Hot pepper in a pot indoor plant. Main diseases and pests

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

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

The best option for the kitchen is decorative. It looks very aesthetically pleasing, especially when the fruits appear. These same fruits are used in cooking as a very hot seasoning.

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

Botanical description

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

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

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

Did you know? Capsicum means "bag" in Latin. Apparently, peppers are named after the shape of the fruit.

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

Flowering and fruiting are not separated in time. The bush can simultaneously contain flowers, unripe fruits, and ripe peppers. Fruits, as a rule, very abundantly.

The alkaloid capsaicin gives the fruits bitterness, pungency and spiciness.

Important! Stems and leaves decorative pepper poisonous.

Popular types

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

Annual

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

Common varieties:

"Tepin";
"Redskin";
"Siberian Prince";
"Cherry Bomb";
"Golden Baby" and others.

Shrubby

Shrubs varieties are very suitable for room conditions: window sill, loggia, balcony, etc. This perennials. They grow successfully and bear fruit for 5-6 years.

The variety is interesting in shape, but its yield is average. You can only collect about 20 peppercorns in an apartment. “Lemon Lollipop” and “White Crystal” are grown more often; they are traditionally productive.
The taste of pepper is sweetish, there is very little heat in it.

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

Chinese

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

The fruits are varied in shape, sometimes even taking the shape of a lantern. Chinese pepper probably has the hottest and hottest fruits.

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

"Santa Lucia";
"The Devil's Tongue"
"Devil's Yellow"

pubescent

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

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

It has a pungent taste and is consumed raw.

Best conditions for pepper

Regarding the capriciousness and unpretentiousness of pepper and caring for it at home, the opinions of lovers of ornamental fruit plants are divided. Some believe that caring for the crop is not difficult, others note that the plant is capricious and difficult to care for.

Important! During the flowering period, peppers need to be shaken periodically to increase yield.

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

Humidity and temperature

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

Lighting

When caring for decorative peppers in a pot, it is imperative to monitor the lighting. For good development and fruiting, the plant should be placed on a southern, southwestern or western windowsill.

The culture is very light-loving; in spring and autumn it needs up to 3-4 hours of open sunlight. Just not more than 4 hours, otherwise burns may appear on the fruits and leaves. In summer you need to shade it, because the sun is very active. If the lighting is not enough, then you need to use artificial lighting.

If there is a lack of lighting, it is sparse and has few leaves; besides, there will not be a good harvest.

Growing substrate

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

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

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

Planting seeds and cuttings

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

Growing from seeds

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

Peppers should be planted in February.

There are two approaches to growing peppers from seeds. They differ in that one uses a seedless and non-transplanting method, while the second uses growing seedlings and subsequent transplanting.

1st method:

Indoor peppers are not grown as seedlings and are not transplanted from one pot to another as they grow. You immediately need to select a container in which to grow mature plant. Its volume should be 4-6 liters.
Before planting seeds in a pot, add soil, ensuring good soil.
Soak the seeds for 1 hour in water and place in damp cloth for a day.
Plant the seeds and cover them with 2-4 mm of soil. Moisten well with a spray bottle and cover with film until germination.
Be sure to place the pot in a warm place. After germination, with the appearance of four leaves, pinch to form a crown.

2nd method:

Prepare a small container, about 200 ml, for planting seeds.
Make drainage and pour earthen mixture into the pot. After placing the prepared seeds, cover them with soil to a depth of 2-4 mm.
To prepare the seeds, they must be soaked in water for 1 hour and left in damp gauze for one day.
Moisten the soil well, cover cling film and place in a warm place for germination.
Pepper shoots appear in 2-3 weeks.
With the appearance of two pairs of leaves, the pepper requires replanting, picking and pinching.
Capacity for further cultivation should be about 4-6 liters, with good drainage.
A sprout with a large earthen lump is planted into it by transshipment and watered abundantly.
The top is pinched.

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

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

How to propagate a plant from cuttings

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

Water generously at first, then as the soil dries.

The container must have good drainage. This is necessary both for the cutting and for the rooted plant, because it will continue to grow here. There is no need to replant a rooted cutting.

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

Cultivation care

Caring for the “Ogonyok” pepper that grows on your windowsill is special.

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

How to water

Peppers should be watered generously in spring and summer as the soil dries out. In addition, be sure to “bathe” the plant, spraying it 1-2 times a week, on hot days - every other day.

Watering should be done with water at room temperature.

Important! Plants placed on window sills with radiators under them need more frequent watering.

In autumn, reduce, in winter - minimize, water moderately.

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

IN THE PHOTO: Pepper on the windowsill will become a spectacular green decoration for the kitchen.

Selection of hot pepper varieties for indoor culture

It is not recommended to use seeds from chili pods purchased at greengrocers. Industrial varieties from Southeast Asia are usually sold there. These seeds are not suitable for growing at home.

For an apartment or house, indoor hot peppers belonging to the species are preferable.- Annual or vegetable pepper. It preserves the varietal qualities of wild “ancestors” from low-light undergrowth. This pepper can cope with a small space in a flower pot and a lack of sunlight.

IN THE PHOTO:The unpretentious Capsicum annuum takes root well both in open ground and in containers.

Popular varieties of indoor peppers

The concept of “pepper in a pot”, or “indoor pepper”, is relative. Any hot pepper that is suitable for this purpose in size and level of requirements for living conditions is sown in a pot on the windowsill. WITH decorative purpose and sown for food use varieties growing in open ground or in a greenhouse.

For individual chili varieties very similar (Solanum pseudocapsicum), popularly called " Jerusalem cherry " . Nightshade fruits are poisonous, and only varieties of vegetable pepper are used in cooking.

