Decorative indoor pepper. Light on the windowsill: all about growing indoor pepper (capsicum)

Ornamental pepper is a plant that grows successfully not only in open ground but also at home. Indoor culture bears fruit and can change the color of the fruit.

Watching the development and growth of decorative pepper is a pleasure.

Characteristics and description of room pepper

The ornamental pepper is a perennial plant. It is quite easy to grow it from seeds. It is important to choose the right planting material and soil. And if you provide the plant with proper care, then it will become an adornment of any window sill. All the beauty of indoor peppers can be seen in the photo. Plant seeds can not only be purchased at the store, but also dried, which are left over from previous fruits.

Planting and plant care

To early autumn to get fruits, planting should be done in February or March. How the plant will grow and develop depends on the variety. In total, the culture has more than a dozen varieties. All varieties are thermophilic and love the air temperature from 18 to 5 degrees. Caring for indoor peppers at home also includes selecting the right soil composition. It is preferable to grow a crop in chernozem, sandy loamy and medium loamy fertile soils.

Watering the plant is carried out at the rate of 1 m2 of soil. Water will need 10 -12 liters. Water the plant before flowering once a week. During flowering, watering is carried out 2-3 times a week with an increase in the dose of water to 12-14 liters. The water temperature must be at least 25 degrees. Stop watering 14 days before harvest.

Stimulation of flowering and fruiting

Shaking the pot with earth allows you to stimulate the number of ovaries on the pepper. room hot peppers loves sunlight - it enhances flowering. And the systematics of irrigation allows the ornamental plant to actively bear fruit, which is confirmed by photos of flowering crops.

Caring for miniature peppers in winter

In winter, the plant especially needs sunlight, moderate watering and loosening the soil. Therefore, it is extremely important to place the culture exactly where there will be a lot of light, a temperature comfortable for the plant and land fertilized with minerals and components necessary for development.

Growing pepper at home

In order to get a quality crop at home, you need to plant the seeds in the soil with humus. The first shoots that appear after 15 days will need to be pinched. It is necessary to pinch decorative pepper when the eighth leaf appears on it. But it can also be done when there are already five or even nine leaves. The dive is made 30 days after landing. Watering should be plentiful, and the soil needs constant loosening. Indoor hot peppers grown at home love to be watered with warm water.

How to transplant peppers into a pot

In order to transplant pepper into a pot, you need to wait for the appearance of the third or fourth leaf. The pot should be taken clay, with a volume of 1-1.5 liters. Drainage must be laid out at the bottom of the pot.

Do I need top dressing for peppers

Fertilizing room culture is necessary. You need to start it in mid-January. If the pepper is transplanted into room conditions from open ground, then in the fall it needs top dressing, but in winter, in this case, top dressing should be stopped.

Do I need to pollinate peppers at home

Domestic varieties do not need special pollination. For better pollination, you need to shake the pot of earth.

Varieties of pepper for planting on the windowsill

• confetti - peppercorns of yellow, red and purple flowers;
• lilac cone - purple peppercorns;
• goldfinger - yellow and orange peppercorns;
• bishop's crown - red exotic fruits;
• Queen of Spades - miniature pointed peppers of yellow, red and purple color on one bush;
• Indian summer - peppercorns are white during ripening, red in full maturity;
• rowanberry - yellow and purple peppers.

Edible varieties of red

Little miracle indoor

Little Miracle is a Dutch variety. In addition to the fact that the plant actively bears fruit, it is also compact, which allows it to fit beautifully into the home interior. This variety is excellent for use in cooking, for the manufacture of tinctures that treat sciatica, rheumatism and back pain.

Medusa or Gorgon Pepper

This culture is decorative, and is also suitable for planting in open ground. The jellyfish variety is edible. The height of the plant is not more than 30 centimeters. The fruits are long and curved. Fruit color is bright. The fruits can be used as food in canning or in salads and soups.

spark

The height of the variety of light reaches 1 meter. The bush has a compact volume and actively bears fruit. The culture is unpretentious. Of all the varieties, Ogonek shows the best results in terms of fruiting and durability.

