Paprika (Capsicum) originally comes from the Mediterranean region and belongs to the nightshade family. Depending on the size, taste or spiciness of the fruit, they are given special names such as pepperoni or chili. It is very easy to grow the different types of peppers yourself. This works both in the greenhouse and outdoors, planted in the bed or in the tub. Here you can find out what you should consider.
paprika
location
Peppers are heat-loving plants. Therefore, they prefer a sunny and wind-protected location. The more light and heat the plants get, the faster they grow. The fruits also ripen better and faster in a sunny location.
outdoor:
- Light requirement: high (as sunny as possible)
- warm and sheltered from the wind
- South balcony or south terrace
- southern bed
Glasshouse:
- Light requirement: shady to semi-shady
- well ventilated
- Humidity: 65 to 70%
- Temperature: 22-28 degrees
A pepper plant not only likes it warm during the day, but also at night. If the plant is outdoors, it is best to position it in close proximity to a house wall. This wall is warmed up by the sun during the day and slowly releases the heat at night.
floor
Peppers need a humus-rich and nutrient-rich soil. Therefore, the garden soil is ideally enriched in advance with mature compost.
- loose and nutritious
- well permeable to water
- pH value: neutral to slightly acidic (6.0 to 6.5)
sowing
If you don't want to buy early young plants in stores, you can start growing the peppers by sowing them in mid-March. It is not particularly difficult to grow your own peppers from the seeds. A bright and warm greenhouse or conservatory is suitable for cultivation. But the window sill of a south-facing window also offers good conditions. Two factors are particularly important for the success of the cultivation: high-quality seed and special cultivation soil. The substrate for sowing should be low in nutrients and also loose and finely crumbly. If the soil contains few nutrients, this promotes root growth, since the young seedlings have to "search" for it.
- Time: from mid-March
- only use nutrient-poor substrates
- special potting soil, cactus soil
- Sowing depth: 1 cm
- Temperature: 20 to 25 degrees
- Germination time: 14 to 21 days
- bright but no direct sun
- keep evenly moist
Cover the pot with plastic wrap or a freezer bag until the seeds have germinated. Occasional airing prevents mold growth.
pricking
Depending on the location and temperature, the first small plants will appear after two to three weeks. The pepper plants remain in the seed pot for a total of four weeks before they are pricked out in a larger pot. In addition to the two cotyledons, the first true leaf should already have formed. When separating the seedlings, be very careful not to damage the fine roots.
- keep warm and bright
- high humidity
- Keep soil slightly moist
When repotting, make sure that the peppers are not planted deeper than before. Otherwise there is a risk of the typical paprika disease, stem rot.
plant
Depending on whether the peppers are to be planted in a greenhouse or outdoors, there are a few special points to consider. In both cases it is possible to cultivate the plants both in pots and outdoors.
Glasshouse
The plants that have been brought forward can be placed in a heated greenhouse from the end of March to the beginning of April. Since the peppers are very sensitive to cold, the temperatures must never fall significantly below 10 degrees. If it gets too cold, this can lead to a delay in growth or even death of the plant.
- Time: from the end of March in a heated greenhouse
- from mid-May in an unheated greenhouse
- Planting distance: 40 to 50 cm
outdoor
Peppers are only allowed outside when late frosts are no longer to be expected. Since neither the self-grown nor the purchased young plants are used to cool temperatures and blazing sun, they must first be hardened off. To do this, place them in a sheltered, semi-shady place outdoors. Initially, only place the pepper plants outside for a short time during the day. Over the course of about two weeks, the plants are allowed to stay outside longer and sunnier. Once they have settled in, they will find their final place in the garden or on the balcony.
- Time: from mid-May
- Planting distance: 40 to 50 cm
tub culture
The various Capsicum varieties can also be grown in pots or other planters. The size of the container and the substrate are decisive for good growth.
- Planter: at least 10 liters
- normal window boxes do not offer enough space
- must include drainage hole
- Create drainage from gravel, grit, lava granulate or expanded clay
- only use suitable substrates
- tomato and vegetable soils
- humus potting soil
maintenance
If the peppers are in a sunny and warm location, they are considered relatively easy to care for. Unlike tomatoes, the shoots do not have to be pinched out. Nevertheless, the nightshade plants require a certain amount of care so that numerous fruits can form on the plant. The main focus here is on the adequate supply of water and nutrients. Plants grown in greenhouses may need artificial pollination.
pour
Peppers need a lot of water, especially in the summer months. It is therefore important to ensure a good water supply. The bale should never dry out completely. In dry and hot periods, it even has to be watered several times a day. Especially between planting out and the first flowers, make sure that the pepper plants have a good water balance. If you water too much or too little during this period, the flowers will be shed. Due to the low root mass of young plants, it makes sense to water more frequently with little water, otherwise waterlogging can easily occur.
- Always keep the soil slightly moist
- Avoid waterlogging
- do not water over the leaves
- preferably in the morning and/or evening
- Possibly mulch the soil with grass clippings
Fertilize
Pepper plants are among the heavy consumers, so they need a corresponding amount of nutrients. Organic long-term fertilizers, which slowly but steadily supply the plants with nitrogen and other vital nutrients, have proven particularly effective.