The following varieties are commonly grown indoor pepper:

"Ogonyok" Grows well at home. Mid-early variety. Fruiting occurs 115–120 days after emergence. The pods are bright red, elongated, smooth, quite large: each weighs 45 g. The taste is classic: hot pepper. Medium-sized bush, branched.
"Aladdin" Ultra-early ripening, bears fruit abundantly and for a long time. The height in open ground is 50 cm, in the room no higher than 35–40 cm. The fruits are small, numerous, elongated-cone-shaped, spicy and aromatic. At the stage of technical ripeness, the pods turn from green to cream and purple, then turn red. At indoor growing It tastes less bitter than when grown outside, but this does not affect fruiting.
"Bell" *("Christmas bell* ") Variety refers to the species (Capsicum baccatum). The fruits look like a berry, a small squash or a bell, gracefully suspended on the stalks. Fruit weight 60–100 g. The severity is unevenly distributed. The placenta has a burning taste, and the remaining parts have a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Leaves and stems with characteristic pubescence. The fruits ripen 150 days after emergence. The variety needs pinching.
*"Explosive Ember"* ") Unusual purple-green foliage. The color of the pods depends on the stage of maturity: purple, creamy, pink, scarlet. The fruits are small, up to 2.5 cm long, very sharp. The variety is early ripening, the fruits ripen in 115–120 days from sowing. The bush is compact, height 20–30 cm.
" Poinsettia *"("Poinsettia")* Bunches of fruit at the ends of the branches resemble the original flowers. Plant height 30–35 cm. The name duplicates the name of another plant popular in the West, the most beautiful Euphorbia, also called. Fruits up to 7.5 cm long turn red when ripe. The pods have a very pungent taste.
" Garda Firewax *" ("Garde fireworks")* The bushes are low, 25–30 cm tall. The bush is densely strewn with pods sticking up. The plant simultaneously contains pods of several colors: green, lilac, orange and red. Pods up to 5.5 cm long. The taste is spicy.
"Nosegay" One of the most compact and miniature peppers. Height no more than 15 cm. Small, round fruits change color when ripe from green to cream, orange, and finally red. Can grow in a small 1 liter flower pot. The taste of the fruit is medium spicy.

Especially decorative varieties of peppers

"Variegatta"- variegated variety.
"SHU"-also differs in variegated, variegated color. The fruits are mostly yellow or purple. Powerful beautiful bush.
"Purple Tiger" ("Purple Tiger")-a low bush with light purple small fruits and variegated foliage. Refined, good in compositions.
"Salsa Orange"- a very popular variety with small fruits orange color. It resembles indoor pepper "Ogonyok" and needs the same growing conditions. The foliage is large, dark green. Small bright fruits look very attractive on it.
"Rowanushka"- a variety with small multi-colored pea-shaped fruits, reminiscent of mountain ash clusters. The bush is compact, with small, slightly curled “boat” leaves. The pepper berries “sit” in them.

IN THE PHOTO:Original decorative foliage of the Variegata variety.

IN THE PHOTO:Indoor pepper "SHU" with yellow fruits.

IN THE PHOTO:Searing and sophisticated "Purple Tiger".

IN THE PHOTO: Bright and colorful "Orange Salsa".

IN THE PHOTO:Round-fruited variety of domestic pepper "Ryabinushka".

You can choose the variety of hot pepper according to your own taste, using the review in the article: "".

Growing indoor peppers

Soil selection and preparation

By nature, pepper is a perennial, so it can grow at home for up to 10 years. For successful cultivation culture is needed, first of all, correct soil. Store-bought mixtures are only suitable for seedlings. For a permanent container or pot, it is better to prepare the soil yourself.

Peppers like slightly acidic soil (pH 5.0–6.0). Composition of a suitable soil mixture:

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

IN THE PHOTO: Mulching the soil in the pot will help maintain the necessary moisture and increase the light level, which is especially important for peppers in winter time.

When and how to sow hot peppers for growing indoors

Optimal sowing dates:

Sowing peppers in boxes for growing indoors is done all year round, taking into account cultural characteristics:

Early spring varieties sown from the beginning of November to the last days of December.
The right time to sow summer crops - March-April.
Autumn varieties sown in July-August.

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

Agricultural technology for sowing homemade hot pepper:

To sow indoor hot peppers, you need small pots with a capacity of 0.2 liters. At the bottom of such containers pour garden or clean medium size. Optimal thickness The drainage layer is 2–3 cm. Then the containers are filled 2/3 with the soil mixture described above.

Pepper seeds, pre-treated with Epin-Eksta or potassium humate, are planted 1 cm deep into the ground. After this, they are sprinkled with nutritious soil, which is slightly compacted. The sowing is covered with an opaque film and placed for germination at a temperature of +23–25°C.

IN THE PHOTO:Sprouted hot pepper seeds.

Growing seedlings:

After sprouts appear 7–12 days protective film cleaned up. On the fourth or fifth day, the temperature drops to +16–18°C. In the future, for the pepper seedlings to survive and grow stronger, the soil temperature should be +20–22°C, the air temperature - +24°C and above during the day, +18–20°C at night.

Seedlings are regularly and moderately watered with soft, settled water at a temperature of +20°C.

It is important not to allow the soil to become waterlogged: it will destroy the fragile roots of the peppers.

Picking is done at the stage of two or three true leaves. Before it, the seedlings are fed with a solution of 1 tbsp. l. calcium nitrate in 10 l. water. Two to three hours before picking, the sprouts must be watered to prevent the soil from falling off the roots.

After the seedlings have finally become stronger and grown to the stage of 6–12 leaves, they are transplanted into containers 3–5 liters deep.

IN THE PHOTO:In order not to waste time on picking in the future, you can immediately sow the seeds of decorative peppers in separate pots.

