How to grow chili peppers on a windowsill at home

It is quite possible to grow chili peppers on a windowsill even with minimal knowledge and skills. The basic rule is to ensure a constant temperature (about + 23-25^aboutC) and a high level of humidity (70–75%). Seedlings begin to germinate at the end of February, and the harvest can be harvested already in July or August, depending on the ripening rate of a particular variety.

Pros and cons of growing peppers at home

Ornamental varieties of chili peppers are small in size - such a bush reaches a height of no more than 40-50 cm. Peppers are formed small - the fruits are on average 4-5 cm in length. However, they have a characteristic pungent flavor and a strong aroma. Therefore, such peppers may well be eaten, even if they are grown indoors.

The advantages of growing pepper at home are obvious:

• You can get your own harvest of fresh peppers.
• The fruits are guaranteed to retain their taste and at the same time do not contain any harmful substances.
• The chili bush does not grow for 1 year, but for 4–5 years, and bears fruit throughout this period.
• The process does not require special labor or financial investments.
• Thanks to the pungent smell of the fruit, chili peppers create a kind of protective ring against viruses and bacteria. This is especially useful in winter, when SARS and influenza threaten everyone.

However, there are also some disadvantages:

• The fruits do not grow as large as purchased ones.
• The crop is harvested only once a year.
• The bushes are grown in pots that will take up all the space on the windowsill.
• It is necessary to install lamps that should regularly illuminate the plants.

How pepper grows: preparing and planting seeds

The process of growing peppers begins with seedlings. They should be planted at the very end of February, like seedlings of many other crops. You must first purchase a soil mixture in the store or prepare the soil yourself (in this case, it must be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate with a concentration of 1–2%).

There are no strict ratios, since chili peppers are generally picky about lighting, heat and moisture, not soil.

Possible soil composition:

• 2 parts of soil from the cottage, 1 part of sand and 1 part of humus;
• 2 parts humus and 1 part coconut fiber;
• 1 part of sand, peat and clay and 2 parts of humus.

To get the maximum number of pepper shoots, proceed as follows:

1. The seeds are washed with water and etched in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. The concentration of the solution is also 1% - this is 1 g in half a standard glass.
2. The seeds can then be immediately placed in the soil or previously germinated by placing them on a damp cloth. Periodically, it needs to be sprayed with warm water, not allowing it to dry out.
3. Pepper seeds begin to hatch after 4 days, after which they can be placed in the ground. Without preliminary germination, seedlings would appear in about 1 month. Planting is not carried out too deeply - a maximum of 1 cm.The interval between seeds is from 5 cm.
4. After planting, the soil surface is moistened with a spray bottle or a very thin stream of water.
5. Cover glasses or containers with cling film or polyethylene and put in a warm environment (temperature - about +25^aboutC, no direct sunlight).
6. They constantly monitor the moisture content, irrigate the soil if necessary. The first chili shoots appear after 2 weeks.
7. As soon as the 3rd leaf has appeared, the plants can be transplanted into regular pots. At the same time, up to 75% of the rhizome is cut, so that later it begins to actively grow, rooting in the ground.

Make sure to make a few small holes in the plastic wrap so that the air can flow freely. They remove it after 1 month.

Rules for caring for adult plants

For a permanent location for growing chili peppers, you should choose the south or southeast windows. The pots are wide enough and not too deep (diameter - 10 cm). Drainage from natural (expanded clay) or artificial (foam) material is placed on the bottom. On top of it, soil is poured of the same composition that was used for growing seedlings.

Temperature and lighting

Bushes can be planted at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, or 1 seedling per 1 small pot. Since chili peppers, like other varieties, love light rays, it is not recommended to plant them in the shade of other crops, placing them next to spreading shrubs or trees.

In the future, you must carefully observe the temperature regime:

• Optimal range - + 22-25^aboutHappy day and not less +18^aboutWith the night.
• Before planting pepper in permanent pots, seedlings can be hardened by holding them at +18^aboutFor three days in a row.
• Drafts and hypothermia (temperature below +16^aboutC) are excluded.
• In the autumn, winter, as well as in case of a lack of sunlight, additional lighting should be organized using an incandescent lamp or a fluorescent lamp. Install the lighting device at a height of 30 cm from the top of the plant.
• The backlight duration is at least 15 hours. If the sun comes out again, the lamps are turned off.

Humidity and watering regime

Chili peppers are very fond of humidified air, so moisture should be monitored as closely as heat. Watering is done 3-4 times a week, and in hot summer - daily. The surface of the soil should always remain slightly damp (but not too much!). If it is literally soggy, the roots can rot, causing the bush to grow much more slowly.

