How to grow peppers in the winter at home?

Hello dear readers!

So, dear friends, after reading the previous articles, you are probably thinking about planting lemon, dill, parsley or cilantro at home. Maybe some of you have already planted these plants? Then let's talk about the next inhabitant of our windowsill - sweet pepper.

Sweet pepper is very beautiful for its tight fruits, bright, tasty, full of vitamins. It is him that we lack so much on rainy autumn days, and on harsh winter weekdays, and during the period of spring beriberi.

Do you want to admire the pepper and eat it all year round? In this case, feel free to start landing. pepper on his windowsill, as these plants are ideal for home care and cultivation.

Best grade pepper on the windowsill

Compact, undersized varieties of pepper (they are the most unpretentious and persistent) will be ideal for planting at home. The growth of this plant will reach half a meter and it will perfectly fit into the size of your window. The best varieties:

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

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

Seed preparation

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

• Epin. Take 2 drops for 100 ml of water.
• Zircon. Add 1 drop to 300 ml of water.

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

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

As soon as the seeds hatch, you can transfer pepper on the windowsill.

Getting started landing

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

Do not forget about the drainage layer (fine gravel, expanded clay or broken small pieces of red brick will do).

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

• The last days of February are the beginning of March. It is necessary to find the most suitable time for landing (be guided by the weather forecast). If, a week after planting the seeds, nature decides to pamper us with very warm, sunny weather, the pepper can slow down its growth. In this case, at home, at the beginning of its growth, it is better to keep the pepper on the north window for a while.
• Winter months. When planting seeds in winter, it is necessary to ensure that the daylight hours are 12 hours daily. In addition, light the pepper with fluorescent lamps.
• The plant germinates well when planting seeds in late July or early September. Again, keep an eye on the weather forecast (so there are no overly warm days ahead).

Preparing the soil

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

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

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

Sod land is best taken from the place where meadow clover grows. Ash must be added to any soil (2 glasses of ash for every 10 kg of soil). Peppers are extremely sensitive to soil salt and acidity levels. Add dolomite flour or lime to the soil (take 16 grams of the substance for 1 kg of soil).

You can use special hydrogels. They are made for home gardening. When hydrogels mix with the soil, they swell, absorb excess water and simultaneously loosen the soil, retaining nutrients.

Planting seeds

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

If the plant stubbornly does not want to germinate, increase the length of daylight hours (extend the additional lighting from 7 am to 9 pm).

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

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

The rhizome after the pick becomes stronger, wraps around and holds the earthen ball better, and the homemade pepper itself on the windowsill brings more harvest. Dive process:

• fill the soil in the pot where you will transplant the pepper with plenty of water a day;
• before diving, make a depression in the center of the pot in the new ground;
• moisten the soil around the sprout abundantly an hour or two before the operation;
• gently take it and lift it together with an earthen lump, shake it off the ground;
• very carefully shorten the root by about 1/3 (you can pluck it with your nails);
• gently place it in the prepared hole in a new pot so that the central root does not bend, and the leaves are 2 cm above the soil level;
• compact the soil around the seedling with your fingers;
• pour warm water over the transplanted pepper.

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

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

But make sure that the small pepper does not fall under drafts and the effect of a low, destructive temperature for it (below + 13 ° C).

Taking care of our pepper

Operation	Pepper desires	Advice
Watering	As needed	Pepper on the windowsill should be watered with settled warm water (water temperature + 30 ° C). Sprinkle the pepper with warm water daily. To prevent the plant from overheating during the winter heating season, cover the battery with a damp cloth. Remember to loosen the soil constantly.
Lighting	In winter, daylight hours should be 12 hours	Periodically turn the plant with different sides to the window. Fluorescent lamps will work with the usual white spectrum. Avoid direct sunlight.
Temperature	Day + 25 ° - + 27 ° С Night +10 ° - + 15 ° С	In the summer, it is good to keep the pepper on the balcony, in the winter, transfer it to the windows in the south. Beware of drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations.
Top dressing	Fertilize once every two weeks after watering	You can feed the peppers on the windowsill with purchased nitrogen fertilizers for indoor flowers. Or make a nutrient solution (3 liters of water and 6 tablespoons of ash). As a top dressing, you can prepare decoctions of nettle, plantain, clover. This is very beneficial for peppers.