Aladdin

The variety can bear fruit for 7 years. Crop yield up to 1 kg. It has a height of about 25 cm. As the fruit ripens, it changes its color from green to purple and red. The fruits are suitable for eating. Shrub pepper Aladdin is a valuable variety, this is evidenced by the reviews of gardeners who get a big harvest.

Phoenix

Phoenix is ​​a mid-early variety with a spherical bush. The fruits change color from green to red. The taste of the fruit is quite pungent. Growing peppers is easy. You need to monitor watering, feeding, humidity and temperature.

Firework

It is a low growing crop. Culture has a special look. This is due to the fact that the fruits are large, and they look quite original.

Explosive Ember

This variety has an original bush. The leaves are purple in color, so they stand out on the windowsill. The ripe fruit is red. The fruit has a medium spiciness.

Bell

Not a very common variety that has the shape of a bell. Fruit color is red. The yield is up to 1.5 kg per bush. The pulp has a sweet-spicy taste.

Nosegay

The culture is compact. The fruit changes color several times as the fruit ripens. The taste of pepper is moderately spicy.

Decorative filius blue

The variety has fruits from purple to red. Filius fruits are curved. They last long enough. The plant does not like dry air. The fruits are used in cooking to give dishes an original taste.

poinsettia

It has red oblong fruits located at the ends. The taste of the fruit is quite pungent.

Bride

The variety has a spreading bush. The name was given to the variety because of the elegant growth. Fruits with a pungent taste. The variety is suitable for growing in pots, as well as in open ground.

Varieties of ornamental peppers

Jamaica

The fruits are brightly colored and rhomboid in shape. Pepper is quite hot, and the sharpness is in the core.

Queen of Spades

This variety is considered mid-season. It has a friendly bloom. The fruits are used as spicy seasonings for dishes.

Inedible varieties of ornamental peppers

Clown

Pepper is formed by a bush, the height of which reaches 35 centimeters. Decorative fruits remain on the bush for two months. The fruits are not edible.

goldfinger

This is a variety with fruits that should not be eaten. The pods of the fruit have a beautiful yellow color.

Indian summer

Pepper has the most diverse color and shape. This variety is considered unpretentious and shade-tolerant.

Peperoncino

The bushes of this culture are up to 60 centimeters high. Fruits in diameter no more than 2 centimeters. The color of the peppers is fiery red. Great for meat dishes. This variety is excellent for growing in pots.

bush fire

The bush of this variety of pepper is decorative, unpretentious and compact. According to gardeners, the pepper yields a decent crop. The taste of the vegetable is quite pungent.

Black Pearl

The leaves of this variety are purple. The fruits ripen black, but over time change color to red. The plant requires minimal care and can be planted in full sun.

Carmen

This variety of pepper is mid-season. You can grow it at home, on open terraces, on the balcony. The plant is unpretentious, shade-tolerant.

Shrub the whole sky in the stars

This type of pepper is very beautiful. The plant spreads its bushes, it is lush. Fruits may have a different color. This variety can be used in cooking.

dragon

Dragon pepper is a shrub. It is ideal for growing in a pot. Pepper fruits are cone-shaped. This variety can be used as a seasoning for dishes. gardeners give good feedback. The plant is unpretentious and tolerates heat well.

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

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

The choice of varieties of hot peppers for room culture

It is not recommended to use seeds from chili pods purchased at vegetable stores. Industrial grades 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 preferred,- Pepper annual, or vegetable. It retains the varietal qualities of wild "ancestors" from low-light undergrowth. Such a pepper is able to be content with a small space of a flower pot and a lack of sunlight.

ON THE PICTURE:The undemanding Capsicum annuum does well both outdoors and in a container.

