How to grow pepper Tenderness, time-tested and loved by gardeners
Pepper variety Tenderness is one of the most favorite among gardeners. The vegetable got its name due to its juicy pulp and pleasant taste. Pepper is used in cooking and folk medicine, healthy vegetable salads are prepared and frozen for the winter.
It is easy to grow peppers; the main thing is to follow simple agrotechnical rules and carefully monitor the growth of the plant. Let's take a closer look at what Tenderness pepper is and how to get a rich and tasty harvest.
What type of pepper is this?
The vegetable has long been known among summer residents - the variety began to be grown more than 30 years ago. It is mainly planted in greenhouses and greenhouses, but in the southern regions Tenderness also takes root in the open air.
The variety is early ripening; gardeners harvest the first harvest 100-110 days after planting. The bushes are medium in size, reaching a height of 80-90 cm. During the fruiting period, the plants need gartering, as they can break under the weight of the fruit.
Pepper is resistant to pests and crop diseases.
Fruit characteristics and yield
The fruits are smooth and even, cylindrical in shape (see photo). The weight of one pepper varies from 90 to 100 g. The wall thickness is 8 mm, the color is rich red.
Due to its medium size and tasty pulp, Tenderness is often used in preparing winter snacks and salads. From one bush, gardeners harvest about 2 kg of beautiful and appetizing fruits.
Preparation for cultivation
To get a good harvest, summer residents prepare seedlings in advance.Its quality depends on the seeds and soil. Seeds of the Tenderness variety are purchased in gardening stores. Summer residents advise buying material only in trusted places, and when purchasing, study the expiration date and recommendations for planting. At home, inspect the seeds for damage and throw away any specimens with defects. Disinfect the remaining seeds in a solution of succinic acid or manganese. Some summer residents trust only professional means and disinfect seeds with the drug “Maxim”.
Important! In order for the seeds to quickly adapt to external conditions, they are germinated. To do this, the disinfected seed material is wrapped in slightly damp gauze and placed in a warm place. Sprouting strengthens the plant's immunity and reduces the risk of disease.
Particular attention is paid to preparing the soil for seedlings. The soil should be nutritious and airy. Some gardeners use soil from the garden, having previously cleared it of debris and insects, while others prefer soil from the store.
In both cases, it is better to disinfect the soil yourself by placing it in the oven for 40-50 minutes. To improve the quality, peat or humus is added to it, as well as a natural leavening agent - purified river sand.
Planting seedlings
Seedlings of the Tenderness variety are prepared in late February - early March. Plant peppers in any container, for example, plastic cups, flower pots, wooden boxes. The main thing is to thoroughly rinse the container and disinfect it with manganese before planting. Pour soil into the container, make small holes 1-2 cm deep. Place two seeds in each, sprinkle earth on top and water generously with warm, settled water. The next watering will be organized only after 7-10 days.
Grow Tenderness on a sunny windowsill. If the weather is cloudy outside, the seedlings are provided with additional lighting using fluorescent lamps or phytolamps. Lack of light causes the leaves and stems of seedlings to weaken and stop growing.
Moisten the peppers as the soil dries, approximately once every 5-6 days. It is recommended to use a pipette for watering. The optimal water temperature is 18-20°C.
Important! Fertilize the seedlings once every two weeks. Peppers are positively affected by fertilizing with ash, iodine, and ammonium nitrate. Summer residents alternate mineral complexes and organic matter so that the nutrition for the plants is consistent and balanced.
If the pepper is planted in small containers, it needs to be pruned after 2-3 weeks. Picking is the process of transplanting seedlings into larger containers. Over time, the roots need more space to develop, otherwise the seedlings will stop growing. However, experienced summer residents advise planting the vegetable immediately in a large container, since during the picking process, thin and fragile roots can break.
Planting peppers in beds
Before planting seedlings in the garden, the beds are dug up, cleared of debris and fertilized with peat. The first digging is organized in October, before the snow. The beds are prepared again immediately 10-15 days before planting.
It is better to plant vegetables after onions or legumes. It is not recommended to use potato or tomato beds for peppers.
Since Tenderness is a greenhouse variety, the walls of the greenhouse are wiped with a solution of Bordeaux mixture to protect the pepper from weeds and pests.
In the beds, depressions are made at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. The seedlings are carefully pulled out of the container and placed in the ground.Before transplanting, the seedlings are watered so that the bushes can be easily removed from the container. When the sprout is on the bed, the stem is sprinkled with soil on all sides and watered abundantly again. A wooden peg is installed in advance next to each bush - it will be needed for gartering the bushes.
