Hot peppers are often found in pots at home, but not many people know how to grow them. Having learned about the main secrets, you will be able to own windowsill grow a crop. Chili is an excellent seasoning and is used for cooking various dishes.
Hot peppers have a fiery taste; they can grow not only in open ground, but also in a pot at home; not everyone knows how to grow them. Red fruits decorate the windowsill. In addition, small pods are used as a seasoning to add flavor to regular dishes.
Description of culture
Hot pepper is represented by a shrub with a height of 60 cm. The leaves have an elliptical shape, slightly built up towards the top. The flowers can be gray or white and large in size. The fruits have an oblong shape. Their color can range from yellow to dark olive and red.
How to get seeds
To collect the seeds, you need to let the peppers ripen well. You can determine the collection date visually. As soon as the pods begin to dry out and the tip turns brown, you can begin harvesting. Cut the pepper into 2 parts, shake the seeds, and rub them gently in your hands. It is advisable to wear gloves, otherwise dust may get on the skin, causing irritation. Place the seeds in a container and let them dry a little.
Landing time
You can sow seeds for seedlings as early as February–March. For planting you will need special soil. You can cook it yourself. To do this, you need to mix peat, humus, and river sand.
Each component must be taken in the same quantity.
If you don’t want to prepare the mixture, you can buy it ready-made.
Seed preparation
Before starting sowing, the seeds need to be prepared. To do this, you need to immerse them in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. After which the seeds should be wrapped in a damp cloth, ensure the temperature is within 25 degrees. All that remains is to wait for the seeds to begin to hatch.
It is important to plant the seeds carefully so as not to damage the sprouts.
The seeding depth should not be more than 10 mm. Best used for planting peat pots. They need to be installed in a warm place, covered with film, and wait for the shoots to appear.
Variety selection
To grow hot peppers on the windowsill, it’s worth finding out about suitable varieties. The growing technology is simple. Even if varieties have been selected for planting in open ground, there is no need to be upset. However, it is worth paying attention to specialized varieties. This will make the growing process easier and allow you to get a good harvest.
Pepper variety "Ogonyok"
The most common varieties are the following:
- Ogonyok. Already 3 months after the emergence of seedlings, the harvest can be harvested. Peppers are large in size, weighing up to 50 grams. The fruits are bright red in color.
- Aladdin. Early variety, it is advisable to plant it earlier than the others. The fruits are small and have pleasant aroma. At first they have purple, which gradually turns red.
- Variegated Leaf Troll. Late variety, the harvest can be harvested in September. The color of the fruit changes. At first it is green, then purple, and only at the time of collection it turns into red.
The variety has important feature, the leaves are presented in interesting colors. Light stripes are visible on the green plates. The bush can reach 50 cm in height. - Bell. The peppers are large in size, similar to squash. Fruits weighing 100 grams are often found.
- Queen of Spades. The variety is known for its delicious fruits. Peppers are used not only as a seasoning, they are also suitable for canning. The color of the fruit varies from green to red.
Bell pepper variety
You can grow hot peppers on the windowsill all year round.
In addition, the following varieties are known: Explosive Amber, Poinsettia, Garda Fireworks, Nosegay. Each of them deserves attention.
Preparing seedlings
The seeds are planted in peat pots at a distance of 5 cm from each other, sprinkled with earth on top. We must not forget about moistening the soil. It is necessary to treat the crops using a spray bottle. Cover them with foil on top and put them in a warm place.
Note. The crops should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Otherwise the seeds will be lost.
The first shoots will appear within 2 weeks. The temperature should be reduced to 18 degrees.
Growing seedlings
To grow strong plants, you must follow growing technology.
- Light mode. For normal development, crops need to be provided with approximately 12 hours of daylight. IN winter time It is worth using additional lighting. Fluorescent lamps are perfect.
- Picking. As soon as 3 true leaves appear, the crops must be thinned out. The distance between plants should be no more than 12 cm. When picking, you need to pinch off the main root by a quarter. This procedure will strengthen the root system.
Seedling care
Chili peppers are an unpretentious crop, however, you should learn in advance how to care for them at home.
- Watering. Important attention should be paid to this procedure. If there is insufficient watering, the plant will begin to shed its leaves and die. The water should be warm. Watering is especially necessary during the heating season. Additionally, the crop must be sprayed with warm water.
For reference. Over-wetting the soil is also unacceptable. Excess moisture can cause plants to develop blackleg.
. - Feeding. Feeding should be done once a month. To do this, it is advisable to use complex fertilizers, which include potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. If the pepper lacks nutrients, the leaves will turn purple.
- Temperature. In warm weather, plants need a temperature of 25 degrees; in cold weather, the figure can be reduced to 16 degrees. IN summer season It is recommended to take the plants out to Fresh air. You can keep them on the balcony when the temperature drops to 10 degrees.
- Trimming. In March you can prune the bushes. This will rejuvenate them and remove old branches.
- Pollination. During the flowering period, plants must be shaken. This will allow you to get new fruit ovaries. If all procedures were carried out correctly, then lush flowering will begin in May. In autumn you can harvest.
Diseases and pests
Growing chili peppers at home does not completely protect them from pests and diseases. In most cases, the culture is affected by infections.
Overwatering can cause blackleg to develop. If the air is dry, spider mites or aphids may appear.
Bushes can be treated against pests with a solution laundry soap. To get rid of fungal diseases, fungicides are used.
Reproduction
Chili peppers can be propagated in 2 ways:
- Cuttings. To use this method, you need to cut off several shoots from the mother bush, place them in water or sand, and then replant them in the soil.
- Seeds. Seed material can be purchased at a specialized store or prepared independently.
Harvesting and storage
Pepper is a perennial plant and can bear fruit for 5 years. Productivity depends on the variety, with making the right choice which can be harvested all year round. If this is not possible, care must be taken to preserve the fruits.
- Drying peppers. The simplest and most proven way to store crops. Each fruit must be pierced with a needle and thread and attached to a rope. After the peppers are dry, they need to be placed in fabric bags or glass jars.
- Freezing peppers. To freeze fruits, they need to be washed, dried, and placed in the freezer. Chiles can be frozen either whole or in blocks.
- Fresh pepper. To store fruits in fresh, they need to be placed in a dry place at a temperature of 0 degrees. This way the pepper can be stored for 40 days.
IN cold period Every year I want to create a special coziness in my home, and plants grown on the windowsill at home are ideal for this. Potted pepper is no exception; it will not only add originality to the interior, but will also give lovers of spicy food the opportunity to spice up their dishes.
Features of growing on a windowsill
Important! With proper care and regular feeding, indoor peppers can grow fully and produce a stable harvest for 5 years.
Growing peppers on a windowsill is not only a fun activity, but also useful. By eating pepper even in minimal quantities, you can normalize the body’s metabolism and reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
For successful cultivation pepper on the windowsill must be created optimal conditions for its growth and development, because this culture is a little capricious. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with the characteristics and preferences of the plant, as well as the rules for planting and further care.
To grow peppers at home, you need to consider the following factors:
- seeds of a suitable variety from a trusted manufacturer or freshly cut cuttings;
- choosing the optimal place for plant growth;
- selection of planting containers and suitable substrate;
- features of lighting and fertilizing;
- knowledge of pepper diseases and pests.
