better, as the plant grows, to gradually transfer it into containers, slightly larger than the previous one. The main sign that the plant is time to repot is the roots peeking out of the bottom of the pot. During the season, as a rule, the bush is transshipped 2-3 times.

Features of care and creation of conditions

The goal of every home grower is to see his plant blooming, in the case of decorative pepper, the finish is beautiful fruits decorating .

Stimulation of flowering and fruiting

Young seedlings of the "light" on the windowsill begin to bloom about a month after germination. The first flowers will most likely be empty and fall off, but as they grow and develop, ovaries will appear and fruits will develop.

Special pollination is not required, but to increase the number of ovaries, you can periodically shake the pot with a bush slightly or “pollinate” the flowers with a soft brush.

Depending on what kind of indoor hot pepper you have (early, mid-ripening or late-ripening), the first fruits may appear in summer, when the sun is at its most active, or in early to mid-autumn.

Important to remember, hot peppers at home does not require pinching and intensive formation of a bush in the first year of growth, cutting off flowers and the first ovaries. Indoor pepper itself “knows” to what height it needs to grow, when to start flowering and how many fruits to set. Your task is to provide him comfortable conditions growth.

What conditions are necessary for pepper

sunny location. It is advisable to keep the pot on the windowsill indoors. For a very sunny balconies"Lights" suffer greatly from the rays, the leaves can be damaged, the flowers fall off, and the fruits can be severely deformed and have no seeds.

In the shade, seedlings bloom reluctantly, set few fruits, and may suffer from flooding. Extremely uncomfortable bushes of hot indoor decorative pepper feel on the shelves, refrigerator and closet - away from the sun and fresh air.

Regular watering and spraying- the main components in the care of pepper at home. "Spark" loves water very much. Summer in sunny days The plant needs to be watered every day. Spray with water room temperature preferably twice a day.

Fertilizer. From March to September (and for late-ripening - until October), it is advisable to feed indoor peppers with specialized fertilizer for fruit plants. There is also a special fertilizer for peppers and tomatoes, it is found in shops for gardeners and florists.

Formation. In addition to the sun, water and a pot of sufficient volume, indoor hot peppers can be formed as the branches grow - this is relevant late summer and in autumn for plants of the first year of life and in early spring, when it comes out of dormancy.

They form, that is, cut too long branches - this gives a neater look, allows the plant to save energy. But the main trunk should not be shortened - the bush may die from this.

Rules for harvesting and collecting seeds

As the fruits ripen, you can and should harvest. There are varieties of indoor peppers, the sharpness of which decreases in full maturity. Therefore, such fruits are harvested at the stage technical maturity. Such unripe peppers often turn out to be much tastier than ripe ones.

For example, the fruits of the decorative hot room pepper of the Jalapeno variety (Jalapeño) are most often harvested when they are still green, but characteristic “scars” have already appeared on them, but when they become red, this species already loses its taste value.

If you are interested in seeds for planting in the future, then you need to wait until the fruits are fully ripe, that is, they will acquire the final color (yellow, orange or red). The fruits must be removed from the bush and allowed to dry for several days.

If the pepper is thin-walled, then it dries quickly enough, if it is thick-walled, then when the fruit is wrinkled, it must be carefully cut and allowed to dry again for several days.

Then the seeds are carefully removed and laid out on a napkin to dry. Well-dried seeds can be put in a bag and stored in a dry, dark place, storage in the refrigerator is allowed. The main thing is that moisture does not get in, in which case they can rot.

Caring for potted peppers in winter

Contrary to popular belief, acute indoor peppers – perennials. On average, 5 years the bush can actively bear fruit. The main thing is to transfer the plant as it grows and renew the soil every spring. However, not all flower growers are ready to provide a homely handsome man with comfortable conditions for wintering. Therefore, three options are possible.

The first. If you do not want to save this copy, at the end of the season after the end of fruiting, the bush can be thrown away, and in February-March, a new plant can be grown from the seeds obtained.

Gradually, the leaves will partially fall off. Sometimes pepper sheds leaves completely. Branches that are too long can be shortened slightly. In winter, new leaves and even flowers may appear on the branches, especially if the thaw lasts for a long time and the heating works intensively.

In February-March, indoor pepper will start growing again, at this moment it is necessary to transplant it into a pot a little larger than the previous one, to replace the main part of the soil. Gradually increase watering.

Third. If you not only want to save the plant, but also get a crop in winter, then you need additional lighting. In this case, special lamps are installed, watering is not reduced, and top dressing is continued.

