Growing decorative peppers. Varieties of hot peppers for indoor growing. Stimulating flowering and fruiting

Recently, unusual varieties of vegetables are at the peak of popularity. They are planted both in garden beds and on window sills. The purpose of some is purely decorative and cannot be eaten, but some can cope with several tasks at once, distinguished by excellent quality characteristics.

Let's look at the best decorative varieties of peppers and the features of their cultivation.

Description and brief description

It is a mistake to think that decorative peppers appeared relatively recently. Trying to prolong the summer, our grandmothers grew it. At that time there were no seeds on the market, and for indoor pots they used either varieties intended for the garden, which sometimes sprouted, but were much smaller and more compact, or, if of course, they were lucky, they managed to beg a few seeds from friends who had already successfully grown There are such indoor beauties all year round.

When the era of total shortage passed, and work on a personal plot ceased to be mandatory to provide the family with the necessary products, they began to look for other positive aspects in it. This is where breeders came to the rescue.

Today there are quite a few varieties of ornamental peppers. Some are quite successfully grown in garden beds and their owners do not even suspect that the “garden dweller” is notable for something other than its taste characteristics. Some were bred specifically for decoration, and consumption as food is considered secondary. Some are completely forbidden to eat, but there are also those that cost a lot of money and are found exclusively in botanical gardens or greenhouses of connoisseurs.

Features of cultivation and care

To grow ornamental peppers at home, you don’t need much. It is necessary that the place on the windowsill be sufficiently bright, and fresh air should be supplied regularly.

In the warm season, pots of peppers can be placed on the balcony or moved to the garden, and with the onset of cold weather, brought back into the house.

Decorative indoor pepper is a perennial plant that can live in one place for up to 10 years.

Pepper seeds can be sown throughout the year, depending on when the harvest is needed. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, it does not hurt to cover the container with film or glass.

Depending on the time of year, seeds can germinate from 5 days to 3-4 weeks. When the seedlings begin active growth, you need to pinch them so that the bush takes on a decorative shape, becomes lush and spreading.

Like all peppers, decorative peppers do not tolerate picking, so it is best to plant them immediately in peat tablets or cups, and when the sprout reaches the required height, place them directly in a large pot.

For normal development, the plant requires moderate constant humidity and sufficient light.

The first fertilizing is carried out 7-10 days after emergence. These must be mineral fertilizers. The second time feeding is carried out after 16-18 days with organic matter. From the moment of flowering, it is necessary to add potassium and phosphorus to the soil 2-3 times a month.

For irrigation, you must use pre-settled water (if the season allows, rain water is best). Also, in indoor conditions, it is necessary to regularly wipe the leaves from dust and spray the plant.

If the pepper lacks phosphorus, the lower part of the leaves will acquire a purple tint; if there is little nitrogen, the leaves will begin to become brittle and become lighter in color.

Advice! At home, it is necessary to help pepper with pollination. To do this, you can simply gently shake the buds, but it is more reliable if you transfer the pollen with a soft brush.

Ornamental peppers need to be replanted twice a year, changing the soil and pot. If you follow simple care rules, it can produce crops three to four times a year. And some varieties allow you not only to provide seven vitamins, but also to make preparations.

Edible ornamental peppers

Of course, practical gardeners prefer edible varieties. It should be noted that most of them are suitable for growing indoors throughout the year. So it wouldn’t hurt to pay attention to them for city residents who don’t have the opportunity to grow fresh vegetables on their own. Indoor peppers look great, produce a good harvest, and are much better at purifying the air than flowers.

Small miracle

This early ripening variety can be grown in open ground, and on window sills, and on balconies. The plant looks very attractive. It is used to decorate terraces and garden plots, and is often found in landscape design.

The bush is low to 30 cm, but quite lush. The leaves are rich green, the fruits are red, directed upward. The weight of one pepper is up to 5 grams. The color changes from green to red depending on ripeness. This gives the plant even more charm. The taste is medium spicy. Can be used fresh or for preservation.

The pots should be placed on the south or west side to ensure sufficient heat and light.

Jellyfish

The amazingly shaped plant really resembles a jellyfish. Before the fruits begin to form, not everyone will be able to understand that this is a pepper at all. The leaves are elongated, flat, rather long. The bush is small, up to 25 cm in height, but very lush.

