How to grow hot habanero peppers and use this component correctly in cooking
Habanero is recognized as one of the hottest varieties of chili peppers. Special pungency and pronounced taste are its distinctive features. Initially, this pepper was distributed in Mexico, then it began to be exported to China and Europe. Habanero pepper is an essential ingredient in the famous Tabasco sauce.
You can grow an exotic plant at home - on a windowsill or in a greenhouse.
Characteristic
To characterize the taste of peppers, the Scoville heat scale is used, named after its developer, an American chemist. Scale values are from 0 to 16,000,000,000 units.
The habanero is so hot that it measures 350,000–577,000 Scoville Units (SSU), while the famous bell pepper only scores between 0 and 100 SSU.
Reference. The Scorpion variety of Trinidad is considered the hottest in the world. Its severity on the Scoville scale ranges from 855,000 to 1,463,000 ECU.
In its homeland, Mexico, Habanero pepper is used as a seasoning for preparing national dishes and canning. It contains vitamins A, B, C, D, and many minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, potassium).
There are several varieties of the Habanero variety:
- Habanero chocolate;
- Habanero Red Savina;
- Habanero Red Caribbean;
- Habanero Tigerpaw-nr;
- Habanero Fatal;
- Habanero White.
All of them were bred in the USA, South Africa and California. They vary in level of spiciness, size and color.
Habanero fruits are shaped like a small heart weighing 50 g.Up to 90 fruits can ripen on a bush. One plant produces 2-3 kg of burning “hearts”.
Spicy lovers who consume Habanero claim that the pepper has hints of fruit and citrus in its taste. You can distinguish it from other species by its delicate floral aroma.
Preparation for cultivation and planting in the ground
Sowing of Habanero pepper seeds begins in late February - early March. But first, the seeds must be placed on a wet napkin or cloth for three days. On the fourth day, pour soil (soil, humus and peat) into the container where the pepper will be grown and place the swollen seeds to a depth of 0.5–1 cm.
After planting, spray with warm water and create a greenhouse effect using a plastic bag or glass container. Air the sprouts for a few minutes once a week.
By the middle of the third week, the pepper begins to sprout and the artificial greenhouse can be replaced with a fluorescent lamp, which should shine on the sprouts for 15–17 hours a day. In the fourth week leaves appear. Now the sprouts need to be transplanted into separate pots with a volume of 100–200 ml, and the lamp should be raised higher from the seedlings and turned on for 10–12 hours.
From sowing to planting in the ground, 2–2.5 months should pass for the seedlings to finally become stronger. Habanero peppers love warmth, so they can be planted outside (in a greenhouse) closer to mid-May, when the air and soil have already warmed up enough and frosts are not expected at night.
Important! The first flowers are plucked from young plants, this will allow the pepper to gain strength for further growth. And already in early October the first fruits will appear.
If you want to grow peppers on a windowsill in an apartment, then with the right lighting, choice of temperature and sufficient humidity, Habanero peppers can produce fruits several times a year.
Pepper propagates by seeds. The ripe fruit is dried, cut and the seeds are removed. Then the grains are placed in a bag protected from moisture. When in contact with water, the seeds rot and become unsuitable for planting.
Plant care
During pepper germination, it is regularly watered with water at room temperature. Do not overfill, as rotting may occur. If the pepper grows on a windowsill, water it twice a day, in winter once every two to three days. Mineral fertilizers are used for feeding.
Important! Do not forget to water the plant on time, give it enough light and treat it from pests.
To ensure consistent fruiting, remove flowers from the plant more often. The pepper also needs sunlight, so place it in the brightest window at home.
Outdoors, insects play the role of pollinator. But at home, the owner should help the plant with a fluffy brush.
Diseases and pests
Habanero peppers are resistant to most diseases. The only pest that the stinging plant cannot resist are nematode worms. You can get rid of them with hot water (not lower than 50–55 °C).
Carefully remove the bush from the pot or from the soil (if the pepper is growing in a greenhouse), clean the roots and place them in a container with hot water for 3-5 minutes. More than 95% of nematodes die after this procedure. If necessary, repeat the procedure again, but not earlier than after 4 months.
Advantages, disadvantages and applications
What are the benefits of habanero peppers? As we already know, the variety contains many vitamins and minerals. The use of hot pepper in hair care is popular. Add a couple of drops of juice to a hair mask - this will awaken dormant hair follicles.
Pepper promotes the production of endorphins, reduces blood pressure, and helps get rid of depression. Hot pepper is also used as an analgesic and antibacterial agent. It is believed that pepper speeds up metabolism, increases resistance to stress and slows down the aging process.
Habanero peppers are a strong aphrodisiac. With prolonged contact with food, it rewards the dish with such a pungent taste that it is almost impossible to eat the food.
If you do eat a habanero pepper, you shouldn’t wash it down with water, it’s better to drink milk. The casein contained in milk works better with capsaicin, the substance that gives it its pungency.
But you should be careful: for women who are breastfeeding, small children and people suffering from peptic ulcers, the use of Habanero pepper is contraindicated. It is also not recommended to eat peppers raw.
Important! Be careful when picking fruit from a branch. Pepper leaves a bitterness on your hands, which is difficult to get rid of for several hours.
Few people know that Habanero peppers make a useful infusion for watering flowers and plants, which kills ants, bedbugs and their larvae.
Reviews
We bring to your attention several reviews from experienced summer residents.
Vita, Costa Rica: «For me, hot peppers have always been just hot. Until I found myself on the continent, where many of its species are home, and in traditional food you can’t do without it. First I tried the sauces, pickled peppers. The most popular in Costa Rica are Jalapeños and Habaneros.Now I cook it myself all the time. One of the hottest in the world, but I love it!”
Svetlana, Liski: “I really like spicy dishes. I grow a lot of hot peppers, but my favorite variety is the yellow Habanero. The fruits have incredible taste! Imagine sweet hot peppers with a hint of melon! This will be the Habanero. I plant it in a greenhouse in the summer, in the winter I place it in a large pot and bring it into the house. All year round I have a fiery addition to my favorite dishes.”
Alisa, Ermolino: “I have experience growing vegetable crops in garden beds, so I decided to try growing hot peppers on the balcony. I chose Habanero. The fruits are distinguished by their pungency, pronounced peppery taste and aroma. What I liked: unpretentious cultivation, high yield, long fruiting. I collected more than 80 peppers from one bush.”
Read also:
Dutch hybrid pepper "Gemini f1".
Conclusion
In addition to its piquant taste and sweet aftertaste, the plant also has decorative properties - it will fit perfectly into your home interior. Habanero looks great both on the windowsill in the apartment and in the flowerbed, both in large and small quantities. At home, pepper bears fruit several times a year and grows for up to 9 years.
Fans of spicy dishes can please themselves without leaving home - growing Habanero peppers is not difficult, you just need to follow the watering regime and help the flowers to pollinate. In addition to its use in cooking, Habanero will help in hair care and in the fight against various pests in the garden.