As you can see, growing ornamental peppers at home does not require special knowledge and skills. "Spark" in a pot is perfect for those who do not like to wait too long for the planted plant to finally bloom - only 3-4 months pass from seed to beautiful and fragrant fruits.

If you love, learn how to grow an avocado from a stone, and from seeds,. Watching how a miracle is born is much more interesting than buying finished flower in the shop.

Hot pepper is added to confectionery, chocolate, tea - very unusual and effective remedy in the fight against colds and flu!

You can decorate your balcony in the summer not only with flowers, but also colorful vegetables. For example, sweet peppers, which feel great in a container (pot), like many other nightshades. At home on the windowsill, it can generally be grown all year round.

Varieties are recommended for growing at home: Maikopsky 470, Winnie the Pooh, Swallow, Mysterious Island, Treasure Island, Firstborn of Siberia. In the south of the country, you can grow Victoria, Gift of Moldova.

Here is what the gardener N. Kaluzhskaya writes: "We have not been buying for a long time Bell pepper for new year holidays. And not at all because at this time it is expensive. Just on our window there are 4 pots with strong green bushes, literally strewn with dark red and orange, small in size, but thick-walled and juicy peppers. The red fruits are given by the Candy hybrid, and the orange ones by the Chanterelle. Why do I choose to grow these particular hybrids? First - they have a beautiful, stocky bush. The second - the fruits are bright, medium-sized - for Sweets they pull only 40-50 g, for Chanterelles a little more weighty. Peppers are tied a lot, and they taste excellent. Chanterelle fruits are especially loved in our family - sweet, with a pronounced spicy aroma. From raw small peppers we make miniature "one bite" sandwiches, and also stuff them with a mixture of Fetaki cheese with crushed nuts, crumbs and celery and parsley.

How to get a good harvest of sweet peppers at home

To get a good harvest all winter, I sow seeds in 2 terms: at the end of July and in early September. I take peat pots, fill them with fertile loose soil, put 2 seeds in each. I water, cover with cling film and put in a greenhouse. So that the soil does not overheat and does not dry too quickly, I dig the pots in a bright place under large plants already fruiting peppers.

As soon as sprouts appear, I pierce the film with a knitting needle, if necessary, water the soil around the pots. When the peppers begin to grow, I remove the polyethylene from the pots, water and feed the plants. Peppers love fermented nettle solution and mineral fertilizers type Kemira combi.

I make sure that young bushes are not attacked by pests. I never dive peppers, but remove an extra, weaker plant.

It is very important not to miss the moment when the roots begin to grow through the peat walls of the pot. Then I move them into plastic one and a half meter containers. This volume is quite enough, since undersized hybrids have a compact root system. I fill the containers with expanded clay by 1.5 cm, then pour disinfected fertile, loose soil, put a peat pot with pepper inside and fill free space the same prepared land. I keep containers with peppers in a greenhouse, covered from the sun with mowed grass. I bring them home only with the onset of cold weather, when the night temperature in the greenhouse drops below 14 ° C.

Pepper at home, care, illumination in winter days, top dressing with potash and phosphorus fertilizers

From the very beginning I keep the September crops at 20-22 ° C at home, placing the pots in a micro-greenhouse on the south window. Autumn seedlings are more capricious, they need lighting on cloudy days. But in general, care is the same. Peppers love abundant watering and regular loosening of the topsoil. In order not to spend a lot of time on this, I usually pour expanded clay on top of the pot.

Properly formed plants give the highest yield. I grow them in 2 stalks, leaving the strongest shoot on each branch, pinching the weak one onto one leaf and one fruit.

The flowers of many varieties and hybrids of pepper are prone to self-pollination, so they do not suffer from the fact that there are no bees in the apartment. The peppers begin to tie together on the windowsill. They need illumination on dark winter days and fertilizing with potash and phosphorus fertilizers, as well as magnesium sulfate. I spray my candies daily, and once a month I give them warm shower covering the ground plastic wrap. If at home I notice aphid colonies, then I clean the insects with my hands and wash them off with water.

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Growing hot peppers at home is not so difficult. Hot peppers " Small miracle”was bred in Holland and has long taken root around the world. This plant is compact and characterized by active fruiting, due to which bushes with peppers of different colors also have a decorative function.

Application
The fruits of this pepper can be used both in cooking and for medical purposes. Ripe fruits can be infused with alcohol, and this infusion is used for rheumatism, sciatica, back pain.