The fruits are also elongated, thin, up to 5-6 cm.

The taste is pleasant, spicy, with a slight spiciness, which increases as it turns red.

Feels great in a regular flower pot. Unpretentious to conditions and care. You can feed with a regular flower mixture. It bears fruit for three years even without transplanting.

Ogonyok

One of the most time-tested varieties. The fruits are quite large for indoor peppers, up to 45 grams, bright red, and quite spicy. The variety is characterized by long-term fruiting; new ovaries are formed in place of plucked fruits. The taste is pleasant, moderately spicy. Can be used fresh and in any culinary recipes.

Very often, Ogonyok is placed in the kitchen. It undoubtedly decorates it, but at the same time it can suffer from sudden changes in air temperature. Remember, if you place decorative peppers on an indoor windowsill, move them to the side while airing.

Aladdin

Quite a popular variety among ornamental peppers. It can be grown both in open ground and at home.

On the windowsill the bush has a height of up to 35-40 cm, on the street a little higher - up to 50-55 cm. The shape is compact, the leaves at the bottom are much larger than at the top, which also gives a special charm. The fruits are first green, then turn yellow, acquire a purple tint, and at the very end of ripeness they turn red. The aroma is pleasant, rich. The taste is quite pungent, so it is rarely used fresh, but pepper is irreplaceable as a seasoning for first and second courses.

At home, it can bear fruit for several months without interruption.

Phoenix

The decorative variety is often used to decorate balconies, verandas and garden plots, but in terms of productivity it performs better at home. The cone-shaped fruits grow upward and stand out clearly in their rich color against the background of lush foliage. At first the skin is light green, then yellow and by the time of biological ripeness red. The length of the peppercorn is up to 4 cm. The bush is up to 35 cm high, voluminous, spreading. It bears fruit for quite a long time, but only at home. The taste is moderately spicy, the aroma is pleasant.

Firework

Another representative among decorative peppers, which is quite often used to decorate the landscape and decorate areas adjacent to the house. The bush grows up to 25 cm in height. The fruits are cone-shaped, with a sharp tip, smooth skin with a glossy sheen. The taste is pungent, the aroma is pronounced. The weight of one is up to 6 grams. Used fresh and for preservation. As biological maturity is reached, the color changes from dark green to deep orange.

It is very convenient that the bush does not need to be formed. It grows itself in the correct shape.

Explosion Amber

This is a new product in our country, but Americans have been actively growing this pepper for more than 10 years.

The bush is very spreading. The stem and leaves are blue-green. It all depends on the lighting. The lighter the place of residence of the plant, the more green color predominates, but if shadow predominates, then the shade becomes darker, purple.

The fruits are purple at first. As they approach biological ripeness, they first become creamy, then turn yellow, acquire an orange tint, and finally turn red.

Bush up to 35 cm high. The taste varies depending on the color, so try all the options to determine the most suitable one.

Bell

The variety received its name for the amazing shape of the fruit. They really resemble bells or mini squash. The weight of one is from 30 to 100 g. The color is red, and inside the pulp is white and the seeds too. Peppers take a long time to ripen, more than 150 days, but you can collect more than 1.5 kg from one bush, so the effort is worth it.

The fruit has a very interesting taste. It is sour, sweet and spicy at the same time. Its use in cooking is universal, but it is most noticeable in meat and fish dishes.

Nosegay

This is the most compact of all varieties of ornamental peppers. The bushes grow no more than 15 cm, the fruits are spherical, the taste is medium hot and medium spicy. The color changes from light green to yellow, then to orange and to red.

The leaves resemble bay leaves in shape and are often used to decorate dishes, but they should not be eaten.

Filius Blue

You can recognize this variety of pepper by its fruits of original purple color, which by the time of biological ripeness become first orange and then bright red. Pepper bears fruit almost all year round, so there are always fruits of different colors on the bush.

The height of the bush is only 25 cm, but it is very lush and spreading. To grow, you need enough free space, regular watering and normal lighting. The variety is characterized by increased productivity. The taste is rich and quite spicy. Most often used fresh or as a seasoning for fish and meat.

Poinsettia

The fruits of this variety are very similar in shape to ordinary hot peppers. The length of each is 7.5-8 cm. But the bush is not tall, up to 30 cm, so they stand out quite clearly against its background.

