In order to grow fresh vegetables yourself, it is not necessary to have a country house. Decorative indoor pepper is an unpretentious plant that takes up a minimum of space on the kitchen windowsill or on the balcony. Planting and growing a vegetable is not difficult and can be done independently if you follow the recommendations and advice of specialists.

Varieties of indoor peppers

Indoor peppers, like their counterparts for open ground, are divided into many varieties. Greater importance when choosing, as a rule, is given to the fruits of the plant - size, color, taste: spicy or sweet. No less important factors are the time of flowering and ripening, fruitfulness. Some varieties require special care, conditions of detention. The most popular varieties of decorative indoor pepper for self-growing:

• Twinkle;
• Chile;
• Small miracle;
• multi-colored indoor pepper - Garda Firevox;
• Purple bullet.

Room peppers are interesting not only for fresh vegetables grown on the windowsill of the apartment, but also for their interesting, enchanting appearance. The leaves and fruits on the bushes of each variety have their own shades, structure, shape, abundance of flowering and the appearance of flowers. Some housewives plant indoor pepper on their windowsill exclusively for the interior. A properly selected plant variety favorably complements the design of the room, especially such as the kitchen.

Room pepper Spark

The most common type of hot indoor pepper is Spark. It is widely used in apartments for growing in winter. It has a relatively short ripening period - the bush begins to bear fruit 3-4 months after the first shoots appear in the pot. The size of the plant is small - the bush grows up to 30 centimeters, but the news is covered with fruits. During one flowering period, about 50 peppers ripen on a bush.

Indoor hot pepper Spark is a long-term culture: with proper care, the bush lives up to 6 years. The plant does not require special care, in the apartment it will have enough regular watering. In the summer and on warm spring days, it is recommended to take the plant out to the balcony. The light is propagated by seeds, they are harvested in the fall, when the fruits become bright scarlet.

Room chili pepper

Varieties of hot indoor chili pepper or cayenne pepper came to us from Bolivia. They are successfully grown in apartments and houses in any region, but they require special soil - a mixture of peat, sand and earth. Fruits in 90 days after germination. Ripe fruits are bright red in color, oblong in shape, up to 5 cm in length. The height of the bush is 30-40 cm. Indoor chili pepper is used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. From mature pods make various tinctures for headaches, colds. Chili peppers contain vitamins A and C and are especially useful in winter.

Room Pepper Little Miracle

The variety of hot indoor pepper Little Miracle is unpretentious, fertilizers are not necessary for it, it grows well and bears fruit in ordinary soil. The bush reaches no more than 30 cm in height, the fruits are obtuse, in a mature form - a light red hue. Often indoor plant Pepper Little Miracle is used only as an element of decor: although the bushes are low, they are very lush, with small pointed dark green leaves. The fruits do not grow at the same time, therefore, at the time of their ripening, the bush is decorated with colorful ripples of multi-colored pods: red, orange, green, yellow.

Sweet Room Pepper Peak

Almost all types of indoor peppers have a sharp taste, but Peak is an exception, its fruits are sweet, in a soft and delicate peel. Bushes grow up to 50 cm, the leaves are dark green, wide at the base. With proper care, pepper in the room lives 2-3 years. At the same time, up to 15 fruits ripen on a bush - 2-4 chamber cone-shaped peppers, weighing 100-150 g. Indoor Peak pepper is resistant to many diseases characteristic of plants of this species. It needs minimal care, does not require pest prevention. Grows well even in poorly ventilated areas.

Indoor colorful pepper

Multi-colored room pepper Garda Firewox is one of the most extravagant species. The bushes are low 25-30 cm, but very lush branches with foliage begin close to the base. The leaves are long and narrow. The fruits are thin oblong up to 5-6 cm, they, like the foliage, stick out in different directions. Pepper pods are sharp with a slight sourness. During their ripening, the fruits change color several times: green, yellow, purple, orange, red. During periods of fruiting, pepper in a pot as a houseplant is especially attractive, so balconies and cornices are often decorated with bushes.

Indoor purple pepper

The most popular variety of purple indoor pepper is Explosive Amber. When ripe, its fruits are red, but during the ripening period they change colors: from pale lilac to dark purple. The main feature of this variety is the color of the leaves of the plant. The foliage of an adult bush has an unusual purple hue, scattered in the center, and saturated at the edges. The bush grows no more than 30 cm, the fruit size is 2.5 cm, 10-15 g. Purple pepper in a pot is a houseplant, but it grows better on windowsills on the sunny side. In summer, it is recommended to expose the pot to fresh air.

