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Today no one will be surprised by red, yellow, green or white bell pepper. The shape of peppers also varies: from cuboid to elongated, cone-shaped. Among the variety of varieties, the Bell pepper stands out, the fruit of which resembles a flower bud. This plant is unique and belongs to a rare group of berry peppers. The Bell appeared in South America, where it remains very popular to this day. In Russia, the amazing flower pepper began to be grown quite recently, but it is quickly gaining popularity, decorating more and more dachas and suburban areas with its exotic appearance.
You can learn about the properties and characteristics of berry pepper and its benefits for the human body from this article. It will also tell you how to grow Bell peppers and how to care for them.
Characteristics and useful properties
Probably everyone knows about the benefits of sweet and hot peppers. The fruits of both crops contain a lot of vitamins, essential oils, sugars and acids, antioxidants and carotenes: all this has a very beneficial effect on the human body, so eating pepper is recommended for almost everyone.
The uniqueness of the Bell variety lies not only in the exotic appearance of its fruits, but also in the combination of opposite tastes. The fact is that the upper part of the fruit, which is located near the stalk, has spicy the taste is reminiscent of spicy bitter pepper. At the bottom, where the fruit expands, creating something like a flower, the walls of the pepper become thicker, fleshier, and the taste of the pulp acquires sweet and sour notes; it is very aromatic and pleasant.
The description of the Bell pepper variety is as follows:
- a tall perennial bush reaching a height of two meters;
- spreading plant, well leafy;
- the leaves resemble the leaves of hot peppers in shape and size, but they, like the stem, are covered with a small fluff;
- the Bell variety is a late-ripening variety - the fruits will turn red only by the 130-140th day after sowing the seeds;
- Bell's yield is high - up to two kilograms from each bush;
- the fruits are first dark green, then turn orange; at the stage of full ripeness, the pepper has a rich red tint;
- the fruit changes color from green to red in just a week;
- The shape of the pepper is very original - the fruit looks like a bell flower;
- the size of the Bell fruit can be different - from 30 to 100 grams;
- You can use the spicy Bell pepper fresh; this pepper is suitable for preparing salads, decorating ready-made dishes, and canning in its entirety;
- You can grow a variety of hot-sweet peppers in open ground, in greenhouses, in tubs or pots;
- in general, the taste of the flower fruit is piquant, delicate, spicy-sweet, with noticeable sourness and a strongly pronounced aroma;
- the fruits on the bushes are located separately, each pepper has its own stalk;
- Bluebell bushes must be formed by removing the stepsons and pinching the tops of the shoots;
- spreading tall Bluebell bushes will become a real decoration for a garden, veranda, balcony or gazebo;
- Red Bell is susceptible to the same diseases as other varieties of bell pepper: excess humidity is contraindicated for it, the plant does not like low temperatures and too hot sun.
Benefits and harms
Red bell pepper is not only tasty, it is also incredibly healthy, because it combines the properties of both hot and sweet varieties. The bell has the following benefits for the body:
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
- has a beneficial effect on the heart;
- removes “bad” cholesterol from the body;
- calms the nervous system;
- strengthens bones, nails, hair;
- stimulates brain activity;
- improves vision;
- relieves stress, relieves insomnia and bad mood;
- Thanks to the large amount of vitamin C, Bell pepper improves immunity.
The fruits of bittersweet peppers do not cause any harm. The only thing is that fresh peppers should be eaten with caution by those who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Growing rules
It is necessary to grow Bellflower in the same way as ordinary Bulgarian varieties. Hot pepper Bluebells can be planted in beds, tubs or greenhouses. Cultivation should begin with preparing the seeds.
Landing
The growing season of bittersweet pepper is five months, so seeds are sown at the end of January or at the beginning of February. Containers for seedlings can be plastic. Small holes should be made in the bottom of cups or containers to drain excess moisture. The containers are filled with a mixture of soil and wood ash, 1/3 of the volume should remain free (as in the photo).
For normal germination, the soil temperature should be 20-23 degrees, so for the first time, pepper-flower seedlings are removed to a very warm place. When the shoots appear, you can move the cups to the windowsill or table. For active development, the heat-loving variety needs a lot of light, so the seedlings will have to be supplemented with light.
Bell peppers, including Bell peppers, do not tolerate transplantation well. That's why It is better to avoid the process of picking seedlings. To do this, the seeds are immediately sown in disposable individual cups or a sufficient distance is left between them in common containers.
Water the pepper seedlings sparingly, using only warm water. On good sunny days, Bellflower seedlings can be taken outside or onto the balcony so that they gradually harden.
Peppers are planted in the ground when the ground has warmed up well and the threat of frost has passed. Choose a place for planting that is sunny and protected from the wind. The soil on the site should be fertile - pepper loves it.
Planting is carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather. The distance between the holes should be at least 40-50 cm (although usually one Bluebell bush is enough for a gardener). It is recommended to pour a handful of wood ash into each planting hole to keep the soil loose and moisture-absorbing. After planting, the flower pepper is watered with a one percent solution of potassium permanganate.
In cold regions, immediately after planting, it is better to cover the Bluebell seedlings with film or grow peppers in tubs that can be brought into the warmth in case of cold weather.
Care
You need to care for the Bell pepper variety in the same way as for a simple bell pepper. The only difference is that the spicy-sweet variety will have to be shaped.
So, you should care for plantings of spicy bell peppers as follows:
- When the bushes bloom, they pinch off all the side shoots that are below the first formed ovary.
- Subsequently, the gardener must regularly remove all stepsons whose growth is directed vertically.
- The bush branches on its own, but a month and a half before the end of the warm season, the gardener pinches off all the shoots growing at that moment. This will allow the peppers to ripen.
- Bell pepper is watered only with warm water. Frequent watering can harm the plant, so the amount of moisture is controlled.
- The soil around the flower pepper is loosened and removed weeds.
- Before flowering, it is better to treat the bushes with fungicidal preparations and carry out prevention against pests.
- Fertilize the Bell three times per season. 10-14 days after planting, the seedlings are fertilized with mullein diluted in water.During the flowering period, peppers can be fed with a solution of wood ash, and after another two to three weeks, mineral components can be added: calcium, potassium, phosphorus.
- You can also pick the fruits when they are green – in this state they are sweeter. The spiciness accumulates in the pepper literally over a week, while it turns from green to red.
The Bell variety is perennial; the trunk of this pepper tends to become woody, and the leaves fall from the bushes as the temperature drops. To avoid planting spicy peppers again next year, you can transplant the bushes into tubs and bring them indoors or onto a warm balcony for the winter. In the spring, buds will appear on the plants again, leaves will grow, and the bell pepper will form new fruits.
Review
Conclusion
Reviews about the Bell variety are only positive: gardeners are delighted decorative the appearance of this pepper, its unusual taste and unpretentiousness. There is nothing difficult in growing this variety; even a beginner can handle this task.
There is no need to neglect the rules for forming a bush, and then the Bluebell will delight you with its beautiful shape and excellent taste.
In the spring of 22, I planted the seeds that I prescribed in 2009, no longer hoping for anything. Of the 5 varieties, only Bell and Ripe Cherry sprouted; Bell's large bush grows in a 15-liter pot, in the summer outside, in the winter in a cool room, the fruits are like toys on The Christmas tree continues to bear fruit even in low light. The Ripe Cherry bush is small and stands under a lamp in winter. The fruits are very spicy.