Bulgarian pepper on the window. Features of growing hot peppers on the windowsill
The first step is to decide where the vegetable will grow. Many gardeners prefer to use long containers so that they can plant several plants in a row at once. This allows you to significantly save space, but there are many "cons", for example:
- The vessel will be relatively large, at least 20-25 kilograms, which will make it much more difficult to move. A large mass will also adversely affect the material of the window sill, especially if it is plastic. It can be deformed or "sag" in the middle.
- It will be more difficult to navigate the varieties, since the planting density is quite large and it is often possible to determine what exactly will grow from the seedling only after the first fruits.
- Untidy appearance and difficulty in separating varieties. You can not put the seedlings separately after the start of ripening, which will not satisfy the requirements of many gardeners. Some plants may over-pollinate.
It is better to give preference to traditional flower pots(see photo).
Calculating the volume of land is quite simple - for 1 plantmust have 5 kilograms fertile soil (the calculation is made taking into account that the height of the bush will be no more than 35 centimeters, and this will be a room variety).
This is the minimum volume that is necessary for the qualitative growth of the root system. You can also plant in smaller pots, but in this case, there is no guarantee that the pepper will develop properly. With a lack of free space for lateral roots, they will twist. This will affect the vegetative mass of the plant, and even the fruits - they will be much sharper, smaller size. In some cases, they are deformed - the pods have irregular shape, twist more strongly.
To prepare the vessel, we need: a screwdriver, a heating element (lighter, gas stove, etc.) and a rag to wipe the plastic. One of the most important points in the manufacture of a pot for indoor pepper is drainage - without it, there is nothing to even hope for friendly shoots and ripe vegetables on time. To do this, you need to make several holes in the plastic bottom.
Most often, manufacturers produce such containers with special places where the plastic is much thinner and has a lower melting point. Only 140-160 degrees will be enough to melt the mugs at the bottom. If such places are not provided, it will be necessary to make holes for drainage in a monolithic basis. To do this, heat a screwdriver (preferably curly) on gas stove or by means of another hearth of fire, then lean against the bottom.
After the burn hole diameter matches the thickness of the screwdriver, you need to make several rotational movements at an angle of 50-60% degrees to widen the hole and smooth out the edges.
Now the place for planting the plant is ready, it remains only to find a shallow plate or stand under it, into which excess moisture will spill after heavy watering. You can use the old ceramic plate or buy a factory fixture for 13-15 rubles on the market - it will be much neater in appearance.
Please note that the outer side of such a plate should not be metal (vessels can only be steel for balconies where they are placed on the floor), as the surface of the window sill can be damaged.
We make the soil for indoor hot pepper
It's not a secret what to buy ready ground very expensive. Imagine for a moment the prices of any flower shop: expanded clay stones (40 rubles a pack), screened coarse sand (30-40 rubles a pack of 500 grams), fertile fertilized black soil (from 50 rubles a pack). That is why it is better to make the soil with your own hands. It will not take much time, and all the components necessary for this can be found simply on the street, at any construction site or on the farm. We will need the following "cooking ingredients":
The order of falling asleep layers is very important, and it must not be violated. First you need to place 2-3 kg of crushed stone (about 6-9 centimeters in a pot), then pour up to 10 centimeters of sand and only then 10-15 centimeters of black soil. Such drainage will allow moisture to quickly pass through the entire layer and not knock the earth into a monolithic block.
You can not compact the soil. It is necessary to ensure the maximum looseness and minimum density of the chernozem so that the seeds germinate and quickly "get out" outside. The roots of bitter pepper, like the stem, are very weak, so plants often die before they even show up. Over-watering, soil compaction and lack of sand are the main problems for beginners that lead to the death of vegetables.
Planting seeds in the soil and features of the process
As you sow, so ... will grow. Particular attention must be paid to the planting of pepper. First, let's decide what not to do:
Now more about the landing process itself. There are many technologies, and each gardener does it in his own way. Let's consider the most common technique in more detail.