Growing fruits for winter

Exist certain rules growing hot peppers at home.

Sowing seeds it is better to produce in February. This requires approximately a two-liter clean container, which should be treated with boiling water. Lay drainage in the form of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot, but crushed stone or charcoal. On top of the drainage, we fill up the soil, consisting of humus, leafy soil and sand in a ratio of 5: 3: 2. Before planting seeds, the soil must be shed with boiling water and after it has cooled down, sow pre-soaked and already swollen 2-3 pepper grains in small holes of 1-1.5 cm.

Cover the pot with planted grains with polyethylene or glass and place in a warm place. When sprouts appear in 5-7 days, move the pot to a sunny window place. When the first true leaves appear, the peppers can be picked into separate pots, but it is better to remove the extra ones so as not to disturb the roots.

When the plant grows to 20 cm, pinch the crown. This is necessary for better branching of the bush, in which the fruits will form.

Do not forget to water the plant regularly and periodically feed your pet with fertilizers, then you will definitely wait for the harvest on your windowsill.

The way to get fruits by May

Watching the development of domestic pepper, lovers from Ivanovo region came to an interesting conclusion that in our northern conditions it is possible to change the timing of the ripening of pepper on the windowsill. They use spring days filled with bright sunshine for flowering and fruit ripening.

Peppers are sown in the fall in bowls on the windowsill. Not very comfortable conditions are created for the pepper, so that it does not have time to pick flowers in the period before the New Year, so that it does not exhaust its strength for growth on the darkest “deaf” days. So save the plant from stretching the shoots. At the moment when the days begin to arrive, the pepper is transferred to a bright window (east or south). The plant soon blooms and produces an average of 10 beautiful pods. Yes, the fruits are such heroes, which never happened before autumn.

And immediately after the crop is harvested, the plant throws out a couple more vigorous shoots and blooms again. By the second half of September, another crop ripens, while out of 20 pods, only three were small size. Thus, about 30 pods are harvested per season from one bush, almost 5 times higher than the average yield!

The main secret high yield is that by the time of the very first flowering (in early February) pepper autumn term sowing has time to develop good powerful roots. Starting from March and ending with the beginning of October, that is, during the period of abundant sun, pepper actively sets fruits and uses its strength to pour them.

A fertile plant can not be thrown away in the fall, let it go before winter. In winter, at the beginning of January, it must be transplanted into a new substrate, cut off the old shoots in half, then transfer the pot to a bright window (east or south). Such care can bring up to three crops per season.

On a note

When planting peppers, it is still better not to swoop down on them, as they react painfully to transplantation. And they are good at shipping. When the shoots disperse, just pinch off the extra weak shoots. More important point- do not miss the time when the roots begin to crowd in the pot and grow out.

Definitely the best for seedlings. peat pots. For normal growth peppers are transferred to spacious containers and pots 30-50 cm high. To the bottom landing tanks be sure to put drainage (expanded clay layer, broken brick).

Sometimes, props are placed to support the ripening fruits, the bushes are sprayed with warm, settled water from the spider mite.

For getting good harvest peppers are recommended to be grown in two trunks, constantly forming them with the help of pinching. A strong shoot is left on each stem, and the weak ones are pinched over the first leaf. Although peppers are self-pollinating like tomatoes, it is better to shake the plants periodically so that pollination is more effective.

Pepper is the same perennial as cherry tomatoes, the bush can please you with a harvest for five whole years. In the same way, you can grow on the windowsill and sweet bell pepper.

Imagine what a pleasure it is to watch a ripe pod pour before your eyes when there is “non-flying” weather outside the window.

If your plant is over 5 years old, you can make a wonderful home decoration out of it - BONSAI.

pots

You can use just about any small pot you like, but most traditional potted bonsai look very, very cool!

The soil

In principle, you can use whatever you will be using to grow chili, but I prefer soft peat based soil.
The bonsai plant should be very limited in root space, you should use very fertile soil.

Digression: The author also uses Akadama, a special type of soil.
Akadama is a natural, granular clay.
Akadama is good stuff to retain moisture in the soil when growing bonsai.
They are actually lumps of hard clay.
Some brands of cat litter do a great job and are a much cheaper substitute for akadam.
When growing Bonsai, growers often replace the soil entirely with akadam, or mix it with normal soil.

Akadama.

I just put some akadam in the bottom of the bonsai chili pot and spread the soil over the top.

Making Bonsai Chili:

We cut the stem of an adult plant - we form a bonsai.