Important! If you follow all the rules of care, you can get a hundred or more fruits from one plant at the same time.
Choosing a variety for planting
Before planting pepper, you need to decide on its variety. By selecting several different types of plants, you can create a multi-colored vegetable garden on the windowsill that will delight you with its bright fruits.
The following varieties decorative pepper ideal for growing on a windowsill in an apartment:
- Ogonyok. This variety has long been popular due to its compact bush, which reaches a height of 40 cm. It was developed by crossing chili and cayenne pepper. Forms fruits up to 5 cm, which at the base have a diameter of 1-1.2 cm. As they grow, they change their color: green, yellow, red. The fruits ripen within 120 days.
- Aladdin. An ultra-early compact variety, the height of the bush reaches 35-40 cm at home. Forms cone-shaped multi-colored fruits, the length of which does not exceed 3 cm. During the growth process, the shade of the fruit changes: green, purple, red. Fruit ripening occurs within 105 days.
- Garda Firewall. One of the new ones indoor varieties. Forms compact bushes 30 cm high. The length of the pods is 5 cm. A peculiarity of pepper is that the fruits stick out with their tips up. As they ripen, they change color, so the plant can simultaneously bear green, lilac, orange and red fruits. The pods ripen within 115 days.
- Explosion Amber. The unusualness of the variety is that the foliage of the plant has a dark purple color. Forms cone-shaped small fruits 2.5 cm long. As they grow, the shade of the fruit changes: purple, pink, scarlet. The bush forms compact, 30 cm high. The variety is considered early ripening, fruit ripening occurs after 115 days.
Depending on individual preferences, you can select one or several varieties at the same time.
As a rule, the most popular variety for growing on a windowsill is Ogonyok pepper.
Important! You cannot use seeds from a pod purchased in a store to grow pepper on a windowsill, since it is an industrial variety and requires completely different conditions.
Features and conditions of planting at home - step-by-step instructions
To grow Ogonyok pepper on a windowsill, you need to prepare for the procedure by studying the preferences and features of growing this crop indoors. Only by following all stages of planting can you ultimately achieve the desired result.
Choosing a suitable location and creating optimal conditions
Hot peppers are very demanding of light and heat; for its full growth and development it is necessary to choose southern or eastern window sill. During active sun In spring the plant needs light shading. In summer, the plant should be placed on a balcony or loggia, but drafts must be excluded.
For full growth and development, the plant needs 12 hour daylight hours. During the short days from the beginning of October to the end of January, bitter pepper especially needs additional lighting with phytolamps in evening time and cloudy days.
Important! A lack of light is manifested by a light shade of foliage, which can ultimately lead to leaf fall; in this case, the duration of additional lighting must be increased.
For normal plant growth in winter air temperature should not exceed 18 degrees C, and starting in spring, optimal temperature is 20-22 degrees C.
Hot peppers are very demanding on soil moisture and does not tolerate watering with cold water. It is necessary to water the plant moderately, with water at room temperature, as the top layer in the pot dries, but allowing it to absorb moisture from the pan. If 1 hour after watering there is still water in the tray, it must be completely poured out.
In conditions of low air humidity It is necessary to carry out additional spraying of the foliage using a spray bottle.
Important! Pepper does not tolerate cold gusts of wind, so when ventilating the room it must be kept away from the open window.
Planting container
Indoor pepper forms a compact root system, which is located closer to the soil surface. It is recommended to select plants for planting wide and shallow containers. The height of the planting pot should be within 10 cm.
A prerequisite is presence of drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, which helps remove excess moisture. Before planting, it is necessary to pour a 2 cm layer of drainage onto the bottom, which will prevent water from stagnating in the pot.
Suitable substrate
For planting hot pepper seeds, you can purchase seedling substrate in a specialized store. But you can prepare a nutrient mixture for planting yourself. To do this you will need the following components:
- 2 parts leaf soil;
- 1 part peat;
- 1 part river sand;
- 1 part coconut fiber;
- 1 part perlite or vermiculite.
Immediately before planting hot pepper seeds, it is necessary to disinfect the soil by spilling it with previkur fungicide, which will prevent the development of fungal diseases.
Pre-sowing seed preparation
For uniform emergence of seed germination and disease resistance of young plants, it is recommended to carry out pre-sowing treatment planting material. For this you can use the following drugs:
- Epin– dilute 3 drops of the product in 100 ml of water, soak the seeds for 2-4 hours before planting;
- succinic acid– make a working solution at the rate of 1.5 g of product per 1.5 liters of water, soak the seeds for 12-24 hours;
- Zircon– for the solution you need to add 3 drops of the product to 100 ml of water, soak the seeds for 2-4 hours before planting.
After processing needs to be dried planting material until free-flowing.
For germination, place in a dark, warm place (25 degrees) for several days, periodically opening, moistening and inspecting for the presence of sprouts. As soon as most of the seeds hatch, they need to be planted in prepared soil.
Important! The seeds must not be allowed to dry out during germination, otherwise they will die.
In some cases, to preserve all species properties It is recommended to carry out cuttings of pepper. Cuttings must be cut from green young shoots without fruits, 7-8 cm long and each of them must have 3-4 leaves.
Before planting them in the ground, you must first soak them in a zircon solution (3 drops per 100 ml of water) for 12-24 hours or dust the lower cut with root powder.
Step-by-step instructions for landing
To grow peppers on a windowsill, you must initially plant them correctly. Only if you comply with all necessary conditions procedures can achieve the desired result in the end.
Step 1. Spill the planting containers with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Step 2. Fill the pots with the required substrate and level the surface.
Step 3. Moisten the soil generously with water and allow it to be completely absorbed.
Step 4. Place the seeds on the surface and sprinkle with a 0.5 cm layer of substrate.
Step 5. Moisten the top layer with a spray bottle.
Step 6. Cover containers with glass or film to preserve high humidity air inside the landing container.
Step 7 Place the containers in a dark, warm place (25 degrees) until shoots emerge.
When planting cuttings pepper, the procedure follows the same procedure, only they need to be planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. And after planting and covering with film, the pot is placed on the window, shading it from direct sunlight.
Video: how to grow peppers on a windowsill from cuttings
Features of further care
After the pepper sprouts appear, the container with the seeds must be moved to the windowsill and the temperature reduced to 18-20 degrees. To exclude warm air from heating devices, they must be covered with a layer of foam.
10-14 days after the sprouts appear, it is necessary adapt seedlings to external environment . To do this, on the first day it is recommended to open the container for 30 minutes, with each subsequent day increasing this period by 30-40 minutes. After a week, the glass or film must be completely removed.
Pepper cuttings take root within 2-3 weeks. When young leaves appear on them, it is necessary to begin to adapt the plants to the environment. It is carried out in the same way as for seedlings obtained from seeds.
When 2-3 true sheets appear It is necessary to plant the peppers in separate containers. During transplantation, it is not recommended to pinch the main root, as the plant is painful for this procedure and significantly slows down its growth. The first planting should be done in pots with a diameter of no more than 9-10 cm.
Video: how to plant indoor peppers
Further Young seedlings need to be replanted as they grow. As soon as the roots begin to crowd into the pot, it is recommended to replant the plant, increasing the diameter of the pot by 2-3 cm. The container for an adult plant should be 30 cm high and 20-25 cm in diameter.
