Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Three-Cherry Pepper

Three-Cherry Pepper, also known as Japanese Three-Cherry Pepper, is a variety of facing-heaven chili, with a compact plant type, fruits born in clusters, growing upward, and thin flesh. It has a strong spicy flavor and high oil content. Three-Cherry Pepper has a field growth period of 120-135 days, a plant height of 40-60cm, 8-15 branches per plant, 150-200 peppers per plant, and a concentrated maturity period, allowing a one-time harvest, with a dry pepper yield of 200-300kg per mu.

Three-Cherry Pepper is generally grown in a wheat-pepper intercropping pattern, that is, when sowing wheat before the year, sow one furrow of wheat, leave one furrow of empty land (a 120cm strip, sow three rows of wheat, occupying 40cm in width, leaving an 80cm gap), transplant and establish seedlings in late April, and harvest in mid-to-late October.

Seedling Raising Techniques

Three-Cherry Pepper is generally sown and raised as seedlings in early to mid-March, and must be raised in a sun-facing bed or small arched shed. To plant one mu of land, 35-40 square meters of seedlings need to be raised. After treating the seeds, choose a “cold tail, warm head” period for sowing, that is, after sowing there should be 5-6 consecutive sunny days. Seedbed management should focus on three aspects: in the early stage, do well in keeping warm and preventing freezing, promote early emergence and full emergence of seedlings; in the middle stage, reasonably regulate temperature and humidity to prevent seedling scorching, seedling flash and seedling collapse; in the later stage, strengthen seedling hardening to prevent leggy growth and improve the adaptability and stress resistance of the seedlings. When the seedlings emerge and the cotyledons unfold, thin the seedlings in time; when 2-3 true leaves have unfolded, keep the seedling spacing at 3-5cm. When the seedlings have 4-6 leaves, gradually increase ventilation; 5-7 days before transplanting, remove the film all day.

Timely Transplanting

For wheat-pepper intercropping with Three-Cherry Pepper, on the basis of applying sufficient base fertilizer when sowing wheat before the year, apply 25kg of diammonium per mu, 10-15kg of urea or 30-40kg of ammonium bicarbonate as base fertilizer; the transplanting and establishment time is generally in mid-to-late April. Water the seedbed thoroughly one day before transplanting, so that when lifting the seedlings more soil is carried and fewer roots are damaged. When transplanting, plant three rows in the 80cm gap, with a row spacing of 20-25cm and a plant spacing of about 25cm, planting two plants per hole, with 6500-7000 holes per mu.

Field Management

Three-Cherry Pepper generally adopts a one-time fertilization method, with no topdressing during the growing period. However, for plots with poor fertilizer retention or fertilizer deficiency, quick-acting chemical fertilizer can be applied after the peppers set fruit; during the entire growth period, the ground should be kept alternating between dry and moist. The yield of Three-Cherry Pepper is mainly concentrated on the side branches; the yield on the main stem accounts for only 10%, while the yield on the side branches accounts for 80-90%. Therefore, within 5-7 days after the seedlings recover, the tops should be removed in time to limit main stem growth and promote side branch sprouting.

Timely Harvesting

Three-Cherry Pepper is generally harvested once by pulling up the whole plant before Frost's Descent. Therefore, in order to promote the upper green fruits to turn red, about 10 days before Frost's Descent, spray the whole field once with ethephon; before the pepper plants are pulled up, all leaves fall off and all fruits turn red. After the whole plants are pulled up, spread them in the field or hang them upside down on trees, ropes or built wooden racks to dry. After the whole Three-Cherry Pepper plants are thoroughly sun-dried, sprinkle water 12 hours before picking to let them regain moisture, then pick and grade them according to color and completeness. After picking, spread them thinly to continue drying, and they can be sold after drying.