- horn shavings or horn meal
- do not use mineral fertilizers
- special tomato or pepper fertilizers
- organic vegetable fertilizer
- Nettle stock is suitable as an additional fertilizer
- Administer liquid fertilizer every 14 days over the irrigation water
- Wood ash provides potash
climbing aid
Most bushy growing varieties can do without a support for the shoots. Higher varieties or shoots with many large fruits, on the other hand, need support so that they do not break in strong winds. Simple sticks made of plastic, metal or wood, such as a bamboo stick, are suitable as climbing aids. The climbing aid can either be placed in the pot directly when pricking out or later.
Remove king flower
Although peppers do not have to be exhausted, the success of the harvest can be positively influenced by a few measures. As soon as the first flower has formed on the pepper plant between the main shoot and the first side shoot, this so-called terminal flower or king flower is broken out. The plant drives numerous new flowers, from which the fruits later form. In addition, the tip of the shoot can be broken off to promote branching of the pepper plant. This is best done on young pepper plants that have about eight to ten leaves and are around 20 cm high.
pollination
Pollination of the flowers in the field is carried out by various insects such as bees or bumblebees. If no insects come into the greenhouse, the pepper blossoms must be artificially pollinated. Normally it is sufficient if the plants are gently shaken to distribute the pollen well. If this does not lead to success, carefully open the flowers with tweezers and transfer the pollen from one plant to another (of a similar variety) with a fine brush.
harvest
In the greenhouse you can already harvest the first fruits around mid-July. Outdoors, it usually takes a little longer for the fruit to ripen. The pods are usually still green at this point. Unlike some other nightshade plants, such as tomatoes and potatoes, green peppers or chillies are not poisonous. Green peppers have a spicy, slightly bitter taste. The red, sweet varieties are ready to harvest about three weeks later.
- Cut fruit with a sharp knife
- alternatively use scissors
- leave a piece of the stalk on the fruit
- don't tear off
Depending on the weather conditions, the outdoor harvest period lasts until the first frosts towards the end of October. In a sheltered greenhouse, you can usually harvest until around mid-November.
storage
After harvesting, the peppers can only be kept at room temperature for a few days. Storage in dark, cool cellar rooms at around 10 degrees is ideal. If storage in the cellar is not possible, the fruit can either be kept covered in the refrigerator or in a cool room.
unripe fruits
Peppers must be harvested when ripe. Unlike many other fruits, peppers do not ripen after harvest. The safest way to harvest red peppers in autumn is therefore to bring them indoors and overwinter them indoors.
wintering
Basically, peppers belong to the perennial plants. With us they are usually cultivated once a year because of the increased maintenance effort. However, those who make the effort to get their pepper plants through the winter months will often be rewarded with a very bountiful harvest in the second year. An ideal winter quarters consists of a bright, cool room that protects against frost.
- Time: as soon as the outside temperature falls below 5 degrees at night
- bright location
- only pour cautiously
- do not fertilize
- Spray regularly with lime-free water
Examine your plants for pests before storing them in winter quarters. Aphids or other sucking insects are often dragged along. These can damage the plant so badly that it dies. The pepper plant is already being prepared for the new growth period in February. To do this, place the peppers in slightly larger containers with fresh, nutrient-rich soil. From now on, the plant will be watered a little more and mixed with moderate amounts of liquid fertilizer or a long-term fertilizer.
multiply
If you let the fruit ripen on the plant, the seeds inside the pod can also fully develop. After harvesting, remove the flat-topped seeds and spread them out on newspaper or kitchen roll to dry. Seeds should be kept dry and dark until next spring. As a rule, the seeds from our own harvest are not of a single variety.
Diseases
diseases and pests
Above all, temperatures that are too cool and too little light weaken the plant, which can lead to an infestation with sucking insects. In addition, special diseases occasionally occur in the pepper plant.
Fusarium wilt
Fusarium wilt is one of the most dreaded diseases in all Capsicum varieties, as it leads to the death of the entire plant in a short time. This disease is transmitted by a fungus that enters the roots of peppers through the soil and spreads through the meridians throughout the plant. There it clogs the vessels, so that the foliage or entire shoots suddenly die.
- Remove affected plant immediately
- dispose of in household waste
- Thoroughly clean/sterilize tools
The disease is extremely contagious and can quickly spread to neighboring plants. In addition, the fungus survives in the soil for several years without any problems and can infect other pepper plants in the following years. Since there is no remedy for Fusarium wilt, infested plants must be disposed of immediately and no peppers should be planted in the affected bed for the next four to five years.
bud rot
Actually, the so-called bud rot is not a disease in the conventional sense, but a deficiency symptom. Although the exact causes of bud rot have not been clarified in detail, it has always been possible to determine a lack of calcium. Such a lack of calcium is particularly noticeable at the top of the fruit. There are large, brown spots. If this is the case, here's what you should do.
- check for strong temperature fluctuations
- there were extremes in the water supply
- Check nutrient supply
- Check soil pH
As a rule, a calcium-containing foliar fertilizer from specialist shops can help.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus
The tobacco mosaic virus also initially causes brown to yellowish spots on the pepper. As the viral disease progresses, the leaves and pods wither and die. Unfortunately, this disease is very contagious and cannot be fought. It is therefore important to remove infected plants as soon as possible and dispose of them in the household waste.