How to grow decorative peppers at home?

Capsicum belongs to the Solanaceae family, its varieties are subdivided into hot and sweet. The bitter taste is given by the alkaloid capsaicin.

Decorative indoor peppers stand out effectively on the windowsill and serve as a source of spices for preparing a wide variety of dishes. In everyday life it is called "light", although in fact in culture there are several dozen species and varieties of plants. It is popular not only for its burning taste and attractive appearance, but also for its ease of growing at home.

1. Selection of varieties and seeds for successful cultivation
   • How to choose seeds for planting at home
   • How to choose the best variety
2. Seed germination technology
3. Transplanting young plants to a permanent place
4. Features of care and creation of conditions
   • Stimulating flowering and fruiting
   • What conditions are necessary for pepper
5. Harvesting and Seeding Rules
6. Caring for indoor peppers in a pot in winter

Selection of varieties and seeds for successful cultivation

The easiest way to propagate decorative indoor peppers is by seeds. The key to success in choosing the right planting material.

How to choose seeds for planting at home

Seeds taken from dried fruit are great. You can purchase planting material at gardening stores - or online stores that offer exotic and ornamental plant seeds. If you plant in February-March, you can easily get fruits already in September-October of the same year.

To begin with, you need to decide what kind of pepper you want to get in the end - high or low, spicy or not very, with fruit-berries or the classic "pepper" form. Typically, this information is on the packet. However, when purchasing, you need to pay attention to how long ago the seeds were collected?

When stored properly, hot pepper seeds can remain viable for up to 5 years, but every year the percentage of germinating falls... It is best to grow indoor peppers from seeds harvested last season if you plan on harvesting this year.

The most important thing! Selected seeds should not have any flaws - dark specks, strong twisting, damage, traces of rot. Quality seeds are pale yellow to almost white in color.

How to choose the best variety

Distinguish between early ripening, mid-ripening, late-ripening. You can enjoy the fruits of early-ripening varieties within 65-100 days from the moment of germination. Fruits from mid-season 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 plentifully fruiting bushes up to 30 cm high - this is the optimal height of the bush for home-based peppers.There are also very miniature bushes 15 cm, and real giants up to a meter high.

Fruit shape... Most lovers prefer classic conical or elongated peppers. Fruits are round in 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 nightshade, then it is better not to risk it. Fruits are also found in exotic forms, for example, Aji orchid.

Fruit and leaf color... This is especially important if you plan to grow the plant as an ornamental plant. There are very decorative varieties of indoor peppers, for example, Bolivian rainbow, Fish, which, as they ripen, change their color several times, and at the final stage of ripening they can be yellow, orange or red.

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

Pungency - if you plan to eat the harvest of hot indoor peppers for food, it is important to make sure that you can do it - there are absolutely not spicy species, but there are ones that are so bitter that it is unsafe for an unprepared person to eat them. Especially appreciated among gourmets Habanero - the fruits, depending on the variety, differ in pungency, but they have an incomparable citrus-floral aroma and taste!

If you want to make hot peppers at home just for the sake of beauty, then the pungency is not important, but special attention should be paid to the decorative properties (height of the bush, shape and color, ripening features).

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 pepper from seeds at home:

1. Pour drainage at the bottom of the container - expanded clay is best.
2. Put the soil on top. Usually choose a ph-neutral soil for indoor plants 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. It is recommended to pre-soak the seeds in warm water for several hours for swelling and faster germination. Sometimes a stimulant is added to the soaking water, in particular - Epin, to increase germination. The use of a stimulant will not affect the plant in the future, but if the seeds are harvested 2-3 years ago, then the probability of successful germination will be higher. Can be planted without soaking.
4. Distribute the planting material evenly over the soil surface at some distance from each other. This is necessary so that young plants do not interfere with each other as they grow.
5. Sprinkle the seeds on top with soil - about 0.5 mm so that they are completely covered. If the surface of the soil is dry, moisten it with water, preferably from a sprinkler for flowers. It is important that the surface of the soil is slightly damp, but not wet, otherwise the seeds may rot.
6. As the top layer of the soil dries up, it must be regularly moistened.
7. It is advisable to put a plastic glass on top of the pot, thereby building a greenhouse. This is especially true if the planting takes place in February-March, and the indoor temperature may be below 25 degrees.