Pepper Ogonyok needs 12 hours of daylight, so phytolamps are placed at a height of 50-60 cm from the seedlings.
Watering carried out regularly as it dries; the higher the air temperature, the more often the soil is moistened.
For the full growth of hot peppers on the windowsill you need carry out regular feeding. During the active growing season, preference should be given to mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content or organic fertilizers, and when forming buds and fruits, fertilizers with big amount potassium The plant should be fed once every 2 weeks.
Important! During the flowering period, it is recommended to shake the pot of pepper occasionally, which will improve the self-pollination of flowers.
Main diseases and pests
Peppers, including indoor ones, are susceptible to fungal diseases and various pests. Therefore, it is necessary to know in advance what problems may arise and how to deal with them.
- Aphid. This pest loves to feast on young shoots of pepper, so it is on them that a large accumulation of pests forms. To combat them, it is necessary to treat the plant with the drug Fitoverm.
- Spider mite. It is characterized by stunting of plant growth and curling of young leaves, on which a small cobweb later appears. To combat the pest, it is necessary to spray with Actellik, but after a week the procedure should be repeated.
- Whitefly. A cluster of pests is observed on the back of the leaves; if you touch the shoots, white flies fly over the plant. To eliminate the problem, it is recommended to carry out complex treatment, which consists of spraying with actellik and watering with the insecticide actar, which is carried out in one day. After 7 days, the procedure should be repeated.
- Rotting of the stem at the base. Appears as a result of overwatering a plant, which leads to its death. It will no longer be possible to save the plant.
- Gray rot. Formation of wet spots on any part of the plant with gray coating. For treatment, it is recommended to use the biological product phytosporin.
- Blackleg. It affects pepper seedlings during the germination period. The stem at the base of the seedlings becomes thin and turns black. To prevent the disease, it is recommended to water the soil and spray the sprouts with previkur fungicide.
Video: how to care for and treat indoor peppers for diseases at home
Important! After treatment with the preparations, it is necessary to adhere to the waiting period indicated on the packaging of each product; it is not allowed to use pepper for cooking during this period.
Timing of emergence and first harvest
Hot pepper seeds take a long time to germinate, so this feature must be taken into account when planting. Shoots appear within 14-21 days if all planting recommendations are followed.
The first harvest of pepper on the windowsill ripens in 105-120 days from the moment the sprouts appear, depending on the selected variety.
If you follow all the recommendations, growing hot peppers on a windowsill will not be particularly difficult. But it is necessary to understand that further care care for the plant must meet all its requirements, since the pepper will grow and bear fruit only taking into account all the necessary conditions.
Hot pepper on the windowsill is not only a necessary spice that is always at hand, but also an excellent decorative decoration at home, easy to grow. Pot of bright beautiful plant will serve as an exquisite decor for any home, and the piquant taste of such a hot spice will make this pepper indispensable in the kitchen of every housewife.
It is possible to grow sweets at home bell pepper and hot, spicy, Drakosha or other varieties. We will tell you further how to plant seeds for seedlings and the conditions for planting in an apartment.
Plant characteristics
Breeders have specially developed several varietal varieties of hot peppers for growing on windowsills. This indoor pepper is also divided into a fruit variety and an ornamental one (without fruit).
The fruit variety of indoor hot pepper is a perennial that reaches a height of no more than 40 cm. The plant has bright green leaves and richly colored multi-colored fruits: scarlet, sunny or orange.
Growing indoor peppers is not difficult and does not require any special knowledge or wisdom. Very unpretentious and low maintenance.
The windowsill is ideal for growing light-loving peppers
Flowering begins in June. During this period, delicate white flowers with a slightly yellowish tint appear on the stems.
How to grow at home on a windowsill
To get a plant with beautiful fruits on the windowsill, you need to sow seeds for seedlings. Do it late February – early March.
To speed up the process of seed growth, they can be pre-heat-treated. To do this, pour the seeds with warm water (no higher than 40 degrees) and seal them in a thermos for 3 hours.
Preparing the soil and pot
The soil for seeds must be nutritious. You can prepare it yourself. To do this, mix 5 parts of humus, 2 parts of turf soil and peat and 1 part of sand. Mandatory at the bottom of the container there must be drainage. Small expanded clay or pebbles are suitable for this.
Peppers need nutritious soil
The soil must be additionally disinfected: treated with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate and thoroughly loosened. Seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm.
Growing seedlings from seeds
The containers are covered with glass or film and left in a warm place where the temperature should not be below 20-25 degrees.
You can use a regular pot or box as a container, it all depends on how many seeds are sown.
The first shoots are already appearing in 7 – 10 days. There must be a sufficient number of sunlight.
When the first shoots appear, the plants are planted in separate pots. When several true leaves appear on the seedlings, they are picked again, and the strongest and strongest sprouts are selected.
Pepper seedlings must be pruned after the first shoots appear.
The plant needs a sufficient amount of moisture, heat and light at any stage of cultivation.
During the growth of seedlings, it is necessary to ensure that the seedlings do not stretch too much. To do this, they need to provide a certain ambient temperature.
When the first leaves appear, the temperature must be reduced to 20 degrees within 7 days. And when three true leaves appear, be sure to reproduce the pick in a spacious pot. On permanent place seedlings are planted after 2 month period after planting the seeds.
Caring for indoor hot peppers
To grow hot pepper on the windowsill you need to provide it light and warmth.
Fertilizer
This pepper is very fond of various types of feeding. The most optimal fertilizer is 2 tablespoons of ash mixed with 3 liters of water. The mixture should brew well. It is necessary to fertilize every two weeks.
Suitable for feeding peppers wood ash, diluted in water
You can use nitrogen fertilizers, but much less frequently. It is important not to overdo it with such fertilizers, otherwise you may be left without a harvest.
Watering
The soil must be loosened and watered regularly two times a week warm, settled or purified water. You need to make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out, but is not constantly damp. Both will contribute to various plant diseases.
In winter, you can not use fertilizers and water the plant much less often. If the air in the room is dry, you can slightly moisten the leaves by sprinkling them with water from a spray bottle.
In the warm season, the pots are taken out onto the balcony or outside.
Fruiting
If you follow the recommendations, the pepper will bloom in early May
Temperature
Until about February, the plant can be kept indoors at cooler temperatures, but not lower than 18 degrees.
But before the start of the growing season (usually it starts in February), the pot needs to be moved to a warmer room and trimmed. To do this, you need to trim the stems so that they are no higher than 5 cm.
If you correctly follow all the recommendations for growing and caring for the plant: from the very preparation of seeds to timely pruning, then such a pepper will retain its decorative appearance and will actively bear fruit. up to 5 years.
Diseases and pests
This variety of indoor plants can be susceptible to the following diseases: blackening of the stem or spotting of the leaves. This happens when you water too much, which causes stagnation of water in the pot.
Powdery mildew on indoor peppers
The main pests of such pepper include aphids, spider mite And powdery mildew . Aphids or mites can appear with the help of wind through an open window.
To combat ticks, you can use the plant itself. To do this, you need to grind the pepper seeds along with the internal veins and fill them with water for a day. Then you need to add a little ground laundry soap to the mixture and spray the plant. To completely get rid of pests, it is enough to carry out three spraying procedures.