If possible, cut just above the canopy to ensure the bonsai will continue to grow. For example here in the photo - there were no leaves below the cut point, so this is a very risky process.
Or, you can prune the plant a little less and continue pruning when the plant has enough foliage.


Then cut off the extra roots around the plant...

dig up a plant with cut roots...

Digging up the bonsai...

cut off excess protruding roots.

an approximate result of pruning and shaping the future bonsai plant.

One year later.

Hot pepper is not only useful, but also very ornamental plant. Many housewives grow it as a pot culture in order to always have a burning spice on hand. Growing hot peppers on a windowsill is not difficult at all. This perennial culture is particularly unpretentious in care and continuous fruiting for 3-5 years. Planting hot peppers on the windowsill and growing it - we will talk about this in the article.

On the windowsills it is more convenient to grow decorative varieties bred by breeders specifically for home conditions. Such peppers are undersized (up to 50 cm) or even dwarf (about 20 cm high), and their distinguishing feature- numerous bright fruits and long undulating ripening. Compact green bushes, full of round or oblong peppercorns of red, orange or purple color, look very impressive on home windowsills and give good mood cold winter. But, in addition to aesthetic pleasure, you can season your favorite dish with hot pepper.

If you prefer classic peppercorns to red colors, then you will surely like the variety "Watercolor", "Falcon's Beak" with cone-shaped small fruits or "Carat", "Dwarf", "Gingerbread Man" with miniature round fruits, as well as the variety "Medusa F1" with long (up to 7 cm) fruits , collected in thick bundles, and resembling the tentacles of this same jellyfish. Not to be missed and lovely dutch variety"Little miracle" also with cone-shaped, but very small peppercorns.

Exotic lovers and bright colors can choose more decorative and unusual varieties:

• Confetti is a short, highly branched bush with tiny round peppercorns in yellow, red and purple;
• Lilac cone - dwarf plant with dark foliage and bright purple cone-shaped peppercorns;
• Goldfinger - cone-shaped fruits of bright yellow or orange color;
• Bishop's crown - red, but very unusual shape fruits that are a real exotic in the home interior;
• Queen of Spades - miniature pointed peppers of yellow, red and purple color on one bush;
• Indian summer - tiny round peppers the size of lingonberry, white at maturity, red at full maturity;
• Rowan is a miniature dense shrub covered with round yellow and purple fruits.

Bright contrasts in the color of the fruits are due to the fact that indoor peppers practically do not have a dormant period, therefore flowers, green ovaries, ripening and already ripened fruits can be found on the same bush at the same time.

Video “Varieties of peppers”

From the video you will learn what varieties of peppers are.

Seed preparation

When choosing seeds, remember that varieties for home year-round cultivation must be self-pollinating, otherwise the plants will have to be pollinated by hand, and this will affect the number of fruits and add to the hassle of care. Any store-bought or self-harvested seeds should be soaked in water for a few days before planting to speed up germination.

Before soaking, the seeds are first disinfected - kept for half an hour in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate and only then placed in warm water for 2-3 days. Alternatively, the seeds can be wrapped in a wet cloth, which must be constantly moistened during these 2-3 days.

Natural growth stimulants, for example, aloe juice or ash solution, can help speed up the germination process - these components are added to the water in which the seed is soaked. Sowing seeds for seedlings is best done in late February - early March, but given the year-round crop cycle, these dates can be changed.

Landing

Agrotechnics of hot pepper in in general terms similar to growing sweets, but since decorative peppers will grow in a pot for more than one year, you need to select high-quality, better clay containers for plants, and lay a layer of drainage (expanded clay, crushed stone) on the bottom. Plastic containers can be used to grow seedlings.

As for the soil, it is better to buy it for domestic plants in a flower shop - such soil is already disinfected and contains all the fertilizers necessary at the first stage. When using garden soil, the mixture must be calcined or well watered with potassium permanganate, and then add mineral fertilizers.

Pepper seeds are planted in shallow (1-1.5 cm) furrows or distributed over the surface, after which they are sprinkled with a layer of earth. Next, the future seedlings need to be watered, covered with a film and put in a warm (23-25 ​​° C) place for 1-2 weeks until shoots begin to appear. At the stage of 2-4 leaves, the plants dive into separate pots. For normal growth and fruiting, the volume of the pot per plant should be at least 2 liters.

top dressing

Like all perennial fruit-bearing crops, hot pepper quickly depletes the soil, so it needs regular top dressing. Without them, the bush will soon grow old and stop fruiting. Peppers in pots need to be fed every 2-3 weeks, starting from the moment when the seedlings have 3-4 true leaves. For top dressing, you can use both organic and mineral fertilizers, but it is best to combine them.

