Detailed Explanation of Chili Pepper Planting Techniques and Management Key Points

Chili Pepper

Aliases: cow horn pepper, long chili pepper, hot pepper

Planting season: March-May (can be sown year-round; can overwinter outdoors in the south).

Chili Pepper - Seedling Raising

① Can be broadcast-sown or dibbled for seedling raising and transplanting. It is best to disinfect the seeds first by soaking them in warm water at about 50°C for 15 minutes, then soaking them in a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for about 20 minutes, rinsing with clean water, and then sowing.

② After watering the soil thoroughly, broadcast the seeds on the soil surface (if dibbling, 2-3 seeds per hole), cover with about 1 cm of soil, and keep the soil moist. At 25-30°C, germination takes about 3-5 days; below 15°C, germination is difficult.

③ During the seedling stage, control moisture to prevent leggy growth; generally, do not water unless the soil is dry. When there are 8-10 true leaves, choose a warm sunny afternoon for transplanting and setting out, keeping as much soil around the roots as possible, 1 plant per pot, with planting depth so that the cotyledons are level with the soil, and water thoroughly; after they survive, manage normally.

?Chili Pepper - Daily Management

① When the plant height exceeds 30 cm, set up supports in time, tying the main stem to bamboo poles with string. When the top of the main stem begins to branch, pruning can be done; for hot pepper types, generally remove all side branches below the fork; for sweet pepper types, keep the fork and the first side branch, and remove all side branches below them.

② It likes moderate light intensity; during intense summer sun, provide appropriate shade to avoid sunscald. In southern regions, after summer, the plants can be pruned and appropriately fertilized to encourage new branch growth.

③ The ratio of nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium is best at 1:0.5:1; it is advisable to apply complete fertilizer, and decomposed organic fertilizer can be applied every 7-10 days as a top dressing, with concentration not too high; the seedling stage needs more nitrogen fertilizer, while flowering and fruiting need more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer; too much nitrogen fertilizer easily causes flower drop.

④ It is relatively drought-tolerant but not waterlogging-tolerant, and water accumulation should be avoided. Before flowering, moisture can be appropriately controlled to prevent leggy growth; during the fruiting period, more water is needed, and drought should be avoided.

⑤ Growth is slow during the seedling stage, so amaranth seeds can be broadcast-sown as an interplanted crop before and after setting out.

?Chili Pepper - Harvesting

Generally 2-3 weeks after the flowers fade, when the fruit has fully swollen and is green in color, it can be harvested; it can also be picked when the fruit turns yellow or red and ripe. Note to harvest in multiple pickings as much as possible, picking the fruit together with the stem, and leaving more fruit on the plant can increase yield.

????Chili Pepper - Nutritional Value

It contains a variety of vitamins and trace elements, among which vitamin A and vitamin C content is outstanding among vegetables; the capsaicin it contains can promote appetite, help digestion, and has the effect of dispelling cold and removing dampness. Li Baoxian