At a temperature of 22-25 degrees, shoots appear after 10-14 daysif the seeds are harvested 2-3 years ago, the germination process may take another 1-2 weeks.

Seedlings must be periodically ventilated - raise the greenhouse for a short time so that young plants get used to the environment. Gradually, the "no greenhouse" periods should be increased and eventually removed altogether.

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 you can transplant the plants into larger pots when the roots appear at the bottom of the water holes.

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

When seating, it is better to use small deep pots of 100 ml. Transplanting a young specimen immediately into a pot of very large volume is not useful - the "extra" earth will begin to sour from watering. It is better, as the plant grows, to gradually transfer it into a container, slightly larger than the previous one. The main sign that it is time to transplant the plant is the roots protruding from the bottom of the pot. During the season, as a rule, the bush is reloaded 2-3 times.

Features of care and creation of conditions

The goal of every home grower is to see their plant blooming, in the case of ornamental pepper, the finish is beautiful fruits that adorn the garden on the windowsill.

Stimulating flowering and fruiting

Young seedlings of "fire" on the windowsill begin to bloom about a month after the emergence of shoots. The first flowers are likely to 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 or "pollinate" the flowers with a soft brush.

Depending on what kind of indoor hot pepper you have (early, mid or late), 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 the bush in the first year of growth, cutting off flowers and the first ovaries. Indoor pepper "knows" to what height it needs to grow, when to start blooming and how many fruits to set. Your task is to provide him with comfortable growth conditions.

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 are strongly deformed and lack seeds.

In the shade, seedlings bloom reluctantly, set few fruits, and may suffer from the bay. The bushes of hot indoor decorative pepper feel extremely uncomfortable 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. Ogonyok is very fond of water. 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 ones - to October), it is advisable to feed indoor peppers with a specialized fertilizer for fruit plants. There is also a special fertilizer for peppers and tomatoes, which 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 important in late summer and 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 more neat look, allows the plant to save energy. But the main trunk should not be shortened - this may cause the bush to die.

Harvesting and Seeding Rules

As the fruit ripens, it is possible and necessary to harvest. There are varieties of indoor peppers, the pungency of which decreases at full maturity. Therefore, such fruits are harvested at the stage of technical ripeness. These unripe peppers are often much tastier than ripe ones.

For example, the fruits of the decorative bitter peppers of the Jalapeno variety (Jalapeno) are most often harvested when they are still green, but characteristic "scars" have already appeared on them, but becoming 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 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 wrinkles, 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 this case they can rot.

Caring for indoor peppers in a pot in winter

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

First... If you do not want to save this specimen, 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.

Second... If you are ready to save the plant, then at the end of the season you need to collect ripe fruits, reduce watering, avoiding prolonged drying out of the soil. Spray the bush with room temperature water every two to three days.

Gradually, the leaves will partially fall off. Sometimes the pepper sheds the leaves completely. Branches that are too long can be shortened a little. 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 slightly larger than the previous one, to replace the main part of the soil. Increase watering gradually.

Third... If you not only want to preserve the plant, but also to get a harvest in winter, then additional lighting is necessary. In this case, special lamps are installed, watering is not reduced, and fertilizing is continued.

As you can see, growing ornamental peppers at home does not require special knowledge and skills. A "light" 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 indoor plants, learn how to grow an avocado from a seed, plumeria and adenium from seeds, and a violet from a leaf. 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, coffee, tea - a very unusual and effective remedy in the fight against colds and flu!

Add this page to your favorites and share interesting information with your friends on social networks!

In order to plant plants at home in winter, you do not need to make a lot of effort. We will analyze how to grow decorative peppers and how to care for them.