Plant care
When growing crops in a greenhouse, the structure is regularly ventilated. If this is not done, heat and humidity will lead to fungi and infections. Water the pepper as the soil dries, approximately once every 4-6 days. One bush consumes 1.5-2 liters of water.
Periodically, regular watering is replaced with fertilizing with solutions of nettle or burdock. These folk remedies improve the taste of fruits and protect plants from negative factors. It is better to moisten the beds in the early morning to avoid sunburn.
In addition to hydration, peppers need additional feeding. Potassium-phosphorus compounds and wood ash have an excellent effect on bushes. They are applied 2-3 times per season before watering. In addition, manure and bird droppings are recognized as excellent fertilizers. They strengthen the root system, especially if fertilized during flowering or fruiting. Before the procedure, the ground is loosened and weeds are removed.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
When applying fertilizing, be sure to follow the dosage and recommendations. An excess of minerals causes the leaves to turn yellow and dry out. Abundant watering, which washes minerals out of the ground, helps correct the situation. Wood ash also combats the problem well. Experienced gardeners advise always keeping a supply of ash with you, as it is recognized as an effective solution to many problems.
During the fruiting period, bushes of the Tenderness variety are tied to a support.Wooden stakes are disinfected in advance with manganese, and clean strips of fabric are prepared. It is better to use regular cotton, as synthetic materials are slippery and often come untied. The fabric is carefully wrapped once around the stem and a knot is tied on the peg. Do not tighten the knot tightly, as the stem may break.
Typical diseases and pests
Colorado potato beetles are sometimes found in pepper beds. Insects hide deep in the soil in winter and appear on the bushes when the weather warms up. Both adult striped pests and their larvae are dangerous. Beetles eat leaves, taking away from the plant minerals and vitamins necessary for development. If no action is taken, the pepper will die. The drug “Typhoon” or spraying the beds with a solution of copper sulfate helps fight the beetle.
They also love to eat peppers and slugs. Unpleasant and slippery insects suck the juice from plants, thereby disrupting metabolism. Spraying with a special solution helps in the fight against them: 15 drops of iodine and 0.5 liters of milk per 10 liters of water.
Among the diseases, gardeners note late blight, which appears due to heat and high humidity.. A sign of late blight is brown spots on the leaves. Whey or the drug "Oxychom" helps in the fight against fungus. Also, sometimes peppers get sick with tobacco mosaic. The virus appears as a yellow pattern on the leaves. Tobacco mosaic is treated with saline solution or manganese.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantages of the Tenderness variety are attractive red fruits and juicy sweet taste. Housewives actively use vegetables for preparing dishes: soups, side dishes, salads and preparations for the winter.The pepper has plasticity and elasticity; it makes delicious crispy snacks.
The vegetable contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals, which have a positive effect on human health and prevent many diseases. Pepper Tenderness is easy to care for and unpretentious to grow. Thanks to its thick walls, it is well stored and can be transported over long distances.
One of the disadvantages is the need to garter the bushes. Beginning gardeners sometimes have difficulties with this procedure. Also, the Tenderness variety is best grown in a greenhouse rather than in open ground. In this aspect, it loses to those peppers that show excellent results in any conditions.
Reviews
What do experienced gardeners and novice farmers say about the bell pepper Tenderness? Let's look at a few reviews about the variety.
Galina, Voronezh: “I grow 2-3 varieties of peppers in my garden every year. Last season I planted Tenderness and was pleased. Bright red peppers look beautiful both on bushes and on the table. The taste is excellent, there are few seeds, the ideal variety.”
Marina, Moscow: “I’ve been growing “tender” peppers for the seventh year now, and each time the new harvest turns out better than the previous one. The whole family loves to eat vegetables fresh or prepare snacks for the winter. The plants never got sick and were never a hassle to care for. I recommend it for cultivation."
Peter, Saratov: “I purchased the seeds, and on the packaging the manufacturer recommended planting the vegetable in a greenhouse. I decided to plant with seeds, without seedlings. As a result, the fruits set poorly and grew thin. I collected only 1 kg from one bush. I wasn’t impressed with the variety.”
Read also:
How to prepare pickled hot peppers for the winter without sterilization.
Conclusion
To please the Tenderness variety with a rich harvest, gardeners advise planting it in a greenhouse or greenhouses. The heat-loving vegetable is fertilized with minerals and organic matter, which improve the taste of the pepper and saturate it with useful elements.
The fruits are harvested in August, when they turn red and become elastic. The vegetable is consumed fresh or processed: frozen for the winter and canned.