Conditions for keeping and caring for peppers on the windowsill

Watering and air humidity:

After planting in a permanent container, indoor peppers are watered frequently and sparingly. During fruiting, the plant requires more moisture. Watering is done in the morning, at the root, with further careful loosening of the soil.

Pepper needs air humidity of 65–75%. If the room is dry, spraying will be necessary.

Temperature and ventilation:

Indoor hot peppers are kept at a temperature of +20–28°C. Regular ventilation of the room is mandatory, but drafts are undesirable.

IN THE PHOTO: IN summer time It is useful to place decorative peppers outdoors.

Lighting:

All types of pepper, even those originating from those growing in shaded undergrowth, have difficulty withstanding winters at temperate latitudes. Short daylight hours combined with cloudy weather are a severe test for “immigrants from the south.”

Peppers have a particularly difficult time with a lack of light from November to January. Plants not only stop blooming, but also stop growing. Some varieties shed their leaves when there is a lack of light.

IN THE PHOTO:One of the secrets to the decorative appearance of an indoor pepper bush is uniform lighting of all parts of the plant.

Feeding:

Hot peppers in a container are fed once every 10–12 days. To prepare something suitable for him mineral fertilizer , can be diluted in 10 l. water of choice:

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

Mineral fertilizers alternate with organic ones. Simple recipe organic fertilizer for indoor peppers: dilute half a jar of bird droppings in granules in 10 liters. water.

The composition of the fertilizer depends on the phase life cycle plants. For example, during the active growing season, a sufficient amount of calcium is essential. Therefore, foliar feeding with calcium nitrate 0.2% is carried out. When planting buds, peppers need nitrogen. To increase the activity of roots at the stage of fruit formation, phosphorus fertilizers are applied.

Trimming:

With proper care, peppers in a pot will delight you with their decorative appearance and productivity for 8–10 years. However, it is advisable to update it every three years, cutting off old and too powerful shoots. Young peppers look more aesthetically pleasing.

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

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

Fruiting, as a rule, abundant. At the same time, there can be from 20 to 50 fruitlets on a bush, and their total number per season reaches up to a hundred.

Hot pepper growing at home, how often does it bear fruit?

This plant is a perennial and will delight you for 5-6 years.

Varieties of small peppers

shrub varieties .

Preparing and sowing peppers

They feed

If you want get pepper seeds

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Hot peppers can be grown not only on garden plot, but also at home. SuperDom will tell you how to grow hot peppers at home.

How to grow hot peppers from seeds at home

Some varieties of hot peppers boast compact dimensions, so they can be grown at home on a windowsill. To do this, just follow a few simple rules.

Features of planting hot peppers

It is rarely necessary to transplant peppers into another pot, so initially you should choose a suitable container for it.

The volume of the pot is required to be at least 5 liters. A drainage layer of stones or expanded clay is laid on its bottom.

The soil in the pot should allow moisture and air to pass through well, and its composition may vary.

Pepper on the windowsill. Growing from seeds in winter and summer

A mixture of humus, turf soil and mullein in a ratio of 7:2:1 is well suited for growing hot peppers. You can take a mixture of turf soil and humus in proportions 1:2 or 3:6 with the addition of one part of mullein.

You should not add rotted compost to the soil, as it is the causative agent of pepper diseases.

It is necessary to plant hot pepper seeds at the very end of winter. If you bought the seeds in a store, they do not need additional processing. Assembled houses the seeds should be kept for 20 minutes in a 1% manganese solution, then rinsed with clean water.

In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they must be placed in a growth stimulator solution for 2 days.

When planting, they are laid out in shallow grooves and then covered with earth. Until germination, containers with seeds should be kept at temperatures up to 25 degrees Celsius. Immediately after their appearance, they should be moved to a cool place for a week - up to 17 degrees Celsius.

If you grow seedlings in a common container, then you should plant them in pots when they have two true leaves.

The seedlings are transplanted into a large pot after two months.

How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill: necessary care

Caring for an adult plant includes only two activities - watering and fertilizing.

Peppers should be watered regularly with warm, settled water.

During particularly hot seasons, it is recommended to spray the leaves of the plant with water in the evenings.

If the water for irrigation is hard, then the top layer of soil should be changed regularly.
It is also worth regularly loosening the soil in the pot, and periodically turning the pot itself to ensure that the plant is evenly illuminated by the sun.

In winter, the pepper can be provided with additional lighting.

Growing peppers at home: how to properly fertilize

The first feeding of hot peppers is carried out a couple of days after picking, the second – after 10 days.

Complex compounds are used as fertilizers. mineral supplements for indoor plants.

Fertilizing should be done every month, and to protect against diseases, foliar feeding can be done with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate.

Exotics in the apartment: how to grow an avocado on the windowsill

Home Tips Grow small-fruited peppers on the windowsill at home

Christmas pepper is the name given in English-speaking countries to small-fruited hot peppers, with pots of which Europeans decorate the window sills of their kitchens. One can understand them; who would refuse to admire the graceful peppers in winter, burning like lanterns among the bright green foliage?

The benefits of multi-colored hot pepper lanterns are double: decorating windows and obtaining fruits that, when fresh, will give spicy taste any vegetable and meat dishes. If you dry peppers from only one plant, you can provide yourself with seasoning for canning for the entire summer-autumn season.

Small-fruited pepper bushes are low (15-50 cm), compact, leaves are small, fruits are single or grow in bunches. Their shape is different varieties different, they can look like balls, plums, elongated pyramids, cylinders that point down or up.

The color is also pleasing to the eye: orange, bright yellow, red of all shades, less often white or black.

Hot chili pepper: growing from seeds, planting and care

There are varieties whose peppers change color several times during ripening, for example, first lilac, then orange and red, and all of them decorate the bush at the same time; add to this the flowering that does not stop during fruiting, and you will understand why this plant is so popular in the world. many countries.