Decorative pepper

Growing in containers and pots

If you plan to grow an ornamental plant in containers or pots, you can choose any type of plant.Capsicum, the second name for ornamental pepper, is usually sown at the beginning of March, and in the summer you can take the pots with the plant outside, for example, on the balcony.

As for the choice of a pot, it is worth taking a container with a volume of about 5 liters. Although, if you plan to grow vegetable or berry peppers, which are tall, it is worth taking a larger pot.

Landing features

Before planting hot indoor peppers in the ground, you need to prepare them in a special way for planting. You will need:

• Potted plant substrate
• Dolomite flour

It is desirable that the soil contains horn shavings, if it is not there, you can buy it separately. As for dolomite flour, it should be added to the ground every 7 days, the recommended amount is 1 tsp. for 5-6 liters of land.

Decorative indoor peppers do not grow in dense soil, since such soil does not allow air to penetrate into the soil. Many growers add humus to the soil to increase the nutritional value of the soil.

In order for the soil to be as prepared as possible for growing ornamental peppers in a pot, you can enrich the soil with vermiculite or agroperlite before planting. With these ingredients, you can maximize the moisture holding capacity of the soil.

Harvesting

The fruits of the decorative pepper will be appreciated by those who like to pamper themselves with something spicy and a little bitter, like chili. When can you harvest the edible fruits of the hot ornamental peppers?

If you see that the pepper has changed its color, turned yellow or red, depending on the selected variety, then the fruits are fully ripe and can be picked.

Which variety to choose

You can plant any variety of homemade decorative peppers at home. However, there is a list of varieties of decorative indoor peppers that are considered the least demanding to care for, they are most often eaten by others:

• Goldfinger
• Red rocket
• Jamaica
• Python
• Troll
• Black bride
• Pearl
• The Queen of Spades
• Filius
• Blue baby
• Jellyfish
• Aladdin
• Pearl
• Zorro
• Sirius
• Salsa
• Wushu
• Ampel mischievous

If you are growing decorative hot peppers for the first time, then you should start with these varieties.

Plant height

Different kinds

If a pepper bush grows in a natural environment, such as bell peppers, it manages to reach a height of 1 meter or even higher. As for indoor conditions, that is, growing on a windowsill, the plant can grow on average up to 30-60 cm, Aladdin is considered the highest variety. At the same time, the life span of a capsicum at home is not long, only 4-5 years.

However, even in such a short time, the bush will delight you with bright fruits more than once. Plus, you will be harvesting throughout the entire calendar year.

Lighting

The first thing worth saying is that the room should be bright enough, and also often ventilated, but drafts are categorically undesirable. It is better to choose window sills in the east or west, so you will take into account the lighting requirement.

Don't put pepper pots on the south side. The fact is that the plant can get burns on the leaves if it is in the sun for a long time.

However, you do not need to keep the plant in the shade all the time. At least 3-5 hours a day, the bush should be placed in direct sunlight. If the weather outside the window is cloudy, you need to organize an artificial light source. If the sun is not enough, you will notice this by the appearance of the bush - the branches develop poorly, flowering is worse, and the fruit is catastrophically small.

The most stressful period for ornamental pepper is considered to be the end of autumn - the beginning of winter, since this period is characterized by a short daylight hours. In order to maintain the growth of pepper, you need to organize additional lighting with phytolamps.

Temperature and humidity

The room should be 23-25 ​​degrees in the spring, in winter, a decrease to 16-19 degrees is allowed.

An important feature of ornamental peppers is that the plant loves temperature changes, this concerns the difference between morning and night temperatures. For this reason, plant breeders recommend taking the pot out to the balcony.

To grow pepper on a windowsill, a moisture content of at least 60-70% is required. Exceeding normal values ​​is not stinging, besides this plant does not tolerate a dry period poorly. If the hygrometer shows less than 50% humidity, it is recommended, in addition to watering, to spray the bush with water from a spray bottle.

Preparing seeds for planting

Beautiful peppers

In order for the plant to take root better, it is recommended to sow not earlier than February. It is necessary to prepare ornamental pepper seeds before sowing. For this you will need:

• Disinfectant solution for seeds - Fitosporin or potassium permanganate
• Growth stimulant such as Epin

In the first case, the seeds are soaked, in the second, they are sprayed in accordance with the instructions for the preparation. If you are going to plant fresh seeds, then you can refuse stimulation.

