Capsicum

The plant capsicum (Capsicum), or ornamental, chilli or vegetable pepper is a representative of the Solanaceae family. The homeland of such peppers is considered to be Central and South America. Despite the similarity of names, capsicums are not related to peppers from the genus Piper - they belong to a different family.

The name capsicum comes from the word "bag" and is associated with the shape of the fruit. It is believed that the ancient Indians used hot peppers instead of seasoning (in particular, salt), and sweet ones as vegetables. According to one of the legends, the hot peppers of capsicums once helped the natives to defeat the invaders-conquistadors: they sent a burning powder to the enemy from the windward side.

Description of the capsicum

Capsicums are annual or perennial shrubs or shrubs. They have shiny green foliage. The size of a bush at home ranges from 20 cm to 1.2 m, although in nature it can reach 3-4 m. Flowers are located in the stem forks of 1-2 pieces and are white or purple in color. The fruits of such peppers are usually red, less often white, yellow or green. They can be held vertically on branches or hang. Most often, their taste is pungent and pungent. Such peppers are often called chili - not only by the name of the country, but also from the Indian word for "red". There are also varieties with sweet fruits: among them, Bulgarian pepper is widely known to gardeners. In total, the genus has about 35 different species, but only five of them are cultivated - not only for the sake of the harvest, but also for decorative purposes.

Brief rules for growing capsicum

The table shows brief rules for caring for capsicum at home.

Caring for the capsicum at home

Kapiskum, which is grown for culinary purposes, does not require special care. Many housewives just regularly water the plant, sometimes fertilize it. This is enough. But if the indoor pepper is to play a decorative role, then certain rules for caring for the capsicum at home must be followed. Subject to all the rules, indoor pepper will delight you with a riot of bright colors of leaves and fruits.

Lighting

Capsicum requires abundant but diffused light. Direct rays, falling on its foliage, can leave burns on it. In summer, peppers can be kept outdoors by choosing a place sheltered from the scorching sun for them. In the cold season, plants will need additional lighting, otherwise their shoots will begin to stretch and the bushes will lose their compactness.

Temperature

Capsicums prefer moderate heat throughout the year. In a room with peppers, it should keep about 20-25 degrees. At the same time, the bushes will appreciate the flow of fresh air, so they try to ventilate the room regularly. If in the fall and winter capsicums fail to provide illumination, the plants are winterized, transferring them to the cool (about 15-17 degrees). A slowdown in growth will prevent pulling behind the sun. Flowering and fruiting in such conditions will stop. But the temperature should not drop below 12 degrees.

Watering

In the warm season, capsicums are watered quite often and abundantly, waiting for the top layer of soil in the pot to dry out. Under the condition of a cool wintering in the fall, watering is gradually reduced, returning to the previous volume only with the arrival of spring. For irrigation, soft, settled water at room temperature is suitable. If you follow all the watering recommendations, then the pepper will bear fruit for three months, and maybe more.

Humidity level

Ornamental peppers prefer high humidity, so their bushes are sprayed daily. In addition, you can put the capsicum pot on a pallet with wet pebbles or expanded clay. With insufficient spraying and lack of moisture in the soil, the peppers will begin to crumble.

Top dressing

Capsicum should be fed twice a month during the active growth of bushes - from spring to early autumn. For this, complex mineral compositions are used. In winter, in the absence of additional lighting, fertilization is not required for the peppers. But if the bushes are kept in the light and warm, fertilizers are simply applied a little less often - once every 3 weeks. If the fruits of the capsicum are to be eaten, it is important not to overdo it with fertilizers.

At each stage of development, a certain feeding of the capsicum is needed. In spring and summer, fertilizers are applied regularly - 3 times a month, and in the cold season, one feeding per month is enough. For example, nitrogen-containing fertilizers should be applied at the stage of growing green mass. Such dressings begin to be applied alternately with mineral fertilizers with the onset of spring. The nitrogen content allows the plant to form a strong stem and a sufficient amount of leaf mass.

During the period when buds are formed on the pepper bush, nitrogen-containing dressings are significantly reduced. And they are replaced by fertilizers containing potassium. After the end of the budding period, the plant begins to bloom. At this stage, complex fertilizers are introduced into the soil, where the main and main component will be phosphorus. During the ripening of the fruits, you will again need fertilizing with potassium content.

Experienced growers can easily cope with such a difficult schedule of fertilizing and fertilization. But for novice lovers of indoor plants, this process will seem rather complicated. It is for beginners that a different feeding method is offered as an alternative. Instead of several changes of various fertilizers, you can use only phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Their frequency is maintained depending on the season.It is recommended to use such fertilizers throughout the entire growth period of Mexican capsicum.

