Sweet Pepper for Greenhouse Demetra F1

Capsicum annuum - Dementra F1

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 main types of peppers are primarily used. The first is the bell pepper (Capsicum annuum). Another pepper widely used for spice production are varieties of the species Capsicum frutescens, known as chili. In general, peppers are divided into six groups: cone-shaped peppers (Hungarian type), square peppers, apple peppers, kapia, bull's horn and ram's horn peppers, and spice or chili peppers.

Peppers contain plenty of potassium, phosphorus and sodium, and are an important source of vitamin C, U and carotene, among others. Vegetable varieties are used fresh, in salads or in cold and hot cuisine. Spice varieties are excellent spicy seasonings! Peppers have wide applications - they can be cooked, eaten cold, are suitable for preparing salads, Asian dishes or pickling. They are an excellent dietary supplement.

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°C and above 30°C are extreme and don't suit peppers well. We plant peppers 2 next to each other. Peppers should be regularly tied up. Ideally, the plant should be secured to a main stake both at the lower part of the plant and at the upper part. Regular watering and weed removal around the plants are important. Under no circumstances should we water or spray in direct sunlight, as this would burn them. In a polytunnel or greenhouse, peppers will grow much faster, mainly due to temperature and humidity. We regularly check peppers for pests or signs of physiological or fungal diseases.

• We sow peppers from January until the end of March at the latest. To make sowing easier, we can plant them in peat jiffy pellets. If we choose to plant in substrate, it should contain perlite mixed in an appropriate ratio with nutrient-rich soil. We can therefore use special sowing substrate mixed with perlite or sand. We plant seeds approximately 1 cm deep. We treat sown seeds with Previcur to protect against damping off of seedlings. The temperature should be around 25 degrees Celsius. Air humidity should remain constant for proper seedling growth. Seedlings need plenty of light to prevent stretching. When at least two leaves appear on the small plants, it's time to transplant them into pots. We transplant plants with root balls to their permanent location at a spacing of 60–70 cm x 25–40 cm.

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

• Basic fertilization involves incorporating mature cow manure or compost into the soil where we will plant the peppers. We perform this fertilization in autumn. In autumn, we also lime the area with approximately 3.6 kg/m² of ground limestone or 2 kg/m² depending on the soil at the location. Before planting, it's advisable to incorporate 50–70 g/m² of NPK fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content into the soil. During the growing season, we apply water-soluble NPK fertilizer - Cererit, Kristalon. It's important that the water-soluble fertilizer also contains micronutrients! 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 molds and fungi. The most well-known fungal diseases are gray and white rot. A suitable preparation for protection against these fungal diseases is Ortiva.

  Bacterial spot on pepper plants is dangerous. Necrotic fruits affected by this spot usually crack and are destroyed. Variously colored spots, especially on fruits, are caused by a bacterial disease called bronze spot. When plants are affected by these diseases, the best solution is their elimination.

  Calcium deficiency in soil, irregular watering, or presence of potassium in soil causes physiological disorders. These deficiencies may manifest as disorders of fruits, leaves, and flowers, which are often confused with fungal diseases. If plants are affected by necrosis, we maintain regular watering, adequate nutrition and treat them with, for example, 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 (chili) are harvested in autumn if grown outdoors or in a greenhouse.