The peppers ripen in bunches and as they ripen they change color from green to yellow and then to red. From a distance they resemble bright petals, so in decorative terms the plant lives up to all the hopes placed on it.

The taste is pleasant, can be used fresh and for any culinary recipes.

Bride

The variety received its name for the soft creamy color of the fruits at the time of technical freshness. Then it turns yellow and red. Bush up to 30 cm high, spreading. The pepper is moderately hot and aromatic. It makes an excellent seasoning. To do this, it is dried and then ground. Grows all year round.

Multi-colored decorative peppers

All decorative peppers are very attractive in appearance, but there are also especially striking representatives. It should be admitted that in terms of taste they are inferior to those listed above, but nevertheless they can also be eaten.

Jamaica

This variety has a very lush bush with lush green leaves. It bears bright yellow fruits. Their shape is original, diamond-shaped. A distinctive feature is the amazing combination of the sweet taste of the skin and the rich, spicy center. Can be eaten and can replace most seasonings.

Queen of Spades

Bright multi-colored peppercorns, growing upward, stand out very sharply against the background of dark green leaves. The color of the fruit changes from green to orange, then to red and finally to dark purple. At the same time, ripening occurs gradually, not all at once, so the evergreen bush never loses its attractiveness. The fruits can be eaten, but more often they are picked only after reaching biological ripeness, wanting to enjoy the visual effect longer. It is also worth noting the aroma that spreads throughout the room in which this pepper grows.

Inedible decorative peppers

Pepper is an edible vegetable, but ornamental varieties often changed their composition as a result of cross-pollination. Therefore, some of them have become dangerous to humans and should absolutely not be eaten.

Clown

On a lush bush up to 35 cm, a lot of round-shaped and small-sized fruits are formed. They change color as they ripen, so at the same time there are green, light yellow, orange, and bright red peppercorns on the bush.

The fruiting period is more than 3 months, then the plant takes a short pause, during which it is necessary to carry out mandatory feeding, and again begins to form ovaries.

Goldfinger

As the name suggests, the fruits are yellow-gold in color. Their shape is slightly elongated, very beautiful, reaching up to 5-6 cm in length. The height of the bush is up to 25-30 cm. The more light the plant receives, the longer the fruiting period will be and the brighter the shades of leaves and fruits will be.

The color and shape of the plant's fruits are very different, regardless of the care provided. Decorative peppers have many varieties, and each of them gives the vegetable certain characteristics. The shape of the product can be elongated, round or oval, flattened or not.

Decorative peppers come in a wide variety of varieties and colors.

Description of the plant

The name of the ornamental pepper is capsicum. Caring for and growing peppers is carried out at home or in the open ground. The scope of application of the grown product is wide: food product, medicinal product. Decorative peppers have a pungent taste and belong to the nightshade family. Decorative peppers are used in preparing dishes, spices or medicinal infusions.

The place of origin is concentrated in America and Asia. The composition of nightshades includes many beneficial substances and vitamins. In Russia, ornamental peppers are grown as a houseplant, without the goal of producing edible fruits. The appearance of the plant is beautiful and colorful, which explains its popularity and love among housewives.

Decorative pepper has 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 requires effort and time 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 needs to be shaped

Houseplant care

Care and cultivation of miracle peppers 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 allow it to sunbathe.

It is necessary to provide the plant with abundant, but not excessive watering. To keep the plant beautiful and healthy, it should be provided with additional light. In autumn and spring, fifteen degrees is a sufficient temperature if the plant is cared for in a bright room.

When the first shoots form on a flower, you need to pinch it. This is a mandatory measure for caring for nightshade. It prevents it from growing chaotically and forms a beautiful, healthy bush.

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

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

If you replant a flower once a year, you can preserve the plant for a long period of time and provide it with a longer period of fruiting. If you regularly spray the plant, you can avoid falling leaves and fruits, which often occur due to lack of moisture.

To obtain peppers, the flowers must be pollinated independently.

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

Pepper is sowed by seeds and cuttings. Planting by cuttings is carried out in summer and winter. This is the most suitable time period for planting. Shoots are cut for cuttings. and planted in prepared soil.

Plant care is ensured properly if watering, lighting and fertilizer are provided regularly and in a timely manner. Pepper loves light, so it should often be exposed to sunlight.

