Features and secrets of growing Habanero peppers at home

Habanero peppers are the hottest type of pepper and belong to the Chile family. Those who can taste the habanero after the spiciness say it has hints of fruit and citrus. Pepper has a delicate floral aroma.

Habanero is native to South America and Mexico. From the 15th century it began to spread throughout all countries.In Mexico, they tell a legend that after choosing victims, the Aztecs told them that instead of a ritual ceremony, they could drink 2 glasses of Habanero tincture.

Description of fruits

The fruits are in the shape of a small heart, their weight is 50 g. Up to 2 - 3 kg are collected from one plant. One bush can produce up to 90 peppers.

The fruits vary in color: they can be orange, yellow, red, dark brown. By growing the plant correctly, you can harvest several harvests per season.

Habanero varieties

Peppers are made hot by a special substance called capsaicin. Scoville came up with a gradation of hotness for peppers. On his scale, all Habanero varieties are very hot.

The mildest type is the White Habanero, which has whitish fruits. The place in the middle is occupied by golden-red pepper. Next come the yellowish Fatali peppers, which are native to South Africa. A sharper variety is called “Devil’s Tongue.” Breeders from America have developed the orange pepper variety Tigerpaw NR. The letters NR mean that the variety is not affected by nematodes.

An even hotter pepper is the Chocolate Habanero, which has dark brown peppers. The hottest varieties with red fruits are Californian Red Savina and Habanero, bred in the Caribbean.

Beneficial properties of pepper

Habanero pepper contains a large amount of: vitamins (A, B, C, D) and microelements (calcium, iodine, phosphorus, potassium, iron).

Thanks to the composition when eating pepper:

• waste and toxins are removed;
• metabolism accelerates;
• the aging of the body slows down;
• the functioning of the stomach and intestines improves;
• a person is cured of viral diseases and colds;
• stress resistance increases;
• depression goes away;
• pressure decreases;
• back pain goes away;
• arthritis is cured.

Peppers contain capsaicin, which promotes hair growth. You can add a drop of juice to the hair mask. But they add just a little habanero to the dishes. The pepper is added for 1 minute and then removed.

You need to remember about contraindications: Habanero is not recommended for children, ulcer sufferers and nursing mothers.

Pepper is included in the patch, giving the product analgesic properties. Habanero is also added to anti-frostbite ointment.

Sowing seeds

Pepper cultivation begins with sowing seeds.

Step-by-step sowing of seeds:

1. 1. Sow the seeds in February. Wrap them in a damp cloth. Place in a warm place. Warmth is the key point; if it is not there, the seeds will not germinate at all.
   2. Make sure that the moisture does not dry out. Wait 3 days.
   3. To plant seeds, prepare peat pots with sterilized soil from 1 part peat, 2 parts soil, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part humus. The soil temperature should be about 26 °C. The soil should be slightly acidic with a pH of 6.5. Instead, you can purchase "Universal" soil from Morris Green.
   4. When, after 3–4 days, the seeds swell and begin to germinate, plant them, deepening them 0.7 cm into the soil. Water the soil before planting. Cover with clear glass or polyethylene.

1. Constantly slightly moisten the soil with a spray bottle so as not to wash away the seeds.
2. After 2 - 4 weeks the first shoots will appear, then remove the glass or film.
3. Young sprouts can be illuminated with fluorescent lamps. Place the lamps at a distance of 10 cm from the seedlings. It is better if the peppers have 16 hours of daylight.
4. When 2 true leaves grow, pick up the seedlings. You can transplant it into plastic cups.Further cultivation of seedlings consists of reducing daylight hours to 12 hours, placing the lamp 50 cm away from the seedlings.
5. Remember to water the seedlings, but do not overwater them.
6. When watering, you can add root or some complex fertilizers to the water: “Ideal”, “Florist Rost”.
7. 2 weeks before transplanting, harden the seedlings, take them out onto the loggia for 1 - 2 hours, gradually extending the period the plants stay outside.

8 to 10 weeks after sowing the seeds, when the seedlings are 15 cm tall, continue growing by transplanting each seedling into a large pot. Place the pots on the windowsill. If you want to transplant peppers to a plot or greenhouse, remember that the air temperature should be +21 °C during the day, and from 12 °C at night.

Plant care

Let's look at how to create optimal conditions for harvesting a rich and tasty pepper harvest.

What conditions are required?

Habanero peppers are a perennial plant. It has been growing at home for several years. Growing peppers is all about providing warmth and bright sunshine. Pepper does not tolerate drafts. Prefers soil with slightly acidic characteristics.

If you decide to grow peppers at home, then place them on a south-facing windowsill.

Feeding

Feed the bushes for the first time 15 days after planting the seedlings.

Feed them with minerals complex fertilizers for tomatoes and compost. When the pepper begins to bloom, feed it with growth stimulants.

Dutch organic fertilizer BioGrow is very suitable. Half a liter of fertilizer is dissolved in 250 liters of water. This is enough for 10 years of feeding peppers growing at home.

Watering

Water young bushes constantly, but make sure that there is no stagnation of water in the pots, otherwise the plant will get sick.

In winter, greatly reduce watering. Water the pepper abundantly in early April, since at this time it actively grows foliage. Water plants that are grown on the windowsill at home twice a day.

Trimming

Trim off some of the leaves. Pinch the top, then the crown will grow lush.

Pollination

If the pepper grows on your windowsill or in a greenhouse, then when flowering, transfer the pollen from flower to flower with a brush.

Harvest rationing

When flowering, pick off some of the first flowers. This will help the plants grow stronger and produce good harvests.

Diseases and pests

Before planting, treat the beds with Karbofos, Ultra, and Strela. When the plants are planted, they can be sprayed with infusion of tobacco or onion.

If a habanero pepper is attacked by a nematode, dig the bushes out of the soil so as not to damage the roots. Rinse and then dip the roots in water at a temperature of 50 – 55 °C. The nematodes will die.

If the bushes are affected by aphids, whiteflies and mites, then wash the bushes, making foam from dishwashing liquid. Let the plants sit in the foam for an hour. Then rinse it off in the shower with warm water.

If you make an infusion from the pepper fruits, you can water your garden crops with it. This infusion will save plants from bedbugs, ants and larvae.

Propagation by seeds

Hot Lemon and Bengle Naga seeds are sold online. The seller sends the seeds to Russia.

You can collect the seeds yourself:

1. Leave the ripe peppers on the bushes for up to 10 days.
2. Then pick them off, wearing gloves, and spread them out so that the fruits wilt somewhat. You should not touch your face with gloves, otherwise there will be burns.
3. Cut the fruit and remove the seeds.
4. Spread the seeds and dry.
5. When the seeds are dry, place them in paper bags and store.

Use of fruits

Peppers are quite difficult to eat raw.It is used to season meat and fish dishes, put in soups, canned food, and in the famous Tabasco sauce.

Peppers should not be thrown into boiling oil: this will cause them to turn black and lose their flavor.

Pepper can grow in an apartment for 7–10 years, and you can collect the fruits several times a year. Habaneros are easy to care for. The plant grows well in slightly acidic soil, prefers warmth, bright lighting, and regular but moderate watering. Does not tolerate drafts and cold air. The bushes are disease resistant. They are immune to most pests.