Ornamental pepper: a colorful, beautiful and tasty potted ornamental vegetable

We have introduced many kinds of potted vegetables. A while ago at the flower market, I saw vegetables being sold as potted flowers, and that is the vegetable introduced below. It is the ornamental pepper, with colorful fruits hanging all over the branches. The plant is short and compact, and paired with a small flower pot, it looks especially adorable.

I heard that ornamental peppers can also be eaten, but you should not eat too many. It is a very spicy variety. Medical research has also shown that ornamental peppers contain relatively high amounts of beneficial components such as vitamin C, which help promote blood circulation in humans. Its taste is pungent, and it does not look like something to be trifled with. Do you know what it tastes like?

Above is an ornamental pepper blooming and bearing fruit at the same time. It can maintain a very long flowering and fruiting period, but do not pick it casually. Its taste is especially spicy, more than 10 times spicier than ordinary chili peppers. However, ornamental peppers are mainly grown for viewing, and few people use them for eating. From the picture above, you can see fruits of different colors such as purple, pink, yellow and red, which look especially enticing.

If you want to enjoy potted ornamental peppers, you can just buy a few pots directly at the flower market. Summer and autumn are its viewing seasons. In winter, it needs to be moved indoors for care, because it is easily damaged by freezing when it is too cold in winter.

However, you can also properly collect some mature ornamental pepper seeds in autumn and winter, dry them in the sun and then place them in a shaded area, and sow them after the beginning of spring the following year. Before sowing ornamental peppers, the seeds need to be soaked in clean water for 3~5 days, changing the water every day. After tender white sprouts appear on the seeds, they can be evenly scattered over slightly moist soil. Keep the soil slightly moist and the environment warm and ventilated, and they will quickly take root and sprout.

Ornamental peppers also come in various forms. Their plant shape can be controlled by pinching off the tops, which can encourage more branching. In addition, pay attention to applying thin fertilizer frequently. After the seedlings grow to 6 leaves, you can supplement nutrient solution fertilizer at the top, once a week, to promote vigorous plant growth.

After the ornamental pepper seedlings are transplanted, enough decomposed organic fertilizer needs to be added to the soil, which can promote strong growth of ornamental peppers in the later stage. The soil can be a mix of compost soil, peat soil and river sand. After transplanting, avoid overly strong light, keep the soil slightly moist, and avoid the soil becoming too dry.

When the plant grows to about 15 cm, you can pinch off the top to encourage more branching, which is beneficial for more flowering and fruiting later. During the growth period of ornamental peppers, keep sufficient moisture, avoid soil drought, and ensure a certain level of environmental humidity to avoid dry air. The care environment should also be well ventilated.

Caring for ornamental peppers means giving them sufficient light, with more than 5 hours of light per day being best. They can be grown on a windowsill or rooftop. When the summer temperature is too high, potted ornamental peppers need appropriate shading, while in other seasons, let them get as much light as possible.

Before flowering and when bearing fruit, appropriately supplement organic liquid fertilizer, which can promote better growth. However, be sure to note that when watering and fertilizing, neither the clean water nor the fertilizer should touch the leaves, flowers or fruits.