Pepper Yolo Wonder

Capsicum annum - Yolo Wonder

A perennial plant originally from Mexico. In cultivation, it is grown as an annual and can reach a height of 0.5–1.5 m. It has alternately arranged lanceolate leaves. The flowers are white and pentamerous. The fruit is a pod, whose natural color is red. About three thousand varieties of peppers are cultivated, both sweet and hot. The heat is caused by the alkaloid capsaicin. Initially, it was grown as an ornamental plant. Its use as a spice or vegetable came later. Today, two types of peppers are mainly used. The first is the bell pepper (Capsicum annuum). Another pepper widely used for spice production is the varieties of Capsicum frutescens, known as chilli. Generally, peppers are divided into six groups: pointed peppers (Hungarian type), square peppers, apple peppers, kapia, bull and ram horns, and spice or chilli peppers.

Peppers contain a lot of potassium, phosphorus and sodium and are, among others, a significant source of vitamin C, U and carotene. Vegetable varieties are used fresh, in salads or in cold and hot cuisine. Spice varieties are excellent piquant seasoning! Peppers have wide uses, they can be heat-treated, eaten cold, are suitable for preparing salads, Asian dishes or pickling. They are an excellent supplement in diets.

How to Grow Peppers

• Requires a warm sunny, sheltered location. The optimal temperature range during the growing season is 18–23°C. Temperatures below 14 and above 30°C are extreme and do not suit peppers. We plant peppers 2 next to each other. It is advisable to tie up peppers continuously. Ideal is to attach the plant to a leading stake both at the lower part of the plant and at the upper part. Regular watering and weed removal around plants are important. Under no circumstances should we water or spray in direct sunlight, as we would burn them. In a polytunnel or greenhouse, peppers will also grow much faster, mainly due to temperature and humidity. We regularly check peppers to see if they are infested with pests or if signs of physiological or fungal diseases appear.

• We sow peppers from January at the latest until the end of March. To make sowing easier, we can plant them in peat jiffies. If we choose planting in substrate, it should contain perlite mixed in a suitable ratio with nutrient-rich soil. We can therefore use a special substrate for sowing, which we mix with perlite or sand. We plant seeds about 1 cm deep. We treat planted seeds with Previcur, thus ensuring protection against damping off of seedlings. The temperature must be around 25 degrees Celsius. Air humidity should not change for proper seedling growth. Seedlings need plenty of light to prevent stretching. When at least two leaves sprout on small plants, it's time to transplant them into a pot. We transplant plants with root ball to a permanent location with spacing of 60–70 cm x 25–40 cm.

• Peppers require humus-rich, nutritious soil with sufficient available soil water and pH in the range of 6.5–7.5.

• Basic fertilization is to incorporate mature cow manure or compost into the soil where we will plant peppers. We carry out this fertilization in autumn. In autumn, we also lime the area with a dose of approximately 3.6 kg/m2 of ground limestone or 2 kg/m2 depending on the soil at the site. Before planting, it is advisable to incorporate 50 – 70 g/m2 of NPK fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content into the soil. During the growing season, we then add water-soluble NPK fertilizer - Cererit, Kristalon. It is important that the water-soluble fertilizer also contains microelements! We apply fertilizer every 14 days.

• Peppers are attacked by sucking pests such as aphids, whiteflies, or spider mites. For protection, we can use Mospilan, Decis Mega or Symfonie from Natura.

  With high air humidity, fruits can be attacked by mildews and fungi. The most well-known fungal diseases are gray and white rot. A suitable preparation against these fungal diseases is Ortiva.

  Bacterial spot of pepper plants is dangerous. Necrotic fruits affected by this spot usually crack and are destroyed. Multi-colored spots especially on fruits are caused by a bacterial disease called bronze spot. With these plant infestations, the best method is their elimination.

  Lack of calcium in the soil, irregular irrigation, or the presence of potassium in the soil causes physiological disorders. These deficiencies can manifest as disorders of fruits, leaves, flowers, which are often mistaken for fungal disease. In case plants are affected by necrosis, we maintain even irrigation, sufficient nutrition and treat them, for example, with effective calcium chloride or special foliar fertilizer.

• Peppers grown for green fruits are harvested as early as mid-July. Red or yellow fruits are harvested at the end of August and in September. Spice peppers (chilli) are harvested in autumn if grown outdoors or in a greenhouse.