Room pepper - planting

Growing and caring for indoor pepper is a simple matter, and every housewife can do it. Planting a plant at home can be done in two ways: purchase ready-made seedlings, grow a pepper bush from seeds yourself. It will be faster and more convenient to take seedlings, but there is a risk of buying the wrong variety that was promised by the seller. Another plus in seed cultivation is that it can be carried out at home at any time, while seedlings, as a rule, are sold only in spring. Recommendations of professional vegetable growers when planting:

1. For planting, it is better to take seeds from ripe indoor pepper pods than packaged factory ones.
2. Use only natural ingredients as fertilizers - vegetable compost, bird droppings, manure.
3. Indoor pepper loves water, but excessive watering is also harmful to him: the soil must be moist and loosened.
4. If planting is done in winter, then the soil can not be fertilized, but the seeds can be planted in ordinary soil taken from the garden.

One of the main advantages of this houseplant is that pepper in a pot can be planted all year round, but planting in winter and autumn has its own nuances. When there is a short daylight hours outside, the root system develops more in the sprout. The stem of the bush will begin to grow actively with the arrival of spring sunny days. Therefore, it is recommended to place the pepper pot indoors on the sunny side.

How to grow indoor peppers from seeds?

Seeds for growing indoor peppers should be soaked in warm water: wrapped in a wet cloth overnight. While the seeds are soaking, prepare a container: lay drainage (expanded clay) on the bottom, fill it up and moisten the soil well. Place the seeds in the ground to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. A distance of at least 7-10 cm from each other so that future bushes do not intertwine and die if it is a permanent container, and it was more convenient to transplant them if it is a common box. The soil from above must be moistened again, for example, from a sprayer. You can cover the pot with a plastic cup to speed up the growth of the pepper.

How to care for indoor pepper?

Caring for indoor pepper at home does not take much time, but you still need to pay attention to the plant, regardless of the age of the bush. Indoor pepper is a heat-loving crop and grows best in the sun, but direct midday summer rays are dangerous for it: the leaves will burn. In a constant shade, the development of the bush will slow down, there will be less ovaries. Therefore, it is recommended to keep indoor pepper on the windowsill on the sunny side, but in hot weather hide it in the shade or cover it from the rays. As the plant grows, it is transplanted into a larger pot, if this was not provided for in advance.

Indoor ornamental pepper easily tolerates pruning, you can shape its branches at your discretion. Pruning is carried out only at the end of summer, when the plant has gained strength, or in the spring, when it has come out of dormancy. Long branches are cut, the main trunk cannot be touched: the pepper will die. Inflorescences of indoor pepper do not require mandatory artificial pollination, but to speed up the process, you can slightly shake the pot during the flowering of the bush or help the flowers to be pollinated with a soft brush.

How to water indoor pepper?

Basic rules for watering indoor pepper:

1. In winter, the main thing is to make sure that the earth in the pot is moist, water the indoor pepper once a week.
2. In summer, you need to water every day, and bushes in small pots and young sprouts a little 2 times a day.
3. It is useful for a bush when its leaves are sprayed daily with water from a spray bottle.
4. After pruning, the bush needs abundant watering to restore strength.
5. Do not fill the soil excessively or water the plant cold water. Such actions can lead to decay of the root system and death of the plant. Moreover, the disease will manifest itself so late that it will be impossible to save the bush.
6. Plants placed above radiators need to be watered more frequently. In such cases, it is recommended to put a container of water on the battery to humidify the air.

How to feed room pepper?

Indoor pepper is a hardy and not capricious shrub without special soil requirements, but, like every plant, shows much better results with regular fertilization. Top dressing of indoor peppers begins two weeks after transplanting the seedling, and then is carried out once a month, depending on the condition of the plant, the conditions of its maintenance. As a fertilizer, both mineral factory fertilizers are used - superphosphate, potassium sulfate, and organic components - 100 g of bird droppings diluted in 2 liters of water.

How to pinch room pepper?

To make flowering more abundant and buds form faster, pinching is carried out. Such care for indoor pepper is necessary, as a rule, at an early stage of cultivation before transplanting the seedling into a pot to a permanent place: the top bud is cut off as soon as 8-12 leaves have formed on the stem. So the bush will not grow in height, but in width, letting out fruitful shoots. It is not uncommon to pinch already adult plants, if the bush develops poorly or is sick, useless branches without inflorescences are removed to save plant resources.