After that, it is imperative to pour from a sprayer (it is impossible to fill with water from a bucket, the earth will quickly settle), soaking the soil evenly.
She needs to get as much water as possible. You can determine the sufficient level visually - small puddles should form on the surface (see photo)
If you are going to plant seedlings outside or take pots out for the summer, then you can plant a little smaller - the plant will grow well and take root at high temperatures.
For convenience, you can make special "tags" on which to indicate all the necessary data about the variety that you planted in this pot. They will be especially relevant with a large number of plants, when it is simply impossible to remember what and where was planted.
Hot pepper is not only useful spice, which is difficult to do without when cooking meat dishes, but also bright, beautiful plant capable of giving joy, 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 features of the plant
Bushes of hot pepper varieties Adjika, Spark, Chile reach a height of 50 cm. Multi-colored fruits can grow on one plant: white, green, orange, purple, yellow. - longevity. The bush can bear fruit for 5-6 years.
This is interesting
pots in Europe decorative pepper for Christmas put on the balcony, window sill, near the house.
In shape, the pods on the bush are round, flattened, similar to a pyramid or cylinder. The Chili variety has long, pointed fruits, and the Spark will delight you with cone-shaped, bright peppers. About fifty fruits can ripen on one plant at the same time.
Hot pepper properties
Both garden red peppers and decorative peppers of the varieties Chili, Ogonyok, Adjika, Indian Summer are used in cooking for preservation and cooking gourmet dishes. For those who grow such plants, a balcony or window sill is also a spice shop.
- The fruits have antibacterial properties and protect the room from the harmful effects of microbes.
- Flowerpots with a plant are placed on the balcony near indoor flowers, which are affected by aphids and mites. Pests disappear in a few days. Chile pepper does a good job of this.
- 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 in the market. In spring, flower markets sell young seedlings of varieties Ogonyok, Coral, For mother-in-law. But it is best to grow hot hot peppers at home from seeds and decorate the balcony and window sill with elegant bushes.
Secrets of growing hot peppers
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. Performed well in room conditions some varieties of open ground: Chile, Adjika, Coral. They grow well indoors and delight in a rich harvest.
All types of ornamental 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 Spark, 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, then it is easy 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 strength of growth and the possibilities of the plant. From the seeds that were kept long time, a strong plant will not grow. Important point before sowing - seed calibration. To do this, take a glass warm water add a tablespoon of salt to it. The water is stirred and wait a few minutes. Having previously dried, sow the part of the seeds that has sunk to the bottom of the glass.
- An important point is the preparation of the soil. Hot pepper is undemanding to the soil and grows well on ordinary garden soil, but it is better to create a plant comfortable conditions. Indeed, in the garden soil there may be pests or an infection that will lead to the loss of seeds even before germination. Purchased peat or mixtures based on it are suitable for sowing.
- Moisten the soil before sowing. It should crumble in your hand and be wet. Peppers are sown in small containers with holes at the bottom. A bowl or seed pot is suitable for this. Seeds are laid out in a checkerboard pattern and covered with a low layer of earth (up to 2 cm). The earth is compacted, the bowl is covered with a film or glass.
- For fast emergence of shoots support high temperature(up to 25 degrees), constant humidity and ventilate. Before the appearance of sprouts, do not water the soil, but only spray it from the sprayer.
- When the first shoots appear, the container is opened and placed in a greenhouse or simply put on the balcony. At this time, it is necessary to ensure that a black leg does not appear: you need to limit watering and do not lower the temperature below 22 degrees.
On some seedlings, a seed film may remain, which sticks together the cotyledons. It can not always be removed so as not to harm the plant. Try moistening the skin with water and after a few minutes gently pull it off the leaves.
Picking and planting pepper in a permanent place
Picking seedlings at home is started 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 transplant plants so as not to injure the roots. This can be done with 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 rooted and you can start feeding.
At the first stage, peppers need nitrogen and potassium supplements for the development of the vegetative system. But do not get carried away: an overdose can destroy the plant.