To prevent the appearance of mites, you need to provide the plant with sufficient moisture or place a container of water near the pot of pepper.
At proper cultivation and care, the plant will delight the eye with its excellent decorative properties for as long as 5 years, and its fruits will become a piquant spice in the kitchen.
Hot peppers have not only unique taste, but also decorative qualities. That is why they love to grow it so much both in plots and as indoor plant on the windowsills. For these purposes, several varieties of peppers with small fruits were specially bred.
Growing at home
The plant grows up to 40 cm, is a perennial, there are purely decorative varieties, and there are fruit varieties. Depending on the variety, the fruits may be different sizes, shapes and colors: yellow, red, orange.
The flowering period falls in June; flowering begins with white flowers with a yellow tint. Peppers require a lot of sunlight.
Hot pepper seeds are planted in early March. Seeds can only be germinated in a warm room. When the first shoots appear, they are planted in separate pots, the procedure is carried out again after the appearance of real leaves.
Planting and growing conditions for sweet and bitter peppers are similar. Highly nutritious soil is selected. To prepare your own soil mixture, take:
- 5 parts humus;
- 2 parts peat and turf soil;
- 1 part sand.
Good to know: When transplanting pepper to a permanent place, pinch off the main root of the pepper. The root system should fit in a box measuring 15*15 cm.
Hot peppers love a lot of moisture and heat. The pot of pepper is placed on a container with liquid gravel. The plant also loves fertilizers; fertilizing is applied 1-2 times a week.
If you overdo it with watering and water stagnation occurs, then there is a risk of getting a black leg or spotted leaves. The main domestic pests of hot pepper:
- powdery mildew;
- spider mite
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chili pepper
An annual plant is not replanted; after harvesting, the plant can be destroyed. Sometimes pruning shoots helps extend the life of peppers by 2-3 years.
Soil preparation
Hot pepper is propagated by seeds. To make them rise faster, they are soaked.
Sowing is carried out from February to early March. The soil should be loose and light.
If you use soil for home flowers that contains peat, you need to reduce its acidity by adding wood ash. You can immediately sow the seeds in a permanent place without growing seedlings.
In this case, take a pot up to 3 liters in size and disinfect it with boiling water. A drainage layer is laid out at the bottom and then filled with earth. The best drainage options are:
- broken brick;
- crushed stone;
- expanded clay
The soil is also disinfected with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds are deepened by 1 cm. The top of the pot is covered with glass or a plastic bag. The ambient temperature should be between 20 and 25 °C.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Grow hot pepper at home you can from seedlings. When to plant seeds?
The best period is mid-February, when daylight hours increase. Red peppers are very demanding and love light. The container is taken depending on the number of seeds; it can be a small pot or box.
To make the seeds germinate faster, you can stimulate their growth as follows. Treat the planting material thermally, put the seeds in water at a temperature of 40 degrees and close in a thermos for 3 hours.
Second method: soak in warm water for 12-24 hours. Oxygen is supplied to a vessel containing water.
Note: you need to make sure that the sprout does not stretch. In the first week after the leaves appear, the air temperature drops to 20 ° C, and the lighting is increased. When more than 3 leaves appear, the seedlings can be plucked. A spacious pot is used.
The first sprouts from the seeds will appear in 7-10 days. The pot should receive as much sunlight as possible, and the room should be warm. For further cultivation The strongest sprout is selected, the rest are removed (without damaging the roots).
Home care
Growing hot peppers on a windowsill is not difficult. The seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place in a pot after about 2 months.
The main conditions that must be maintained for pepper are light and heat. When warm weather sets in, the pot can be taken out into the garden or onto the balcony.
Complex fertilizers are applied every two weeks. Your favorite hot pepper fertilizer is prepared from the following components:
- 3 liters of water;
- 2 tbsp. ash.
Gardening advice: Drying out the soil is painful for peppers, so you should never forget about watering. The soil is moistened 2 times a week with warm water.
This is a foliar feeding; it must sit well before use. You cannot overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise there is a risk of not getting a harvest. In favorable conditions, flowering begins in May-June and fruiting continues until the end of autumn.
Before frost sets in, you need to return the pot to the house, to a bright but cool place (up to 18 °C). You can avoid fertilizing in winter by watering the pepper minimally, the main thing is not to let the earthen clod dry out. In a room with dry air, the leaves can sometimes be moistened.
In February, before the start of the growing season, the pot is moved to a warm place and trimmed (stems no more than 5 cm long remain). If all procedures are carried out correctly, from preparing seeds to pruning the bush before the new season, the plant will remain decorative and actively bear fruit for up to 5 years.
Watch the following video on how to grow hot peppers on a windowsill:
ratings, average:
Not many garden crops can be grown on a windowsill with this high degree decorative, like small-fruited peppers. It is not only original as a decoration, but also useful in the household. Since pepper is a perennial crop, once you plant it, you can enjoy it for several years in a row. It is not difficult to grow peppers on a windowsill; the main thing is to choose the right planting material, properly prepare the substrate and regularly care for the plantings.
Hot peppers on the windowsill
Small-fruited bitter peppers are especially loved by housewives. It is a compact bush with fruits of the highest decorative value. Even your favorite greens on the windowsill are inferior to this vegetable crop. For planting, choose seeds of hybrids that self-pollinate. You should stock up on nutritious soil based on vermicompost and a special lamp for illumination in the autumn. winter period. Everything else will depend only on proper care.
how to grow hot peppers on a windowsill in an apartment. Photo
Disembarkation
Before sowing hot pepper seeds, they need to be kept in solution potassium permanganate 2 hours. This procedure is not carried out if the seeds have been treated by the manufacturer. Among the seeds to be processed, you need to select those that have sank to the bottom of the container during this time. The rest have questionable germination, so it’s not worth wasting time on them.
pepper on the windowsill growing from seeds. Photo
- 1 part coconut substrate;
- 1 part of land;
- handfuls of vermiculite;
- 1 part vermicompost
The more nutritious and lighter the soil in the pot, the better the bush will grow, bloom and bear fruit and will age later. All substrate ingredients are poured into a basin, mixed thoroughly and small containers are filled with the mixture. These can be special trays for seedlings or regular yogurt cups. The earth is poured into them, not reaching the top by 2 cm.
Substrate is good spill warm water and place 2-3 peppercorns on top. Sprinkle with a layer of earth no more than 1 cm. The top of the cups is covered with glass or polyethylene with holes made in them for air exchange. Containers with seeds are placed in a dark, warm place, for example, near a radiator, and watered occasionally.
growing hot peppers on the windowsill. Step by step photos
In about 10-14 days, shoots will appear. They are immediately placed on windowsill to prevent excessive stretching without lack of light. If seedlings appear in late autumn or in the middle of winter, they must be additionally illuminated using special lamps It is enough to illuminate for 2 hours in the morning and evening. To avoid the appearance of blackleg, seedlings are watered as needed, avoiding overwatering.
How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill. Photo
How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill and wait for abundant fruits? To do this, the strongest ones are selected from the total number of seedlings and transplanted into permanent pots with a capacity of 2-3 liters. The soil is not filled to the top; it will be added as the bush grows.