Popular varieties of indoor pepper

The concept of "pepper in a pot", or "room pepper" is conditional. Any hot pepper suitable for this purpose in terms of size and level of exactingness to the conditions of detention is sown in a pot on the windowsill. Sown for ornamental purposes and for food use. varieties growing in open ground or in a greenhouse.

For individual varieties of chili very similar (Solanum pseudocapsicum), popularly called " Jerusalem cherry " . The fruits of the nightshade are poisonous, and only varieties of Peppers are used in cooking.

The following varieties of indoor pepper are usually grown:

"Spark" Grows well at home. Medium early variety. Fruiting 115-120 days after germination. The pods are bright red, elongated, smooth, large enough: the weight of each is 45 g. The taste is classic: hot pepper. Bush of medium size, branched.
"Aladdin" Ultra-early, plentifully and long-term fruiting. Height in open ground 50 cm, in a room no higher than 35–40 cm. The fruits are small, numerous, elongated-cone-shaped, pungent and fragrant. At the stage of technical ripeness, the pods turn from green to cream and purple, then turn red. When grown indoors, it is less bitter than when grown outdoors, but this does not affect fruiting.
"Bell" ("Christmas bell ") The variety belongs to the species (Capsicum baccatum). The fruits look like a berry, a small patisson or a bell, elegantly suspended on the stalks. Fruit weight 60–100 g. Sharpness is unevenly distributed. The placenta has a burning taste, and the remaining parts are a pleasant sweet and sour. Leaves and stems with characteristic pubescence. The fruits ripen 150 days after germination. 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 ripe, the fruits ripen in 115–120 days from sowing. The bush is compact, height 20-30 cm.
" poinsettia "("Poinsettia") The 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 most beautiful Euphorbia, also called. Fruits up to 7.5 cm long turn red when ripe. The pods have a very pungent taste.
" Garda Firevox "("garde fireworks") The bushes are low, 25–30 cm tall. The bush is densely strewn with pods sticking up. Pods of several colors are simultaneously present on the plant: green, lilac, orange and red. Pods up to 5.5 cm long. The taste is spicy.
"Nosegay" ("Nosegay") One of the smallest and smallest peppers. Height no more than 15 cm. Small rounded fruits, when ripe, change their color from green to cream, orange, and finally to red. It can grow in a small flower pot with a capacity of 1 liter. The fruits are medium in taste.

Especially decorative varieties of peppers

• "Variegatta"- variegated variety.
• "SHU"- also differs in variegated, variegated, coloring. The fruits are mostly yellow or purple. Strong beautiful bush.
• "Purple Tiger" ("Purple Tiger")- low shrub with light purple small fruits and variegated foliage. Refined, good in compositions.
• "Salsa Orange"- a very popular variety with small orange fruits. Reminiscent of room pepper "Spark", needs the same growing conditions. The foliage is large, dark green. Small bright fruits look very attractive on it.
• "Rowan"- a variety with small multi-colored fruits, peas, reminiscent of rowan brushes. The bush is compact, with small, slightly twisted "boat" leaves. Pepper berries "sit" in them.

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

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

ON THE PICTURE:Burning and refined "Purple Tiger".

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

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

You can choose a variety of hot pepper to your liking using the review in the article: "".

Growing indoor pepper

Soil selection and preparation

By nature, pepper is a perennial, so it can grow at home for up to 10 years. For successful cultivation of a crop, first of all, the right soil is needed. Purchased mixtures are suitable only for seedlings. For a permanent container, a pot, it is better to prepare the ground yourself.

Peppers love slightly acidic soil (pH 5.0–6.0). The composition of a suitable soil mixture:

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

ON THE PICTURE: Mulching the soil in the pot will help maintain the necessary moisture and increase light levels, which is especially important for peppers in winter.

When and how to sow hot peppers for growing indoors

Optimal sowing time:

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

1. early spring varieties sown from the beginning of November to the end of December.
2. The right time to sow summer crops - March, April.
3. Autumn varieties sown in July-August.