Fruiting

Indoor pepper not only lifts the mood, bestows fruits, but also takes care of the health of its owners. Thanks to its bactericidal properties, where it grows, the air is cleaner, there are fewer harmful microbes and people get sick less often.

Hot pepper also has a beneficial effect on other indoor plants - they are rarely damaged by insects, and if necessary, owners always have a means of protection against aphids, whiteflies and caterpillars. They will no longer bother you if you leave fresh or dried peppers in water for a day (1:10), strain, and sprinkle the plant suffering from pests and the soil in the pot. You can make a garland from peppers and decorate your kitchen with them. And if you extract the seeds from the fruits, you will receive first-class planting material.

Ornamental peppers grow well not only indoors, but also on the balcony, loggia, and also in the summer in the garden bed under the film, returning to the window sill in the fall.

Varieties of small peppers

For growing on a window, we recommend domestic shrub varieties, which are not inferior in decorativeness to foreign ones, bear fruit all year round and can decorate the windowsill for as long as 5 years. This Indian Summer, Carmen, Bride, Twinkle, Queen of Spades, Rowanushka, Fireworks, Inflorescence, Flint.

Preparing and sowing peppers

As practice has shown, it is best to sow sprouted seeds from the end of February to the first ten days of March. As a primer, you can use a ready-made mixture for peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. The seed box is filled with this mixture, watered, and the next day sowing is carried out, deepening the seeds by 1 cm. Afterwards, the seed box is covered with film or glass. Place in a warm place and keep in this form until shoots appear.

Transplanting and caring for small-fruited peppers

When 3-4 leaves form on the seedlings, they are transplanted one at a time into 1-1.5 liter pots. A hot pepper bush does not need a large pot, but it should be beautiful, not inferior in decorativeness to the plant planted in it. The pot must have a hole for drainage excess water and drainage laid on the bottom.

It is better to place the pot on a south, south-east or south-west window. In the north in autumn winter period you will have to provide additional lighting in the mornings and evenings, since pepper is light-loving. It also loves moisture, so it needs regular watering. You only need to water with settled water at room temperature, pouring it into the pan as the plant drinks it.

They feed plant once every 10-14 days, more often in the spring and summer. For feeding, you can use any complex mineral fertilizer (mortar, Kemira-lux, Kemira-universal, nitrophoska), dissolving 1 teaspoon in 5 liters of water. Before feeding, the bush is watered, and in a pot, and not in a tray.

In order for the pepper to bear fruit all year round, he daytime temperature required 22-24 degrees and night 17-19 degrees. And so that it does not suffer from overheating on the windowsill in winter, the battery should be covered.

In spring, peppers need to be transplanted into fresh soil. With the coming warm weather It is advisable to take it out onto the balcony, placing the pot in a place where there are no drafts. Indoor peppers can even be planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse if its sweet counterpart does not grow there. Otherwise, cross-pollination will occur, and instead of a sweet vegetable pepper, you will get a bitter one, albeit with large fruits.

If you want get pepper seeds, you have to wait until the fruits are completely ripe. Then dry them, crush them and select the seeds. They retain germination for 3-4 years.

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Home Tips Grow small-fruited peppers on the windowsill at home

Grow small-fruited peppers on the windowsill at home

Multi-colored hot pepper lanterns have a double benefit: decorating windows and obtaining fruits that, when fresh, will add a piquant taste to any vegetable and meat dishes. If you dry peppers from only one plant, you can provide yourself with seasoning for canning for the entire summer-autumn season.

Small-fruited pepper bushes are low (15-50 cm), compact, leaves are small, fruits are single or grow in bunches. Their shape is different for different varieties; they can look like balls, plums, elongated pyramids, cylinders that point down or up.

The color is also pleasing to the eye: orange, bright yellow, red of all shades, less often white or black. There are varieties whose peppers change color several times during ripening, for example, first lilac, then orange and red, and all of them decorate the bush at the same time; add to this the flowering that does not stop during fruiting, and you will understand why this plant is so popular in the world. many countries.

Fruiting, as a rule, abundant. At the same time, there can be from 20 to 50 fruitlets on a bush, and their total number per season reaches up to a hundred. This plant is a perennial and will delight you for 5-6 years.

Ornamental peppers grow well not only indoors, but also on the balcony, loggia, and also in the summer in the garden bed under the film, returning to the window sill in the fall.

Varieties of small peppers

Preparing and sowing peppers

Transplanting and caring for small-fruited peppers

When 3-4 leaves form on the seedlings, they are transplanted one at a time into 1-1.5 liter pots. A hot pepper bush does not need a large pot, but it should be beautiful, not inferior in decorativeness to the plant planted in it. The pot must have a hole to drain excess water and drainage placed at the bottom.

It is better to place the pot on a south, south-east or south-west window. In the north, during the autumn-winter period, you will have to provide additional lighting in the mornings and evenings, since pepper is light-loving. It also loves moisture, so it needs regular watering. You only need to water with settled water at room temperature, pouring it into the tray as the plant drinks it.

In spring, peppers need to be transplanted into fresh soil. With the onset of warm weather, it is advisable to take it out onto the balcony, placing the pot in a place where there are no drafts. Indoor peppers can even be planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse if its sweet counterpart does not grow there. Otherwise, cross-pollination will occur, and instead of a sweet vegetable pepper, you will get a bitter one, albeit with large fruits.

If you want get pepper seeds, you have to wait until the fruits are completely ripe. Then dry them, crush them and select the seeds. They retain germination for 3-4 years.

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How to grow peppers at home?

Hot pepper is a flexible plant that allows you to get fruits not only personal plot, but also at home. Besides practical application, this plant can become an interior decoration, since many varieties for growing in the room and on the balcony are very decorative. The region of origin of this plant is South America, from where he migrated to Europe along with the explorers of Columbus.