If the plant is planted in a pot, it can be illuminated using lamps, which will provide the plant with additional light. Fertilizers are added 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 provided proper care to the planting material. Ornamental chilies require little care through a consistent natural care process.

When cold weather sets in, the sun shines less and less often, the colors of nature fade and nature becomes despondent, so you want to create a bright and colorful corner at home. In this case, gardeners grow decorative peppers indoors. Strewn with colorful fruits a bush in a pot on the windowsill, against the backdrop of a gloomy landscape outside the window, will perfectly cheer up its owners. This plant is often called Mexican pepper or annual paprika.

What is decorative pepper and can you eat it?

Decorative indoor pepper has a botanical name - capsicum. This is a shrub of the Solanaceae family native to the subtropics of Central America. Peppers are grown as ornamental or vegetable crops. Capsicum should not be confused with black pepper, as the latter belongs to the pepper family. Varieties of indoor pepper are divided into bitter and sweet.

Indoor culture is a compact, branched plant with a height of twenty to forty centimeters, with an abundance of dense foliage and fruits. These peppers are grown at home in pots. In summer, it is recommended to take the plant out onto the balcony, or, if possible, plant it in open ground. Before the temperature drops The pepper should be replanted in the pot.

Is it possible to eat this pepper? Capsicum fruits are false fruits, empty seed pods that can be used in food as a spice. Since box is translated in Latin as “capsa”, this is where the name - Capsicum - comes from. Depending on the plant variety, the shape of the fruit, color and size may vary. However, some ornamental varieties may have fruits that are unsuitable for consumption. The roots of the plant, greens and tops are poisonous.

Popular ornamental varieties

How to grow ornamental peppers at home

Subject to certain rules decorative indoor pepper in a pot can bear fruit for three to four years.

Selection of planting material

In order to subsequently grow a beautiful and healthy indoor pepper bush in a pot, you need to choose the right planting material. The best method of propagation is by seed. But in order to grow a bush from seeds, you should follow some rules:

Varieties are divided according to the timing of fruit ripening:

• early ripeness - the fruits ripen seventy to ninety-five days after planting in the pot;
• medium ripeness - fruit ripening occurs after one hundred and ten days;
• late ripeness - after one hundred and thirty days the fruits finally ripen.

Rules for planting seeds

One pot will be enough for planting. Planting includes several stages:

After the seeds sprout, they must be regularly inspected and moistened as they dry, but avoid overmoistening, as this can lead to rotting and death of the sprouts. Every day it is necessary to lift the film and ventilate the germinated seeds, every day the ventilation time should be increased, and after strong sprouts appear, the film is completely removed and the plants are given the opportunity to adapt to normal growing conditions.

As soon as two leaves appear on the sprout, the pepper is planted in a permanent place. You need to use one pot for one pepper. For decorative pepper Mass plantings are not used.

Stimulating flowering and fruiting

To stimulate the pepper bush For the appearance of inflorescences and fruits, the following conditions must be observed:

• the container with the plant must be shaken periodically in order to further increase the number of ovaries;
• provide the plant with access to sunlight;
• systematically water the plants.

You should know that the first inflorescences on the peppers are falling off, then new ones grow, which later bear fruit.

Reproduction

Peppers are often grown from seeds, but propagation is also possible by cuttings.

To grow indoor pepper from seeds, you should purchase planting material, prepare the pot and soil, sow the seeds, wait for germination and provide the sprouts with the necessary care. It is necessary to plant the plant in a permanent place at the end of winter.

Peppers should be propagated by cuttings in the spring and summer. To do this, you need to cut off the lateral shoots and place them in a container with a mixture of earth and sand. Water the soil regularly as it dries. The container must have a good drainage layer so that moisture does not linger for a long time. Replant the cutting, which has taken root does not follow. In order for the rooting process of the cutting to take place as quickly as possible, it should be pinched.

If the correct conditions are provided, caring for the plant will not be difficult.

Humidity and temperature

Capsicum is classified as a heat-loving plant. It grows and develops well in spring and summer at an air temperature of about twenty-five degrees. In winter, the temperature should be reduced to fifteen to eighteen degrees. The plant also tolerates changes in day and night temperatures well, so in summer it is better to take it out onto the balcony or into the garden.