Top dressing is carried out a day after watering, with moist soil. Plants with signs of disease should not be fed. First you need to know the reason bad condition bush, eliminate errors in cultivation - and only after that add minerals.
Hot pepper transplant rules
As soon as the roots of the pepper wrap around the soil in a cup, they begin to plant in a permanent place. How to do it right?
- For the first planting, they 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 pillow. The mixture for planting is bought at the store.
- The plant is deepened so that the root neck is lowered into the ground by no more than 2 centimeters. Over time, the soil will sag, and the root neck will be at ground level. With a strong deepening, the plant may die or enter the fruiting phase late.
- Top dressing begins two weeks after transshipment. When grown at home, chili peppers respond very well to fertilizing with phosphorus and potash fertilizers, calcium, 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 Spark does not tolerate overdrying of the soil. It reacts especially sharply to the lack of water during flowering. If the earth in the pot is dry, then the plant may drop buds or ugly fruits will be tied.
Drafts and dry air are detrimental to chilli and Spark varieties when grown at home. Then the plants shed their leaves and hibernate. If this happens, do not be afraid. You just need to create comfortable conditions on the balcony or windowsill. Then the growth of Chile and the Flame will quickly resume.
So, small step-by-step instruction on breeding hot peppers on the balcony will help even beginners cope with this task. Growing pepper on a windowsill does not require special attention, it is only important to remember that during the period of the sun it is necessary to shade the plant and water it with warm settled water. We must not forget about the annual transfers to a larger pot - this will allow the bush to grow a healthy root system.
To grow Bell pepper in a pot, on the window sill in the apartment, you must have a high-quality earthen substrate, a sunny window sill (the presence of the sun for at least 3-4 hours a day), self-pollinating seeds and a fluorescent lamp (phytolamp) for additional illumination in winter period.
First harvest in sweet pepper appears 5-6 months after germination.
During flowering, the bush must be shaken a little ( once a day) for better pollination (this applies to all hybrid crops).
growing peppers on the windowsill
Sweet peppers on the windowsill do not stepchild. The bush will be thick and lush due to side shoots.
side shoot development
adult bush of pepper on the windowsill with developed side shoots
It is better to harvest the crop as the fruits ripen. (do not leave ripened fruits on the bush), so as not to pull excess juices from the plant and not deplete the bush as a whole.
pepper crop on the windowsill
The fruits of the pepper are large, they ripen for a long time, while taking a lot of strength from the bush. Therefore, it is recommended to leave no more than 5-6 pieces of fruit per bush for ripening at the same time, and remove excess ovaries.
In order for the sweet pepper bush to last as long as possible, it must be fed. Fruit-bearing crops deplete the soil very quickly. Without top dressing, the bush is depleted, quickly ages and disappears. Therefore, once every 2-3 weeks, sweet pepper bushes in pots on the windowsill must be fed (a teaspoon of agrolife in upper layer land, or watering Rostom - 1 cap per 2 liters of water).
Pepper is a perennial plant. Therefore, if periodically (every 2 months) add fresh biohumus (if the pot allows), or transplant into larger pots (once a year), then the sweet pepper bush will produce crops for several years. In this case, annually, in the spring, a small pruning of the branches is done in order to rejuvenate the bush.
sweet pepper on the windowsill
Seed selection. Sweet pepper seeds for window sill cultivation should be self-pollinating hybrids. From self-pollinated hybrids, early-ripening varieties are preferred.
A high-quality substrate is prepared from coconut fiber and biohumus. To do this, mix 1 part of biohumus with 2 parts of coconut fiber.
biohumus
coconut fiber
coco fiber (left) and biohumus (right)
As containers for growing sweet peppers on the windowsill take the usual three to four liter flower pots.
