Indoor pepper not only has an attractive appearance and a piquant taste, but is also very undemanding in care. By following the elementary rules of cultivation, it is not difficult to have a year-round source of spices and a living decorative element of the interior. Let’s consider tips on how to care for decorative indoor pepper to get a harvest all year round.
What varieties to plant for home cultivation
- The fire
The most popular variety of hot pepper. The bush bears fruit quickly – after three months it bears fruit. The plant is small, no more than 30 centimeters in height, but extremely fruitful. About 50 fruits ripen on each plant. Can live up to six years, undemanding in care, which mainly consists only of periodic watering. In the warm season, it is better to move the fire to the balcony. This pepper is propagated by seeds, which should be collected in late summer, when the fiery red fruits appear.
- A small miracle
Indoor pepper that grows beautifully in ordinary soil. The bush is small, 30 centimeters, the fruits with a blunt end are light red in color. Bushes are lush, they do not grow at the same time, so they decorate the apartment for a long time with ripples of yellow, green, orange fruits;
- Purple ball
A plant with purple fruits that change color as they ripen from lilac to deep red. The leaves are also interesting: purple, dark at the edges and light towards the center. The fruits are small – 2.5 centimeters, no more than 15 grams. In summer, it needs fresh air and sunlight.
- Garda Firefox
It has small bushes – 25-30 centimeters. They are very lush, grow widely. This is a very extravagant look with thin and narrow fruits and leaves sticking out in different directions like needles. The taste of the fruits is sharp, slightly sour. During ripening, they are constantly colored in different colors: they become green, sunny, purple, orange and red. They are used to decorate cornices, shelves, and placed on balconies.
- Peak
The original soft pepper has a sweet taste. Bushes can reach 50 centimeters in height. Pepper can live up to three years, it produces 15 fruits per bush per season weighing about 200 grams. Resistant to diseases and errors of care.
- Chile
The well-known variety of pepper comes from Latin America. Loves soil from sand, earth and peat. The fruits ripen in three months. The bush can grow up to 40 centimeters in height. Chili is popular in folk medicine: in the form of tinctures, it is used to eliminate chronic migraines and colds, vitamin deficiency. Rich in vitamins C and A. Chili pepper will be needed in the cold period as an immune-boosting and warming agent.
Transfer rules
Decorative pepper is easy to grow from seeds, for this it is only necessary to fulfill a number of conditions:
- The seeds are wrapped in a cloth and placed in a glass, filled with warm water.
- In the morning, the pot is prepared: first, a layer of expanded clay is laid out, and soil is poured on top.
- Seeds are planted in moistened soil to a depth of no more than 1 centimeter. The distance between plantings should be at least 7 centimeters, otherwise the bushes will intertwine and die.
- After planting, the soil is moistened again using a sprayer.
- For a greenhouse effect, the seeds are covered with film or plastic cups – this will speed up germination.
Rules of care
Decorative pepper grows well in warm and cool places. However, direct sunlight can harm it. If the pepper is in the shade for a long time, it may produce few ovaries. As the seedlings grow, peppers are transplanted into larger containers.
The plant tolerates pruning well, so the branches can be modeled. This should be done at the end of summer, in August, or in early spring, if the plant lives for more than one year. The main thing is to do it when the pepper is full of strength and well fed. Then he will be able to undergo such an operation without harm.
The main trunk is not touched, this will lead to the death of the pepper. Only long side shoots are cut. Inflorescences usually do not need artificial pollination, but if you want to speed up the process of fruit set, you can gently shake the petals or help them pollinate with a soft brush.
Watering
The following must be taken into account:
- Settled water at room temperature is used for watering.
- In winter, pepper is watered once a week, you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out.
- Peppers are watered daily in summer and spring, and very young bushes are watered twice a day, without watering the plants.
- It is useful to spray the leaves with a sprayer every day.
- After the plant is cut, it will need abundant watering. This will restore his strength.
- Cold water is contraindicated, as is flooding the plants with water. This will destroy the roots.
- Plants located on windowsills, near batteries, require more moisture. They should be watered more often. In addition, it is better to put a container with water nearby so that the air is also moistened.
Feeding
In order for the plant to grow better and bear fruit, it needs to be fed. It can be done for the first time two weeks after transplanting young plants, and then once a month. At the same time, you can take purchased mineral fertilizers – superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate, and organic ones, for example, bird droppings. Organic matter is diluted in water: 2 liters are taken per 100 g of substance.
Topping
It is carried out so that the flowering is lush, and the yield is high. As soon as 8 leaves have formed on the plant, the top bud is removed. So the bush will grow in width and give full-fledged, fruitful shoots. Adult plants are also pinched, for example, after an illness. Sluggish, dead shoots are removed so that the resources of the plant benefit the strong, with the prospect of their harvest.
Diseases
Diseases of house pepper are the same as those of ground pepper. Some of them lead to shriveling, yellowing of the leaves, some attack the root system. If ants spread diseases in open ground, then midges and flies can do it at home. The main diseases of house pepper:
- Fusarium – leaves are yellow, lose juiciness and elasticity;
- Phytophthora – fruits turn brown. Covered with spots;
- Stolbur – the fruits are underdeveloped, do not fully ripen;
- Koda black – root rot that rises up the stem.
Indoor pepper has less risk of infection, since, firstly, it is cared for more carefully, and secondly, there are fewer insects in the house. The only threat is improper care, including the location of indoor pepper among diseased indoor plants. Which can also infect him. Therefore, there should be separate boxes, locations and household items for indoor peppers.
Application in everyday life
House pepper is successfully used in cooking. From it, as well as from its garden counterpart, you can prepare a lot of healthy dishes: salads, soup dressings, snacks, gravies, marinades. It can also be used to prepare tinctures, medicinal decoctions, and other folk medicine products.
Indoor pepper perfectly decorates the interior, especially multi-colored varieties. The latter change shades as they mature, so they look original and unusual. Multi-colored pepper pods hung in the kitchen will create a unique atmosphere of coziness.
Indoor pepper is a useful, beautiful and easy-to-care-for plant whose life can last for several years.