Housewives always try to rationalize the 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 - decorative. It looks very aesthetically pleasing, especially when the fruits appear. The same fruits are applicable in cooking as a very spicy 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 a second name "capsicum".

The culture is spread on all continents. Can grow outdoors and in flower pot in room conditions.

Pepper decorative room- 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. The crown is branched. The leaves are sharp, long or elongated oval, ovate. The 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. Obviously, the pepper is so named after the shape of the fruit.

Fruits can have different colors: yellow, orange, red, purple. Moreover, different colors in 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 - a maximum of 5 cm). It all depends on the variety.

Flowering and fruiting are not separated in time. On a bush there can be flowers, unripe fruits, ripe peppers at the same time. bears fruit, as a rule, very plentifully.

Bitterness, pungency and spiciness are imparted to the fruits by the alkaloid capsaicin.

Important! stems and leaves decorative pepper poisonous.

Popular types

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

Annual

Annuals varieties are also called room paprika, vegetable pepper, sweet (although some varieties are quite sharp). They differ in that after shedding or picking fruits, the plant can dry out. Not all peers meet such a fate. In room 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", etc.

shrubby

shrubby varieties are very well suited for indoor conditions: window sills, loggias, balconies, etc. These are perennial plants. They successfully grow and bear fruit for 5-6 years.

The variety is interesting in shape, but its yield is average. In the apartment you can collect only about 20 peppercorns. More often grown "Lemon Lollipop" and "White Crystal", they are traditionally productive.
The taste of pepper is sweetish, there is very little sharpness in it.

This is a fairly tall species. It grows up to 80 cm, so more often in the apartment it is placed not on the windowsill, but on the floor on the 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 take the form of a flashlight. Chinese pepper is probably the sharpest and most burning fruits.

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

• "Santa Lucia";
• "The language of the devil";
• "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 eaten raw.

The 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 were divided. Some believe that it is easy to care for the culture, others note that the plant is capricious and difficult to care for.

Important! During the flowering period, the pepper should be shaken periodically to increase the yield.

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

Humidity and temperature

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

Lighting

In the care of decorative peppers in a pot, lighting is a must. For good development and fruiting, you need to place the plant on the southern, southwestern or western windowsill.

The culture is very photophilous, in spring and autumn it needs up to 3-4 hours of open sunlight. Only no more than 4 hours, otherwise burns may appear on the fruits and leaves. In the summer, you need to shade, because the sun is very active. If the lighting is not enough, then you need to apply artificial.

With a lack of lighting, it is rare, there are few leaves on it; besides, there will be no good harvest.

growing substrate

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

For pepper, a mixture of soddy 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 seed

To grow peppers from seeds, you need to purchase seeds, prepare a container and soil, plant seeds, wait for seedlings 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 non-seedling and non-transplanting method, in the second - with the cultivation of seedlings and subsequent transplantation.

1st way:

1. Indoor pepper is not grown by seedlings and is not transplanted from one pot to another as it grows. Immediately you need to choose a container in which an adult plant will grow. Its volume should be 4-6 liters.
2. Before planting seeds in a pot, pour the soil, providing a good one.
3. Soak the seeds for 1 hour in water and place in a damp cloth for a day.
4. Plant the seeds and sprinkle with soil 2-4 mm. Moisten well with a spray bottle and cover with a film until germination.
5. Be sure to place the pot in a warm place. After germination, with the appearance of four leaves, pinch to form a crown.

2nd way:

1. Prepare a small container, about 200 ml, for planting seeds.
2. Make drainage and pour the earthen mixture into the pot. After placing the prepared seeds, cover them with soil by 2-4 mm.
3. To prepare the seeds, they must be soaked in water for 1 hour and left in damp gauze for one day.
4. Moisten the soil well, cover with cling film and place in a warm place for seedlings.
5. Shoots of pepper appear in 2-3 weeks.
6. With the appearance of two pairs of leaves, pepper requires transplanting, diving and pinching.
7. The capacity for further cultivation should be about 4-6 liters, with good drainage.
8. A sprout with a large earthen clod is planted in it by transshipment, watered abundantly.
9. The top pinches.

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 pepper care is the same.

How to propagate a plant from cuttings

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

Water abundantly at first, then - as the soil dries out.