Germinating seeds

During germination, the seeds should soak in water for at least 12 hours. In this case, it is important that they are located at least 2 cm apart from each other. This is necessary so that the sprouted shoots do not interfere with the growth of each other. After germination, you need to sprinkle them with earth, covering them 1 cm from above. Make sure all seeds are covered.

The next step is to sprinkle the germinated seeds with water from a spray bottle. It is important not to overdo it here so that the soil is not too wet, otherwise it can lead to mold and rot.

Try to organize conditions that will resemble greenhouse as much as possible. To do this, cover them with foil, then put them in a warm place with good lighting. For the seed to germinate, a temperature of at least 23 degrees is required.

In no case should you put the seed pot in the sun, so you risk creating a greenhouse effect under the film, after which the seeds will cook.

As soon as you see the first small shoots, you must immediately remove the film. This usually takes about two weeks. However, it can take longer under some conditions, for example, if you did not prepare the seeds before sowing.

Transplanting seedlings

When several leaves have appeared on the seedlings, the seedling is ready to be transplanted to a permanent place of growth. Each seedling must be placed in a separate container for growing ornamental peppers. Otherwise, if there are 2 or more shoots in the pot, the plant will become weak, you may not wait for the fruit.

It is worth taking a pot of about 300 ml in volume. If the volume of the pot is larger, then the root system of the bush may oxidize after several waterings.

It is important during transplantation to place the shoot at exactly the same depth at which it was located at the germination stage. Do not deepen the plant too deep into the soil, as this can lead to rotting of the root system.

It is important to place a drainage layer on the bottom of the new pot. It must be laid carefully so as not to close the holes in the bottom.

It is necessary to select the land for potted plants. You can slightly press down the soil around the sprout itself, and then water it well. During rooting, it is recommended not to water the bush for at least a week.

During the transplant, it is necessary to pinch the most important root. In this way, the lateral processes of the roots will develop, and the root system will be stronger.

Growing pepper from a cutting

In summer and spring, decorative peppers can be grown by cuttings. To do this, you need to cut off the lateral process, after which the resulting cut must be treated with a special growth stimulator. Next, the shoot must be placed in a mixture of soil and sand, the components are taken in a 1 to 1 ratio.It is necessary to ensure maximum watering of the cuttings, and then cover it with a plastic or glass cap. Place the stalk where it will be warm and light enough.

It is important to periodically ventilate the root; this should be done at least once a day.

You can pinch the top to speed up the rooting process. It is worth making sure that the cutting grows in soil suitable for potted plants. If you have chosen sandy-earthen soil for it at the rooting stage, you should give preference to the same mixture at the transplant stage.

Ornamental pepper care

Pepper care is essential

After the sprout has successfully rooted, it is important to provide the future bush with proper care, which consists of the following stages:

• Watering
• Periodic spraying
• Top dressing
• Crown formation

Watering the plant

In summer and spring, the plant is watered as needed, that is, when you find dry soil in a pot. It is worth using only settled water, its temperature should be room temperature.

In no case do not allow a situation with drying out of the earth. If the bush has withered, its leaves will soon fall off, there will be no more fruits on it.

Spraying the bush

If the temperature to the room is above 25 degrees, spray the bush at least 2-3 times a day.

Top dressing

Feeding is considered an integral part of caring for ornamental peppers, the plant reacts sharply if there is a lack of certain nutrients in the soil.

If the color of the leaves turns purple, then there is not enough phosphorus in the soil. An excessively light color of the foliage can indicate a lack of nitrogen.

Top dressing should be applied at least once every 10-14 days. At the same time, it is important to follow the application rules: potash and phosphorus mixtures should be applied strictly at the root, nitrogen fertilizers are applied directly to the leaves.