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

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

You can not use potassium salt, potassium chloride (their composition with an excess of chlorine is harmful to the roots of the pepper). But the excess nitrogen is not terrible for pepper.

We are waiting for the harvest

Most domestic peppers are self-pollinated plants. By the way, they can also be pollinated. Therefore, try to keep different varieties of peppers apart from each other.

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

Getting our own seeds

For this we select red, ripe fruits. Cut the pepper neatly in the circle of the stalk and very carefully remove the seed-bearing, holding it by the stalk.

We devote the next 4 days to drying the seed crop at a temperature from + 25 ° C to + 30 ° C. And we separate the seeds. Store them in a paper bag in a warm, dark place.

The maximum shelf life of seeds is 5 years.

We transplant the plant

It is necessary to transplant peppers on the windowsill once a year. He wants new, fresh land for a richer harvest (after all, he has already taken everything useful from the old soil). Change the land completely to fresh.

Transplant the plant carefully, being careful not to injure the root system with an earthy clod.

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

I wish you a rich harvest!

See you soon, dear readers!

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Vegetable garden (vegetables)

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2016-10-27 Bell peppers can be successfully grown at home

Autumn and winter are not a reason for boredom, especially for skilled and non-lazy gardeners. During the winter months, it is doubly pleasant to observe the bright bushes of sweet peppers, strewn with colorful fruits.

It is not difficult to grow sweet peppers on a windowsill, in room conditions - the agricultural technology of growing pepper in winter does not differ from the method of growing in a greenhouse. Pepper seedlings are grown similarly to greenhouse ones, seeds are sown, and grown seedlings dive.

At the age of 4-6 leaves, sweet pepper seedlings are carefully transplanted into decorative pots with fertile soil. The volume of the pot must be more than 1.5 liters, and a gravel drain must be laid on the bottom of the pot.

By the way, many gardeners in the fall dig up fruit-bearing bushes in the garden and transfer them to a room for winter cultivation, and plant them back in the spring. In this case, the process of plant growth and development does not stop - pepper is grown as a perennial plant.

Bell peppers can be grown on a windowsill

Therefore, in the fall, you can dig up a suitable pepper bush, cut each shoot shortly, plant it in a pot of fresh soil and transport it home to a bright window. It is advisable to spray the future crown of the plant with a solution of Epin or Novosil. Such a plant will continue to bear fruit with proper care without interruption throughout the winter.

By replanting plants from open ground with an already formed crop, without removing all the fruits and without shortening the shoots, we doom the plants to rapid death.

What kind of pepper to choose

The correct selection of the variety is the main condition for success for the winter cultivation of sweet peppers on the windowsill.

The compact crown and small size of the bush are the main characteristics of the pepper variety or hybrid that you should pay attention to. Fruits ripen early or ultra-early.