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. It is not necessary to transplant a rooted cutting.

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

culture care

Care for the pepper type "Spark", which grows on your windowsill, is special.

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

How to water

Water pepper in spring and summer should be plentiful as the earth dries up. In addition, be sure to "bath" the plant, spraying it 1-2 times a week, on hot days - every other day.

Watering should be carried out with water at room temperature.

Important! Plants placed on window sills, under which there are batteries, need more frequent watering.

Decrease in autumn, minimize in winter, water sparingly.

Small green pepper bushes on the windowsill delight the eye with bright multi-colored fruits. I remember the story of Gulliver in the country of the Lilliputians.

Tiny bright decorative peppers, as if they came to us from this fairy tale. Many varieties are not only beautiful, but also edible.

Growing at home in a seed pot

Decorative pepper is a perennial. It can bear fruit all year round if there is enough light, heat, water and fertilizer.

Peppers are grown from seeds and love fertile soil. At the end of February, beginning of March, the seeds are planted in a purchased earth mixture or leafy soil, humus and peat mixed in equal proportions.

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for better germination for a day, planted to a depth of one centimeter in well-moistened soil. A container with pepper crops is placed in a warm, bright place, covered with foil and watered regularly. After two weeks, sprouts should appear. They dive in the cotyledon phase.

When four leaves appear on the plant, it is transplanted into a separate one-liter pot. When planting at the bottom of the pot, drainage must be done. Put the plant on the well-lit windows of the south side.

Water regularly with settled water at room temperature. Young seedlings are fed every week with complex mineral fertilizer.

Variety of species

Little Muck. Herbaceous bush, up to thirty centimeters high. It blooms with small white star-shaped flowers.

Beautiful orange fruits are unsuitable for food. With good lighting and abundant watering, peppers remain on the bush for three months.

In addition to bright sunlight, the plant likes to be sprayed with water and fertilized weekly.

Grown from seeds. Does not like dry soil.

Small miracle. Early maturing variety.

Bushes with a domed crown grow up to fifty to eighty centimeters in height.

As the peppers ripen, they change color from green to purple to yellow to bright orange and deep red.

The plant is not only beautiful, its fruits are edible.

Ripe peppers are used as a spicy seasoning in cooking and in the preservation of vegetables.

Filius Blue. A shrub with purple-blue fruits that turn bright red as they ripen.

Low and compact up to twenty centimeters tall, this variety bears fruit abundantly and pleases with bright fruits for a long time.

Like all peppers, it loves bright sun, frequent watering and fertile soil. The fruits are edible. They have a very sharp, burning taste.

They are used in cooking to give dishes a special taste.

Jellyfish. The fruits of this pepper are oblong, elongated, up to five centimeters long, thin, sometimes twisted, similar to the tentacles of a jellyfish.

When ripe, yellow, white and orange peppers turn red.

This ornamental variety is low. The bush grows up to fifteen to twenty-five centimeters in height and about fifteen centimeters in width.

Peppers are edible, they have a pleasant, not very spicy taste, and are used as a condiment.

Garda Fireworks. A very beautiful variety. Bright multi-colored fruits - elongated pods.

The variety can be grown both on the windowsill in a container, and in open ground, planting seedlings.

The term from planting to ripening is about three months. With proper care and good watering, the plant bears fruit abundantly.

The fruits are edible and have a spicy taste.

Aladdin. A small compact bush, up to twenty-five centimeters high.

The fruits have a very diverse color: light green, pink, orange, purple and red.

Weight of pepper up to five grams.

It begins to bloom in May and blooms until the end of summer. On the bush at the same time there are flowers and fruits.

Peppers of this variety are spicy in taste, used as a seasoning for cooking first courses.

Orange gnome. Early maturing variety with orange fruits.

The bush is small, grows to a height of up to thirty centimeters.

The conical fruits weigh five grams.

Bright peppers, similar to funny caps of gnomes, are directed upwards. This ornamental variety is edible.

Fruits with a spicy taste are used in cooking as a seasoning.

Ampel Zorro. The fruits of the pepper are purple and bright red, oval, three centimeters in length.

The bush grows up to forty-five centimeters in height.

Agrotechnics of cultivation is the same as that of other varieties of ornamental pepper.

Zorro is remarkable in that it can be grown in hanging planters.

Ampelous branches of pepper, dotted with multi-colored fruits, hang beautifully from the pots. The fruits are inedible.

