Chili peppers on the windowsill - growing seasoning at home
Chili peppers on the windowsill are a real decoration of any room. With proper care, the bushes will always have a neat look and beautiful spicy fruits that can be eaten.
Chili pepper on the windowsill: plant description
All types of chili peppers have contraindications for use.
The fruits of early ripening chili species are suitable for consumption after 90-120 days, and mid-ripening ones - 140 days.
Popular varieties:
- "Tabasco". The pulp is incredibly hot. This variety is grown not only at home, but also on plantations. It is especially popular due to its early maturity.
- "Salute". This is a dwarf variety. The height of an adult bush reaches 20 cm. The fruits are large enough. They are cone-shaped and directed upwards. Peppers are distinguished by their strong aroma and pungency.
- "Aladdin". The variety can be grown both at home and in the open field. The plant is popular for its abundant fruiting and unusual shade of peppers. As they mature, they change their green color to cream, purple or red.
- "Bell". The fruits have a deep red hue. They begin to ripen 150 days after planting in the soil. The peppers are fragrant, but the pungency is not evenly distributed in them.
In addition to the above species, other varieties are suitable for growing at home. These include "Aquarelle", "Treasure Island", "Firstborn of Siberia", "Dwarf". All of them are unique in their own way, and with proper care they can please with beautiful and tasty fruits.
Planting and collecting seeds
For planting chili peppers, you can use both purchased seeds and harvested yourself. Grains should be collected only from ripe fruits. The pods should begin to dry and the tip should change to brown.
Carefully cut the plucked fruits into two parts, then shake well and select the grains. It is recommended to carry out all work with gloves, as dust can get on the skin and cause irritation.
Choice of capacity
You can sow pepper already at the end of February or in March. It is best to use pressed peat containers. Medium-sized flower pots are also a good option. For seedlings, many summer residents choose plastic containers. Place a drain ball on the bottom of each container. Its thickness should be from 3 to 4 cm. Expanded clay, crushed slate or charcoal can be used as drainage.
Chilli soil and seed preparation
To grow seedlings at home, ordinary purchased land from a store is suitable. You can also cook it yourself.
To do this, connect:
- turf soil 2 parts;
- 2 parts of humus;
- peat 2 parts;
- 1 part vermiculite.
You can also put a small amount of sand in the soil mixture. But before using it, it should be thoroughly roasted in the oven. Instead of vermiculite, any suitable component is suitable that can properly retain water in the soil.
To speed up germination, the grains must be properly prepared. To do this, take two cloth napkins, previously soaked in water, and put seeds in one layer between them. In this state, they are kept for 5 days. As soon as the first shoots appear, the grains can be sown into the soil.
How to sow chili peppers
First, grooves of about 0.5 cm must be made in the soil. Two prepared grains should be put in each of them. If a wide container was chosen for planting, then the intervals between the seedlings should be from 5 to 6 cm. Fill all the holes with soil, and cover the vessel with transparent polyethylene. Put the flowerpot on a window that is well warmed by the sun.
Potted Chili Pepper Care
After the first shoots appear, the mini-greenhouse must be removed, and the container itself must be rearranged to a cooler place. The optimal temperature indicators are +200 C - +220 C. Daylight hours should be within 16 hours. This can be ensured by installing a table lamp near the flowerpot.
In order for the seedlings to be beautiful and healthy, only large pepper seeds should be selected for planting.
Dive
It is necessary to transplant the pepper into separate containers after two full-fledged leaves appear. It is not recommended to pinch the main root during a dive, as this can lead to growth retardation.
Containers for seedlings should be taken with a diameter of no more than 5 cm and a height of about 10 cm. Plastic cups are a good option. Before diving, the soil must be well watered. This will allow the seedlings to be removed along with the earthy clod. After planting, it is recommended to irrigate all plants abundantly with water with the addition root.
Subsequent transplants are carried out as the peppers grow. It is recommended to change the soil if the container becomes small. In this case, the "transshipment" method is used.
Irrigation and fertilization
Water the plant only with warm water. Excess liquid can harm the pepper, so it is recommended to pour water from the tray 30 minutes after the procedure. In the summer season, it is recommended to spray the crop. This should be done only with settled water at room temperature.
In order for the bushes to have a rich leaf color, you must use mineral fertilizers with a large percentage of nitrogen in the composition. During the period of bud formation, plants are fed with potash mixtures.
As you can see, growing chili peppers on a windowsill is not difficult. Anyone can cope with this task. The main thing is to adhere to simple recommendations and a sequence of actions.