Pepper care
Any greenery on the windowsill requires care, which boils down to regular watering and fertilizing. The water for watering peppers needs to be settled, and the picked seedlings should be fed after 2-3 weeks. For this purpose, special fertilizers are used, for example, Agrolife. Hot pepper bushes are turned over daily so that they grow evenly and do not lean too far towards the sun. Small-fruited bitter peppers are not planted. If the bush seems sparse, you can pinch the top.
When the pepper on the windowsill begins to bloom, the bush will need to be planted several times a day. shake to carry out pollination. The fruits appear 2.5 - 3 months after planting. If there are too many of them, the plant will shed the excess ones on its own; a person does not need to do this, only if they are found to be sick and underdeveloped. Fruits can also fall off if there is a lack of moisture on hot days. Then the bush is sprayed 2-3 times a day with water at room temperature.
After about 1.5-2 years, the bush begins to age, loses its decorative appearance, sheds its foliage, and stops blooming and bearing fruit. It is thrown away or cut. How to grow hot peppers on a windowsill from cuttings? To do this, the juiciest side branches are cut off from the bush and placed in water. Cuttings give roots in 21-28 days. They are planted in a permanent container and after 1.5 months they become adults. flowering bush. Typically, 50% of cuttings produce roots. Caring for them is similar to bushes obtained from seeds.
Frequently asked questions about growing hot peppers
In the process of growing small-fruited bitter pepper on a windowsill, beginning hobbyists may have questions, the answers to which can be found here.
When is the best time to sow peppers for growing on a windowsill? Experts recommend doing this from April to July, then the seedlings will not have to be illuminated. Although it is possible to grow peppers in any season of the year.
Is it possible to leave ripe peppers on the bush? Not advisable. If the pepper remains on the plant for a long time, it does not receive the incentive to continue to flower and bear fruit.
How to care for peppers in winter in conditions central heating? If the battery is located under a windowsill, it must be covered with a towel to avoid drying out the roots of the bush. Additionally, take daily baths under a cool shower.
Is it possible to eat the fruits of peppers grown on a windowsill? Can be used either fresh or dried. It is even ground in a coffee grinder to produce paprika.
Will repeated transfer? It is not advisable to disturb mature pepper bushes grown on a windowsill. This will affect the abundance of flowering and fruiting. Stress in the form of dropped leaves is also possible.
What to do if flowers fall a lot? It is necessary to increase the amount of daily lighting for the bush, water it well and shake it 2-3 times a day. Flowers may fall off due to lack of pollination and failure to form fruit.
Sweet peppers on the windowsill in winter and summer
In an apartment you can also grow sweet peppers, which will produce crunchy, vitamin-rich fruits all year round. There are no particular difficulties in growing it, but some recommendations will help you not only grow strong greens on the windowsill, but also taste the healthy fruits. 
Growing sweet pepper seedlings
The first stage of work is considered seed selection. Dwarf compact plants are suitable for growing at home, the height of which does not exceed 50 cm, and the weight of the fruit varies from 30 to 80 grams. The smaller the hybrid, the more compact and decorative it looks on the windowsill. Seeds of self-pollinating hybrids are suitable for this.
Stage two - preparation substrate and seed treatment. For pepper on the windowsill, you can buy ready-made mixtures, or you can make them yourself from an equal amount of vermicompost, coconut fiber and earth. You can add perlite or vermiculite to increase soil aeration. All components are mixed in a basin.
To treat seeds, prepare a 2% solution potassium permanganate, in which the seeds are kept for 2 hours, then washed in cold water. There are manufacturers who carry out the processing themselves and sell seeds that are ready for planting. In this case, there is no need to carry out such a procedure at home.
how to grow sweet peppers on a windowsill. Photo
Third stage – sowing seeds. Small containers from plastic cups to greenhouses with peat tablets. Substrates or tablets are well poured with water and seeds are placed in them, 2-3 pieces each. You can sow the seeds directly into large permanent containers, without adding the substrate to the edge of the pot. This procedure will be carried out later as the bush grows. After sowing, the containers are covered with polyethylene, in which small holes are made for air exchange. Place the containers in a dark, warm place, periodically watering and checking them.
Planting sweet peppers. Photo
Fourth stage – seedling care or how to grow sweet peppers from seedlings on a windowsill. The first shoots appear in 10-14 days. As soon as the seeds hatch and sprouts appear, they are exposed to light and, if necessary, additional light for several hours a day if it is the autumn-winter period. If necessary, after 2 weeks the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest specimens. It is important not to overwater the seedlings so that they do not become vulnerable to blackleg, which can destroy all seedlings.
Fifth stage – picking. It is produced 4 weeks after germination. To carry out picking, water the containers with seedlings well, prepare a large 3-liter pot and fill it with a nutrient substrate. The glass with the seedlings is turned over and the lump of earth along with the pepper is carefully pulled out. Place it in a partially filled pot and add soil from above to the cotyledons (first) leaves. Water and lightly compact the soil near the bush. Place the pepper on the windowsill, preferably on the south side.
Caring for an adult plant
Adult seedlings are not pinched and are not corrected by pruning. The bush is given free rein to grow and produce flowers. Need a potty every day turn to form an even bush. Watering is carried out as the soil dries out. In hot weather, it can be additionally sprayed with warm water; in winter, watering is reduced to the required minimum.
How to grow sweet peppers on a windowsill with abundant ovary? When flowers appear on the bush, they begin to intensively feed it with suitable fertilizers, for example, Agrolife. Blooming bush several times a day shake for self-pollination. The first fruits appear approximately 3 months after sowing the seeds. To prolong the life of the plant and get a significant harvest from the ovary, leave 5-6 fruits and remove them during the ripening process. If you leave more ovaries and do not remove the fruits for a long time, the bush becomes severely depleted, ages and dies.
If the ripening fruits are large enough and the bush has grown well, it needs support. She will not allow the bush to tilt and break. Pepper - perennial vegetable crop, but on the windowsill with a lack of heat, light and care it can quickly grow old. In order to admire the plant again after 1.5-2 months and eat its fruits, you can cut cuttings from it and try to root them.
Usually half of the cut cuttings take root. They are planted in permanent containers and cared for as an adult plant. This method of growing peppers is less troublesome and faster.
Sweet pepper on the windowsill. Video
Capsicum peppers belong to the Solanaceae family; its varieties are divided into hot and sweet. The bitter taste comes from the alkaloid capsaicin.
Decorative indoor pepper stands out effectively on the windowsill and serves as a source of spices for preparing a wide variety of dishes. In everyday life it is called “light”, although in fact several dozen species and varieties of the plant are found in culture. What makes it popular is not only its pungent taste and attractive appearance, but also the ease of growing it at home.
Choosing a variety and seeds for successful cultivation
The easiest way to propagate decorative indoor peppers is by seeds. The key to success is the correct choice of planting material.
How to choose seeds for planting at home
Seeds taken from dried fruit are excellent. You can purchase planting material in gardening stores - or in online stores offering exotic and ornamental plants. If you start planting in February-March, you can easily get fruits already in September-October of the same year.
First, you need to decide what kind of pepper you want in the end - tall or short, spicy or not very hot, with fruits or berries or a classic “pepper” shape. As a rule, this information is on the bag. However, when purchasing, you need to pay attention to how long ago the seeds were collected?