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

Agrotechnics for sowing homemade bitter pepper:

For sowing indoor hot peppers, you need small pots with a capacity of 0.2 liters. At the bottom of such containers, garden or clean medium-sized is poured. The optimal thickness of the drainage layer is 2–3 cm. Then the containers are filled with the soil mixture described above by 2/3.

Pepper seeds, previously treated with Epin-Exta or potassium humate, are buried in the ground by 1 cm. After that, they are sprinkled with nutrient soil, which is slightly compacted. Sowing is covered with an opaque film and placed for germination at a temperature of +23–25°C.

ON THE PICTURE:Sprouting hot pepper seeds.

Growing seedlings:

After the appearance of sprouts, after 7–12 days, the protective film is removed. On the fourth or fifth day, the temperature of the content drops to + 16–18 ° C. In the future, in order for pepper seedlings to survive and grow stronger, the soil temperature should be + 20–22 ° C, air - + 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 to prevent waterlogging of the soil: it will destroy the fragile roots of peppers.

Picking is done at the stage of two or three true leaves. In front of her, seedlings are fed with a solution of 1 tbsp. l. calcium nitrate in 10 liters. water. Two or three hours before picking, the sprouts must be watered to avoid shedding the earth from the roots.

After the seedlings are finally strong and grow 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 pepper 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 needs more moisture. Watering is done in the morning, under the root, with further careful loosening of the earth.

Peppers need 65-75% humidity. If the room is dry, spraying is required.

Content temperature and ventilation:

Room hot pepper is kept at a temperature of + 20–28 ° C. Be sure to regularly ventilate the room, but drafts are undesirable.

ON THE PICTURE: IN summer time It is useful to place decorative pepper outdoors.

Lighting:

All types of pepper, even those originating from growing in shaded undergrowth, hardly endure the winters of temperate latitudes. Short daylight hours combined with cloudy weather is a severe test for "natives from the south".

Peppers are especially hard on the lack of light from November to January. Plants cease not only to bloom, but also to grow. Some varieties shed their leaves when there is a lack of light.

ON THE PICTURE:One of the secrets of the decorativeness of the indoor pepper bush is the uniform illumination of all parts of the plant.

Top dressing:

Hot peppers in a container are fed every 10-12 days. To prepare the right one for him mineral fertilizer, can be diluted in 10 liters. choice of water:

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

Mineral supplements alternate with organic ones. simple recipe organic fertilizer for indoor peppers: dilute half a can of bird droppings in granules in 10 liters. water.

The composition of the fertilizer depends on the phase of the plant's life cycle. For example, during the period of active vegetation, a fundamentally sufficient amount of calcium. Therefore, foliar fertilizing with calcium nitrate 0.2% is carried out. When laying buds, peppers need nitrogen. To increase the activity of the roots at the stage of fruit formation, phosphate fertilizers are applied.

Pruning:

At proper care pepper in a pot will delight with decorativeness and a yield of 8–10 years. However, it is advisable to renew it every three years, cutting off old and too powerful shoots. Young pepper looks more aesthetically pleasing.

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

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

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. You can buy planting material in gardening stores - or in online stores that offer 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, if properly stored, 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. And here late-ripening varieties will be able to please you with a harvest only in 120-150 days.

bush height. As a rule, lovers of indoor hot peppers prefer abundantly fruiting bushes up to 30 cm high - this is the optimal bush height for home pepper growing. 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. The fruits are round in shape, berries, often mistaken for a close and poisonous relative - nightshade, and 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 of indoor pepper, for example, bolivian rainbow, fish, which change their color several times as they ripen, and in the final stage of ripening can be yellow, orange or red.

The foliage of some varieties can also have blotches of different colors - white spots and dashes, lilac stripes that become brighter the more sunny the plant's location.