Air humidity should be moderate.

Lighting

When caring for indoor peppers, you need to monitor the lighting. To ensure good growth, development and harvest, the bush should be placed on a south, west or south-west window. Pepper loves light; in the autumn-spring period it needs three to four hours of direct sunlight. But no more than four hours, otherwise burns may occur on the leaves and fruits. In summer, it is better to shade the plant, since during this period the sun is especially active.

If there is little light in the room, then it is necessary to provide artificial lighting. Because with a lack of light, the bush thins out, there are few leaves on it, and the harvest will be small.

The soil

For cultivation, use light neutral soil. The substrate can be purchased in specialized stores or prepared independently. To do this, you need to mix turf soil, leaf humus and sand.

Watering

In spring and summer, the plant needs abundant watering as the earthen clod dries out. In this case, the pepper must be regularly bathed by spraying it once or twice a week, and on particularly hot days - every other day. Water the bushes with water at room temperature.

Peppers that grow on the windowsill near the radiator need more frequent watering. In the autumn, watering must be reduced, and in winter completely reduced to a minimum. Indoor pepper does not tolerate drying out the soil, because of this its leaves become limp, the fruits fall off and the plant may die.

Fertilizer

Ornamental peppers, like other plants, need regular fertilization. If the lower part of the foliage turns purple, it means the plant needs phosphorus fertilizers. If the leaves have lightened, they should be fertilized with nitrogen. Root fertilizers are applied along with watering every two weeks.

Trimming

Pepper bushes need pruning; this will ensure a good harvest, a beautiful crown and enhance its growth. After the first harvest, pinch off the tops of all branches of the plant. As soon as lateral shoots form and are knocked out, they must be cut off.

Sometimes you should cut each branch in half.

Transfer

Peppers are difficult to transplant, but it should be done every year. Therefore, this process should be treated with caution, transferring the plant into a pot and adding new soil.

The main purpose of replanting is new soil. If it is possible to partially replace the soil without replanting, then this should be done in such a way as not to further injure the plant.

Diseases and pests

The most popular pests and diseases of pepper are:

• spider mite
• mealybug
• downy mildew
• blackleg
• late blight
• root rot
• dropping leaves
• shrinking, blanching of foliage

What are the benefits of decorative peppers?

The beautiful and healthy fruits of the plant can be used to prepare hot seasonings, various sauces, homemade pickles and marinades. This option is quite economical from a financial point of view, since one peppercorn is enough for one dish.

Decorative pepper is often used as a spice, especially in Georgian dishes.

Eating one pod of pepper every day can increase your appetite and provide the body with a general strengthening effect. Excellent for hypertensive patients, as it brings blood pressure back to normal. Those who want to lose weight will also benefit from this type of pepper, as it speeds up metabolic processes and burns extra pounds.

Using pepper infusions You can cure radiculitis, neuralgia, digestive system disorders and many other diseases. The rubbing tincture should be used with caution so as not to cause a burn to the skin.

But under no circumstances should you overuse pepper. It should not be used by those who have problems with the liver, pancreas and gall bladder.

Growing peppers indoors is a simple, interesting and exciting process, since it does not require special tools or conditions. By giving a bright bush care and attention, you can subsequently get a beautiful plant with a tasty and healthy harvest. If comfortable conditions are created, the plant will bear fruit for five years.

" Pepper

With the onset of cold weather, we begin to miss the rich colors of nature and the rustling of leaves in the wind. In this case, some gardeners grow ornamental peppers at home. A green cap dotted with multi-colored fruits on the windowsill contrasts with the winter landscape, great for lifting your spirits.

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

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. The latter contain the alkaloid capsacine in increased quantities. The Aztecs used this substance as a chemical weapon. It gives the pepper a fiery taste. The largest amount of capsacin is found in fruits, especially cayenne pepper.

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

Is it possible to eat decorative peppers?

The fruit of Capsicum is a false berry, a hollow seed pod, often used as food or as a spice. The word box in Latin means capsa, hence the Latin name of the plant - Capsicum. The shape of the fruit, color, size and position on the plant may vary depending on the variety. The fruits of some ornamental varieties may be inedible. The tops, greens, and roots of the plant are toxic, like all nightshades.

The most popular varieties

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

Tabasco

Pepper classic. 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 varies from orange to red.