Typical techniques can be used to provide moisture:

• add water to a pan with a pot;
• place a container of water next to the peppers;
• spray water from a spray bottle. This should be done so that moisture spreads around the bush, but does not fall on the leaves, so that the sun's rays cannot burn them.

Because growing chili peppers in a room is often done on a windowsill, additional protection must be provided from the hot, dry air from the radiator. To do this, you can constantly put damp rags on hot batteries.

Top dressing

Throughout the growing period, the pepper needs feeding. Initially, vermiculite (1 part fertilizer per 3 parts soil) can be introduced into a pot of seedlings. Then, during the first month of growth, you need to feed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, which will ensure active growth of stems and leaves.

At the stage of flower formation, the petals can be sprayed with a weak solution of succinic acid, and at the same time, fed with potassium fertilizer. When the fruits begin to form, phosphorus fertilizers should be added. In all cases, the concentration of fertilizers is determined according to the instructions.

Flowering and pollination

Under the conditions regarding temperature, watering and feeding, the seedlings begin to grow very quickly. Since it can stretch very far upwards, especially large shoots must be pinched in order to give the bush the correct spherical shape (on average, the shoots grow 15–20 cm).

Chili peppers usually begin blooming in June. This species belongs to self-pollinated plants, but it is better to take care of pollen additionally. Shake the pots with blooming peppers a little, and ensure normal air movement around the flowers (open the window). Then the maximum number of ovaries will form.

Pest control

The probability of the appearance of insects in the room is much less than in the garden or greenhouse, however, it is also impossible to guarantee 100% plant protection.

Typical pests of chili peppers:

• aphid;
• spider mite;
• Colorado beetle;
• whitefly.

To combat insects, bushes are sprayed with insecticides, for example:

• "Fufanon";
• Corado;
• Iskra;
• "Aktaroy";
• "Fury" and others.

You can also use folk remedies:

• For example, spray the bushes with onion broth - 2 onions with husks per liter of warm water.
• Another option is a pinch of dry mustard in a glass of boiling water (leave for 3 days, cool and drain).
• You can also spray with infusion on the fruits of the hottest pepper. To do this, 1 pod is poured with 1-2 glasses of water (it is better to cut the fruit into rings beforehand) and insist for a day. Then strain and spray the bushes.

Chili peppers are less susceptible to insect attacks due to the specific pungent smell of the fruit. However, it is vulnerable in the early stages of growth, so you need to constantly monitor the condition of the bushes.

Harvesting

Depending on the specific variety, fruits may appear after 3-4 or 5-6 months. The typical harvest time is late July or early August. Pepper fruits ripen right on the bush. As soon as they turn bright red and acquire a glossy surface, they are carefully torn off by twisting them from the stem. Then they are rinsed with water and used as intended - both fresh and pickled. They are also used for medical purposes - for example, for the treatment of sciatica.

Fruiting can continue in the fall, but such peppers will ripen already on the windowsill - green and orange fruits are laid out by the window and wait for ripening.

Chili peppers are very hot. Therefore, it is often enough to put only a few rings in the dish. If you put the fruit whole, you need to make sure that there are no cracks in it.

Reviews of growing chili peppers

Growing chili at home is really not difficult, as evidenced by the reviews of novice and more experienced gardeners. The main labor costs are associated with the stage of obtaining seedlings from seeds. Further care takes only a few minutes a day.

Anastasia, 35 years old, Chelyabinsk:

“I took up growing chili peppers out of curiosity - I just wondered: is it possible to get a pepper bush at all on my windowsill. It turns out, as long as possible. She took seeds from a friend - she breeds them in the country. And I don't eat such things - I just started growing for the company. The seedlings themselves appeared a month later. And the bush after transplantation also began to grow quite actively. There is no care for it at all - I only water it regularly. And it stands in my east window, where the light is only in the morning mostly. And, nevertheless, it grows and bears fruit - in July there were small peppers, about 4 cm. I am very satisfied. "

Yulia, 48 years old, Yaroslavl:

“I only grow flowers on windowsills. But in general, I recently decided to try to dilute chili peppers, because it's great to have a real healthy culture. The seeds were taken at their own risk from ordinary store-bought peppers. But first you need to dry it thoroughly - otherwise they will not ascend. And so the sprouts appeared in a week, which is very surprising. Care is simple: peppers are terrified of how they love water, so the soil should always remain moist. The rest is lighting, well, it can fertilize a couple of times. The fruits are guaranteed! "

Growing chili peppers is possible both in the country and in the room. Since its fruits are very pungent, many peppers are not needed for food purposes. Therefore, if you grow only 5-6 bushes, this will be enough for the whole family.