7 best varieties of decorative indoor peppers: home care

When the autumn and winter cold sets in, a person begins to experience an acute deficiency in obtaining certain nutrients that he received through homemade vegetables and fruits. In addition, he really lacks bright colors that could cheer up while at home. One plant that can remedy this situation is the capsicum indoor pepper.

This is the name of the pepper used in botany. In other words, capsicum is a vegetable or paprika, which is quite unpretentious to care for. It can be an annual or perennial shrub, or a dwarf shrub that belongs to the Solanaceae family.

Indoor pepper - description

indoor pepper

The birthplace of the capsicum is Central America. But thanks to breeders, a huge variety of other varieties were bred, which became popular in the territories of other states.

As a rule, all over the world, indoor pepper is grown as an ornamental plant, as well as a vegetable crop. Since he is suitable for both roles.

Varieties can be divided into two broader groups - sweet and bitter varieties.

Speaking of bitters, it is worth emphasizing that they contain a very high percentage of the alkaloid capsacin. Due to what they have a burning, bitter taste. And therefore, it is best to use them exclusively as a condiment or additive. But not as a main course.

Ornamental pepper plants are compact, fairly branched varieties. Their height varies from 20 centimeters to half a meter. The foliage is very dense, and with proper care, the breeder gets a bush that is literally strewn with peppers.

Such decorative varieties are grown at home, in pots. In summer, the plant can spend a lot of time on the balcony or outdoors in the garden.

Some gardeners also transplant peppers outdoors. And before the onset of cold weather, the pepper is usually planted back into the pot and sent to more comfortable home, room conditions for themselves in order to survive the winter.

Many people wonder whether ornamental peppers can be eaten directly. As a rule, the fruits of the capsicus are false berries, the seed capsule is hollow.

It has no special nutritional properties. But often it is used in food rather as an additive or spice. But not the main course.

The shape of the fruits, their color, size - it all depends solely on which variety the gardener chose for planting the plant. And also what properties he needs in growing this plant.

Some fruits from ornamental peppers may not be edible at all. Therefore, before buying, it is best to read the instructions for planting and subsequent use as carefully as possible.

Like nightshades, the greens of the plant, its tops, as well as the roots are toxic parts that, all the more, should not be eaten. Since this can lead to poisoning of the body and a strong toxic reaction.

Decorative indoor pepper. Popular varieties

Of course, speaking of decorative and home capsicums, it is most interesting to understand which varieties are the most popular today. Which gardeners and breeders should pay close attention to in order to get the crop or effect that the gardener himself most expects.

Tabasco variety

This is a classic among homemade peppers.The fruits of this variety are the most basic component that is used to make the Tabasco sauce of the same name.

The fruits grow to a length of about five centimeters. They are collected in small bunches and stick up. The color of the fruit can be varied, ranging from orange to red.

It is best not to just taste the fruit, as it has a very bright and pungent taste. And this is not always to the liking of many gardeners or just gourmets.

Tepin variety

It is a wild variety that produces particularly pungent red fruits. The shape of the fruit is round, no larger than a bean.

Basically, the fruits of this variety were eaten by cowboys in order to stimulate the body and develop immunity. From here, perhaps, came the famous slang expression - Cowboy berry, which became the second name of the Tepin peppers.

Troll

The third variety that I would like to mention in this article about homemade ornamental peppers. It is a sprawling bush that bears abundant fruiting. Its height varies from 30 to 40 centimeters, the leaves are very bright and variegated.

As they ripen, the fruits can change their color several times - from green to purple, as well as from purple to red.

Black Pearl

A very unusual variety of decorative domestic peppers. As the plant grows older and older, it can change its color entirely. At first it is green, and then it turns black very rapidly.

And this does not mean at all that the plant is sick, or it lacks any substances. It only says that this is all the features of this pepper variety.

The fruits are also black, spherical. They are small and turn red as the fruit ripens.

Jellyfish

This is a very beautiful bush from an aesthetic point of view. The fruits on the bush are elongated, moderately pungent in taste, which makes the pepper of this variety one of the favorites among gardeners and breeders. The fruits stick up, resembling the tentacles of a jellyfish. Of course, hence the original and eloquent name of the fruit and the variety itself as a whole.

Salute

Refers to dwarf shrub varieties of ornamental domestic peppers. It is ideal for growing a bush at home, and the height of the bush does not exceed twenty centimeters. The peppers are uniform and orange in color.

Goldfinder

Decorative homemade pepper, which, unlike the other varieties listed above, is not eaten. Basically, the plant of this variety is intended to decorate indoor interiors.

The fruits are not large, have an elongated shape and a bright yellow color. This is its peculiarity. The fruits are not recommended to be eaten. They are very bitter, and some of the components contained in the fruits can harm the human body to some extent.

Planting rules and home care, which requires hot indoor peppers

For all domestic crops, and in particular for peppers, there are the most basic, general planting rules. Reproduction mainly occurs by seeds, which take them from already ripe fruits and prepare for some time for planting.

You can sow seeds at any time of the year, without exception. Home conditions reduce the risk that the plant will undergo excessive drought, or vice versa - frost.

Previously, before planting, the seeds, as a rule, are placed in water for soaking for several hours. In order to germinate them, a damp cloth or gauze should be used.

We emphasize that this should be a wet surface, but not excessively wet. Under such conditions, the seed is more likely to rot than germinate.

As soon as the roots hatch from the seeds, they are placed in the ground to a depth of about half a centimeter.And you can also plant seeds immediately after soaking them: this does not imply that they are in order, must hatch.

As for the soil, it should be loose and ventilated, as well as nutritious. No acidic environment - only a neutral reaction, because peppers take root best in such soil.

In order for the seeds to germinate faster and more safely, it is necessary to constantly moisten the soil. But make sure that it is too wet, as this can only lead to a gradual suppuration of the seeds, but not to their germination.

The air temperature, which is most comfortable for growing ornamental peppers, varies from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. If the windowsill is cold and freezes, then it is best to put a piece of wood between it and the pot.

As soon as the seedlings appear, they should be provided with continuous lighting. Even if it comes from phytolamps. As soon as the sprouts are up to five centimeters long, they can be gradually planted in separate pots.

In care, you also need to adhere to the most standard procedures.

Illumination in the form of bright diffused light, which is most beneficial for capsicums. The temperature is moderate, not lower than 15 degrees and not higher than 25, so that the plant grows steadily and does not slow down in development.

Watering - its intensity and frequency, as a rule, depends solely on the time of year and the period in which the plant begins to bloom and then bear fruit.

You should also be very careful about the level of soil moisture (as we said, the soil should not be excessively wet). And also pay attention to feeding, since capsicum responds very favorably to feeding with complex fertilizers.

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