We form the crown

The crown formation procedure, that is, trimming the top of the foliage, is a procedure that cannot be neglected. The fact is that the formation has a positive effect on the indicators of fertility, and also gives the tree a beautiful and well-groomed appearance.

It is important to pinch each shoot before the first shoots are formed. The most important branch, namely its crown, is pinched at the moment when the first flowers appear on it. This will contribute to the development of lateral shoots. All leaves and branches that are knocked out of the general crown are subject to pruning.

We transplant decorative peppers

It is recommended to transplant decorative peppers at least twice a year, and you need to partially change the soil. This is done to improve the quality of the soil.

It is important to carry out the procedure as carefully as possible so as not to injure the root system of a houseplant such as ornamental pepper. In order not to stress the plant, you can limit yourself to partial replacement of the soil in the pot without removing the pepper.

Diseases and pests

Most often, an ornamental plant suffers from spider mites and mealybugs. The first disease affects only the roots, therefore, it is not possible to detect the problem at the initial stage. It is quite difficult to deal with a spider mite, so it is better to do prevention, that is, disinfect the ground in time.

With poor care, the risk of damage to the bush by mealybugs increases, especially deviations from the norms of humidity and temperature have a detrimental effect on the condition of the plant.

In winter, when the centralized heating system is working, containers with water are placed next to the pots to fill the liquid deficit.

If the soil is too moist, then the bush can get sick with late blight or root rot. If you notice brown or black spots on the foliage, it is worth immediately treating the leaves with a preparation with copper. Another sign of the disease is leaf wilting. You can help ornamental peppers by removing the plant from the ground and replanting it completely.

How to plant decorative peppers with boiling water?

How to grow small-fruited BITTER PEPPER on a windowsill

Difficulties in growing

When growing ornamental peppers, much attention should be paid to the organization of lighting in the room.

A small number of fruits can also be called a problem. In order to solve this problem, periodically shake the plant a little, this is especially effective during flowering. For the same purpose, it is possible to carry out a brush over the pepper flowers every two to three days in order to accelerate reproduction.

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Reviews and comments

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The color and shape of the fruit of the plant is very different, regardless of the care provided. There are many varieties of ornamental peppers, and each of them endows the vegetable with specific characteristics. The shape of the product can be elongated, round or oval, flattened or not.

Decorative pepper has a wide variety of varieties and colors

Plant description

The name of the decorative pepper is capsicum. Pepper care and cultivation is carried out at home or outdoors. The scope of the cultivated product is wide: food product, medicinal product. Ornamental pepper has a pungent taste and belongs to the nightshade family. Ornamental peppers are used in cooking dishes, spices, or medicinal tinctures.

The place of origin is concentrated in America and Asia. The composition of nightshade includes many useful substances and vitamins. In Russia, ornamental pepper is grown as a houseplant, without the aim of obtaining edible fruits. The appearance of the plant is beautiful and colorful, which explains its demand and love among housewives.

Decorative peppers have several varieties:

• small;
• large;
• blunt-nosed;
• pointed;
• cylindrical;
• pear-shaped;
• short;
• long.

Pepper fruits can grow upward or they can slope downward. Small nightshade grows at home in pots, or on a large scale: in a greenhouse, and on a plot. Although such cultivation is not very common. The indoor flower is still widespread due to its attractive appearance and long service life.

A beautiful appearance takes time and effort to get a houseplant at home.

The fruiting period of a houseplant at home is four years, if you provide it with proper care.

To get a beautiful plant, the bush must be shaped

Houseplant care

Care and cultivation of a miracle pepper is carried out in a temperature regime that does not exceed twenty-five degrees. The room in which you grow peppers should be ventilated. The little nightshade miracle loves light and sunlight, for this reason the plant is often taken outside to give it sunbathing.

It is necessary to provide the plant with abundant, but not over-watering. To keep the plant beautiful and healthy, it should be provided with extra light. In autumn and spring, a sufficient temperature regime is fifteen degrees, if the plant is taken care of in a bright room.

When the first shoots form on the flower, you need to pinch it. This is a mandatory measure for the care of nightshades. She does not allow him to grow chaotically and forms a beautiful, healthy bush.

