Detailed Explanation of Key Points for New Three-Cherry Pepper Cultivation Techniques
Three-Cherry pepper, also known as facing-heaven pepper, is a cluster-bearing small chili pepper with strong pungency, a compact plant, and fruits that grow upward. Three-Cherry pepper is a variety of chili pepper, with a short plant and clustered fruits that grow facing upward, hence it is called facing-heaven pepper, three-eagle pepper, sky-eagle pepper, small chili pepper, etc.
Variety Selection
Common domestic varieties include Aoqi Pepper King, Nongpan No. 6, Century Pepper King, Zaofeng No. 6, Japanese Red Rich, etc., yielding 400~600 kg of dried peppers per mu.
Seedling Raising
1. Time and method of seedling raising: For seedling raising in arched sheds or medium sheds, sow in early April without pricking out.
2. Nutrient soil preparation: The field soil should be chosen from soil that has not grown solanaceous vegetables for 3 years; corn stubble, onion stubble, and garlic stubble are better. Organic fertilizer must be fully decomposed, and furnace ash should be aged. The nutrient soil mixing ratio is 6 parts field soil, 3 parts organic fertilizer, and 1 part furnace ash or river sand. Add 0.5~1 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, 2~3 kg of biological bacterial fertilizer, and 100 g of chelated iron fertilizer per cubic meter of nutrient soil. Add 50 g of 50% carbendazim and 30 g of 50% thiram per cubic meter of nutrient soil.
3. Preparing medicated soil: For each square meter of seedbed soil, use 8~10 g of 60% carbendazim and 70% thiophanate-methyl mixed evenly with 10~15 kg of sieved fine soil. When sowing, use 1/3 as bottom soil and 2/3 as covering soil.
4. Covering the shed: For seedling raising in arched sheds or medium sheds, generally cover the shed 7~10 days before sowing.
5. Seed treatment: Before sowing, select seeds with pure variety, strong vitality, no pests or diseases, and no impurities, then spread them out in the sun for 2~3 days. Soak the seeds 5~6 days before sowing. First pre-soak the seeds in clean water for 4 hours, remove them, then place them in a 10% trisodium phosphate solution for 20~30 minutes. After washing clean, pour the seeds into 55°C water and soak for 15 minutes, using an amount of water 5 times the seed volume, stirring continuously, then soak in clean water for 8~12 hours. Keep the temperature at 25~30°C and relative humidity at about 95%. Rinse with clean water twice a day. After 4~5 days of germination, when the young seedlings emerge from the seed coat and the radicle length equals the seed length, they can be sown.
6. Sowing: The seedling bed should be watered thoroughly before sowing. After the water has completely seeped down, cover with a layer of medicated soil, spread the germinated seeds evenly on top. For greenhouse or large shed seedling raising, the sowing density is 1.5 cm apart; for arched shed or medium shed seedling raising, the sowing density is 3~4 cm apart. After sowing, cover with medicated soil 0.5~0.8 cm deep. Cover with plastic film to increase temperature and preserve moisture. Remove the film after 70% of the seeds have emerged. Use 120~150 g of seed per mu.
Field Planting
Loam or sandy soil is preferred. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: 5000~6000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure, 25~30 kg of diammonium phosphate, 15~20 kg of potassium sulfate, 15 kg of urea, 10 kg of calcium silicate, 1.5~2 kg of ammonium sulfate, and 0.5~0.8 kg of zinc sulfate per mu. Prepare the land with deep plowing and fine harrowing, and make ridges 60 cm or 90 cm wide. Lay plastic film about 7 days before final thinning. Before laying film, spray herbicides such as trifluralin and acetochlor (if black weed-control film is used, no herbicide is needed). Plant after the last frost (around May 20). Plant double rows on 60 cm ridges and 3 rows on 90 cm ridges, all using single-plant cultivation, with a plant spacing of 20~25 cm, maintaining 13,000~17,000 plants per mu.
Field Management
After laying the film, check frequently; if there are openings, immediately press them firmly with soil. When the main stem grows to 14~16 leaves, pinch off the growing tip. After planting, water as needed to help seedlings recover. Before the pepper-setting stage, do not water unless the field is dry; the water amount should be small, keeping the soil alternately dry and moist. After entering the pepper-setting stage, ensure the soil has sufficient moisture; after late August, when entering the fruit ripening stage, control water to promote fruit coloring and ripening. In case of heavy rain, drain the field promptly so that there is no standing water after rain. At the early flowering stage, spray 120 g of rare earth diluted in 45 kg of water per mu on the leaves. After planting and seedling recovery, spray rooting powder once every 7~10 days.
Ripening Acceleration and Harvest
If there are many green peppers, use ripening agent to promote reddening 7~10 days before harvest. Generally, harvest by pulling up the whole plant at one time. After harvest, stack the peppers with roots facing inward for air-drying and natural wind drying.
Facing-heaven chili is one of the spicier types of chili peppers. In daily life, many friends who love spicy food enjoy eating it very much, especially when it is made into chopped chili for stir-frying, which is very delicious. Therefore, many people who love spicy food in daily life greatly enjoy eating this kind of chili.