Transfer

Capsicums do not like transplants, so they are transferred to a new pot carefully, without destroying the soil coma. Transplants are carried out once a year, in the spring. As a soil, you can use a mixture of turf, peat and leafy soil with 1/4 of the sand. A drainage layer is laid on the bottom of the pot. The diameter of the container should roughly correspond to the size of the crown of the bush.

Pruning

Perennial capsicum will need regular pruning to improve growth rates. The stems of the bush are shortened by at least half. The pinching of the tops of the shoots at the appearance of the first ovary will also contribute to the formation of a larger number of fruits.

Reproduction of capsicum

Growing from seeds

Capsicum is capable of propagating by both seeds and cuttings. To obtain seeds, you need to shake the flowering plant pot or carry out artificial pollination. But peppers can easily get pollinated, so a mixture of different varieties can produce an unpredictable crop.

It is advisable to disinfect the seeds of the capsicum and the soil prepared for them before sowing. The seeds should be soaked in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate and left there for 2-3 hours. The soil is steamed. Some growers recommend soaking the seeds in a growth accelerator (or any biostimulant) for successful germination. After that, if desired, the prepared seeds can first be germinated on a damp cloth, and then transferred to the ground already hatched, or sown in a container immediately after processing.

Sowing seeds is best in February or early March. Seeds planted early will turn into flowering plants in May. Absolutely any containers for planting seeds are suitable. Sowing is carried out to a depth of no more than 5 mm, the container with seeds is watered and covered with any transparent material (glass or plastic wrap) to create greenhouse conditions. In such a micro greenhouse, you need to maintain the necessary air humidity, a temperature of about 25 degrees, regularly water and air.

The first shoots may appear only after 15-20 days. Seedlings will be ready for transplanting into a separate pot only when each young plant has 4 full leaves.

Cuttings

Cuttings from capsicums can be cut in the spring-summer period, it is recommended to choose side branches with a "heel". They are immediately planted in light peat-sandy soil without additional processing and kept warm under cover. Rooting takes place in a short time, after which the seedlings should be pinched for better branching.

Pests and diseases

Ornamental peppers can be attacked by mealybugs and spider mites. Usually pests appear on the bushes during the heat and dry air.

In addition to attracting harmful insects, dry air and soil can cause peppers to wrinkle and flowers flying around. With a lack of light, leaves can fly from the bushes: most often this happens in winter. Low room temperatures can also lead to lethargy and shedding of foliage. From waterlogging, coolness and excessive deepening, the bushes can suffer from root rot. Lack of light in combination with poor soil leads to a slowdown in the development of bushes and shrinkage of leaf plates.

Types and varieties of capsicum with photos and names

Annual or chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum)

The height of the bushes of this species reaches 1.5 m. Capsicum annuum is an annual. It forms green foliage singly or forming rosettes. The length of each leaf reaches 25 cm. Large white flowers can be decorated with purple stripes. They can also be located singly or in bundles. Pepper fruits can have different shapes (from narrow and long to flattened-rounded) and sizes. Coloring includes shades of yellow, orange, red and green. Varietal peppers can have a spectacular dark color.Numerous varieties of such capsicums include bushes with sweet or pungent-tasting fruits. The former are known as sweet and bell peppers, the latter as red peppers.

Cayenne or bush pepper (Capsicum frutescens)

A perennial species that forms bushes up to 1-3 m high. The dark green foliage of Capsicum frutescens is elliptical and tapers at both ends. There are noticeable streaks on the leaves. The flowers are formed one at a time and are pale green in color. Narrow pod fruits up to 5 cm long are kept vertically on the bush. Their color is red, white, purple or yellow. These peppers are considered to be very hot. Sometimes this species is considered synonymous with annual or Chinese capsicum.

Berry or berry pepper (Capsicum baccatum)

The size of the bushes of such a capsicum reaches 2 m in height. Capsicum baccatum has large rich green foliage up to 30 cm long. The pale green flowers are usually single. Their petals may have greenish, yellowish or brown spots. Fruits have different shapes - long, pointed, rounded, etc. The color includes shades of red, orange, brown and yellow. Unripe peppers are placed vertically on the bushes, but then begin to sink. Their taste is also pungent.

Chinese Pepper (Capsicum chinense)

The species forms half-meter bushes. Capsicum chinense has wrinkled ovoid foliage and a light green color. Small flowers are arranged in bunches or singly and are greenish. Fruits of various colors and shapes are considered the most pungent of all types of capsicum. Despite the name of the species, it is also home to the South American continent.

Downy pepper (Capsicum pubescens)

Plants of this species in nature reach 4 m in height. Capsicum pubescens has pubescent stems that give the species its name. As it develops, its shoots grow stiff. The ovate foliage, tapering towards the end and base, also has pubescence, and its length reaches 12 cm. The flowers are colored purple. The fruits have a blunt tip and various colors: orange, deep red, yellow or very dark. They also taste hot.