Hot pepper seeds proper storage can remain viable for up to 5 years, but every year germination percentage drops. It is better to grow indoor peppers from seeds collected last season if you plan to harvest this year.
The most important! The selected seeds should not have any defects - dark specks, severe curling, damage, or signs of rot. Quality seeds are pale yellow, almost White color.
How to choose the best variety
There are early ripening, mid ripening, late ripening. Fruits early ripening varieties you can enjoy it within 65-100 days from the moment of germination. Fruits from mid-season plants can be obtained in 100-120 days. But late-ripening varieties will be able to please you with a harvest only after 120-150 days.
Bush height. As a rule, lovers of indoor hot peppers prefer abundantly fruiting bushes up to 30 cm high - this optimal height bush for home pepper growing. There are also very miniature bushes of 15 cm, and real giants up to a meter high.
Fruit shape. Most lovers prefer peppers with a classic conical or elongated shape. Fruit round shape, berries, are often mistaken for their close and poisonous relative, nightshade, and are considered inedible. This is not so - such pepper can also be eaten, but if you are not sure that it is not nightshade, then it is better not to risk it. There are also fruits of exotic shapes, for example, Aji orchid.
Color of fruits and leaves. This is especially important if you plan to grow the plant as an ornamental. There are very decorative varieties of indoor peppers, for example, Bolivian rainbow, Fish, which change color several times as they ripen, and in the final stage of ripening can be yellow, orange or red.
The foliage of some varieties may also have inclusions different colors- white spots and dashes, lilac stripes, which become brighter the sunnier the plant’s location.
Acuity– if you plan to eat the harvest of hot indoor pepper for food, it is important to make sure that you can do this - there are types that are not at all spicy, but some are so bitter that it is unsafe for an unprepared person to eat them. Especially appreciated among gourmets Habanero– the fruits, depending on the variety, are spicy, but have an incomparable citrus-floral aroma and taste!
If you want to have hot peppers at home just for the sake of beauty, then spiciness is not important, but you should pay attention to the decorative properties (height of the bush, shape and color, ripening characteristics) Special attention.
Seed germination technology
For planting five seeds of hot indoor pepper, a plastic or ceramic one is quite suitable. flower pot 300 ml. If you plan to plant in individual containers, you can choose smaller pots or use yogurt cups.
Step-by-step instructions for growing peppers from seeds at home:
- Pour drainage into the bottom of the container - expanded clay is best.
- Place soil on top. Usually choose a ph-neutral soil for houseplants or a mixture for peppers and tomatoes. Garden soil is not suitable, as it may contain insect larvae and fungal spores, which have a detrimental effect on seed germination.
- It is recommended to pre-soak the seeds in warm water for several hours for swelling and faster germination. Sometimes a stimulant is added to the soaking water, in particular - Epin, to increase germination. The use of a stimulant will not affect the plant in the future, but if the seeds were collected 2-3 years ago, the likelihood of successful germination will be higher. Can be planted without soaking.
- Distribute the planting material evenly over the soil surface at a certain distance from each other. This is necessary so that as the young plants grow they do not interfere with each other.
- Sprinkle the seeds with soil on top - approximately 0.5 mm so that they are completely covered. If the surface of the soil is dry, moisten it with water, preferably using a flower spray bottle. It is important that the surface of the soil is slightly moist, but not wet - otherwise the seeds may rot.
- As the top layer of soil dries, it needs to be moistened regularly.
- It is advisable to place a plastic glass on top of the pot, thereby creating a greenhouse. This is especially true if planting takes place in February-March, and the room temperature may be below 25 degrees.
At a temperature of 22-25 degrees, seedlings appear in 10-14 days, if the seeds were collected 2-3 years ago, the germination process may take another 1-2 weeks.
Seedlings need to be ventilated periodically - raise the greenhouse briefly so that the young plants get used to the environment. Gradually, the periods “without a greenhouse” should be increased, and eventually completely eliminated.
Transplanting young plants to a permanent place
When the seedlings have two pairs of true leaves, they need to be planted if the seeds were planted in one container. If the seedlings were planted in individual pots, then you can transplant the plants into larger pots when roots appear at the bottom of the water hole.
You should not leave all the plants in one pot. Decorative indoor hot peppers are grown according to the principle one pot - one plant. The fact is that, when planted together, weaker specimens are “drowned out” by stronger ones. The weak ones will be greatly retarded in growth and development, flowering will be late and sparse, and fruiting may not occur at all.
When planting, it is better to use small deep pots of 100 ml each. Transplanting a young specimen immediately into a very large pot is not useful - the “extra” soil will begin to sour from watering. It is better, as the plant grows, to gradually transfer it into containers slightly larger than the previous one. Main sign that it is time to replant the plant - roots peeking out from the bottom of the pot. During the season, as a rule, the bush is handled 2-3 times.
Features of care and creation of conditions
The goal of every home gardener is to see his plant bloom; in the case of decorative peppers, the finish is beautiful fruits decorating the plant.
Stimulating flowering and fruiting
Young seedlings of “light” on the windowsill begin to bloom approximately a month after germination. The first flowers will most likely be empty and fall off, but as they grow and develop, ovaries will appear and fruits will develop.
Special pollination is not required, but to increase the number of ovaries, you can periodically lightly shake the pot with the bush or “pollinate” the flowers with a soft brush.
Depending on what variety of indoor hot pepper you have grown (early-ripening, mid-ripening or late-ripening), the first fruits may appear in the summer, when the sun is most active, or in early to mid-autumn.
It is important to remember hot peppers at home does not require pinching and intensive formation of the bush in the first year of growth, cutting off flowers and first ovaries. The indoor pepper itself “knows” to what height it needs to grow, when to start blooming and how many fruits to set. Your task is to provide him comfortable conditions growth.
What conditions do peppers need?
Sunny location. It is advisable to keep the pot on a windowsill indoors. Very sunny balconies“lights” suffer greatly from the rays, leaves can be damaged, flowers fall off, and fruits can be severely deformed and have no seeds.
In the shade, seedlings bloom reluctantly, set few fruits, and may suffer from flooding. Bushes of hot indoor decorative peppers feel extremely uncomfortable on shelves, refrigerators and closets – away from the sun and fresh air.
Regular watering and spraying– the main components in caring for peppers at home. Ogonyok loves water very much. In summer, on sunny days, the plant must be watered every day. Spray with water at room temperature, preferably twice a day.
Fertilizer. From March to September (and for late-ripening plants - until October), it is advisable to feed indoor peppers with specialized fertilizer for fruit plants. There is also a special fertilizer for peppers and tomatoes; it is found in stores for gardeners and flower growers.
Formation. In addition to the sun, water and a pot of sufficient volume, indoor hot peppers can be shaped as the branches grow - this is important in late summer and autumn for plants in the first year of life and in early spring period when it comes out of rest.
They shape, that is, trim branches that are too long - this gives a more tidy appearance and allows the plant to save energy. But you shouldn’t shorten the main trunk - this could cause the bush to die.
Rules for harvesting and collecting seeds
As the fruits ripen, the harvest can and should be harvested. There are varieties of indoor peppers, the pungency of which decreases when fully ripe. Therefore, such fruits are harvested at the stage of technical ripeness. Such unripe peppers often turn out to be much tastier than ripe ones.
