Those who like spicy dishes should definitely plant Spark pepper on their windowsill. This popular houseplant, among other things, is also very beautiful. Growing it is not at all difficult. In order for the pepper to develop well and actively bear fruit, it should simply be watered and fertilized on time.
general description
There are several varieties of indoor pepper Twinkle. If desired, you can plant both a small plant (20-30 cm), and a higher one (up to 50 cm). Particularly popular among lovers of indoor flowers is a short, compact, homemade pepper Spark.
The decorative value of this plant is represented by both dark green sharp small leaves and bright fruits. The shape and color of the latter can be very different. Varieties with round, plum-like, cone-shaped fruits are grown on the windowsills of lovers of indoor plants. Both yellow and red or purple peppercorns look very nice. As they ripen, the fruits of this plant change color. Therefore, fruits of different shades can simultaneously grow on a bush. It looks very impressive. The taste of pepper can also be different. Varieties are found both with very burning fruits, and with not too sharp.
Spark - pepper, the flowers of which do not differ in particular beauty. Most often, they are white or purple, small in size and look a little rough. Their value lies only in the fact that subsequently bright fruits with seeds suitable for independent planting grow out of them. At the same time, up to 50 peppercorns can ripen on the plant. At the same time, the bush still does not stop blooming. So you can harvest crops from it almost all year round.
Departure Dates
Propagated indoor pepper. The spark is mainly only seeds. This is the easiest way to get a strong, effective, productive plant in a fairly short time. Earlier, in specialized literature, there were tips to plant seeds of domestic pepper at the same time as seedlings of ordinary garden vegetables, that is, in late February - early March. Recently, however, on forums of relevant topics from experienced lovers of indoor plants, one can often hear the recommendation to perform this procedure a little earlier. The fact is that if you plant the Twinkle in November, by the summer much larger and brighter fruits will grow on it.
Pepper Care Spark: What Land to Use
The advice found in the literature to plant this pepper in a special purchase soil, many experienced flower growers today also reject. Fans of this beautiful and also useful plant noticed that it feels best when planted in ordinary garden soil. The only thing - it is advisable to preliminarily slightly fertilize such land with rotted manure. This top dressing should be steamed. Otherwise, the pepper can become infected with a black leg. When overheated in manure, all pathogenic bacteria die (due to exposure to high temperatures). However, during storage, microorganisms can settle in the organic substrate again.
How to plant
Spark - pepper, the seeds of which can be purchased in a specialized store or taken from a friend amateur grower. The pot for this plant is usually taken small. Flower pots with a volume of 1 liter for the first time will be quite enough. In the future, pepper, most likely, will have to be transplanted two to three times. This indoor plant can bear fruit for 5 years. However, it is usually grown no more than two or three. Then the pepper is changed to a new one. The fact is that by this time he is losing some of his decorative properties and begins to give much smaller yields.
At the bottom of the pot, in order to avoid root decay, it is necessary to lay drainage from pebbles and broken shards. Then, prepared soil mixed with manure is poured into the container and slightly moistened. 3 seeds are usually planted in one pot (to a depth of not more than 1 cm). Subsequently, the strongest pepper can be left in the container. After planting, the soil in the pot should be carefully watered with not too much water.
Plant transplant
Transshipment of pepper Spark in a large pot is done immediately, as it will take 60-65 days after planting. Drain should be placed in the container. It is better to use the soil of the same composition as it was in a small pot. The lump of earth in the old container should first be separated with a knife from the walls. The day before transshipment, the plant must be abundantly watered. Then this procedure will be much simpler. Then the pepper is carefully removed and transferred to a new pot. In the last, you should first pour drainage and 3-5 cm of garden soil. After the pepper is installed in the pot, the free space between the lump with roots and walls of the new container must be covered with soil.
Where to put the pot
Immediately after planting, the container with seeds should be covered with a film and put in a warm place. When loops appear, the pot is transferred to the windowsill. After 2-3 real leaflets appear on the plants, the extra seedlings are removed.
Twinkle - photophilous pepper. He is not at all afraid of even very strong sunlight. Therefore, to establish a pot with these burning bright plants is best on the south window. In winter, peppers should be highlighted with a fluorescent lamp whenever possible.
The heating battery in the cold season should be covered with a blanket or a piece of some thick cloth. Pepper overheats The sparkle on the windowsill, like in any other place, does not like. The optimum temperature for it in the winter is 19-22 ° C.
How to water
In the summer, moisten the soil under pepper Spark should be quite often. Watering is carried out after the soil in the pot dries 1 cm. It is, of course, not worthwhile to arrange a “swamp” in the tank. Otherwise, the roots may rot in the pepper. In winter, watering is reduced. Once a week during this period will be quite enough.
Of course, if the Spark is on the south window, watering should be done carefully, trying not to get on the leaves. Otherwise, burns will appear on them. For irrigation should only use settled water at room temperature. Chlorine pepper, like most other indoor plants, can be very harmful.
How to fertilize
Spark - pepper, which can be fed with manure and complex universal means of purchase. In the latter case, you can use, for example, nitrophos (1 box per 10 liters).
A very good solution would also be to carry out foliar feeding of pepper with wood ash (2 tbsp. Insist in 3 l of water). Spray the plant should be plentiful. This procedure is carried out exclusively in the morning or in the evening, so as not to burn the leaves.
For the first time, pepper is fertilized before it actively starts growing. Feeding is not necessary too often. In winter, it will be enough to fertilize the plant once - in January. In the summer, top dressing is done more often - about twice a month.
Diseases and Pests
That's how pepper is grown. Spark on a windowsill. Caring for it is relatively simple. Moreover, even illnesses do not strike him often. If the air in the room is too warm and dry, aphids can attack the plants. It is necessary to fight it with the help of insecticides. It can be, for example, Fitoverm or Agromertin. You can use these products no later than two weeks before harvesting.
What can I use
Most often, the fruit of the pepper Spark is used in order to give a piquant taste of various kinds of pickles. 2-3 pods are usually put on a three-liter jar of tomatoes or cucumbers. You can also use the fruits as a medicine by adding them to vodka.
Pepper Spark contains a huge amount of vitamins. In addition, they can give a unique taste and aroma to almost any dish. Many housewives use the fruits of this plant for frying borsch, add them to stew, salt with their use of bacon, etc.