The unique taste of this variety of pepper is due to the content of the alkaloid capsaicin, a substance that is not found in any other type of vegetable. The degree of pungency of the varieties of this plant is determined by its presence. Useful qualities hot pepper:

Despite such a number useful properties, the use of hot pepper has its own characteristics, which can bring a lot of unpleasant sensations.

In case of contact with the mucous membrane of the eyes or damaged skin, a chemical burn is guaranteed. Getting hot pepper juice under your nails leads to irritation of the skin under the nail plate. Abuse of this seasoning can lead to damage to the gastric mucosa and the appearance of gastritis.

To minimize these manifestations, it is enough to observe moderation and handle hot peppers with gloves. If pepper juice gets on your eyes, you should rinse them immediately. a large number water and consult a doctor.

The main condition that must be observed when choosing a variety of hot pepper is its ability to grow and bear fruit in low light conditions, limited space for root growth, have compact dimensions bush. These requirements are met by varieties of indoor hot peppers belonging to the species “Annual or vegetable pepper” (Capsicum annuum).

Hot pepper variety "Aladdin"

Equipment and soil for growing peppers

Before you start growing hot peppers at home, you need to prepare equipment to perform basic technological operations:

Container for sowing seeds.
Peat pots for seedlings.
Tray for water drainage.
Watering can with a fine strainer.
Humidifier.
Lamp for additional illumination of plants.
Mineral fertilizers.
Ready-made or self-composed soil for growing plants.

Since hot pepper will have to be kept in the same container at home, its selection should be taken responsibly. The pot or box must be “breathable” and have a drainage device excess moisture, be convenient for carrying out operations of watering and subcortex, be spacious enough. It is better if it is ceramic or wooden pot with a tray, and its volume will not be less than 5 liters.

Tip No. 1: Try to provide a container for an adult plant on a spacious tray where you can place a pot with a plant and put expanded clay and sphagnum moss. By watering these moisture accumulators, they create a special microclimate around the plant, which is very important in winter - during the heating season.

The soil for growing seedlings and filling a pot for the growth of an adult hot pepper bush must be nutritious, structural, water- and breathable, and absorb moisture well.

Mixtures for growing hot peppers

If humus is present in the soil, it will be able to better retain nutrients, arriving during feeding. There is no need to avoid entering soil mixtures rotted compost or manure humus - during the ripening process they have lost viable weed seeds, but are saturated with beneficial microflora that will resist pathogens of plant diseases.

Seed preparation

They begin growing hot peppers at the end of February, so that the peak of seedling growth does not occur during short daylight hours, and the plants do not have to be supplemented with additional light. Seeds purchased in a store have usually already been pre-planted and do not need to be soaked or treated to prevent diseases. This is evidenced by their color; it can be green or red. If hot pepper seeds are collected at home, you need to work with them before sowing.

Most best way seed treatment - dressing for 20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or manganese sulfate. After aging, the treated seeds are thoroughly washed in clean water and germinated until biting. To do this, they are placed for 2 days in a stimulant solution:

“Energen” - 10 g per 200 ml of water;
“Bud” - 1 g per 1 liter of water;
“Epin” - 4-5 drops per 200 ml of water;
Aloe juice – 5 g per 200 ml of water.

After aging, the seeds are laid out on a damp cotton cloth and constantly sprinkled with water so that they do not dry out. If the room temperature is within +20+30⁰C, then after 4-5 days the seeds will begin to grow.

Growing seedlings

Sowing is done in two ways: with picking and without picking. Using the first method, you can select the most powerful and strong specimens; without picking, the period of growing seedlings is reduced from 60 to 45 days. When grown without picking, the seeds are immediately sown in cups or peat pots in which they will grow before being planted on permanent place. When growing pickled pepper seedlings, sowing is carried out in a box or container.

Growing peppers without picking

The treated seeds are laid out on the soil surface in shallow grooves at a distance of 2 cm from each other. In pots they are sown in shallow holes with 2-3 seeds in each. The crops are sprinkled with a small layer of soil to compact the soil. Before germination, boxes and pots should be kept at a temperature of +24+26⁰ C. The soil should be sprinkled with water to prevent the formation of a soil crust and successful germination.

After the emergence of seedlings, they are transferred to a room with a lower temperature for 5-7 days (+15+17⁰ C). This measure will prevent the seedlings from stretching out and provide them with strong roots. A week later temperature regime changes again - during the day +23+25⁰ C, at night -+16+17⁰C. When the seedlings have 2 true leaves, they are picked.

Tip #2: Do not water the crops too much, otherwise they will be damaged. fungal disease“black leg”, when a dark constriction appears on the stem and the plant dies. For prevention, you can dust the soil under the plants with sifted ash.

Epin-extra solution

Picking is carried out in pots filled with nutritional mixture, deepening the seedlings to the cotyledon leaves. Then they are watered with a solution of “Epin” or “Zircon” (3-5 drops per 1 liter of water). To obtain a fibrous root system, after selecting plants from the seed box, pinch the central stem of the seedling by a third. When growing without picking, at the same time, leave one of the strongest plants in the pot, adding soil to its cotyledon leaves.

Caring for an adult plant

Seedlings that have reached the age of 50-60 days are transplanted into a separate container in which the plant will spend the entire growing season. Watering is carried out regularly, as the soil dries out with warm, settled water. If you keep the plant on a limited “drinking” regime, it will begin to shed the ovary. To prevent such shedding on hot sunny days, hot peppers are sprinkled with water. To prevent sunburn, spraying is carried out in the evening.

If the soil in the pot is depleted, transfer it annually to new soil and a larger pot. If watering is carried out with hard water, replace the top layer of soil in the container for growing peppers.