• Western film - a very early variety of pepper. Plants are compact, 30–35 cm high. Fruits are bright red, weighing 60–80 g, fruiting amicably. The variety is unpretentious, shade-tolerant, grows well on the windowsill.
• Winnie the Pooh - early ripening dwarf sweet pepper. Fruiting occurs 100–110 days after germination. Standard bushes up to 30 cm high. Fruits are cone-shaped with a pointed tip, weighing up to 70 g, red when fully ripe. Differs in the simultaneous ripening of fruits. To obtain the maximum yield, the plants must be planted thickened.
• Yova - early ripening variety of pepper. Fruits weighing up to 200 g, thick-walled, juicy. In technical ripeness - salad, in biological ripeness - red. The variety is unpretentious, harvestable, grows well on a loggia and on a windowsill.
• Carat - an early ripening variety of pepper. Sprawling bushes, 60–70 cm high. Fruits weighing 60–70 g, dense, fleshy, directed upwards. The plants are very decorative.
• Gingerbread man - an early ripening variety of pepper. The plant is semi-stemmed, undersized (20-30 cm), leafy. Fruits are round, smooth, slightly ribbed, tender skin and pulp, ripen together. Coloring of fruits from light green to dark red. The walls of the fetus are thick (7–8 mm). Fruit weight 100–160 g. The taste is excellent.
• Red bell Is an ultra-early ripening, high-yielding sweet pepper variety. The fruit tastes great. It grows well in the open field, in the greenhouse, on the window and on the balcony.
• Sturdy - early maturing, high-yielding variety with abundant fruiting and amicable ripening of fruits. The plant is compact, 37–55 cm high, the fruits are cone-shaped, with a blunt apex, smooth and slightly wavy, protruding upward, the color of the fruits is from yellow to red. Fruit weight 70-75 g.
• Treasure Island - an early ripe sweet pepper variety for growing in pots. Plants 40-60 cm high. Fruits are orange-red, weighing up to 60 g.
• Sweet chocolite - mid-early variety with very beautiful fruits with a chocolate-colored surface color. Fruits weighing up to 100 g, excellent taste. Grows well and bears fruit in winter indoors.
• Triton F1 - ultra-early ripening hybrid, unpretentious, undersized and productive. Fruits are conical in shape, directed upwards.
• Filippok F1 - early ripening (75–80 days) hybrid. The plant is short, slightly leafy. Fruits are small (50-60 g), cuboid. The color changes from green to dark red. The taste is very high.

Artificial lighting

Artificial increase in daylight hours is the most important condition for the successful cultivation of sweet peppers in the winter.

Most gardeners use ordinary incandescent lamps for supplementary lighting, but they give little light and a lot of heat, burning the leaves and stems of the peppers when they are close.

Cold light fluorescent lamps are most convenient for lighting an apartment plantation. For 1 m2 of area, fluorescent lamps with a total power of 100-150 watts are necessary and sufficient.

Fluorescent lamps provide little heat - they can be placed near plants, but there is little orange-red light in their spectrum, which stimulates photosynthesis.

Phytolamps can be used - they are most effective for illuminating plants and are very economical in terms of energy consumption. One drawback of phytolamps is poorly eliminated - the lilac-pink glow of these lamas irritates the human eye and causes headaches.

Sodium lamp connection diagram. Lighting of plants with sodium lamps.

Sodium gas-discharge lamps give the greatest effect when illuminating seedlings (for example, DNaZ or Reflax) and combine high radiation activity with a favorable spectrum for photosynthesis. Sodium lamps give an orange-yellow glow similar to the setting sun. Such a light does not irritate a person, which is very important when placed in an apartment.

Temperature regime

Pepper is a thermophilic plant, so the tray with pots should be placed not on the windowsill, but on a layer of foam, which will protect the soil and plant roots from hypothermia.

If the apartment is warm, the temperature is above + 23 ° C, this does not mean that the soil on the windowsill is warm. Take the time to stick the thermometer into the ground, and you will be very surprised.

Recommended temperature for growing sweet peppers at home. Photo: WikiHow

If the box is located far from the window glass, then the temperature of the soil in it is usually 5 ° C lower than the air in the room. And if the box is on the windowsill next to the frame, then it may be 10 or more degrees lower.

At this soil temperature, heat-loving peppers will not grow or may rot at all. Plants in such cases must be removed from the windowsill at night or, in extreme cases, the window glass must be carefully covered with thick paper.

And if your apartment conditions permit, it is better to place boxes with plants not on the windowsills themselves, but on specially made wooden or metal gratings (attachments to the window sill) at a distance of 20-30 cm from the window. And the cracks in the windows should be sealed to avoid drafts.

Watering and feeding modeOptimal watering and feeding works wonders

In rooms with central heating, it is necessary to carefully monitor both the moisture content of the soil coma, preventing it from drying out, and the humidity of the air. Plants need to be watered in moderation, but very warm water. Cold, unsettled water from the tap will quickly destroy the plants.

Top dressing should be carried out regularly every 12-15 days with complex fertilizer containing microelements and only after abundant watering. It is useful to spray the plants with cooled boiled water and watered once a month with an extract of wood ash (20-30 grams per 1 liter of water).

Pepper, sown for seedlings in the fall, will develop a powerful root system by the beginning of winter and branch out with the formation of several lateral shoots.With sufficient light and temperature, the pepper begins to bloom and bear fruit in early February.