Gavrish. Unpretentious shade-tolerant variety.

It has fruits that differ not only in color, but also in shape.

Peppers are round, egg-shaped, conical and elongated in the form of a pod, weighing from four to ten grams, white, cream, purple, brown, green, orange and yellow.

Ripe fruits are used as food as a seasoning and for medicinal purposes. The plant does not need pruning and shaping a bush, growing to a height of up to forty centimeters.

You might also be interested in the article about.

Read the article on tall pepper varieties for open ground.

Watch the video in which an experienced gardener shares the secrets of growing ornamental peppers, in particular, the features of picking seedlings:

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

ON THE PICTURE: Pepper on the windowsill will be a spectacular green decoration for the kitchen.

The choice of varieties of hot peppers for room culture

It is not recommended to use seeds from chili pods purchased at vegetable stores. Industrial grades 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 preferred,- Pepper annual, or vegetable. It retains the varietal qualities of wild "ancestors" from low-light undergrowth. Such a pepper is able to be content with a small space of a flower pot and a lack of sunlight.

ON THE PICTURE:The undemanding Capsicum annuum does well both outdoors and in a container.

Popular varieties of indoor pepper

The concept of "pepper in a pot", or "room pepper" is conditional. Any hot pepper suitable for this purpose in terms of size and level of exactingness to the conditions of detention is sown in a pot on the windowsill. Sown for ornamental purposes and for food use. varieties growing in open ground or in a greenhouse.

For individual varieties of chili very similar (Solanum pseudocapsicum), popularly called " Jerusalem cherry " . The fruits of the nightshade are poisonous, and only varieties of Peppers are used in cooking.

The following varieties of indoor pepper are usually grown:

"Spark" Grows well at home. Medium early variety. Fruiting 115-120 days after germination. The pods are bright red, elongated, smooth, large enough: the weight of each is 45 g. The taste is classic: hot pepper. Bush of medium size, branched.
"Aladdin" Ultra-early, plentifully and long-term fruiting. Height in open ground 50 cm, in a room no higher than 35–40 cm. The fruits are small, numerous, elongated-cone-shaped, pungent and fragrant. At the stage of technical ripeness, the pods turn from green to cream and purple, then turn red. When grown indoors, it is less bitter than when grown outdoors, but this does not affect fruiting.
"Bell" ("Christmas bell ") The variety belongs to the species (Capsicum baccatum). The fruits look like a berry, a small patisson or a bell, elegantly suspended on the stalks. Fruit weight 60–100 g. Sharpness is unevenly distributed. The placenta has a burning taste, and the remaining parts are a pleasant sweet and sour. Leaves and stems with characteristic pubescence. The fruits ripen 150 days after germination. 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 ripe, the fruits ripen in 115–120 days from sowing. The bush is compact, height 20-30 cm.
" poinsettia "("Poinsettia") The 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 Firevox "("garde fireworks") The bushes are low, 25–30 cm tall. The bush is densely strewn with pods sticking up. Pods of several colors are simultaneously present on the plant: green, lilac, orange and red. Pods up to 5.5 cm long. The taste is spicy.
"Nosegay" ("Nosegay") One of the smallest and smallest peppers. Height no more than 15 cm. Small rounded fruits, when ripe, change their color from green to cream, orange, and finally to red. It can grow in a small flower pot with a capacity of 1 liter. The fruits are medium in taste.

Especially decorative varieties of peppers

• "Variegatta"- variegated variety.
• "SHU"- also differs in variegated, variegated, coloring. The fruits are mostly yellow or purple. Strong beautiful bush.
• "Purple Tiger" ("Purple Tiger")- low shrub with light purple small fruits and variegated foliage. Refined, good in compositions.
• "Salsa Orange"- a very popular variety with small orange fruits. Reminiscent of room pepper "Spark", needs the same growing conditions. The foliage is large, dark green. Small bright fruits look very attractive on it.
• "Rowan"- a variety with small multi-colored fruits, peas, reminiscent of rowan brushes. The bush is compact, with small, slightly twisted "boat" leaves. Pepper berries "sit" in them.

ON THE PICTURE:Original decorative foliage of the variety "Variegata".

ON THE PICTURE:Room pepper "SHU" with yellow fruits.

ON THE PICTURE:Burning and refined "Purple Tiger".

ON THE PICTURE: Bright and colorful "Orange salsa".

ON THE PICTURE:round-fruited variety homemade pepper"Rowan".