For example, the fruits of the decorative bitter indoor pepper variety Jalapeno (Jalapeño) are most often harvested when they are still green, but characteristic “scars” have already appeared on them, but when they become red, this species already loses its taste value.
If you are interested in seeds for planting in the future, then you need to wait until the fruits are fully ripe, that is, they acquire final color(yellow, orange or red). The fruits must be removed from the bush and allowed to dry for several days.
If the pepper is thin-walled, then it dries quickly enough; if it is thick-walled, then when the fruit wrinkles, it must be carefully cut and allowed to dry again for several days.
Then the seeds are carefully removed and laid out on a napkin to dry. Well-dried seeds can be placed in a bag and stored in a dry, dark place; storage in the refrigerator is allowed. The main thing is that moisture does not get in, in which case they can rot.
Caring for homemade peppers in a pot in winter
Contrary to popular belief, hot indoor peppers are perennials. On average, a bush can actively bear fruit for 5 years. The main thing is to reload the plant as it grows and renew the soil every spring. However, not all flower growers are ready to provide comfortable conditions for wintering for this handsome pet. Therefore, three options are possible.
First. If you do not want to save this specimen, at the end of the season after fruiting has ended, the bush can be thrown away, and in February-March a new plant can be grown from the obtained seeds.
Gradually the leaves will partially fall off. Sometimes the pepper sheds its leaves completely. Branches that are too long can be shortened a little. In winter, new leaves and even flowers may appear on the branches, especially if the thaw lasts for a long time and the heating works intensively.
In February-March, indoor pepper will begin to grow again; at this moment it is necessary to transplant it into a pot slightly larger than the previous one, and replace the bulk of the soil. Gradually increase watering.
Third. If you not only want to preserve the plant, but also get a harvest in winter, then additional lighting is necessary. In this case, special lamps are installed, watering is not reduced, and fertilizing continues.
As you can see, growing ornamental peppers at home does not require special knowledge and skills. “Ogonyok” in a pot is perfect for those who don’t like to wait too long for the planted plant to finally bloom – it only takes 3-4 months from seed to beautiful and fragrant fruits.
If you love, find out how to grow avocados from seeds and from seeds. Watching how a miracle is born is much more interesting than buying a ready-made flower in a store.
Hot peppers are added to confectionery, chocolate, tea - a very unusual and effective remedy in the fight against colds and flu!
Growing Hot Peppers at home is not such a difficult matter. Hot peppers " Small miracle"was bred in Holland and has long taken root throughout the world. This plant is compact and characterized by active fruiting, due to which bushes with peppers of different colors also have a decorative function.
Application
The fruits of this pepper can be used both in cooking and for medicinal purposes. Ripe fruits can be infused with alcohol, and this infusion can be used for rheumatism, radiculitis, and lower back pain.
Growing fruits for winter
There are certain rules for growing hot peppers at home.
Sowing seeds It is better to produce in February. To do this, you need about a two-liter clean container, which should be treated with boiling water. Place drainage in the form of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot, but crushed stone or charcoal. On top of the drainage we fill the soil consisting of humus, leaf soil and sand in a ratio of 5:3:2. Before planting seeds, the soil should be poured with boiling water and after it has cooled, sow 2-3 pepper seeds, pre-soaked and already swollen, into small holes 1-1.5 cm in diameter.
Cover the pot with planted grains with polyethylene or glass and place in a warm place. When sprouts appear after 5-7 days, move the pot to a sunny place in the window. When the first true leaves appear, the peppers can be picked into separate pots, or it is better to remove the excess ones so as not to disturb the roots.
When the plant grows to 20 cm, pinch the crown. This is necessary for better branching of the bush, in which fruits will form.
Don’t forget to water the plant regularly and periodically feed your pet with fertilizers, then you will definitely see a harvest on your windowsill.
Method for obtaining fruits by May
Observing the development of homemade pepper, lovers from the Ivanovo region came to the interesting conclusion that in our northern conditions it is possible to change the timing of the ripening of pepper on the windowsill. They use spring days filled with bright sunlight to flower and ripen fruits.
Sow peppers in autumn in bowls on the windowsill. They create not very comfortable conditions for the pepper, so that it does not have time to pick flowers before the New Year, so that it does not exhaust its strength for growth in the darkest “dead” days. This saves the plant from pulling out its shoots. At the moment when the days begin to arrive, the pepper is transferred to a bright window (east or south). The plant soon blooms and bears an average of 10 beautiful pods. Yes, the fruits are such heroes that have never happened in the fall.
And immediately after the harvest is harvested, the plant throws out a couple more vigorous shoots and blooms a second time. By the second half of September, another harvest ripens, and out of 20 pods, only three were small. Thus, about 30 pods are harvested from one bush per season, almost 5 times higher than the average yield!
The main secret of a high yield is that by the time of the very first flowering (in early February) the pepper autumn term sowing has time to develop good powerful roots. Starting from March and ending at the beginning of October, that is, during a period of abundant sunshine, pepper actively sets fruit and uses its strength to fill them.
You don’t have to throw away a plant that bears fruit in the fall, but let it go before winter. In winter, at the beginning of January, it must be transplanted into a new substrate, cut off the old shoots by half, then move the pot to a bright window (east or south). Such care can bring up to three harvests per season.
On a note
When planting peppers, it is still better not to pick them, as they react painfully to transplantation. And they treat transshipment well. When the shoots disperse, simply pinch off the extra weak shoots. More important point- do not miss the time when the roots begin to crowd in the pot and grow out.
For seedlings, of course, best suited peat pots. For normal growth, peppers are transferred to spacious containers and pots 30-50 cm high. Be sure to place drainage (a layer of expanded clay, broken brick) at the bottom of the planting containers.
Sometimes props are placed to support ripening fruits, and the bushes are sprayed with warm, settled water to remove spider mites.
For getting good harvest It is recommended to grow peppers in two trunks, constantly shaping them by pinching them. A strong shoot is left on each stem, and the weak ones are pinched off above the first leaf. Although peppers are self-pollinating, like tomatoes, it is better to shake the plants periodically so that pollination is more effective.
Pepper is the same perennial as cherry tomatoes; the bush can delight you with a harvest for five whole years. In the same way you can grow on a windowsill and sweet bell pepper.
Can you imagine what a pleasure it is to watch a ripe pod fill before your eyes when the weather outside the window is “non-flying”.
If your plant is more than 5 years old, you can make a wonderful home decoration out of it - BONSAI.
Pots
You can use almost any small pots you like, but most traditional bonsai in special pots look really, really cool!
The soil
Basically, you can use whatever you use to grow your chillies, but I prefer soft, peat-based soil.
A bonsai plant should have very limited root space, you should use very fertile soil.
Digression: the author also uses Akadama, a special type of soil.
Akadama is a natural, granular clay.
Akadama is a good material for retaining soil moisture when growing bonsai.
These are actually pieces of hard clay.
Some brands of fillers for cat litter works great and is a much cheaper substitute for akadam.
When growing Bonsai, growers often replace the soil entirely with akadama, or mix it with normal soil.
Akadama.
I just put some akadama in the bottom of the chili bonsai pot and sprinkle some soil on top.