Pruning is also an important measure and is carried out after the plant has finished flowering. Fertilizer is added to the pepper one to two times a week.

In winter, the flower does not need fertilization; if additional lighting is used, the plant is fertilized once every four weeks.

If you transplant a flower once a year, you will be able to preserve the plant for a long period of time and provide it with a longer fruiting period. If you regularly spray the plant, you can avoid falling foliage and fruits, which often happen due to lack of moisture.

To get peppers, flowers need to be pollinated on their own.

Abundant fruiting is ensured by pollination, which you will have to do yourself. It bears fruit even without this measure, but it helps to increase the volume of fruit.

Plant care is based on:

1. Selection of planting material and its preparation for sowing.
2. Soil cultivation.
3. Sowing seeds.
4. Growing and care.
5. Watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing.
6. Trimming and pinching.

Sowing of pepper is carried out by seeds and cuttings. Planting by cuttings is carried out in summer and winter. This is the most appropriate time for planting. Shoots are cut for cuttings. and planted in prepared soil.

Plant care is ensured if watering, light and fertilization are provided regularly and in a timely manner. Peppers love light and should often be exposed to sunlight.

If the plant is planted in a pot, it can be illuminated with lamps that provide the plant with additional light. Fertilizers are applied once a week, or once a month. Depending on the climate.

Pepper has a complex of useful substances and a beautiful appearance, which pleases the breeder if he, in turn, has given proper care to the planting material. Ornamental chili requires little maintenance, which consists in a consistent natural care process.

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With the onset of cold weather, we begin to miss the rich colors of nature and the rustling of foliage in the wind. Some gardeners in this case grow decorative peppers at home. A green hat dotted with multi-colored fruits on the windowsill contrasts with the winter landscape, raising your spirits great.

What is a decorative pepper?

Capsicum is the botanical name for pepper. It is also called Vegetable Pepper or Capsicum. These are unpretentious, annual and perennial shrubs and shrubs of the Solanaceae family. He comes from the subtropics of Central America.

Capsicum or decorative pepper

Capsicum should not be confused with black pepper, a plant of the Pepper genus belonging to the Pepper family.

Capsicum is grown all over the world as an ornamental or vegetable crop. Varieties are divided into sweet and bitter varieties. The latter contain an increased amount of the alkaloid capsacin. The Aztecs used this substance as a chemical weapon. It gives the pepper a hot taste. Most of the capsacin is found in fruits, especially cayenne pepper.

It is customary to call decorative compact, branched varieties with a height of 20-40 cm, with dense foliage and an abundance of fruits. They are grown indoors, in pots. In the summer, it is not a sin to take it out to the balcony or in the garden, or plant it in the open ground. Before the onset of cold weather, the pepper can be transplanted back into the pot.

Can decorative peppers be eaten?

Ornamental pepper is loved by many for its original appearance and ease of growing.

The fruit of Capsicum is a false berry, a hollow seed capsule, often eaten or used as a spice. The word box in Latin means capsa, hence the Latin name of the plant - Capsicum. Fruit shape, color, size and position on the plant may vary from variety to variety. Some ornamental varieties may not be edible. The tops, greens, roots of the plant are toxic, like all nightshades.

Most popular varieties

Many varieties have been bred, the most popular of which are:

Tabasco

Pepper Tabasco

The classic of peppers. Serves as the main component for the famous sauce. The fruits are about 5 cm long, they are collected in bunches and stick up. Their color ranges from orange to red.

Tepin

Hot pepper Tepin

A wild variety with particularly pungent red fruits, rounded, about the size of a bean. Used by cowboys as a stimulant. Hence the slang name Cowboy berry.

Troll

Pepper Troll

Abundantly fruiting, spreading shrub 30-40 cm high with variegated leaves. When ripe, the fruits change their color from green to purple and red.

Black Pearl

Pepper Black Pearl

Unusual variety. As you grow older the plant changes its color from green to almost black. The fruits are also black, spherical, small in size, redden as they ripen.