Fertilizer and feeding

Soluble fertilizer Agricola

The first feeding is carried out a few days after the picking, the second – 10 days after it. To do this, use complex fertilizers:

Agricola.
Kemira, Kemira luxury.
A mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (35 g/17 g per 10 liters of irrigation solution).

Supporters of ecological farming can use organic fertilizers: a solution of mullein or chicken manure (1:4 and 1:10, respectively). The diluted raw material is aged for about a week for fermentation, filtered, and used after re-dilute - 1 liter of suspension per 10 liters of water. If desired, you can use ready-made Bucephalus horse manure concentrate.

An adult hot pepper plant is fertilized monthly complex fertilizer for indoor plants, following the instructions for use. To prevent crown rot of fruits, foliar feeding of adult specimens is carried out with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate.

5 answers to specific questions

Question 1: Do plants need to be pollinated additionally?

Answer: Most varieties of hot peppers for home cultivation are self-pollinating hybrids. If the variety needs pollination, shake the plant or transfer pollen with a soft brush from one flower to another.

Question 2: Is it necessary to plant hot peppers growing indoors?

Answer: An adult fruit-bearing plant does not need either supports or pinching. The fruits of this plant are usually small, and the bush can easily withstand the load.

Question 3: Is it possible to propagate hot peppers from cuttings?

Answer: To rejuvenate an old bush with valuable fruits, you can use the vegetative propagation method. To do this, cut off 2-3 branches and place them in a container with a root formation stimulator dissolved in water. After 3-4 weeks, the seedlings will have a developed root system. They are planted in a pot with an updated substrate after 1.5 months young plant will begin to bloom.

Question 4: Does the plant need additional lighting?

Answer: Yes, it is necessary. In winter and autumn, the daylight hours for hot peppers are extended by placing a lamp over them for 1 hour in the morning and 2-3 hours in the evening. If lighting is not carried out, you need to at least rotate the bush on the windowsill around its axis so that it does not become one-sided.

Question 5: How to prepare a solution from the fruits of miniature hot peppers for treating indoor plants against pests?

Answer: The fruits are poured with boiling water at a ratio of 1:10, left for 24 hours, filtered, and treated with a spray bottle. You can use both dry and fresh fruits.

Growing hot peppers at home - exciting activity. The high decorative qualities of this plant are combined with the benefits of practical use. If you follow the growing technology, an excellent result is guaranteed - a healthy and beautiful plant.

Growing various varieties on the windowsill vegetable crops- This is a kind of alternative to gardening. Although, for many, this activity is a continuation of the summer season. Hot decorative pepper, or scientifically Capsicum, on the windowsill serves not only as a hot seasoning for culinary dishes, but also has the function of decorating the room. Every season more and more peppers appear with different colors and the shape of the fruits and leaves, for example: “Black Pearl”, “Bishop’s Crown” or, still rare due to its extraordinary shape of the fruit, “Peter Pepper” (photos are presented below), etc. And if you want pepper remained bright, blooming and fruitful for a long time, it is very important to know what its proper cultivation is.

We are used to growing pepper seedlings and then planting them in a greenhouse, like annual plant. But in fact it is a perennial crop. And by growing decorative peppers at home, you can verify this. With the right approach, the plant can actively develop and produce crops for up to 6 years. One of the main conditions is to choose special varieties of pepper with compact bushes and a high degree of fruiting for growing at home. By the way, you can collect the seeds of your own pepper and, after drying for a short time, plant them, constantly getting new bushes.

There are two favorable period when you can sow homemade pepper seeds.

If you want to get a harvest by autumn, then sow in the second half of July; sowings done at the end of January will bear fruit in April. U experienced gardeners planting is practiced in December or even at any other time of the year, but with the obligatory provision of light and heat.

Since it is recommended to immediately plant peppers in a permanent place, it is better to initially take a suitable container. For one plant, up to 50 cm high, a 2-liter pot is enough; For a taller plant, select a pot of at least 5 liters.

Before sowing, soak the pepper seeds for a couple of hours in Epin or HB-101 solution. Plant 2 seeds not deeply, lightly sprinkle with a light peat soil substrate or vermiculite. Cover the plantings with film and place in a warm place. Ventilate as condensation accumulates. Seeds germinate at t° = 22-24°C, from a week to two.

But, as often happens with us, the seeds do not always germinate, so the recommendation is this: plant separately in peat tablets, and then place them together in the phase of two or three leaves in a permanent place in the pot. Maybe instead peat tablets use tea bags. Do not forget to remove the wrapping from peat tablets, and plant tea bags whole.

It is possible to sow in small cups (no more than 7 cm in diameter), so that later the plant can be transferred from them to a large pot. Then it will be a “transshipment” and not a “picking”, and you will not affect the root of the plant.

Fill the pot like this: 2 cm of drainage at the bottom, then a mixture of soil. Of course, I will write that you can make the right soil yourself from peat, sand and humus (or turf soil) in a 1:1:1 ratio, but why? Special land for growing peppers is for sale.

Hot peppers: how to grow on a windowsill

Take it, bake it in the oven or place it in the microwave for half a minute. Add vermiculite, about ¼ of the total volume. Fill the pot with this soil. By the way, before filling the soil, place the peel of one banana on the drainage layer. This trick will help for a long time feed the plant with potassium.

Then water the soil thoroughly hot water and when it drains, plant seeds or replant the plant; When planting seeds, do not forget to compact the bottom of the hole.

During the growth of decorative pepper, take care of it: maintain t° = +19-22°C; water when the soil dries 1.5-2 cm deep; feed once every two weeks. At first, before the flowers appear, nitrogen fertilizers are used; during flowering and fruit appearance, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are used. Choose fertilizers based on vermicompost. With proper care, the harvest can be harvested every 2.5-3 months.