Tepin

A wild variety with especially hot red fruits, round in shape, the size of a bean. Used by cowboys as a stimulant. Hence the slang name Cowboyberry.

Troll

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

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, and turn red as they ripen.

Jellyfish

Great pepper dotted with elongated, moderately spicy-tasting fruits. They stick up, looking like the tentacles of a jellyfish.

Firework

The tiniest shrub variety. Excellent for indoor growing at home. The bush reaches 15-20 cm in height. Orange peppers.

Goldfinder

inedible pepper, grown for interior decoration. The fruits are yellow.

Rules for planting at home

There are general planting rules for peppers. It reproduces by seeds, which are taken from ripened 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. Once the roots appear, the seeds are placed in the soil to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. Also, the seeds can be planted immediately after soaking.

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

The pot must have a hole. Cover it with film or a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect.

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

If this is not done, the plants may grow weakened and bear fruit worse. You don't have to wear the film anymore. As the peppers grow, they are transferred to larger pots. In the spring and summer, 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 properly, be healthy, and 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 necessary for fruit set. Western or eastern windows are perfect. On the south side, on sunny days from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or if the plant grows outside, shading should be provided. On the north side, as well as in winter, additional lighting is required. Otherwise, the plant may stretch out and lose its decorative effect.

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

Stimulating flowering and fruiting

A healthy, strong plant blooms in summer with whitish, inconspicuous flowers. Flowering can be stimulated with hormonal drugs and growth regulators. The fruits 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 to half their length. This enhances fruiting.

Diseases and pests, combating them

Pepper is unpretentious, but if not cared for properly, even with it difficulties can arise. A weakened plant is affected by spider mites, aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, downy mildew, and blackleg. Insecticides are used to control insects. Protect against diseases with fungicides.

If you bring a plant indoors from outside, due to a sudden change in lighting, it may begin to shed its leaves. Which also happens from hot, dry air or excessive watering. The leaves may become smaller, turn pale, and the plant does not bloom due to lack of nutrition.

Conclusion

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

Hot pepper is not only a useful spice, which is difficult to do without when preparing meat dishes, but also a bright, beautiful plant that can give joy and admiration. How to grow healthy plants and get an amazing bush with colorful peppers at home? This is not difficult if you know how to choose a variety and properly care for young seedlings.

Varieties and characteristics of the plant

Bushes of hot pepper varieties Adjika, Ogonyok, Chili reach a height of 50 cm. Multi-colored fruits can grow on one plant: white, green, orange, purple, yellow. – long-lived. The bush can bear fruit for 5-6 years.

This is interesting

In Europe, pots of decorative peppers are placed on the balcony, windowsill, or near the house for Christmas.

The shape of the pods on the bush is round, flattened, similar to a pyramid or cylinder. The Chili variety has long, pointed fruits, while Ogonek will delight you with cone-shaped, bright peppers. About fifty fruits can ripen simultaneously on one plant.

Properties of hot pepper

Both garden red peppers and decorative peppers of the Chili, Ogonyok, Adjika, and Indian Summer varieties are used in cooking for preservation and preparation of gourmet dishes. For those who grow such plants, a balcony or window sill is also a store with spices.

• The fruits have antibacterial properties and protect the room from the harmful effects of microbes.
• Flowerpots with plants are placed on the balcony near indoor flowers, which are affected by aphids and mites. The pests disappear within a few days. Chili pepper copes well with this task.
• Food with the addition of a small amount of pepper improves appetite and improves immunity.

You can buy a hot pepper bush in a store or market. In the spring, young seedlings of the varieties Ogonyok, Coral, and For Mother-in-Law are sold at flower markets. But it is best to grow hot hot peppers at home from seeds and decorate the balcony and windowsill with elegant bushes.

Secrets of growing hot peppers

Have you decided to grow hot peppers on the windowsill? First you need to choose the type of pepper: indoor or hot red, which grows in gardens. Some open ground varieties performed well in indoor conditions: Chile, Adjika, Coral. They grow well indoors and delight with a rich harvest.

All types of decorative peppers are designed for growing indoors. A balcony is also suitable for successful maintenance. Plants with colorful pods look beautiful on the window. Growing hot peppers Ogonyok, Indian Summer, Bolivia, Dark Olive, Mambo, Medusa will create a bright parade of colors on the balcony.