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 start a hot pepper at home just for the sake of beauty, then the sharpness is not important, but you should pay special attention to the decorative properties (bush height, shape and color, ripening characteristics).

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 separate containers, 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 is not suitable, as it may contain insect larvae, fungal spores, which 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 advisable to put a plastic glass on top of the pot, 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. main feature the fact that it is time to transplant the plant - 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 that decorate.

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 ripe, mid-ripening or late-ripening), the first fruits may appear in summer, when the sun is most active, or in early to mid-autumn.

It is 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 with comfortable conditions for growth.

What conditions are necessary for pepper

sunny location. It is advisable to keep the pot on the windowsill indoors. On very sunny balconies, the “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. In summer, on sunny days, the plant must be watered every day. Spray with water at 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 pepper can be formed as the branches grow - this is true in late summer and autumn for plants of the first year of life and in early spring period when it comes out of rest.

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 of technical ripeness. 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, hot indoor peppers are 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.

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 a ready-made flower in a store.

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

Fill the pot like this: at the bottom - drainage 2 cm, then a mixture of earth. Of course, I’ll write that you can make the right soil yourself from peat, sand and humus (or sod land) in a ratio of 1: 1: 1, but why? Sold special land for growing peppers. Take it, bake it in the oven or put it in the microwave for half a minute. Add vermiculite, about ¼ of the total. Fill the pot with this soil. By the way, before filling the soil, put the peel from one banana on the drainage layer. This trick will help to nourish the plant with potassium for a long time.

Then spill the ground well hot water and when it drains, plant the seeds or transship the plant; do not forget to tamp the bottom of the hole when planting seeds.

During the growth of decorative pepper, take care of it: maintain t ° = + 19-22 ° С; water when the earth dries out 1.5-2 cm deep; feed once every two weeks. At first, before the appearance of flowers, nitrogen fertilizers are used, during flowering and the appearance of fruits - potassium-phosphorus. Choose fertilizers on biohumus. With proper care, the crop 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 him is on the window sill to the southwest. If not, install mirror or foil reflectors, or a special backlight lamp.

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

If the pepper has finished fruiting and dropped the 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 rise again.

And also hot decorative pepper grown on the windowsill requires

• 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 observed:

• If heat, above +28°С;

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

  if the room is very dry (spray the plant with a foggy (i.e., very small holes) sprayer or install a humidifier);

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

And the last. Give the plant a warm shower by covering the ground with a piece of plastic that can be tied around the trunk like a bib. By washing the leaves with a mild soapy solution with water, you thereby protect the entire culture 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, do not forget to warn them about the dangers of eating beautiful fruits. And with the onset of the summer season, decorative hot peppers will decorate any flower garden or flower bed in the garden.

Article Author: Love

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Housewives always try to rationalize the kitchen space. This also applies to indoor plantslocated in this room.

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

The best option for the kitchen - decorative pepper. 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 "pepper", 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. It can grow outdoors and in a flower pot at 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.

Fruits can have different colors: 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. The bush 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 decorative peppers. 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 some varieties are quite 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 certain types may 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 flowers.

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 photophilous, in spring and autumn it needs up to 3-4 hours of open sunlight. 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, the bush is rare, there are few leaves on it; besides, there will be no good harvest.

growing substrate

For cultivation, the soil of 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 seed

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 an adult plant will grow. Its volume should be 4-6 liters.
2. Before planting seeds in a pot, fill the soil, providing good drainage.
3. Soak the seeds for 1 hour in water and place in a damp cloth for a day.
4. Plant the seeds and sprinkle with soil 2-4 mm. Moisten the soil 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 with cling film and place in a warm place for seedlings.
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. The capacity for further cultivation should be about 4-6 liters, with good drainage.
8. A sprout with a large earthen clod is planted in it by transshipment, watered abundantly.
9. The top pinches.

More often they choose the second method, but, as practice has shown, the first is no worse.

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 off the 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.