For better pollination and fruit setting, you can additionally walk with a cotton swab over the flowers, transferring pollen from one flower to another, or spray the plants with "Ovary" or "Bud".

With low air humidity, pepper is often affected by spider mites. In this case, regular treatment with Fitoverm can help. But it is very difficult to deal with a tick in an apartment, tk. children may accidentally feast on treated fruits.

Not many garden crops can be grown on a windowsill with such a high degree of decorativeness as in small-fruited peppers. It is not only original as a decoration, but also useful in the household. Since pepper belongs to perennial crops, having planted it once, you can enjoy it for several years in a row. It is not difficult to grow pepper on the windowsill, the main thing is to choose the right planting material, competently prepare the substrate and regularly take care of the plantings.

Bitter pepper on the windowsill

Small-fruited bitter peppers are especially loved by housewives. It is a compact bush with the highest decorative fruits. Even the favorite greens on the windowsill are inferior to this vegetable crop. For planting, seeds of hybrids are chosen that are self-pollinated. You should stock up on nutrient soil based on biohumus and a special lamp for lighting in the autumn-winter period. Everything else will depend only on proper care.

how to grow hot peppers on a windowsill in an apartment. Photo

Disembarkation

Before sowing hot pepper seeds, they must be soaked in a solution. potassium permanganate 2 hours. This procedure is not carried out if the seeds have been treated by the producer. Among the processed seeds, you need to choose those that have sunk to the bottom of the container during this time. The rest have dubious germination, so it is not worth spending time on them.

pepper on the windowsill growing from seeds. Photo

Next, the soil is prepared. It should consist of:

• 1 part coconut substrate
• 1 piece of land;
• handfuls of vermiculite;
• 1 part vermicompost

The more nutritious and lighter the soil in the pot, the better the bush will grow, bloom and bear fruit and will grow old later. All the ingredients of the substrate are poured into a basin, mixed thoroughly and filled into small containers with the mixture. These can be special seedling trays or regular yogurt cups. The earth is poured into them, not reaching the top by 2 cm.

Substrate good spill warm water and put 2-3 grains of pepper on top. Sprinkle with a layer of earth no more than 1 cm. From above, the cups are covered with glass or polyethylene with holes made in them for air exchange. Containers with seeds are placed in a dark, warm place, for example, near a radiator and occasionally watered.

growing hot pepper on the windowsill. Step by step photos

Seedlings will appear in about 10-14 days. They are immediately put on windowsill to prevent unnecessary stretching without lack of light. If seedlings appeared in late autumn or at the height of winter, they must be additionally illuminated with the help of special lamps. It is enough to highlight for 2 hours in the morning and in the evening. To avoid the appearance of a black leg, the seedlings are watered as needed, avoiding waterlogging.

How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill. Photo

How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill and wait for abundant fruits? To do this, from the total number of seedlings, the strongest are selected and transplanted into permanent pots with a capacity of 2-3 liters. The earth is not poured to the top, it will be poured as the bush grows.

Pepper care

Any greenery on the windowsill requires care, which boils down to regular watering and feeding. The water for watering the pepper needs to be defended, and the dived seedlings should be fed in 2-3 weeks. For this, special feeding is used, for example, Agrolife... Bitter pepper bushes are tossed daily so that they grow even and do not lean too much towards the sun. Small-fruited bitter peppers are not stepchildren. If the bush seems sparse, you can pinch the top.

When the pepper blooms on the windowsill, several times a day a bush will need shake for pollination. Fruits appear 2.5 - 3 months after planting. If there are too many of them, the plant will throw off the extra ones on its own; a person does not need to do this, only if sick and underdeveloped ones are found. Fruits can crumble even with a lack of moisture on hot days. Then the bush is sprayed 2-3 times a day with water at room temperature.

After about 1.5-2 years, the bush begins to age, loses its decorative effect, sheds foliage, ceases to bloom and bear fruit. It is thrown away or cut. How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill from a cuttings? To do this, the most juicy side branches are cut off from the bush and placed in the water. Cuttings give roots in 21-28 days. They are planted in a permanent container and after 1.5 months they get an adult flowering bush. Usually 50% of cuttings give roots. Caring for them is similar to bushes obtained from seeds.

