Lamb horn - pepper for lovers of hot and spicy. But unlike the most burning ones (for example, Chile), it can be consumed fresh by placing it on top of a sandwich. The sensations are unbelievable - a furious fire is ignited in the mouth, but, fortunately, it goes out very quickly, leaving a soft, persistent aftertaste.
Red, curved like a ram’s horn, peppers ripen on the bushes, hanging side by side with green ones. The variety is unpretentious in cultivation, and subject to the techniques of agricultural technology gives an excellent harvest.
The variety owes its origin to Italy (according to other sources - Hungary). Breeders began working with him in the early twentieth century.
Scovilla Pepper Capsaicin Amount
Hot pepper Baraniy Rog is traditionally not one of the most burning.
The severity in them is due to the presence of a special substance in them - capsaicin. Back in 1912, an American chemist William Scovill, conducting experiments at a pharmaceutical company in Detroit (USA), developed a “pepper burning scale” based on alcohol extracts. She compares the
varieties of hot peppers with natural chemicals in terms of severity.
Not only scientists, but also breeders use this scale. Baraniy Rog - pepper containing about 35 thousand units on this scale (some Russian producers offer not very burning seeds of hybrids of this variety containing only up to 10,000 Scovilla units) . For comparison: pure capsaicide - 15 million units, gas cans - from 2 to 5.3 million units, the variety of pepper Habanero known in the Russian Federation - from 100 to 300 thousand units.
The substance capsaicin is used in pharmacology for warming plasters, ointments, tinctures. Pure capsaicin is a very burning substance, one milligram of it is enough to get a severe burn, like from hot iron.
How to germinate seeds
All varieties of hot pepper when germinated require the reproduction of natural wild conditions. High temperature (from 22 to 29 degrees Celsius) should be maintained until the cotyledons open and the first leaves appear.
Vegetable growers traditionally separate the process of seed germination of hot peppers from, in fact, growing seedlings. Why? Because to achieve 100% germination of these plants is difficult: an excellent result is considered if 65% sprout.
In Russia, traditionally seeds of sweet peppers are germinated by placing them in seedling containers (boxes) under glass or film. But for those who are burning, this process may fail.
Hot pepper Ram's horn is easier and easier to germinate in wet paper (a paper towel is considered ideal). Seeds must be carefully laid out on half of the napkin (they must be separated from each other), moistened with warm water from the spray bottle, cover the second half with napkins, moisten it, put it in a plastic bag, wrap it in a warm shawl and keep the temperature from 22 to 29 degrees. For these purposes, you can take advantage of the proximity to the heating battery, or put it on top of the refrigerator, you can put it on the drying cabinet, if it is located close to the hob - in short, find any surface where the temperature is constantly elevated.
Lamb Horn - pepper that sprouts on the sixth to seventh day, but you need to monitor the state of temperature and humidity constantly, starting from the first day. Seeds can germinate on the tenth day (sometimes up to three weeks), it depends on their quality and germination conditions.
As soon as a strong good sprout appears, the plant must be placed in an individual seedling cup, after making a small depression, then lightly sprinkle it with earth and moisten with a spray bottle.
Until the first leaves appear above the surface, the temperature must be maintained the same (22-29).
Bitter pepper Ram's horn: growing seedlings
For individual seedling cups when growing peppers, you need to strictly approach the composition of the earthen mixture. You can safely buy store soil, the package should have the inscription “For pepper”, or use a universal mixture by tracking the pH (acidity) from 5 to 6 units (slightly acidic).
In the case of using the soil mixture from the garden, you need to track that the compost (as a component) is not younger than three years (otherwise there will be many weeds). The composition of the mixture should include turf soil, leaf humus, sand (or a mixture of perlite, vermiculite and sand), a ratio of 1: 1: 1.
Variety of pepper Baraniy Rog: reviews of vegetable growers by planting dates
When cultivating this variety, it is necessary to take into account its mid-ripening. Lamb Horn - pepper , from seedlings to fruiting which has 130-140 days. Given this factor, you can independently calculate when you need to start germinating seeds.
If fruiting is expected in July (this is real in the greenhouse), then you need to start germinating in four months, that is, at the end of February. To get strong seedlings, peppers need to provide a large daylight hours, in the first month up to eight hours, then up to twelve. This is achieved by special lighting.
In the absence of backlighting, you can use the window facing the south-west, south. Natural backlight in March will be at first from four, then up to six hours.
The optimal time for starting work with peppers is considered the beginning of March.
Greenhouse cultivation
Varieties of bitter peppers , which include Baraniy Rog, require light soils without stagnation of water, warm temperatures (the hotter and drier, the sharper the fruits will grow) and good watering under the root.
In the greenhouse, the height of the bush can be up to 70-80 cm. Planting scheme in the greenhouse is 60x60 cm. The bush grows powerful with a large number of fruits. Usually it does not require a garter, but if all the conditions of the agricultural technology of the variety are met, and given the wilted arrangement of many large fruits, some branches should be tied.
On the bush there may be fruits in the stage of technical maturity (green), and ripened - red. The fruits do not fall off, they must be carefully removed to enable ripening as follows.
In polycarbonate greenhouses, peppers can grow until October without heating. If it is possible to create a powerful backlight and heating (at least minimal), even in the middle zone of the Russian Federation, you can take the fruits until November.
Outdoor cultivation
Planting is necessary when the temperature of the soil at night does not drop below 15-18 degrees, should not be earlier - the plants will begin to undergo all known and difficult to detect diseases.
Soil requirements are similar to greenhouse ones, but to a covered surface under a bush is a special approach: it must be mulched with hay, mowed grass, and rotted leaves. Under the mulch layer, the root system does not dry out, and weeds do not even emerge without light.
The formation of the bush is not required, the plant is standard. The height of the pepper of this variety can reach up to 50 cm. Planting pattern - 50x50 cm.
Fruiting occurs in late July, early August.
In late August and early September (without waiting for low night temperatures), plants can be removed from the soil with roots. If there are unripe fruits left on them, the peppers are turned over and hung out under the awnings (the main part of them will ripen without wrinkling).
It must be remembered that you should not plant bitter peppers and sweets nearby. Sweet peppers will begin to bitter, as cross-pollination occurs.