Pepper bitter, small

Family - Solanaceous. Homeland - Central and South America. A small perennial herbaceous ornamental and fruit plant up to 30-40 cm in height. The main ornament of bitter pepper is fruits that, depending on the varieties, are painted in bright red, red, yellow, orange or purple colors, most often between 2.5 and 5see it deservedly referred to the most elegant house plant. Its flowers are yellowish-white, they blossom in late June, early July.

♦ Accommodation. Plants are located in rooms with direct sunlight. Usually a 3-month-old seedling already with bud buds in June is exposed to a sunny window sill. With the onset of cool autumn and winter days, the pepper is transferred to a moderately warm room, where its fruit ripens.

♦ Care. The seeds sown in the first decade of March are placed in a warm room. With the emergence of shoots, plants are dived into boxes or pots, and when the first real leaves develop, they are again transplanted into pots. For the planting of bitter pepper, the substrate is the same as for sweet pepper.

Watering abundantly. Once every two weeks, fertilizing is carried out, preferably a liquid fertilizer "Rainbow".The plant requires high humidity, so put it on a pallet with a wet gravel. When grown in a one-year culture, he does not need a transplant. After the fruit ripens, the plant is destroyed. Old shrubs can be rejuvenated by trimming, then the formation of young shoots is enhanced, flowering and fruiting and the plant can be grown in 2 to 3 years of culture.

♦ Pests and diseases are the same as for sweet pepper.

♦ Reproduction - by seeds.

Analysis of

As a food, bitter pepper is used in small quantities to stimulate appetite, and dry, ground as a condiment to various dishes. To improve digestion, alcoholic tincture of bitter pepper is recommended for eating. Pepper plasters are known as an excellent remedy against polyarthritis and rheumatism, and the ointment obtained from powdered pepper powder is used from frostbite.