Frequently asked questions about growing hot pepper

In the process of growing small-fruited bitter pepper on the windowsill, novice amateurs may have questions, the answers to which can be obtained here.

When is the best time to sow peppers for growing on a windowsill? Experts recommend doing this from April to July, then the seedlings will not have to be illuminated. Although it is possible to grow peppers in any season of the year.

Can ripe peppers be left on the bush? Not desirable. If the pepper stays on the plant for a long time, it does not get an incentive to continue to bloom and bear fruit.

How to care for a pepper in winter in a central heating environment? If the battery is located under the windowsill, it must be covered with a towel to avoid overdrying the roots of the bush. Additionally, they carry out daily baths under a cool shower.

Is it possible to eat the fruits of peppers grown on the windowsill? It can be either fresh or dried. It is even ground on a coffee grinder to make paprika.

Will it harm an adult bush of pepper to repeat transfer? It is undesirable to disturb the adult bushes of pepper grown on the windowsill. This will affect the abundance of flowering and fruiting. Stress in the form of discarded leaves is also possible.

What to do if flowers fall off a lot? It is necessary to increase the amount of daily lighting for the bush, water it well and shake it 2-3 times a day. Flowers can fall off due to the lack of pollination and the inability to form a fruit.

Sweet peppers on the windowsill in winter and summer

In the conditions of the apartment, you can also grow sweet peppers, which will give crunchy vitamin fruits all year round. There are no particular difficulties in growing it, but some recommendations will help not only grow strong greens on the windowsill, but also taste healthy fruits.

Growing sweet pepper seedlings

The first stage of work is considered selection of seeds... Dwarf compact plants are suitable for growing at home, the height of which does not exceed 50 cm, and the weight of the fruits varies from 30 to 80 grams. The smaller the hybrid, the more compact and decorative it looks on the windowsill. The seeds of self-pollinated hybrids are suitable for this.

Second stage - preparation substrate and seed treatment. For pepper on the windowsill, you can buy ready-made mixtures, or you can compose them yourself from an equal amount of vermicompost, coconut fiber and earth. Perlite or vermiculite can be added to increase soil aeration. All components are mixed in a bowl.

A 2% solution is prepared for seed treatment potassium permanganate, in which the seeds are kept for 2 hours, then washed in cold water.There are producers who carry out the processing themselves and sell seeds that are already ready for planting. In this case, there is no need to carry out such a procedure at home.

how to grow bell peppers on a windowsill. Photo

The third stage is sowing seeds... The substrate is filled into small containers from plastic cups to greenhouses with peat tablets. Substrates or tablets are well spilled with water and seeds are placed in them, 2-3 pieces each. You can sow seeds directly into large, permanent containers without adding the substrate to the edge of the pot. This procedure will be carried out later as the bush grows. After sowing, the containers are closed with polyethylene, in which small holes are made for air exchange. The containers are placed in a dark, warm place, periodically watering and looking through them.

We plant sweet peppers. Photo

Fourth stage - seedling care or how to grow sweet peppers on a windowsill from seedlings. The first emerge in 10-14 days. As soon as the seeds hatch and sprouts appear, they are exposed to the light and, if necessary, illuminated for several hours a day if it is the autumn-winter period. If necessary, after 2 weeks, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest specimens. It is important not to overmoisten the seedlings so that they do not become vulnerable to the black leg, which can destroy all seedlings.

The fifth stage - pick... It is produced 4 weeks after germination. To carry out the picking, the containers with the seedlings are well watered, a large 3-liter pot is prepared and filled with a nutritious substrate. Turn the glass of seedlings over and carefully pull out a clod of earth along with pepper. They put the ego in a partially filled pot and sprinkle the earth on top to the cotyledon (first) leaves. Water, lightly tamp the ground near the bush. Put the pepper on the windowsill, preferably on the south side.

Adult plant care

Adult seedlings are not pinned or corrected by pruning. The bush is given free rein in the growth and formation of flowers. You need a pot every day turnto form an even bush. Watering is carried out as the soil dries up. In hot weather, it can be additionally sprayed with warm water; in winter, watering is reduced to the required minimum.