You can choose a variety of hot pepper to your liking using the review in the article: "".

Growing indoor pepper

Soil selection and preparation

By nature, pepper is a perennial, so it can grow at home for up to 10 years. For successful cultivation of a crop, first of all, the right soil is needed. Purchased mixtures are suitable only for seedlings. For a permanent container, a pot, it is better to prepare the ground yourself.

Peppers love slightly acidic soil (pH 5.0–6.0). The composition of a suitable soil mixture:

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

ON THE PICTURE: Mulching the soil in the pot will help maintain the necessary moisture and increase light levels, which is especially important for peppers in winter.

When and how to sow hot peppers for growing indoors

Optimal sowing time:

Sowing pepper in boxes for growing indoors is done all year round, taking into account the characteristics of the crop:

1. early spring varieties sown from the beginning of November to the end of December.
2. The right time to sow summer crops - March, April.
3. Autumn varieties sown in July-August.

You can sow decorative peppers in boxes in winter, but in this case, you will need additional illumination.

Agrotechnics for sowing homemade bitter pepper:

For indoor planting hot pepper small pots with a capacity of 0.2 liters are needed. At the bottom of such containers, garden or clean medium-sized is poured. The optimal thickness of the drainage layer is 2–3 cm. Then the containers are filled with the soil mixture described above by 2/3.

Pepper seeds, previously treated with Epin-Exta or potassium humate, are buried in the ground by 1 cm. After that, they are sprinkled with nutrient soil, which is slightly compacted. Sowing is covered with an opaque film and placed for germination at a temperature of +23–25°C.

ON THE PICTURE:Sprouting hot pepper seeds.

Growing seedlings:

After the appearance of sprouts, after 7–12 days, the protective film is removed. On the fourth or fifth day, the temperature of the content drops to + 16–18 ° C. In the future, in order for pepper seedlings to survive and grow stronger, the soil temperature should be + 20–22 ° C, air - + 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 to prevent waterlogging of the soil: it will destroy the fragile roots of peppers.

Picking is done at the stage of two or three true leaves. In front of her, seedlings are fed with a solution of 1 tbsp. l. calcium nitrate in 10 liters. water. Two or three hours before picking, the sprouts must be watered to avoid shedding the earth from the roots.

After the seedlings are finally strong and grow to the stage of 6-12 leaves, they are transplanted into containers 3-5 liters deep.

ON THE PICTURE:In order not to waste time on picking in the future, you can immediately sow the seeds of decorative pepper 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 needs more moisture. Watering is done in the morning, under the root, with further careful loosening of the earth.

Peppers need 65-75% humidity. If the room is dry, spraying is required.

Content temperature and ventilation:

Room hot pepper is kept at a temperature of + 20–28 ° C. Be sure to regularly ventilate the room, but drafts are undesirable.

ON THE PICTURE: In the summer, it is useful to place decorative peppers outdoors.

Lighting:

All types of pepper, even those originating from growing in shaded undergrowth, hardly endure the winters of temperate latitudes. Short daylight hours combined with cloudy weather is a severe test for "natives from the south".

Peppers are especially hard on the lack of light from November to January. Plants cease not only to bloom, but also to grow. Some varieties shed their leaves when there is a lack of light.

ON THE PICTURE:One of the secrets of the decorativeness of the indoor pepper bush is the uniform illumination of all parts of the plant.

Top dressing:

Hot peppers in a container are fed every 10-12 days. To prepare the right one for him mineral fertilizer, can be diluted in 10 liters. choice of water:

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

Mineral supplements alternate with organic ones. simple recipe organic fertilizer for indoor peppers: dilute half a can of bird droppings in granules in 10 liters. water.

The composition of the fertilizer depends on the phase of the plant's life cycle. For example, during the period of active vegetation, a fundamentally sufficient amount of calcium. Therefore, foliar fertilizing with calcium nitrate 0.2% is carried out. When laying buds, peppers need nitrogen. To increase the activity of the roots at the stage of fruit formation, phosphate fertilizers are applied.

Pruning:

With proper care, a pepper in a pot will delight with decorativeness and a yield of 8–10 years. However, it is advisable to renew it every three years, cutting off old and too powerful shoots. Young pepper looks more aesthetically pleasing.