Decorative hot pepper is a light-loving plant, but like most crops it does not tolerate direct sunlight. A good place for it is on the windowsill of a window facing southwest. If this is not the case, install reflectors made of a mirror or foil, or a special lamp for illumination.

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

If the pepper has finished bearing fruit and dropped its leaves, do not rush to throw it away entirely. Cut the plant to about half its height, remove the pot from the windowsill to a place where t° = +16°C, do not feed, only occasionally spray the soil so that it does not dry out completely. After a while you will see how the decorative pepper will resurrect.

And hot ornamental peppers grown on the windowsill require

additional shaking - this is necessary for high-quality pollination of flowers;

pinching over the 5th leaf - this will give more branching, which means more flowering and fruit.

Pepper flowers may fall off if the growing conditions are not met:

If high temperature, above +28°С;

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

if it is very dry in the room (spray the plant with a spray bottle with a mist-like (that is, with very small holes) spray or install a humidifier);

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

And one last thing. Treat the plant warm shower, covering the ground with a piece of film that can be tied around the trunk, like a bib. By washing the leaves with water and a weak soap solution, you will thereby protect the entire crop from pests and diseases.

Pepper on the windowsill will look great not only in the kitchen, but also in the interior of any room. If you have small children, be sure to warn them about the dangers of eating the beautiful fruits.

And with the onset of the summer season, decorative hot peppers will decorate any flower garden or flower bed in the garden.

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Kira Stoletova

In order to plant plants at home in winter, you do not need to make a lot of effort. Let's look at how to grow ornamental peppers and how to care for them.

Growing in containers and pots

If you are planning to grow ornamental plant in containers or pots, you can choose any plant variety. Capsicum, the second name for decorative pepper, is usually sown in early March, and in the summer you can take the pots with the plant outside, for example, to the balcony.

As for choosing a pot, you should take a container with a volume of about 5 liters. Although, if you plan to grow vegetable or berry peppers, which are tall, you should take a larger pot.

Landing Features

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

Substrate for plants in pots
Dolomite flour

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

Decorative indoor peppers do not grow in dense soil, since such soil does not allow air to penetrate into the soil. Many plant 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. Using these components, you can maximize the soil's ability to retain moisture.

Harvest

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

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

Which variety to choose

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

Goldfinger
Red rocket
Jamaica
Python
Troll
Black bride
Pearl
Queen of Spades
Filius
Blue baby
Jellyfish
Aladdin
Pearl
Zorro
Sirius
Salsa
Ampelous mischief maker

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

Plant height

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

However, even for such short term, the bush will delight you with bright fruits more than once. Plus, you'll be harvesting throughout the entire calendar year.

Lighting

The first thing worth mentioning is that the room should be sufficiently light and often ventilated, but drafts are absolutely undesirable. It is better to choose window sills in the east or west, so you will take into account the lighting requirements.

You should not place pots of pepper on south side. The fact is that the plant can get burns on the leaves if it is exposed to 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 under straight sun rays. If the weather outside is cloudy, you need to organize an artificial light source. If there is not enough sun, you will notice it appearance The bush's branches develop poorly, flowering is worse, and there are catastrophically few fruits.

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

Temperature and humidity

The room should be 23-25 degrees spring period, in winter a drop to 16-19 degrees is allowed.

An important feature of ornamental pepper is that the plant loves temperature changes, this concerns the difference between morning and night temperatures. For this reason, plant growers recommend placing the pot on the balcony.

To grow peppers on a windowsill, a humidity level of at least 60-70% is required. Exceeding normal values is not a pity; in addition, the plant does not tolerate dry periods well. If the hygrometer shows less than 50% humidity, it is recommended, in addition to watering, to also spray the bush with water from a spray bottle.

Preparing the seeds for planting

In order for the plant to take root better, it is recommended to sow no earlier than February. It is necessary to prepare the seeds of ornamental pepper before sowing. For this you will need:

Disinfectant solution for seeds – Fitosporin or potassium permanganate
Growth stimulant, for example, 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.

Germination of seeds

During germination, the seeds must lie in water for at least 12 hours. It is important that they are located at least 2 cm apart from each other. This is necessary so that the sprouted sprouts do not interfere with each other’s growth. After germination, you need to sprinkle them with soil, covering them 1 cm from above. Make sure all seeds are covered.

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

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

Under no circumstances should you place a pot of seeds in direct sunlight, as 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. Although under some conditions this may take longer, 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 sprouts in the pot, the plant will become weak and you may not get 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.

During transplantation, it is important to place the shoot exactly at the same depth at which it was located at the germination stage. Do not push 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 at the bottom of the new pot. It must be laid carefully so as not to cover the holes in the bottom.

It is necessary to choose soil 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 transplantation, it is necessary to pinch the most important root. This way the lateral shoots of the roots will develop, and the root system will be stronger.

Growing peppers from cuttings

In summer and spring, you can grow ornamental peppers using 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 needs to be placed in a mixture of soil and sand, the components are taken in a ratio of 1 to 1. It is necessary to provide maximum watering to the cutting, and then cover it with a plastic or glass cap. Place the cutting where it will be warm and light enough.

It is important to periodically air the spine; 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 chose sandy-earth soil for it at the rooting stage, at the transplanting stage you should give preference to the same mixture.

Caring for decorative peppers

After the sprout has successfully taken root, it is important to provide the future bush 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 dried soil in the pot. It is worth using only settled water, its temperature should be room temperature.

Under no circumstances should you allow the soil to dry out. If the bush has withered, its leaves will soon fall off and there will be no more fruit on it.

Spraying the bush

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

Top dressing

Fertilizing 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 leaf color turns purple, it means there is not enough phosphorus in the soil. Excessively light foliage color can indicate a lack of nitrogen.