You can plant sweet peppers immediately in large (permanent) containers, or you can use a pick - first in small 100-gram cups, and then transplant them into large pots.
peat tablets and cups, plastic cups for planting pepper seeds
The second method is more troublesome, but it makes it possible to choose and plant the most powerful and strong pepper seedlings from grown seedlings in large pots.
sweet pepper seedlings in small containers (for picking)
seedlings planted immediately in large containers (without picking)
Seeds are well prepared for planting. They are dipped in a warm solution of potassium permanganate (not pink and not dark red) for 2-3 hours. Then they take it out (if there are enough seeds, then they take out only those seeds that have sunk to the bottom during this time, and those that have surfaced are thrown away, since the germination of such seeds is very low), on a cotton pad (or a piece of cotton fabric) , let it drain.
preparing seeds for planting
The seeds of sweet pepper are planted in small cups, with a volume of 100 ml (when planted with a pick). The cups are filled with an earthen mixture, lightly tamping, while not filling up to the edges of 2 cm. The seeds are laid out on top and covered with a substrate, crushing so that the height of the earth layer above the seeds is 1-1.5 cm, watered.
cover the planted seeds with a film until germination
Lay out 4-5 seeds in each cup.
1-2 weeks after germination, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving 2 pieces of the most powerful and beautiful in each cup. A week later, a second thinning is carried out, leaving one of the strongest.
When planting immediately in large pots (with a capacity of 3-4 liters), without picking, they pour in an earthen mixture, lightly tamping, do not get enough sleep to the edges of 4-5 cm. The seeds are also laid out (4-5 pieces each) and sprinkled with a layer of earth in 1- 1.5 cm. The remaining depth is filled up in about a month. This procedure will replace the pick. Seedlings also break through in several stages, until only one of 4-5 pieces remains - the most powerful.
seedlings ready for picking
Approximately 3-4 weeks after germination, small seedlings are transplanted (dive) into large pots. They take a seedling in a glass, turn it upside down (the top of the glass will be on the palm, and the seedling itself is passed between the fingers), gently pull the glass up.
dive seedlings
A sweet pepper seedling with a clod of cup-shaped soil is carefully inserted into a prepared large pot with pre-poured soil mixture and the soil mixture is poured into the remaining empty space around the perimeter big pot. The seedling is sprinkled with soil from above to the cotyledon leaves.
When planting seeds immediately in large pots, the picking procedure is replaced by pouring an earthen substrate into the pot to a height of 2-3 cm.
we fill up the earth in a pot of pepper, planted without a pick
Picked seedlings of sweet peppers are abundantly watered already in large pots. Sweet peppers are watered differently throughout the year. In the first month of life, seedlings should be watered regularly, but moderately. At this stage, it is important not to overwater the seedlings, as there will be a threat various diseases(such as the black leg).
pepper on the windowsill
In winter, you do not have to water the pepper often, as there is little sun and heat. In winter, they adhere to the rule “it’s better not to top up than to overfill.”
pepper blossoms on the windowsill
Since the end of March, moisture consumption will increase, the sun will do its job with warmth. In the summer, especially if by this time fruits have begun to appear on the bushes, it is important not to let the potted soil dry out. Since the ovary and fruits on the bushes dramatically increase moisture consumption, in the hot summer they adhere to the rule “it is better to pour than not to add”. Lack of moisture will lead to shedding of the ovary.
pepper on the windowsill
For sweet peppers, it is important that the water for irrigation is always warm (temperature about 30 ° C). This contributes greatly rapid development, flowering and fruiting. On warm and sunny days, bushes are systematically sprayed plain water, do it better every evening.
support for sweet pepper bush
A support for an adult sweet pepper bush is not as necessary as for a tomato, but it is desirable, since ripened fruits can pull and bend the bush in different directions. The support must be stable and strong.
adult bush of sweet pepper on the windowsill
Seedlings and adult bushes of sweet pepper on the windowsill must be rotated 180 degrees around its axis once a day. Plants that receive light only from the side of the window tend to bend over towards the light. Therefore, they need to be rotated so that the plants are not crooked, asymmetrical and ugly.