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

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

Eco-friendly homestead: Potted peppers are not really peppers (Piper) from the Pepper family (Piperaceae). This is Capsicum from the Solanaceae family. However, other vegetable peppers known to us (Bulgarian, sweet, bitter) are actually capsicums. Pepper is what spices are obtained from (peas and ground, allspice, pink, white).

Potted peppers are not really peppers (Piper) from the Pepper family (Piperaceae). This is Capsicum from the Solanaceae family. However, other vegetable peppers known to us (Bulgarian, sweet, bitter) are actually capsicums. Pepper is what spices are obtained from (peas and ground, allspice, pink, white). The tropical regions of Mexico and Guatemala are considered the homeland of capsicum, where capsicum was domesticated in antiquity. In our time, the plant is widely settled on all continents.

Among the plants of the genus there are perennials, shrubs and subshrubs. Several capsicums are common in cultivation, the most popular of which is capsicum capsicum (Capsicum annuum). It's funny, but not only is it not a pepper, it also has no pods. In a botanical sense, its fruits are nothing but berries, like those of the related capsicum tomato, eggplant, potato and nightshade. There are a lot of varieties of "pepper", they are divided into two groups - sweet and bitter. The bitter and spicy taste depends on the content of the alkaloid capsaicin in them.

Capsicum grows well in open ground in Ukraine and Moldova, it is cultivated in the south of Russia and in the republics of Central Asia. Dwarf varieties are often called ornamental and are grown as a houseplant. At home, decorative peppers can live for several years, blooming and bearing fruit every year. But not everyone knows this and, most often, the plant is thrown away after the fruit has fallen.

The bushes of indoor capsicum are compact, well-branched, their height is usually from 20 to 50 cm. The leaves are ovate, elongated to varying degrees, are lanceolate.

Flowers, and then fruits, appear in the forks of the stem. Flowers solitary, paired or collected in bunches, five-membered. Corolla white, yellow or purple. Flowers are capable of self-pollination and cross-pollination, which makes it easy to get fruits in room conditions.

The shape, color and size of peppers depends on the variety. They are usually red, yellow or purple. The taste is bitter.

Decorative forms of capsicum during the period of fruit ripening are most often simply strewn with small bright fruits. Modern indoor pepper hybrids can have maroon or variegated foliage, the peppers can hide under the leaves or rise up above the bush like little horns. There are even varieties in which the fruits are very elongated and writhe. On one plant, the fruits can be of different colors, depending on the degree of ripening.

Indoor pepper plant is unpretentious, does not require complex care, blooms and bears fruit at home without any problems.

POPULAR PEPPER VARIETIES

Dwarf varieties for growing at home are as diverse as varieties for open ground. In fact, almost any pepper can be grown at home, they differ only in the size of the bush and fruits. Here are some popular varieties:

Capsicum Rainbow

Spectacular, chic pepper: small round peppers with a slightly elongated “nose” are full of different colors as they ripen. The pods initially have a purple hue, as they ripen, the color changes through white, yellow, orange to red. Plant height 20–25 cm. The leaves are dark green.

Capsicum Aji Brazilian pumpkin

A variety of stunning beauty. The plant is hung with small glossy "pumpkins", rather sharp and thick-walled. The fruit is about 3 cm in diameter. Ripe fruits have a beautiful "tomato" scarlet color.

Capsicum Medusa

Capsicum Medusa. This variety of pepper is interesting for the location and shape of the fruit on the bush, resembling the tentacles of a jellyfish. A compact bush, peppercorns have a pungent taste and are used in culinary dishes, preparations. Ripe fruits turn bright red.

Capsicum Black Pearl is the world's first black leaf pepper.

The leaves are green at first, later - black, shiny. The fruits are shaped like slightly elongated peas, also black. When ripe, they acquire a dark red color.

Capsicum Salsa Orange

Capsicum Salsa Orange is an ornamental cultivar for growing in pots. The height of the plant is not more than 15 cm. The color of the fruit is green, then orange. Vegetation period to biological maturity is 85–90 days. The value of this variety of pepper is a high decorative effect.

capsicum poinsettia- an ornamental variety of pepper for growing at home or in flowerpots in the open air. Pods 7–8 cm long, conical, can be bent at the tip with a small hook. A plant 30–40 cm high is very decorative, the pods turn red through milky. The variety is early, 70-80 days of vegetation to biological maturity.

Capsicum Masquerade

Capsicum Masquerade is an ornamental pepper with purple, cream, orange and then red fruits. Depending on what kind of sharpness you want to try, this color can be plucked. Purple - slightly stinging, red - sharp. Suitable for growing on a windowsill like indoor pepper. Pods of all colors are present on the plant at the same time.

