Everything you need to know about growing hot peppers

Hot pepper is not as popular among gardeners as sweet. Nevertheless, its fruits are often used in the process of preservation or cooking various dishes. Any gardener can grow such a pepper in his area.

When choosing a variety of red hot pepper, you need to take into account its ripening time, degree of bitterness and resistance to various diseases or temperature extremes. If you choose the right plant, it will take root perfectly in the selected area. The most popular are the following varieties of pepper.

• “Impala.” This variety is excellent for growing in cold regions. Its fruits have an elongated shape and a pleasant taste. Young plants do not need special care and are resistant to most common diseases. Therefore, even novice gardeners can grow them.

• “Astrakhan”. This plant is a hybrid. Pepper grows well in hot regions. Its fruits are not very sharp. Therefore, they can be used to prepare many dishes.

• “Cayenne bitter”. This variety is known for its sharp spicy taste. Pepper fruits have a bright scarlet color. They grow up to 15 centimeters long. Bushes are resistant to disease and frost.

• “Vizier”. Pepper differs from all others in the unusual shape of the fruit. Its pods are red. Their flesh is juicy and not too bitter. Very often, these peppers are used to decorate the festive table, because they look very beautiful.

• “Danube”. This variety of pepper is usually grown in regions with a temperate climate. Ripe fruits are large in size and have a red-green color. Peppers are highly productive. He is not afraid of either intense heat or sudden changes in temperature.

All these varieties of pepper are quite common, so there will be no problems with their purchase.

Hot peppers have a long growing season. Therefore, it is recommended to plant sprouted seedlings on the beds. Agrotechnology for growing seedlings consists of several main stages.

Growing hot peppers takes 100-120 days. Usually, gardeners start planting seeds at the end of February or in the first days of March. Some people, choosing favorable days for landing, are guided by the lunar calendar.

First you need to prepare the pepper seeds. The first step is to check their quality by pouring the contents of the bag into a glass of strong saline. All healthy seeds will settle to the bottom. Instances that float to the surface must be discarded. The remaining grains must be thoroughly rinsed under running water.

Next, you need to disinfect the seeds. To do this, they are treated with furatsilin or potassium permanganate. After this treatment, the seeds are washed again. To speed up the growth of peppers, they can be placed for a day in a solution with a stimulant. Next, you need to harden the seeds. They are placed for a couple of days in the refrigerator, then for a day in heat, and then back in the refrigerator.

Seeds prepared in this way can only be germinated. To do this, they need to be wrapped in several layers of wet gauze and placed next to a battery or some kind of heating device. Green sprouts from seeds will hatch in about a week.

Separately, you need to prepare containers. A layer of drainage is poured at the bottom of each of them. For this purpose, you can use small brick chips or expanded clay. From above it is required to lay a layer of nutrient soil mixed with high-quality compost and sand.

In the prepared soil, you need to make several small holes. They should be located at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Germinated seeds are placed in such wells. After that, the pits are lightly sprinkled with earth, and then watered with warm water. Seed containers are recommended to be covered with glass or plastic wrap.

As soon as the first leaves appear on young peppers, they will need to dive. In the future, the plants are grown already in separate containers of a small size. To do this, you can use small pots or cups. During the germination of seedlings, the soil in the glasses must be well moistened.

Peppers germinated in separate containers can be planted in open ground immediately after 8-10 leaves appear on them.

The first step is to choose the right site for planting peppers. It should be well lit and protected from the winds. It is permissible to have beds in partial shade.

Peppers are not recommended to be planted in the same area for several years in a row. It is very important to follow the rules of crop rotation. The yield of plants depends on which predecessors grew in the garden before planting pepper. It is best to plant it in the area where white cabbage used to grow. Legumes, onions and garlic can be good precursors for peppers.

An important role is also played by what neighbors the young bushes will have. Peppers are compatible with onions, eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes. You can also plant spinach next to the beds. Such a neighborhood will only benefit young plants.

Before planting seedlings, it, like seeds, must be hardened off. To do this, a container with green sprouts is taken out into the yard or onto the balcony. First, it is left there for only 10-20 minutes. Over time, the time the plants spend outdoors increases. Hardened seedlings can be planted in the garden without worrying that they will die due to sudden temperature changes.

The soil in the selected area before planting also needs to be prepared. It must be dug to the depth of the spade bayonet. In the process of digging the beds into the soil, it is worth adding organic fertilizers. If green manure previously grew on the site, they are embedded in the ground.

When planting young seedlings on the site, it is important to consider the size of future bushes. Tall peppers are planted at a distance of 40-50 centimeters from each other. The distance between undersized bushes should be within 30 centimeters. Individual rows should be 50 centimeters apart. The beds are arranged at a distance of 100 cm.