How to grow bell peppers on a windowsill with abundant ovary? When flowers appear on the bush, they begin to intensively feed it with suitable fertilizers, for example, Agrolife... Blooming bush several times a day shake for self-pollination. The first fruits appear about 3 months after sowing the seeds. To extend the life of the plant and get a significant harvest, 5-6 fruits are left from the ovary and removed during ripening. If you leave more ovary, and do not remove the fruits for a long time, the bush becomes very depleted, grows old and dies.

If the ripening fruits are large enough, and the bush has grown well, it needs prop... She will not let the bush tilt and break. Pepper is a perennial vegetable crop, but on a windowsill, with a lack of heat, light and care, it can quickly age. In order to admire the plant again in 1.5-2 months and eat its fruits, you can cut off cuttings from it and try to root them.

Usually half of the cuttings take root. They are planted in permanent containers and looked after like an adult plant. This way of growing peppers is less troublesome and faster.

Sweet peppers on the windowsill. Video

In the cold season, you want to create a special comfort in the house, and plants grown on the windowsill at home are ideal for this. Indoor pepper is no exception, it will not only add originality to the interior, but also give spicy food lovers an opportunity to spice up their dishes.

Features of growing on a windowsill

Important! With proper care and regular feeding, indoor peppers can grow fully and give a stable harvest for 5 years.

Growing pepper on a windowsill is not only an exciting experience, but also useful... Eating pepper in food, even in minimal quantities, can normalize metabolism in the body, reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

For the successful cultivation of pepper on the windowsill, you need to create optimal conditions for its growth and development, because this culture is a little capricious. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with the features and preferences of the plant, as well as with the rules of planting and further care.

To grow peppers at home, you need to consider the following factors:

• seeds of a suitable variety from a trusted manufacturer or fresh cuttings;
• choosing the optimal place for plant growth;
• selection of planting containers and a suitable substrate;
• lighting and feeding features;
• knowledge of diseases and pests of pepper.

Important! With observance of all the rules of care from one plant, you can get one hundred or more fruits at the same time.

Choosing a variety for planting

Before planting pepper, you need to decide on its variety. Having picked up several different types of plants, you can create a multi-colored vegetable garden on the windowsill, which will delight with its bright fruits.

The following varieties of decorative peppers are ideal for growing on a windowsill in an apartment:

1. A twinkle. This variety has long been popular for its compact shrub, which grows to a height of 40 cm. It was bred by crossing chili and cayenne pepper. Forms fruits up to 5 cm, which at the base have a diameter of 1-1.2 cm. As they grow, they change their color: green, yellow, red. The fruits ripen within 120 days.
2. Aladdin. Ultra-early compact variety, the height of the bush reaches 35-40 cm at home. Forms cone-shaped multi-colored fruits, the length of which does not exceed 3 cm. In the process of growth, the shade of the fruit changes: green, purple, red. Fruit ripening occurs within 105 days.
3. Garda Firewoks. One of the new indoor varieties. Forms compact bushes 30 cm high. The length of the pods is 5 cm. The peculiarity of the pepper is that the fruits stick out with their tips up. As they ripen, they change their color, so the plant can simultaneously have fruits of green, lilac, orange and red. Pods ripen within 115 days.
4. Exploding amber. The peculiarity of the variety is that the foliage of the plant has a dark purple color. Forms cone-shaped small fruits 2.5 cm long. As they grow, the shade of the fruits also changes: purple, pink, scarlet. The bush is compact, 30 cm high. The variety is considered early ripening, fruit ripening occurs in 115 days.

Depending on individual preferences, you can pick up one or more varieties at the same time.

As a rule, the most popular variety for growing on a windowsill is Spark pepper.

Important! You cannot use seeds from a store-bought pod to grow pepper on a windowsill, since it is an industrial variety and it needs completely different conditions.

Features and conditions for planting at home - step by step instructions

To grow Spark pepper on the windowsill, you need to prepare for the procedure by studying the preferences and characteristics of growing this culture in room conditions. Only by observing all the stages of planting, you can achieve the desired result in the end.