Propagation of pepper cuttings
Pepper is not badly propagated by cuttings (every second cutting usually takes root).
pepper propagation by cuttings
After a year or two, when the sweet pepper bush on the windowsill has become old, ugly and bulky, this procedure will make it possible to easily update your bush.
rooted cutting
2-3 branches are cut off (to guarantee the rooting of 1-2 cuttings), put them in water, and after 3-4 weeks, young seedlings with a normally developed root system are transplanted into a new pot with a fresh earthen substrate.
planting a rooted cutting of sweet pepper
A new bush (obtained as a result of such cuttings) quickly gains strength and begins to bloom 1-1.5 months after planting.
rooted pepper stalk after two weeks
Fallen leaves, rain, chilly wind, mud underfoot - all this does not bring us much joy, like a lot of snowdrifts and cold in the long winter months. But it is always easy to bring a riot of colors into your life by planting hot peppers on the windowsill.
Its pods can be almost every color of the rainbow on the same tree: sunny yellow, scarlet, snow white, purple. There are no flowers to be found here.
How to implement proper cultivation hot pepper at home and create him excellent conditions for growth? Let's find out.
Hot pepper in cooking, medicine and cosmetology
The height of the plant is not more than half a meter, but one tree can have up to fifty pods. It is a perennial that grows freely in a pot for up to five years. In addition, hot pepper perfectly purifies the air, it is not afraid of numerous pests that are so dangerous for many plants.
If you plant pepper seeds at a special allotted time, then it will begin to bear fruit during the Christmas holidays. It is from there that his second name, given to him by the Europeans - Christmas.
Pepper is an excellent medicine, and tinctures and compresses prepared on its basis good remedy with diseases of the joints, colds, myositis and other diseases.
This plant is also used in cooking, for example, to add spice to pickles or as a seasoning for meat or fish.
Pepper is no less useful for self-care, because on its basis you can make wraps against cellulite, which is disgusting to us.
Most the best varieties for landing in an apartment or on a loggia - Sweeties, Firework, Queen of Spades and other types.
These are the fruits of domestic selection, they are no worse in terms of characteristics than their foreign counterparts. On the contrary, adapted to our conditions and soils, such plants grow much better and in open ground and on our windowsill or loggia.
Conditions for growing hot peppers on the windowsill
Light for house pepper
Growing hot peppers on the windowsill can only be with abundant lighting. In this case, it is best to grow varieties with small leaves, the process of photosynthesis is better in them.
It is recommended to plant pepper on a southwestern or eastern window so that the seedlings receive an abundance of sunlight. If in winter the plants do not have enough light, then it is imperative to illuminate them with fitolamps or combine fluorescent light sources and incandescent lamps.
Pepper in winter time should be illuminated up to 16-18 hours a day, and the nearest light source should be raised 25-30 cm from the crown.
Pepper leaves that have received a sufficient amount of light are always a dark green emerald color. And if the plant does not have enough sunlight, then the leaves fade, and the plant even sheds foliage.
Comfortable temperature conditions for hot pepper
The optimum temperature for a plant in summer is a range of 22 to 25 degrees Celsius, and in winter it is a threshold of 16 to 18 degrees.
Do not place containers close to the battery so that they do not overheat.
If it is not possible to find a more suitable place for the pot, then the radiators should be covered.
He loves pepper and an abundance of moist air, so if the room has dry air, then the foliage must be sprayed.
Soil for planting
The best soil for peppers is a homemade mixture. The components of such a mixture are peat, sand and humus. If desired, peat is excluded, and only sand and turf are used.
As an option, you can buy soil suitable for peppers at any specialized store, purchasing soil designed for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.
How to grow seedlings of pepper?
The best time to plant a seed is the second half of February. The capacity for seedlings can be any, but it is most convenient to plant seeds in a box or a small flower pot.
We prepare the seeds, stimulating their germination. To do this, put the seeds for seedlings in a thermos with warm water 40 degrees for 3 hours. Or you can just put them on a damp cloth for a day.
The soil is disinfected with boiling water, and the bottom of the pepper container is laid out drainage layer. It can be expanded clay, pebbles, shards from ceramic dishes or charcoal. From above we pour the earth, spill it with boiling water, make shallow holes in it with a depth of 10-15 mm and sow the seeds.