Jellyfish

Pepper Medusa

Lovely pepper, dotted with elongated, moderately pungent fruits. They stick up, like the tentacles of a jellyfish.

Firework

Shrub pepper Salute

The smallest shrub variety. Great for indoor growing at home. The bush reaches a height of 15-20 cm. The peppers are orange.

Goldfinder

Pepper ornamental Goldfinger

Inedible pepper, grown to decorate interiors. The fruits are yellow.

Planting rules at home

There are general planting rules for peppers. It propagates by seeds, which are taken from ripe fruits. They can be sown at any time of the year. The seeds are pre-soaked in water for several hours. For germination, you can use a damp cloth or gauze. With the appearance of roots, the seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. Also, the seeds can be planted immediately after soaking.

Sprouted Ornamental Pepper Seeds

The substrate should be loose, breathable and nutritious, and have a neutral reaction. A mixture for Saintpaulias or one based on peat and sand will do. Drainage required. For successful germination, the soil must be moist at all times, but not wet.

The pot should be with a hole. Cover it with plastic or plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect.

The air temperature is about 20-25 ° С. On cold windowsills, place a wooden board under the pot, thick magazines will do. With the emergence of seedlings, at a time with short daylight hours, it is highly desirable to provide additional lighting with fluorescent or phytolamps. When the sprouts reach a height of 5-6 cm, they can be planted in separate pots of the appropriate size.

If this is not done, plants can grow weakened and bear fruit worse. The film can no longer be worn. As they grow, the peppers are transferred into larger pots. In the spring-summer period, they can be planted in open ground, and after rooting, pinned. This is done for better branching of the bush. 

Plant care and cultivation

In order for the plant to develop correctly, to be healthy, to please the eye with its appearance and abundance of fruits, it will need a little care. It consists in creating and maintaining favorable conditions.

• Lighting... Capsicum prefers bright, diffused light. It is essential for fruit setting. West or east windows are perfect. On the south side, on sunny days from 11 am to 4 pm, or if the plant grows outdoors, shade should be provided. From the north side, as well as in winter, additional lighting is required. Otherwise, the plant may stretch out and lose its decorative effect.

Direct sunlight can cause ornamental pepper leaves to burn.

• Temperature... Moderate, during the growing season 15-25 ° C. In winter, when there is a lack of light, preferably around 15 ° C to slow down growth. It can withstand a drop of up to 10 ° C. Afraid of drafts, stretches out in the heat.
• Watering... In summer and during the flowering period, you need to water it often, 3-4 times a week. If the plant is in the sun, then even more often. The soil should not dry out. During the ripening of the fruits, the watering soil is slightly reduced. If it's cool (10-15 ° C), watered once a week.
• Humidity... Undemanding to humidity. Spray 1-2 times a week, which after flowering promotes fruit formation.
• Top dressing... From April to September, liquid, complex fertilizers once every 2 weeks. After fruit ovary, feeding is stopped.

Stimulating flowering and fruiting

Ornamental pepper flower

A healthy, strong plant blooms in summer with whitish, nondescript flowers. You can stimulate flowering with hormonal drugs, growth regulators. Fruits are set without cross-pollination, but transferring pollen with a soft brush from one flower to another will increase the number of ovaries. After the ovary, the shoots are pinched half the length. This enhances fruiting.

Diseases and pests, the fight against them

Pepper is unpretentious, but with improper care, even with it, difficulties may arise. The weakened plant is affected by spider mites, aphids, whitefly mealybug, downy mildew, black leg. Insecticides are used to control insects. They protect against diseases with fugnicides.

If you bring a plant from the street into the room, due to a sharp change in lighting, it may begin to shed its leaves. This also happens from hot, dry air or over-watering. The leaves can become smaller, turn pale, the plant does not bloom from lack of nutrition.

Conclusion

In general, Capsicum is an amazing plant, useful and beautiful in its own way. The Mexican requires minimal care, and watching his metamorphoses is interesting and informative. Under favorable conditions, he will delight you with himself for up to 5 years.