Capsicum Basket of Fire- an ornamental variety of hot pepper for growing in pots and hanging planters. The fruits are initially pale yellow, and later change color to scarlet through orange. The pods are small, 2 to 4 cm, sharply conical. The variety is very decorative and practical, the pods can be used whole for canning vegetables, added to dishes or dried.

Capsicum Tepin. Wild small-fruited pepper with fruits with explosive sharpness. "Cowboy berry", these fruits were eaten by cowboys, sitting on duty, so as not to fall asleep. The leaves are small, centimeter red fruitlets. This variety, like Mini, is irresistible on window sills.

CAPSICUM (ROOM PEPPER), CARE TIPS

Like any tropical plant, indoor pepper loves warmth and plenty of sunlight.

Illumination. Capsicum requires full sunlight, at least 4 hours a day of direct sun. It grows well in southern and western windows. If the plant is dark, then there are few leaves on it, it blooms poorly and bears fruit. In the summer heat from direct sunlight should be shaded, as sunburn is possible.

Temperature. In spring and summer 20-25 °С. If the pepper hibernates, then it needs a cool content - 15 ° C. Very useful for this culture daily fluctuations in temperature. To make it 5-7 degrees cooler at night, it is best to put it on the veranda or on the balcony.

Watering. In summer, capsicum is watered abundantly as the top layer of the substrate dries up; during wintering at low temperatures, watering is rare. It is desirable to use water at room temperature.

The soil. An earthy mixture for cultivating capsicum is light, neutral. It can consist of 1 part leaf humus, 1 part soddy soil, 1 part garden soil and 1/2 part sand.

Air humidity. Doesn't matter much, but spraying responds well.

Fertilizer. It is useful to feed with complex fertilizer, from spring to autumn, once every two weeks. Do not fertilize in winter. It should be remembered that when planning to eat peppers, you should not get too carried away with fertilizers.

Pollination. The fruits are well tied and without cross-pollination, just shake the pot of pepper. Artificial pollination will increase the number of ovaries. Transferring pollen from one flower to another with a soft brush or cotton ball allows you to get a bigger harvest. You should know that peppers are easily cross-pollinated. Therefore, if you have several different varieties growing on one window, then this is not correct. What kind of harvest you will harvest - no one knows.

Pruning. Pruning is needed when growing as a perennial plant. Pruned old peppers in late winter or early spring to about half the height of the stems. Since capsicum is most often sown in the spring from seeds, and thrown out in the fall, it is not cut off.

Rest period. Due to the decrease in daylight hours, peppers have a forced dormant period. If the lighting is artificial, then flowering and fruiting can continue continuously.

Transfer. Old last year's capsicums are transplanted into fresh soil. Grown from seeds as annuals, they are transplanted once after sowing into a separate pot, and then, if necessary, transferred to a larger container.

Reproduction. Indoor pepper is propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Seeds are sown early, in February. Crops are kept warm on the south window. Germination requires a temperature of 22-25°C. After the seedlings have appeared, the temperature is reduced to 16-20°C.

You can dive, but not necessarily. When picking, seedlings stop their development. It is best to either sow in separate cups or, after the appearance of two leaves, carefully pick out without damaging the roots into separate containers.

As the pepper grows, it is transplanted into a larger pot by transshipment, trying not to damage the small roots. It is believed that the size of the pot should approximately correspond to the size of the crown of the plant.

Of course, you can collect seeds from a fully ripened fruit and sow them. They keep well. But the result is not always predictable. Firstly, if the package of purchased seeds had the designation F1, then this is a hybrid of the 1st generation and the "descendants" will be similar to the original varieties unknown to us. Secondly, if other peppers also grew on the window or in the yard in the summer, then cross-pollination could occur, which would also give an unknown result.

This will be of interest to you:

If the seeds of your favorite variety cannot be bought, then you can take cuttings from an adult plant and root them in a mixture of soil and sand (1: 1). Best rooted side shoots with a "heel". Successful rooting requires warm soil and moisture. The cuttings are covered with a film and raise the temperature to 20-25 degrees.

Diseases and pests. Typical pests of capsicum are mealybugs. With excessive substrate moisture, cold content and deep planting, root rot develops in pepper. In dry and warm air, pepper is affected by spider mites and aphids. published