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

Forming the crown

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

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

Replanting decorative peppers

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

Diseases and pests

Most often, an ornamental plant suffers from spider mite and from defeat mealybug. The first disease affects exclusively the roots, so it is not possible to detect the problem at the initial stage. It is quite difficult to fight spider mites, so it is better to take preventive measures, that is, disinfect the soil in a timely manner.

With poor care, the risk of the bush being damaged by mealybugs increases; deviations from the norms of humidity and temperature have a particularly detrimental effect on the condition of the plant.

In winter, when the central heating system is operating, containers with water are placed next to the pots to replenish the liquid deficit.

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

How to plant decorative peppers using boiling water?

Decorative pepper care

How to grow small-fruited BITTER PEPPERS on a windowsill

Difficulties in growing

When growing ornamental peppers, great attention should be paid to organizing indoor lighting.

A small number of fruits can also be considered a problem. In order to solve this problem, periodically shake the plant a little, this is especially effective during flowering. For the same purpose, you can brush over the pepper flowers once every two or three days to speed up reproduction.

Hot pepper on the windowsill is not only a necessary spice that is always at hand, but also an excellent decorative decoration at home, easy to grow. Pot of bright beautiful plant will serve exquisite decor for any home, and the piquant taste of such a hot spice will make this pepper indispensable in the kitchen of every housewife.

It is possible to grow sweet bell peppers and hot hot peppers at home, either the Drakosha variety or another. We will tell you further how to plant seeds for seedlings and the conditions for planting in an apartment.

Breeders have specially developed several varietal varieties of hot peppers for growing on windowsills. This indoor pepper is also divided into a fruit variety and an ornamental one (without fruit).

The fruit variety of indoor hot pepper is a perennial that reaches a height of no more than 40 cm. The plant has bright green leaves and richly colored multi-colored fruits: scarlet, sunny or orange.

Growing indoor peppers is not difficult and does not require any special knowledge or wisdom. Very unpretentious and low maintenance.

Flowering begins in June. During this period, delicate white flowers with a slightly yellowish tint appear on the stems.

How to grow at home on a windowsill

To get a plant with beautiful fruits on the windowsill, you need to sow seeds for seedlings. Do it late February – early March.

To speed up the process of seed growth, they can be pre-heat-treated. To do this, the seeds are poured warm water(not higher than 40 degrees) and seal in a thermos for 3 hours.

Preparing the soil and pot

The soil for seeds must be nutritious. You can prepare it yourself. To do this, mix 5 parts of humus, 2 parts of turf soil and peat and 1 part of sand. Mandatory at the bottom of the container there must be drainage. Small expanded clay or pebbles are suitable for this.

The soil must be additionally disinfected: treated with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate and thoroughly loosened. Seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm.

Growing seedlings from seeds

The containers are covered with glass or film and left in a warm place where the temperature should not be below 20-25 degrees.

You can use a regular pot or box as a container, it all depends on how many seeds are sown.

The first shoots are already appearing in 7 – 10 days. There should be sufficient sunlight in the room.

When the first shoots appear, the plants are planted in separate pots. When several true leaves appear on the seedlings, they are picked again, and the strongest and strongest sprouts are selected.

The plant needs a sufficient amount of moisture, heat and light at any stage of cultivation.

During the growth of seedlings, it is necessary to ensure that the seedlings do not stretch too much. To do this, they need to provide a certain ambient temperature.

When the first leaves appear, the temperature must be reduced to 20 degrees within 7 days. And when three true leaves appear, be sure to reproduce the pick in a spacious pot. The seedlings are planted in a permanent place after 2 months after planting the seeds.

Caring for indoor hot peppers

To grow hot pepper on the windowsill you need to provide it light and warmth.

Fertilizer

Loves this pepper very much various kinds feeding. The most optimal fertilizer is 2 tablespoons of ash mixed with 3 liters of water. The mixture should brew well. It is necessary to fertilize every two weeks.

You can use nitrogen fertilizers, but much less frequently. It is important not to overdo it with such fertilizers, otherwise you may be left without a harvest.

Watering

The soil must be loosened and watered regularly twice a week warm, settled, or purified water. You need to make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out, but is not constantly damp. Both will contribute to various plant diseases.

In winter, you can not use fertilizers and water the plant much less often. If the air in the room is dry, you can slightly moisten the leaves by sprinkling them with water from a spray bottle.

IN warm time year, the pots are taken out onto the balcony or outside.

Fruiting

Temperature

Until about February, the plant can be kept indoors at cooler temperatures, but not lower than 18 degrees.

But before the start of the growing season (usually it starts in February), the pot needs to be moved to a warmer room and trimmed. To do this, you need to trim the stems so that they are no higher than 5 cm.

If you correctly follow all the recommendations for growing and caring for the plant: from the very preparation of seeds to timely pruning, then such a pepper will retain its decorative appearance and will actively bear fruit. up to 5 years.

Diseases and pests

This variety of indoor plants can be susceptible to the following diseases: blackening of the stem or spotting of the leaves. This happens when you water too much, which causes stagnation of water in the pot.

The main pests of such pepper include aphids, spider mites and powdery mildew . Aphids or mites can appear with the help of wind through an open window.

To combat ticks, you can use the plant itself. To do this, you need to grind the pepper seeds along with the internal veins and fill them with water for a day. Then you need to add a little ground to the mixture laundry soap and spray the plant. To completely get rid of pests, it is enough to carry out three spraying procedures.

To prevent the appearance of mites, you need to provide the plant with sufficient moisture or place a container of water near the pot of pepper.

At proper cultivation and care, the plant will delight the eye with its excellent decorative properties for as long as 5 years, and its fruits will become a piquant spice in the kitchen.