If you know the secrets of caring for this plant, it is not difficult to get beautiful bushes that will please the eye and give a rich harvest.

• The key to a rich harvest is seeds. Their quality determines the growth strength and capabilities of the plant. Seeds that have been stored for a long time will not grow into a strong plant. An important point before sowing is seed calibration. To do this, take a glass of warm water and add a tablespoon of salt to it. Stir the water and wait a few minutes. After drying, sow the part of the seeds that has sunk to the bottom of the glass.

• An important point is soil preparation. Hot peppers are undemanding to soil and grow well on ordinary garden soil, but it is better to create comfortable conditions for the plant. After all, there may be pests or infection in the garden soil, which will lead to the loss of seeds even before germination. For sowing, purchased peat or mixtures based on it are suitable.
• Before sowing, the soil is moistened. It should crumble in your hand and be wet. Sow peppers in small containers with holes at the bottom. A bowl or seed pot is suitable for this. The seeds are laid out in a checkerboard pattern and covered with a low layer of soil (up to 2 cm). The earth is compacted, the bowl is covered with film or glass.
• To ensure rapid emergence of seedlings, maintain a high temperature (up to 25 degrees), constant humidity and ventilation. Before the sprouts appear, do not water the soil, but only spray it with a sprayer.
• When the first shoots appear, the container is opened and placed in a greenhouse or simply placed on the balcony. At this time, you need to make sure that a black leg does not appear: you need to limit watering and not lower the temperature below 22 degrees.

On some seedlings, a film of seeds may remain, which sticks the cotyledons together. It cannot always be removed so as not to harm the plant. Try moistening the skin with water and after a few minutes, carefully pull it off the leaves.

Picking and planting peppers in a permanent place

Picking seedlings at home begins when the third true leaf appears on the plant. The soil is watered so that the entire earth mixture is saturated, a day before the procedure. Dive seedlings into moist, but not wet soil. It is better to replant plants so as not to injure the roots. This can be done using a garden spatula or a regular spoon. After transplanting, the cups are placed in a greenhouse on the windowsill so that the seedlings quickly take root. A new leaf after picking is a signal that the pepper has successfully taken root and you can start fertilizing.

At the first stage, peppers need nitrogen and potassium supplements for the development of the vegetative system. But don’t get carried away: an overdose can destroy the plant.

Fertilizing is carried out one day after watering, when the soil is moist. Plants with signs of disease should not be fed. First you need to find out the reason for the poor condition of the bush, eliminate errors in cultivation - and only after that add minerals.

Rules for transplanting hot peppers

As soon as the roots of the pepper wrap around the soil in the cup, begin planting in a permanent place. How to do it right?

• For the first planting, take a pot with a capacity of no more than one liter, put drainage (expanded clay, bark, pebbles) on the bottom and pour an earthen cushion. The mixture for planting is bought in the store.
• The plant is buried so that the root collar is lowered into the ground no more than 2 centimeters. Over time, the soil will subside and the root collar will be at ground level. If the plant is deeply buried, it may die or enter the fruiting phase late.
• Feeding begins two weeks after transshipment. When grown at home, chili peppers respond very well to fertilizing with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, calcium, and magnesium. In order not to get confused with dosages, it is better to buy ready-made fertilizers for indoor peppers. If chili peppers are grown for culinary purposes, it is better to use organic fertilizers.
• At home, for successful fruit set, it is necessary to shake the bushes during flowering so that pollination occurs.

Indoor pepper Ogonyok does not tolerate dry soil. It reacts especially acutely to lack of water during flowering. If the soil in the pot is dry, the plant may drop its buds or produce ugly fruits.

Drafts and dry air are detrimental to pepper varieties Chili and Ogonyok when grown at home. Then the plants shed their leaves and go into hibernation. If this happens, don't be afraid. You just need to create comfortable conditions on the balcony or windowsill. Then the growth of Chili and Ogonyok will quickly resume.

So, a little step-by-step instructions for growing hot peppers on the balcony will help even beginners cope with this task. Growing peppers on a windowsill does not require special attention; it is only important to remember that during the sunny period it is necessary to shade the plant and water it with warm, settled water. We must not forget about annual transfers to a larger pot - this will allow the bush to grow a healthy root system.