After a week, the first shoots appear, a novice plant lover should pay attention to the fact that the plant does not stretch.
Dive seedlings after the appearance of 3-4 leaves. As a rule, the most powerful sprout is selected from the seedlings, which is transplanted to a permanent place.
Plant formation and care
For transplanting pepper, you should select low wide pots, preferably ceramic. In such a container, pepper will not overheat or freeze, but it root system will grow at the optimum temperature.
The first watering should be done after transplanting with warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate to disinfect the soil.
In order for the root system to be strong, you should pinch off the root by a third when planting seedlings in separate containers.
It is worth remembering that during flowering the plant must be shaken for pollination, it cannot pollinate itself on its own.
And it should be transplanted once a year, in spring time so that the root system and the pepper itself are not crowded.
You should be careful in the summer, when all the windows are wide open, because the plant is afraid of drafts and wind.
The ideal option would be to move the plant pot to a quiet place where it will not blow.
Hot pepper fertilizer
Fertilize the plant every 14 days after sowing, using for this complex top dressing. When planting in an individual pot, the soil is mixed with vermiculite in a ratio of 2 or 3 to 1.
Well suited for plants and watering with a solution of water with ash. Such top dressing is prepared as follows: we take 3 liters of water and mix with 4 teaspoons of ash.
Do not rush to feed green pets nitrogen fertilizers. Otherwise, they will go into the "green mass", but will not produce a crop.
When the plants bloom, it will be useful to feed them with a solution succinic acid and potash fertilizers, and as soon as small pods begin to tie, the plant needs a fertilizer with a phosphorus content.
Watering is carried out with warm water as the soil dries out, on average 2 times a week. Do not let the plant dry out, it may die or shed its foliage.
Pepper begins to bear fruit in late May or early June, fruiting continues throughout autumn. Peppers are prepared for winter in this way: the temperature in the room is lowered to 18 degrees, while not reducing the amount of light. In the winter months, plants can not be fed, watering is also reduced, but without drying out. If the air in the room is very dry, spray from time to time.
In early February, the container from the plant is again brought into a warm place and the stem is cut almost to the base, leaving only 5 cm. proper care behind the plant, it will please you for a long time and give many pods. Life cycle plants on average is 5 years, throughout this time it beautiful plant will please you.
Growing peppers on the balcony and windowsill is an exciting activity. This plant not only brings a vitamin harvest, but also blooms beautifully. It can become a colorful decoration of your home. Black and sweet peppers are perennials, so they will bear fruit for more than one year. But the fruits of this culture contain a whole set of substances useful for the body. How to grow peppers on the windowsill, read the article.
Conditions for Successful Pepper Growing
Container selection
You can grow sweet or black peppercorns on the balcony in any container.
We grow seedlings in a small container, and with each transplant we increase the volume of the container.
As a landing container, you can take wooden boxes, plastic pots and buckets, ceramic containers.
The main thing is that at the bottom of the container there are holes for the outflow of excess liquid.
Lighting
Pepper loves well-lit places in the apartment, so grow good harvest possible on the south or east window. However, direct Sun rays negatively affect the life of the plant, so the bushes need to be shaded in hot weather. The lack of light also has a bad effect on black and sweet peppers, so in winter it is necessary to illuminate the “pet” with a fluorescent lamp so that the daylight hours are at least 10-12 hours.
IN summer season pepper does well on the balcony, but in winter it is necessary to keep the pot on a lighted window in the apartment.
Temperature
The culture is able to withstand temperatures up to 12-10 degrees, but 24-26 degrees are considered optimal for growth. Both black and bell pepper on the windowsill or balcony should be protected from drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations.
On the same windowsill at home, you can not grow sweet bell pepper and bitter, black peppercorns. After pollination, sweet peppers can produce bitter-tasting fruits.
Watering
The plant on the balcony or windowsill must be watered with settled water comfortable temperature up to 30 degrees. Watering is carried out as the top layer of the soil mixture dries up. In hot summer days pepper needs daily spraying. If in winter the container is on the windowsill under the battery, then it should be covered with a damp cloth so that the pepper does not overheat.