Choosing a suitable location and creating optimal conditions

Hot peppers are very picky about light and heat, for its full growth and development it is necessary to choose south or east window sill. During the period of active sun in spring, the plant needs light shading.In summer, the plant should be taken out to the balcony or loggia, but drafts must be excluded.

For full growth and development, the plant needs 12-hour daylight hours. In the period of short days from the beginning of October to the end of January, bitter pepper especially needs additional lighting with phytolamps in the evening and cloudy days.

Important! Lack of light is manifested by a light shade of foliage, which can eventually lead to leaf fall, in this case the duration of additional lighting must be increased.

For normal plant growth in winter air temperature should not exceed 18 degrees C, and starting from spring, the optimal temperature is 20-22 degrees C.

Hot peppers are very picky about soil moisture and does not tolerate watering with cold water. It is necessary to water the plant sparingly, with water at room temperature, as the top layer in the pot dries, but allowing it to absorb moisture from the pan. If water remains in the pan 1 hour after watering, then it must be completely poured out.

In conditions of low air humidity it is necessary to carry out additional spraying of foliage using a spray bottle.

Important! Pepper does not tolerate cold gusts of wind, therefore, when ventilating the room, it must be kept away from the open window.

Planting capacity

Indoor pepper forms a compact root system that is closer to the soil surface. For planting, it is recommended to select wide and shallow containers... The height of the planting pot should be within 10 cm.

A prerequisite is the presence of drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, which helps to remove excess moisture. Before planting on the bottom, it is necessary to fill the drainage with a layer of 2 cm, which will exclude stagnation of water in the pot.

Suitable substrate

For planting hot pepper seeds, you can purchase Seedling substrate in a specialist store. But you can prepare a nutrient mixture for planting yourself. This will require the following components:

• 2 pieces of leafy land;
• 1 part peat;
• 1 part river sand;
• 1 part coconut fiber
• 1 part perlite or vermiculite.

Immediately before planting hot pepper seeds, it is necessary to disinfect the soil by spilling it with the fungicide Previcur, which will prevent the development of fungal diseases.

Presowing seed preparation

For the friendly emergence of seed germination and disease resistance of young plants, it is recommended to carry out pre-sowing treatment of planting material. To do this, you can use the following drugs:

• Epin - dilute 3 drops of the product in 100 ml of water, soak the seeds for 2-4 hours before planting;
• succinic acid - make a working solution at the rate of 1.5 g of the product per 1.5 l of water, soak the seeds for 12-24 hours;
• Zircon - for the solution, add 3 drops of the product to 100 ml of water, soak the seeds for 2-4 hours before planting.

After processing it is necessary to dry the planting material to a loose state.

It is recommended to germinate pepper seeds in a humid environment before planting. To do this, you need to spread them in damp gauze and gently wrap the fabric.

For germination, place in a dark, warm place (25 degrees) for several days, periodically opening, moisturizing and examining for the presence of sprouts. Once most of the seeds have hatched, they must be planted in prepared soil.

Important! Seeds must not be allowed to dry out during the germination period, otherwise they will die.

In some cases, to preserve all view properties it is recommended to carry out cuttings of pepper. Cuttings must be cut from green young shoots without fruit, 7-8 cm long, and each of them should have 3-4 leaves.

Before planting them in the ground, it is necessary to soak in advance in a solution of zircon (3 drops per 100 ml of water) for 12-24 hours or powder the lower cut with root powder.

Step-by-step instructions for landing

To grow pepper on a windowsill, you must initially plant it correctly. Only if all the necessary conditions of the procedure are met, you can achieve the desired result in the end.

Step 1. Spill the planting containers with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

Step 2. Fill the pots with the required substrate and level the surface.

Step 3. Moisten the soil abundantly with water and allow it to fully absorb.

Step 4. Place seeds on the surface and sprinkle with a layer of substrate 0.5 cm.

Step 5. Moisten the top layer with a spray bottle.

Step 6. Cover containers with glass or foil to maintain high humidity inside the landing container.

Step 7. Place containers in a dark, warm place (25 degrees) until shoots appear.