Making a chili bonsai: 
We cut the stem of an adult plant - we form a bonsai.
If possible, cut just above the foliage to ensure that the bonsai will continue to grow. For example here in the photo - there were no leaves below the cut point, so this is a very risky process.
Or, you can prune the plant a little smaller and continue pruning when the plant has formed enough foliage. 
Then cut off the excess roots around the plant...
we dig up the plant with its roots cut off... 
We dig up the bonsai blank...
trim off excess protruding roots.
approximate result of pruning and shaping the future bonsai plant.
One year later.
Appears in winter a big problem with a lack of vitamins, which ultimately leads to various diseases. Vegetables and fruits are expensive, but this problem can be easily solved by growing these products right on the windowsill of your home. An excellent option would be to plant indoor hot peppers, which not only contain many useful elements, but will also decorate the room, and for lovers of spicy food it will help add spiciness and piquancy to dishes.
Features of growing pepper
Hot pepper is a finicky crop that requires special care. That is why it is important to know how to grow hot peppers at home and get a healthy and large harvest.
Pepper has a high content of beneficial microelements that help remove cholesterol and excess sugar from the blood. In addition, for lovers of vegetable growing, this will be real fun. With the right approach, you can grow a vegetable that can consistently produce crops for 5 years.
In order to grow healthy pepper on the windowsill, the following factors should be taken into account:
If you follow all the rules, you will be able to grow a pepper bush from which you can collect up to 100 fruits.
Choosing a decorative variety
If you want to plant pepper on the windowsill, then the first thing you should do is purchase a suitable variety. The number of fruits, their color and speed of ripening will depend on this. In addition, each variety requires an individual approach. You can choose several types different shapes and colors to create a real colorful vegetable garden at home.
The following decorative varieties are suitable for growing peppers at home:
There is also a variety of red pepper, fat man, but it is rarely used as an ornamental house plant.
Several varieties of pepper can grow on the windowsill at the same time, but only in different containers. You cannot use seeds from pepper pods that are sold in the store. This is special industrial look, unable to grow at home.
Basic rules and preparation
In order to grow pepper on the windowsill, it is important to study all the subtleties and nuances of the growth of this crop. It is necessary to follow all the steps, prepare the place, container, and soil. Only in this case will it be possible to grow a healthy crop in the shortest possible time.
We must not forget about the secondary plant protection factors. For example, if there are children or animals at home, then it is better to take precautions that will help protect the plant.
Choosing a suitable location
Hot peppers come from sunny countries, so they require heat. To place it, it is best to choose a place on a windowsill located on the east or south side. You can’t overdo it and in the summer, on especially hot days, you need to move the vegetable into the shade, but this is only required for a few hours, when the sun’s activity is maximum. In summer, it is recommended not only to move the plant into the shade, but also to let it breathe a little. A balcony is perfect for this, but crops should not be exposed to drafts.
Peppers should be in a sunny place for about 12 hours a day. and it’s easy to achieve such conditions in summer, but in winter there simply isn’t enough daylight. That is why you have to independently equip your lighting using phytolamps, which solve the problem of light deficiency. The lack of light manifests itself in the form of lightening of the foliage, which eventually begins to fall.
Another condition that has a strong influence on the growth of pepper is temperature. With high demands on light, the air temperature should be about 18 degrees in autumn and winter. In summer it is allowed to increase it to 20-22 degrees. At higher temperatures, the plant will not die, but it will feel uncomfortable and produce less yield.
Watering is important for this plant, but it is not recommended to overwater it. The water should be at room temperature. Watering is not carried out according to a schedule, but when the top layer dries out. In addition, it is necessary to fill the tray so that the pepper is saturated with moisture. If there is water left in the pan within an hour, it should be poured out. In drought conditions, the leaves of the bush are additionally sprayed.
Purchase of container and substrate
The root system of indoor pepper is amazing, because it is located almost at the very surface of the soil. Based on this, you should select containers that are wide but shallow. Pots with a height of 10−12 cm are considered optimal. In addition, the containers must be equipped drainage system to ensure that water does not stagnate in the soil. You can make holes yourself, but you need to do it in moderation. Moisture should remain briefly in the soil for the root system to drain and only then go into the pan. To delay, use various drainage materials, which are laid in a layer of 2 cm.
A special substrate is also required for growing hot peppers in open ground. It can be bought in specialized stores or make your own from the following components:
- 1 part coconut fiber and river sand;
- 1 part perlite and vermiculite;
- 1 part peat;
- 2 parts leaf soil.
Before you start laying the soil in layers, it must be treated with a fungicide. This treatment helps protect plants from the spread of fungal diseases.
Preparing seeds for sowing
IN The following preparations are available for processing pepper:
- Succinic acid is a solution that is prepared in a proportion of 1.5 grams per 1.5 liters of water. The seeds should lie in the solution for 12-24 hours.
- The drug zircon is sold in drops. Three drops of this drug are added to 100 ml of water and the seeds are placed there for 2-4 hours. A similar method is used when using epin.
After the processing has been carried out, the seeds are dried to a free-flowing state and they begin to prepare them for planting. They are placed in damp gauze and carefully wrapped for several days. In this state, they will begin to sprout and it is important not to miss the moment when the sprouts appear. As soon as most of the seeds have sprouts, they are planted in previously prepared soil.
An important point is the temperature at which the seeds germinate. It should be equal to 25 degrees. Only under such conditions can the maximum effect be achieved. You must not allow it to dry out, otherwise the seeds will simply die.
For cultivation, not only hot pepper seeds are used, but also cuttings. This method is used in cases where you want to preserve the species properties of the plant. Cuttings are cut from green shoots, the length of which has reached 7-8 centimeters. In this case, each of them should have at least 3-4 sheets. Planting by cuttings requires similar treatment with zircon or application of “root” powder to the root layer. For beginners, planting hot peppers with seeds is more suitable, since cuttings require initial skills.
Step-by-step instructions for planting peppers
The final result of growing pepper depends on the correct planting of it in the ground after the sprouts appear. The entire procedure is divided into several stages in order to minimize possible errors.
Step-by-step instructions for planting peppers include the following steps:
All that remains is to wait for the first shoots to appear. The procedure for planting cuttings is similar, only they are planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. After this, the container is also covered with film or glass to accumulate condensate.
After the first sprouts from the seeds of hot pepper have appeared, the container is placed on the windowsill and the temperature is lowered to 18-20 degrees, but sometimes there is a problem with heating, which dries out the air in this area. To solve the problem, foam is used to cover the batteries and block the flow of dry and hot air. The sprouts no longer require constant humidity, so the film is removed or left, but the accumulated condensate is constantly wiped off with a napkin.
It is important to properly adapt pepper to its natural environment. To do this, they are exposed to open space initially for 30 minutes, followed by an increase in time. The seedlings fully gain strength after the first shoots appear in 2-3 weeks. This can be easily determined by the small leaves. When 2-3 large leaves appear, each pepper bush is transplanted into a separate container and placed on the windowsill for further growth.
There is nothing difficult about growing peppers at home. There are a lot decorative varieties of this culture, which take root well at home. The main thing is to know the features of caring for and planting this crop, to use a good substrate and fertilizing. Then you will be able to grow a large number of healthy and beautiful peppers on your windowsill.