For irrigation, you can use ready-made dry mixes and combined liquid fertilizers: Agrolife (scatter 1 teaspoon over the surface), Sprout (1 cap / 2 liters of water is applied under the root), Kemira-lux, Superphosphate, potassium sulfate.

During the flowering period, peppers can be sprayed with "Ovary" - this drug has a positive effect on the number of flowers and ovaries. But the favorite fertilizer for peppers is always ash. It is used for foliar dressings at the rate of (2 tablespoons / 3 liters of water) at any time, but with an interval of 10-14 days.

Care

To hot pepper for a long time decorated the house and pleased with the harvest, you need a little: warmth, light and moisture, and, of course, top dressing. Plants are watered with exceptionally warm, settled water at intervals of 2 times / week (in hot weather it is possible more often), each time loosening the soil. It is important that the water does not stagnate in pots - this leads to rotting of the roots and death of the plant.

Housewives always try to arrange rationally kitchen space. This also applies to those located in this room.

It is advisable to choose one that is both beautiful and necessary.

The best option for the kitchen - decorative. It looks very aesthetically pleasing, especially when the fruits appear. The same fruits are applicable in cooking as a very spicy seasoning.

In addition, in winter it will serve as a pleasant reminder of the warm green summer.

Botanical description

The plant, which is commonly called, does not belong to the pepper family. This culture belongs to the nightshade family and has a second name "capsicum".

The culture is spread on all continents. Can grow in open field and in flower pot in room conditions.

Pepper decorative room- a plant that can grow and bear fruit in an apartment for up to 4-5 years. Propagated by seeds and. Height - 20-55 cm. The crown is branched. The leaves are sharp, long or elongated oval, ovate. The color varies from light to dark green. It can bloom singly or in bunches, the flowers are often white.

Did you know? Capsicum means "bag" in Latin. Obviously, the pepper is so named after the shape of the fruit.

The fruits may have different colour: yellow, orange, red, purple. Moreover, different colors in fruits can occur even if they appeared on the same plant, depending on ripening. Also, peppers are different in shape (with a sharp or blunt end, spherical, oval) and size (small, medium, large - a maximum of 5 cm). It all depends on the variety.

Flowering and fruiting are not separated in time. On a bush there can be flowers, unripe fruits, ripe peppers at the same time. bears fruit, as a rule, very plentifully.

Bitterness, pungency and spiciness are imparted to the fruits by the alkaloid capsaicin.

Important! The stems and leaves of ornamental peppers are poisonous.

Popular types

There are many types of home decorations. They differ in crown, leaves, color and shape of fruits, fruiting time, care features, etc.

Annual

Annuals varieties are also called room paprika, vegetable pepper, sweet (although individual varieties pretty sharp). They differ in that after shedding or picking fruits, the plant can dry out. Not all peers meet such a fate. In room conditions, some species can bear fruit for more than one year.
The bushes are low, compact, 35-55 cm high. The fruits are varied in shape and color, depending on the variety.

Common varieties:

• "Tepin";
• "Redskin";
• "Siberian prince";
• "Cherry Bomb";
• "Golden Baby", etc.

shrubby

shrubby varieties are very suitable for room conditions: window sill, loggia, balcony, etc. These are perennial plants. They successfully grow and bear fruit for 5-6 years.

The variety is interesting in shape, but its yield is average. In the apartment you can collect only about 20 peppercorns. More often grown "Lemon Lollipop" and "White Crystal", they are traditionally productive.
The taste of pepper is sweetish, there is very little sharpness in it.

This is a fairly tall species. It grows up to 80 cm, so more often in the apartment it is placed not on the windowsill, but on the floor on the loggia or balcony.

Chinese

Chinese variety is less common. This plant is up to 50 cm high, like other species. Its leaves are ovate, light green, slightly wrinkled. The flowers are white with a greenish tint.

The fruits are varied in shape, sometimes even take the form of a flashlight. Chinese pepper is probably the sharpest and most burning fruits.

The disadvantage is that this species has a relatively slow growth.
Common varieties:

• "Santa Lucia";
• "The language of the devil";
• "Devil's Yellow"

pubescent

Pepper pubescent(or fluffy) is grown more in open ground, because it is very tall (up to 3-4 m). Only certain varieties are suitable for growing in an apartment, for example, "Rokoto" (it is not so tall).

