Sweet pepper is a popular crop among gardeners. This vegetable has a pleasant sweetish taste, bright colors and a variety of forms. It is also rich in various vitamins and microelements. The California Miracle Pepper is a worthy representative of the sweet pepper varieties, widely cultivated in central Russia.
.Conference
., bred by American breeders in 1928 , is non-hybrid, although it has features of a hybrid. Main characteristics:
- mid-ripeness, it takes 110-130 days to mature;
- bush height approximately 50-60 cm;
- yield of at least 7-10 fruits from the bush;
- fruits are large, rounded, weighing up to 160 grams, fleshy, with dense skin, have a pleasant sweetish taste;
- stress-resistant variety, successfully confronted with a mosaic virus;
- fruits are capable of long stored;
- can be eaten fresh or made for the winter.
Pepper Californian miracle, although heat-loving, is considered to be quite unpretentious in growing .To achieve maximum yield and perfect taste of the fruit you need to follow some rules.
Thermal-loving variety, unpretentious in cultivation, turns red when it reaches ripeness Then, when disembarking, the seedlings will reach an age of about 3 months. This is the optimal age for plant adaptation to possible adverse conditions and diseases.
Seed preparation for planting:
- seed disinfection with a solution of potassium permanganate( 1-2%) at room temperature for 20 minutes. After treatment, seed should be washed with running water;
- treatment with growth stimulants for strong and simultaneous shoots;
- soaking in hot water. Then the seeds are wrapped in gauze and in order to prevent drying they are placed in a plastic bag and kept at a temperature of 20-25 ° C.
After 2-3 days the first shoots of appear, then weak specimens should be rejected.
Fertile soil can be bought at the store, or you can prepare it yourself by mixing humus, garden soil and sand.
Planted sprouted seeds should be moistened with a sprayer to a depth of about 1 cm. Then, gently moisten the soil again and cover with plastic wrap.
The temperature of seedling content is 26 ° -28 ° C , good illumination is not necessary at this stage.
After the emergence of shoots, you need to remove the film and provide good light to the shoots. In winter, you can arrange artificial lighting using energy-saving lamps, mounted on the seedlings.
Watering seedlings should be warm water , moderately, but not allowing the land to dry out. Spraying is well suited to maintain a comfortable air humidity.
For proper seedling development, it is necessary to provide access to fresh air, but with protection from drafts. It is not necessary to feed the plants during this period.
The root system of the seedlings is weak, it is recommended to plant the seeds immediately in peat tablets or peat pots Transplantation in the open ground
With the onset of the first warm spring days, it is recommended to begin gradually hardening the seedlings and training them to direct sunlight.
In the open ground, seedlings are planted in May-June , after the weather has stabilized. In the greenhouse without heating can be planted earlier.
Growing the same crops in one place leads to soil depletion. Excellent pepper predecessors California miracle - cabbage, carrots, beans, onions, cucumbers.
Before planting( approximately 3-5 days), the soil should be treated for pests and diseases with a weak solution of blue vitriol( 1 tsp in a bucket of water).
The preparation of the seedlings of the pepper itself consists in the application of potassium phosphate fertilizer.
The California miracle pepper grows well in light fertile soil, in which is recommended to be planted in before planting saltpeter at the rate of 40 g per 1 sq. M .
Planted seedlings in open ground in May and June, can be planted in a greenhouse without heating earlierThe depth of the wells should correspond to the height of the tank with seedlings. Do not unnecessarily deepen saplings and fill the basal neck with earth, otherwise rotting is possible. After planting should be watering the seedlings.
Aftercare is simple:
- watering as needed;
- mulching - especially if the hot dry weather holds;
- fertilizer - about three times per season, an infusion of humus, chicken manure or mullein must be applied to the soil;
- loosening - regular and shallow;
- garter plants.
If you follow these recommendations, the California miracle will surely give you an excellent harvest in about 3-3.5 months .
For the formation of lateral shoots it is necessary to conduct a pinning of the upper leaves of .At the same time, it is better not to touch the lowermost leaves, since they cover the ground at the roots and reduce the evaporation of moisture from the soil.
Tips for the pinching of pepper:
Possible problems with growing
A pale plant with a small green mass is evidence of a lack of nitrogen. Twisted leaves with dry edges indicate a lack of nitrogen in the soil. If the reverse side of the leaves has acquired a purple hue, then it is a matter of a lack of magnesium.
Possible diseases:
- black leg;
- white rot;
- apical rot;
- late blight;
- macrosporosis.
Possible pests:
- for aphids - to combat it, treat the plants with a solution of whey( 1.5 liters per bucket of water), and then sprinkle with wood ash;
- Medvedka - spraying with a solution of wood ash will help;
- Colorado potato beetle - manual collection of insects or spraying with a solution of the drug "Commander" in accordance with the instructions;
- bare slugs - control methods: timely weeding of beds and the preparation metaldehyde, the granules of which need to be decomposed in the pest's habitats( 5g per 1 sq. M).
Aphids on pepper leaves. Collecting seeds
. You need to choose a strong pepper bush in advance. After the appearance of the first buds, it should be covered with a small greenhouse, in order to avoid cross-pollination with neighboring plants.
After the formation of the ovaries, the shelter is removed, and the plant is labeled for subsequent collection of purebred seeds.
Vegetable grower reviews
Vegetable grower reviews about this variety are mostly positive, only sometimes the fruit may have a bitter taste associated with inappropriate growing conditions.
Tatyana : “This is my favorite sweet pepper variety! Fragrant, large, fleshy! It is good both in salads, and in preparations for the winter. Undemanding in the care, there were no pests. ”
Igor Ivanovich :“ We have planted a variety of California miracles for several years. Bushes are strong, many fruits, tasty, sweetish. It is stored perfectly, for our middle lane the most! ”
Elena :“ I bought a variety of pepper for the test: a California miracle, 100% germination rate! In the ground caught on with minimal losses. Caring as usual, watered a little. Already in August, the harvest went, it sufficed us and even treated our neighbors! ”
We hope that this material will help you in the cultivation of this amazing vegetable!