When planting cuttings pepper, the procedure takes place in the same order, only they must be planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. And after planting and covering with a film, the pot is placed on the window, shading it from direct sunlight.

Video: how to grow pepper on a windowsill from cuttings

Features of further care

After the appearance of pepper sprouts, the container with seeds must be rearranged on the windowsill and the temperature must be lowered to 18-20 degrees. To exclude warm air from heating devices, they must be covered with a layer of foam.

Daily container with seedlings it is recommended to ventilate and take away from the cover or film gathered condensate using a paper napkin.

10-14 days after the emergence of sprouts, it is necessary adapt seedlings to the external environment... To do this, on the first day, it is recommended to open the container for 30 minutes, increasing this period by 30-40 minutes with each subsequent day. After a week, the glass or film must be removed completely.

Pepper cuttings take root within 2-3 weeks. When young leaves appear on them, it is necessary to begin the adaptation of plants to the environment. It is carried out in the same way as for seedlings obtained from seeds.

When 2-3 true sheets appear it is necessary to plant the peppers in separate containers. During transplantation, it is not recommended to pinch the main root, since the plant painfully tolerates this procedure and significantly slows down growth. The first planting should be carried out in pots with a diameter of no more than 9-10 cm.

Video: how to plant indoor peppers

Further it is necessary to transplant young seedlings as they grow. As soon as the roots start crowding in the pot, it is recommended to transfer the plant, increasing the diameter of the pot by 2-3 cm. The container for an adult plant should be 30 cm high and 20-25 cm in diameter.

Pepper Ogonyok needs a 12-hour daylight hours, therefore phytolamps are located at a height of 50-60 cm from the seedlings.

Watering carried out regularly as it dries, the higher the air temperature, the more often the soil is moistened.

For the full growth of hot pepper on the windowsill, it is necessary carry out regular feeding. During the active growing season, preference should be given to mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content or organic fertilizers, and when forming buds and fruits, fertilizers with a large amount of potassium should be used. The plant should be fed once every 2 weeks.

Important! During the flowering period, it is recommended to shake the pot of pepper sometimes, which will improve the self-pollination of the flowers.

Major diseases and pests

Peppers, including indoor peppers, are susceptible to fungal diseases and various pests. Therefore, it is necessary to know in advance what problems may arise and how to deal with them.

1. Aphid. This pest loves to feast on young shoots of pepper, therefore, it is on them that a large accumulation of pests is formed.To combat them, it is necessary to treat the plant with a phytoverm preparation.
2. Spider mite. It is characterized by a stop of plant growth and curliness of young leaves, on which a small cobweb later appears. To combat the pest, it is necessary to spray with actellik, but after a week the procedure should be repeated.
3. Whitefly. The accumulation of pests is observed on the back of the leaves, if you touch the shoots, then white flies fly over the plant. To eliminate the problem, it is recommended to carry out a comprehensive treatment, which consists of spraying with Aktellik and irrigating with insecticide Aktara, which is carried out on the same day. After 7 days, the procedure should be repeated.
4. Decay of the stem at the base... It appears as a result of overflow of a plant, which leads to its death. It will no longer be possible to save the plant.
5. Gray rot. Formation of wet spots with a gray bloom on any part of the plant. For treatment, it is recommended to use the biological product phytosporin.
6. Blackleg. It affects the sprouts of pepper during the germination period. The stem at the base of the seedlings becomes thin and blackens. To prevent the disease, it is recommended to shed the soil and spray the shoots with the fungicide Previcur.

Video: how to care for and treat indoor peppers at home for diseases

Important! After the treatment with drugs, it is necessary to adhere to the waiting period indicated on the packaging of each product, it is not allowed to use pepper during this period for cooking.

The timing of emergence and the first harvest

Hot pepper seeds germinate for a long time, therefore this feature must be taken into account when planting. Seedlings appear within 14-21 days, subject to all planting recommendations.

The first crop of pepper on the windowsill ripens in 105-120 days from the moment the sprouts appear, depending on the variety chosen.

If you follow all the recommendations, growing hot peppers on the windowsill will not be difficult. But it is necessary to understand that further care of the plant must meet all of its requirements, since the pepper will grow and bear fruit only taking into account all the necessary conditions.