In this species, the entire bush is densely covered with pubescence. And not only stems and leaves, but even.

It has a pungent taste and is eaten raw.

The best conditions for pepper

Regarding the capriciousness and unpretentiousness of pepper and caring for it at home, the opinions of lovers of ornamental fruit plants were divided. Some believe that it is easy to care for the culture, others note that the plant is capricious and difficult to care for.

Important! During the flowering period, the pepper should be shaken periodically to increase the yield.

Let's take a closer look at the conditions of detention and the features of care.

Humidity and temperature

Indoor pepper is a heat-loving plant. It will grow well in spring and summer at about 25°C. In winter, the temperature should be lower: 15-18 ° C will be normal for him. In addition, he loves differences in night and day temperatures, so in summer it is better to keep him on a loggia or balcony.
Humidity is required moderate. Perchik loves to swim (more on that later).

Lighting

In the care of decorative peppers in a pot, lighting is a must. For good development and fruiting, you need to place the plant on the southern, southwestern or western windowsill.

The culture is very light-loving, in spring and autumn it needs up to 3-4 hours open sun rays. Only no more than 4 hours, otherwise burns may appear on the fruits and leaves. In the summer, you need to shade, because the sun is very active. If the lighting is not enough, then you need to apply artificial.

With a lack of lighting, it is rare, there are few leaves on it; besides, there will be no good harvest.

growing substrate

For cultivation, a light neutral type is used. You can buy ready-made in a specialized store, you can make the mixture yourself.

For pepper, a mixture of soddy soil, leaf humus and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1 is suitable.

Did you know? In botany, capsicum fruits are defined as berries.

Planting seeds and cuttings

Most often, the plant is grown from seeds, but cuttings are also possible.

Growing from seeds

To grow peppers from seeds, you need to purchase seeds, prepare a container and soil, plant seeds, wait for seedlings and provide them with proper care.

Peppers should be planted in February.

There are two approaches to growing peppers from seeds. They differ in that one uses a non-seedling and non-transplanting method, in the second - with the cultivation of seedlings and subsequent transplantation.

1st way:

1. Indoor pepper is not grown by seedlings and is not transplanted from one pot to another as it grows. Immediately you need to choose a container in which it will grow mature plant. Its volume should be 4-6 liters.
2. Before planting seeds in a pot, pour the soil, providing a good one.
3. Soak the seeds for 1 hour in water and place in damp cloth for a day.
4. Plant the seeds and sprinkle with soil 2-4 mm. Moisten well with a spray bottle and cover with a film until germination.
5. Be sure to place the pot in a warm place. After germination, with the appearance of four leaves, pinch to form a crown.

2nd way:

1. Prepare a small container, about 200 ml, for planting seeds.
2. Make drainage and pour the earthen mixture into the pot. After placing the prepared seeds, cover them with soil by 2-4 mm.
3. To prepare the seeds, they must be soaked in water for 1 hour and left in damp gauze for one day.
4. Moisten the soil well, cover cling film and place in a warm place to germinate.
5. Shoots of pepper appear in 2-3 weeks.
6. With the appearance of two pairs of leaves, pepper requires transplanting, diving and pinching.
7. capacity for further cultivation should be about 4-6 liters, with good drainage.
8. A sprout with a large earthy clod, abundantly watered.
9. The top pinches.

Whatever method of seed germination - 1st or 2nd - you choose, then pepper care is the same.

How to propagate a plant from cuttings

Peppers can be propagated by cuttings in spring and summer. To do this, cut side shoots and place them in a container with a sand-earth mixture for rooting.

Water abundantly at first, then - as the soil dries out.

The container must have good drainage. This is necessary both for the cutting and for the rooted plant, because it will continue to grow here. It is not necessary to transplant a rooted cutting.

In order for the cutting to take root faster, it must be pinned.

culture care

Care for the pepper type "Spark", which grows on your windowsill, is special.

Before that, we did not mention the Ogonyok variety. But the fact is that ordinary housewives call any kind of indoor decorative pepper that.

How to water

Water pepper in spring and summer should be plentiful as the earth dries up. In addition, be sure to "bath" the plant, spraying it 1-2 times a week, on hot days - every other day.

Watering should be carried out with water at room temperature.

Important! Plants placed on window sills, under which there are batteries, need more frequent watering.

Decrease in autumn, minimize in winter, water sparingly.