The process of planting grown seedlings on the site looks very simple. To begin with, each plant must be carefully removed from the pot along with an earthy clod. Trying not to damage the roots and stem of the young seedling, it must be placed in the hole. Next, the hole should be half filled with soil, and then poured with water. After that, you should wait until the moisture is absorbed into the ground. Next, the rest of the earth is poured into the hole. After planting, the plants are recommended to be tied to supports.

Young peppers need proper watering. The lack of moisture in the soil can greatly affect the yield of the plant. Therefore, young peppers need to be watered frequently. To do this, use settled warm water in small quantities. If the summer is too hot, the frequency of watering must be increased. Water is poured directly under the root.

Regular feeding also plays an important role in the development of pepper. For the first time, fertilizer is applied to the soil 10 days after planting. At this time, nitrogen compounds are used. After the appearance of the first buds, the plants are fed with potassium, during fruiting – with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Several times a season, plants can be fed with a simple nettle tincture. This will enhance the growth of green mass and fruits.

After watering and fertilizing, the bushes are recommended to be mulched. This procedure allows you to retain moisture in the soil.

Grown peppers must be properly formed. This allows you to reduce the load on the stem. This process looks very simple. The first step is to remove all foliage, stepchildren and buds that are below the stem fork. The latter should consist of two strong processes. In the future, the lower leaves will also need to be cut off regularly.

At the end of July, it is recommended to pinch the bushes. This is done in order to stop the growth of flowers and make the plants stronger. Fruits that appear in the fork area must be removed. If this is not done, they will interfere with the normal development of the plant.

Excessively growing bushes must be pinched in a timely manner. This is done so that the shoots do not tangle, and the plants receive a sufficient amount of moisture and nutrients.

Hot peppers, like other plants in the garden and in the garden, are often attacked by pests and diseases. To protect the bushes, they must be treated 1-2 times per season with special preparations.

To protect plants from such common diseases as late blight, powdery mildew or tobacco mosaic, bushes are usually treated with Fitosporin. Preparations such as Aktara and Fitoverm help save peppers from seasonal pests. They help protect the site from whiteflies, aphids, wireworms and spider mites.

Instead of purchased drugs, many gardeners prefer to use folk remedies. Usually, the site is sprayed several times a season with herbal infusions or solutions with a pungent and unpleasant odor.

You can grow hot peppers at home not only in open ground, but also in a greenhouse or even on a wide windowsill or balcony. Each growing method has its own characteristics.

Peppers growing in a house or apartment should be in large pots. Place them in a bright place. It is important to ensure that direct sunlight does not fall on the foliage.

For the winter, the plant is recommended to be transferred to a state of rest. At this time, the bushes stop feeding. All ovaries and flowers are removed. The frequency of watering is reduced.

In the spring, pepper growing in a pot is inspected. If he needs a transplant, it is best to do this procedure in March or April. You can harvest from peppers growing on a windowsill or balcony several times a year.

When growing plants in a greenhouse in the country, they are planted close enough to each other. This point is important to consider when forming bushes. They should not be so voluminous and sprawling.

In order for peppers to develop normally in a greenhouse, it is important to maintain an optimal level of humidity in the room. It should be within 70%. If the humidity in the room is high, it is recommended to ventilate the greenhouse. If it is lowered, it is worth placing several containers of water there. The temperature in the room should be between 23-27 degrees.

Pollination of plants in the greenhouse has to be done manually. This should be done during the flowering of peppers. To do this, it is enough to shake the pollen from one flower to another with gentle movements.

Experienced gardeners claim that bitter pepper grows faster in modern greenhouses than in open ground. In addition, growing peppers in such conditions, you can significantly increase the yield of plants.

In cooking, you can use not only fully ripened, but also unripe fruits. But it is recommended to store pepper only after it has fully ripened.

There are several signs that a hot pepper is fully ripe and ready to be harvested.

1. The pods take on a bright color. The shade of the fruit depends on which variety was chosen by the gardener.
2. The leaves are starting to turn yellow. The lower part of the bush dries out at the same time.
3. Having broken off a small piece from the fetus, a person immediately feels a burning sensation.

As a rule, the collection of chili peppers begins in the last days of September. Ripe fruits are simply plucked from the bushes, washed under cold water, and then wiped with a towel and slightly dried. To do this, they are laid out on parchment and left in a dry and warm place for several days. Prepared fruits can be folded into a cloth bag or glass jar.

Hot peppers can also be preserved in sunflower oil or marinade. If there is no time for conservation, it should simply be placed in the freezer. There it can be stored for several months in a row.

Chili peppers are very beneficial for most people. It activates the metabolic process, improves immunity and protects the human body from colds. It is worth remembering that the fruits of red pepper should not be consumed by people who have problems with the kidneys, liver or gastrointestinal tract.

If you properly care for young peppers, they will grow strong and healthy in any conditions.