Growing pepper at home on a balcony or windowsill is not difficult, but the choice of soil should be taken seriously. It is best to buy a special ground mix in a gardening store. However, you can make soil for planting yourself at home. To do this, mix sod land, sand and humus in a ratio of 2:1:1. In the prepared mixture, you need to add lime (150 g per 10 kg of soil) and ash (1 cup of ash per 5 kg of soil). If you are using ordinary soil from the garden, then first it should be disinfected with a hot solution of manganese.
They feed the culture on the balcony or windowsill once every 14-15 days, but this is done only after watering, so as not to burn the roots.
It is impossible to spray fertilizers on the leaves, they are applied only to the ground. Fertilizers can be purchased at the store, they must contain enough nitrogen. Top dressing can be done by yourself, for this they take 2 tbsp for 1 liter of water. l. ash. Another option is to take 1 gram per liter of water. urea, 10 gr. superphosphate and 2 gr. potassium salt. Decoctions of herbs (clover, nettle, plantain) will be very useful for pepper. The first top dressing is carried out immediately after the formation of the first true leaves. Black or sweet pepper can be grown without problems in an apartment on the windowsill, but it is better to do it in seedlings.
At home, it will not be difficult to grow Bulgarian or black pepper with peas, but first you will need to plant seedlings. To grow seedlings of sweet or black peppercorns, you first need to start selecting seeds. The damaged seed is removed, and the selected material is placed in gauze and dipped in a manganese solution or fungicides. We keep the seed in the preparation for about 30 minutes. After that, we wrap the seeds in a soaked cloth and moisten it as necessary. We put the seeds in a warm place. After 7-14 days, the seeds should germinate, they should immediately be planted in containers.
Pour the ground mixture prepared in advance into a clean container and crush it a little. We put the germinated seeds in the ground, retreating from each by 2 centimeters, if the interval is less, then the seedlings will turn out to be elongated. Then sprinkle the seed with a thin layer of soil on top. Then the future seedlings must be very carefully watered with warm water. The pots are placed in a warm place and covered with polyethylene. After 6-8 days, green seedlings should appear.
Then the seedlings are placed in a lighted area, but the temperature there should not exceed 17-18 degrees. Watering should be very moderate, seedlings cannot be waterlogged. It is best to plant seedlings during the March thaw, so that the plants have enough heat and light for active development.
plant pick
At home, the first leaves are formed 21-30 days after hatching from the ground. After the appearance of 2 mature leaves, the seedlings dive into another container. Seedlings should be transplanted into small separate containers up to 200 ml. In such a container, seedlings will grow faster, because small roots will not be very comfortable in a large container. A large pot will accumulate a lot of moisture that the plant cannot process, so there is a risk of decay.
Growing instructions for a good harvest
- We fill the prepared pot with earth mixture and do not forget about drainage.
- We dig a small hole in the soil of such a size that the roots of the sprout are freely placed there.
- With gentle movements, we take the seedlings by the tops and transplant them into a new pot. Fill the hole with soil and compact. root collar should be deepened into the ground by 0.5 cm.
- Holding the sprout, you need to carefully water the soil mixture, the water should be completely absorbed.
- We place seedlings at home on the windowsill, the lighting should be good, but direct sunlight is contraindicated for plants. Next, we move on to standard care, not forgetting to fertilize the pepper.
- When the fruiting period comes, leave 4-5 of the strongest peppers. Others should be removed so as not to overload the plant.
It is best to grow peppers on the balcony - "precocious" with a low stem. Sweet bell pepper can be of the following varieties:
- Firework;
- Treasure Island;
- Dwarf;
- Golden baby;
- Watercolor;
- Study;
- Carat.
Hot pepper can also feel great on the balcony, and black peppercorns are no exception. The best varieties:
- Beak of the Falcon;
- Bell;
- Bishop's Crown;
- Coral;
- Fiery Maiden.
Black, sweet and other peppers are unpretentious plants, but your care and attention are necessary to get the perfect harvest.
