During the great geographical discoveries from America, not only potatoes and tomatoes were brought to the Old World, but also such a popular vegetable product as capsicum. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with black pepper. The latter is a native of India, a long-known spice that belongs to the genus Pepper of the order Peppermint. Capsicum, also vegetable, comes from the tropical regions of America.
Botanical Description
Vegetable pepper belongs to the genus Kapsikum, the Solanaceae family from the nightshade order. Today, it is spread as a garden culture almost throughout the globe. A relative of potato, tomato, eggplant and our black nightshade. Wild culture is found as a perennial plant, but vegetable growers grow it as an annual. The fruit is a hollow berry of a wide variety of shades and shapes. There are red, yellow, green, almost white, chocolate brown and even purple fruits. The shape is diverse: from almost round to pronounced conical. To taste, gardeners divide it into two subspecies:
- bitter - chili.
- sweet - paprika.
Plant hybrids
Close-breed crosses often produce offspring with stronger characteristics than parental lines. Wanting to get the most useful plant with desired properties, breeders pay great attention to vegetable pepper. As a result, a large number of hybrid lines have been created for almost every climate zone. Unlike varietal species, they do not transmit to the offspring all their qualities. As it is customary to say among gardeners, they quickly degenerate. It is no coincidence that in Russia of the 18th century the word "bastards" was used. Only from the beginning of the 19th century did they begin to change it to an emotionally weaker expression - “crossbreed”. By the 20th century, the term "hybrid" appeared.
When buying seeds, on the label you can often see the inscription “Hybrid F1”. This means that the grown plant is the first in hybrid crossbreeding and has the most pronounced characteristics. Subsequent generations of the initial properties will not show in full or in general.
A popular variety of pepper
Vegetable growers are well aware of Snowfall. Designed specifically for the harsh climate zone, it has amazing productivity features.
In the southern regions it grows well in open ground, in the north it feels good in greenhouses. To understand the charm of this hybrid, it is enough to give a few distinguishing characteristics from the description:
- Pepper Snowfall refers to early ripening hybrids. When planting on seedlings in February and early March, ripe fruits can be obtained by the first half of August.
- The plant is tall with a powerful structure. From one bush you can get up to 60 fruits. By weight it is about 5 kg.
- The fruits are fleshy, up to 15 cm long, have a conical shape.
- For consumption, the fruits are removed at the white stage. As the seeds ripen, they become red.
- Use for salads as well as for hot dishes. Pepper is suitable for canning or freezing.
Hybrid Pros
According to reviews, pepper Snowfall is well-respected. This is due to the fact that:
- The fruits are distinguished by high palatability. They are equally well suited for salads and cooking hot dishes.
- Productivity varieties in climatic conditions of the middle zone of Russia, the Urals and Siberia practically does not know competitors.
- The fruits are large, convenient for processing.
- A torn fruit lies for a very long time, it retains its qualities well in frozen form. Great for canning.
- The plant is unpretentious and practically does not need care.
Rules for growing seedlings
Seeds for seedlings are planted at the rate in order to transplant the plant into the ground for 50-60 days. The seeds of the hybrid Snowfall pepper variety are already sold ready for planting; it is enough to soak them for a day in a solution of a growth stimulator.
In order not to injure plants during a dive, it is better to plant two seeds in small peat cups. The container with seedlings is covered with glass or a transparent film and placed in a warm place. Watering is carried out from the spray gun so that the earth does not dry out, but also is not too moist. After emergence, the film is removed and a small greenhouse is made. It is important that the seedling is constantly in a zone of high humidity.
After the first true leaves of Snowfall pepper appear, the weaker plant is removed, the stronger one is transplanted into a larger pot. It is not necessary to remove it from the peat pot; it itself quickly decomposes in the soil. A container with seedlings is placed in a cool and well-lit place. It is better for residents of the northern regions to additionally illuminate plants with phytolamps. Before planting in the ground, seedlings are fed 2-3 times with fertilizers.
Landing
Before planting, seedlings of pepper Snowfall need to be hardened. The best way is to put it in a closed greenhouse for several days after the last frost.
When choosing a permanent place to grow, you should avoid the areas where tomatoes and potatoes used to grow. As predecessors, cabbage, cucumbers, onions are well suited. You can plant in the place of gourds.
Pepper Snowfall does not tolerate the wind, so in the northern regions it is better to leave it under the film. For the south, just select a closed sunny area. In summer, plants are regularly watered, preventing flooding. It is 2-3 times a season to feed pepper with fertilizer, given the quality of the soil. Closer to autumn, a bush of peppers will please a plentiful harvest.