How to Grow Ornamental Peppers: Cultivation Techniques and Precautions Explained
The ornamental pepper (five-color pepper) is a variety introduced and cultivated in China from abroad. It is currently distributed in many parts of China and is a relatively common plant. Ornamental peppers come in rich colors, commonly purple, red, yellow, green and so on, and their ornamental value and edible value are both very high, which is why they attract many people to grow them. Before planting, let us first learn about its cultivation techniques!
How to Grow Ornamental Peppers
Exposed-root cultivation is a cultivation method in which, on the basis of planting as shallowly as possible, once the ornamental pepper sets fruit, the pepper roots that rise above the ground are washed, so that the emerged part of the root system is left bare. Plant as shallowly as possible; do not plant deeply when transplanting. If seedlings are raised in nutrient pots, then when planting out, expose 1/3 of the pot body above the ground.
Ornamental Pepper Cultivation Techniques
1. Sowing and seedling raising. For spring planting, raise seedlings with plastic film in mid-to-late March, requiring the ground temperature to be stable above 10 degrees. For summer seedling raising, sow from late April to early May. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water to promote germination; when the white sprout tips emerge, sow by dibbling, with 3 seeds per hole, and cover with 2 cm of moist soil. The seedbed should be chosen in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot, with a bed width of 1 m preferably; spread 20 cm of fertile fine soil on the bed surface, level the bed surface, water thoroughly, and once the water has seeped into the soil layer, sow the sprouted seeds, then cover with a layer of fine sandy soil, just enough to hide the sprouted seeds. Finally, evenly scatter a layer of plant ash, build an arched shed with bamboo supports, with the arched shed 25 cm above the ground, and cover it tightly with film. When the seedlings grow to 3 true leaves, uncover the film and ventilate according to weather conditions to prevent strong light from damaging the seedlings. At the same time, thin the seedlings in time, with a seedling spacing of 4 cm square preferably. In addition, during the seedling stage, use kangkuening or chlorothalonil together with 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and spray evenly 2-3 times to prevent early defoliation disease.
2. Land preparation and transplanting. When the seedlings grow to 5 true leaves, they can be transplanted. Sufficient base fertilizer must be applied to the field: for every 667 sq m, apply 1500 kg of livestock manure, 25 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 10 kg of urea or 40 kg of ammonium bicarbonate. Large and small seedlings should be transplanted separately, with a narrow row spacing of 40 cm, a wide row spacing of 60 cm, and a plant spacing of 35 cm; for late-planted ornamental peppers on poor land, the plant spacing is 25 cm.
Precautions for Growing Ornamental Peppers
After transplanting, water sufficiently to keep moist. At the beginning of the flowering stage, apply 15 kg of urea per 667 sq m, and apply another fruit-preserving fertilizer in July to ensure no premature aging in October. Before the plants close their rows, combine weeding with loosening the soil and earthing up around the roots; do not hoe deeply and damage the roots. Water during high temperature and drought, and dig field drainage ditches well. Prevent waterlogging from causing leaf drop, flower drop and fruit drop. To prevent disease damage, you may combine pest control with broad-spectrum fungicides such as zineb and carbendazim, and at the same time add plant vitality essence and Fengchanlu and spray evenly on both sides of the leaves.
Pests and Diseases of Ornamental Peppers and Their Control
1. Whitefly. Whitefly is currently one of the most difficult pests to control. At present, yellow sticky traps and chemical control are generally used. When whitefly is severe, 3000-fold imidacloprid can be used for root drenching. After root drenching, the efficacy can last about 2 months. Pesticides such as Yibianjing, deltamethrin and beta-cypermethrin can also be used.
2. Phytophthora blight. Control method: soak seeds in 1000-fold 25% metalaxyl solution for 2 hours, then raise seedlings in new disease-free soil to prevent seed-borne bacteria. Use high-ridge planting, avoid waterlogging, and pay attention to controlling the amount and frequency of watering. After planting, drench the roots and spray the plants with 800-1000-fold copper oxychloride solution. After disease onset, spray with Pumeite, Lukexing, Keshade and Ridomil, which gives relatively good control results
3. Anthracnose. Control method: drain promptly after rain to avoid waterlogging. Choose a relatively ventilated place for planting. At the early stage of disease, spray 800-fold 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder, or 600-fold 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder, or 800-fold copper oxychloride solution.
When growing ornamental peppers, you must do a good job of site selection, and then sow at the right time. After planting, you must do a good job of field management and ensure adequate fertilizer and water, so that they can grow well. Ornamental peppers are also very susceptible to pests and diseases, so pest and disease control work must also be done properly.