How to properly grow productive Siberian Bonus peppers with bright and incredibly tasty fruits

The Siberian bonus pepper was bred by breeders from Siberia S. Ugarova and V. Dederko. The variety grows well and bears fruit in all regions of the Russian Federation. Thanks to its taste and original appearance, the vegetable has become an honored guest in many gardens. In this article we will look at the features of pepper, its advantages and the growing process.

What type of pepper is this?

Siberian bonus produces large fruits with thick walls and bright color. The crop is grown in open ground and under film cover. In 2012, the variety was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation.

Characteristics and description

Pepper belongs to medium-sized and mid-ripening varieties. The growing season is 170–180 days. The spreading bushes reach a height of up to 80 cm, have a closed shape, and hide up to 15 large fruits. The leaves are medium sized, green, slightly wrinkled.

Distinctive features

Siberian bonus is easily recognized by its low bush and bright orange fruits. Gardeners compare the crop to northern dwarf oranges. The vegetables do not contain capsaicin, but retain their peppery flavor. The pulp is tender and sweet. The fruits reach the stage of biological ripening without losing their elasticity and characteristic crunch.

Fruit characteristics, yield

Fruit shape is cubic. The weight of each is up to 300 g, the wall thickness is up to 10 mm, and 3-4 chambers are formed inside. At the stage of technical ripeness, the shade of vegetables coincides with the color of the foliage. When biologically ripe, peppers turn bright orange.

The yield indicators of the variety depend on the place of its cultivation: in open ground, 3-4 kg of fruits are collected from 1 bush, and in a greenhouse - 6-7 kg.

Preparation for cultivation

The first step of cultivation - seed preparation - includes several stages:

1. Rejection of planting material. Dissolve 30–40 g of table salt in 1 liter of water. The seeds are dipped into the solution for 5–7 minutes. Hollow specimens will float on the surface and are removed. The grains that have sunk to the bottom are dried well on a paper towel.
2. Sorting and dressing. The seeds are sorted by size: large to large, medium to medium, small to small (this results in more uniform seedlings). To pickle the planting material, add 1-2 drops of potassium permanganate to a glass of water and place the seeds there for 10-15 minutes. Then wash them under running water and dry.
3. Macronutrient treatment. This is done 2-3 days before sowing seedlings. The grains are placed in a gauze napkin, which is dipped for 20–30 minutes in a nitrophoska solution (1 tsp of the drug per 1 liter of water). After the procedure, the seeds are not washed.

Attention! Chemicals speed up the process of seed germination. Growth stimulants are used - “Azotofit”, “Ideal” or sodium humate. These drugs have a positive effect on the speed and quality of development of the Siberian bonus.

The next step is preparing the soil. Buy a ready-made soil mixture or make it yourself from:

• humus and turf soil (2:1);
• humus and peat (1:1);
• humus and turf substrate (3:2).

Add chalk (1-2 tbsp per 10 l of soil) or dolomite flour (3 tbsp per 10 l) to the selected substrate.

Important! When using soil from the site, it is additionally scalded with boiling water or calcined in the oven.Garden soil is a home for pest larvae and fungal spores of dangerous diseases.

The last step is choosing a container and place to grow seedlings. Wooden boxes or peat pots are used as temporary containers. Place the containers on the windowsill on the south side. The air temperature should be from +26 to +28 °C so that the crop has enough sunlight.

Growing seedlings

Growing Siberian Bonus seedlings and subsequent care for them are no different from cultivating other varieties of sweet pepper.

Planting pepper

For cultivation with picking, seedlings are sown 60–70 days before transplanting into open ground. In Siberia, this time falls at the end of March or beginning of April, and in warm regions - at the end of February. The planting material is deepened into the soil by 2-3 mm and carefully moistened with a spray bottle.

For cultivation without picking, seeds are planted at the beginning of March (for the southern regions) or at the end of April (for the northern regions). Place 2 seeds in each container and cover the top with a layer of earth (1 cm). Full germination will be observed in only one seed; weak sprouts are removed.

Further care

When cultivating with picking, in addition to maintaining a suitable temperature (+26...+28 °C), other recommendations are taken into account:

1. Picking time - do this after the formation of the first 2 leaves. The soil is moistened abundantly, and each pepper is carefully placed in its own container. For the first 7 days after transplantation, the plants are shaded to protect them from direct sunlight.
2. Watering after picking - the first time is performed 6 days after transplantation. Use settled and filtered water. Moisten the crop in the morning: this way the top layer of soil will have time to ventilate well.
3. Frequency of fertilizing - fertilize the plants 2 weeks after picking. Use a mixture of sodium humate and any complex fertilizer for vegetable crops. Repeated feeding is applied 10 days after the first.

Attention! If the leaves of the bushes have turned pale and the stems have become thin, then add urea in the form of nitrogen fertilizer. Peppers are watered or sprayed. Dilute urea in water strictly according to the instructions to avoid burns to plant tissue.

When growing without picking, pay attention to the following points:

• in the first 7–12 days after sowing, the container is covered with polyethylene and put in a warm place;
• after the sprouts appear, the containers are transferred to the most illuminated corner of the room;
• polyethylene is opened slightly after 2 days, and after a few days it is removed
• do not forget about additional lighting: ordinary lamps or phytolamps will turn small sprouts into strong seedlings;
• after the appearance of 4 true leaves, the plants are transferred to larger pots (approximate dimensions - 10x10x15 cm). They do it this way: gently knock on the containers, remove the pepper along with the earthen lump and transfer it to another container, then spray the bushes with honey water;
• for the first 2 weeks after transshipment, water the pepper only with clean water, do not allow it to stagnate;
• 3 weeks after the move, the crop is fed with liquid organic fertilizers and ash tinctures - the procedure is repeated once every 2 weeks.

Important! Pots with peppers are turned towards the light from different sides so that the leaves develop better and the stems do not lean to one side.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

Siberian bonus is planted in open ground at the end of May or beginning of June, when spring frosts have passed.The variety does not tolerate excessively dense plantings, so 4-5 plants are planted per 1 m2. Subsequent care consists of regular watering, hilling, loosening, and fertilizing.

There are no serious difficulties in the process of pepper cultivation. It is important to remember about the timely formation of bushes (the variety likes to grow strongly). Plants are tied to supports and side shoots are removed. With dense plantings, a rich harvest will be replaced by fungal infections and various pests.

Typical diseases and pests

Proper care of pepper does not entail the occurrence of diseases and pests. But sometimes the Siberian bonus is still affected by white rot, gray rot, alternaria and blackleg. To combat infections, bushes are treated with Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride or Kuproxat. Severely affected bushes are removed.

Pests of crops:

• aphid, whiteflies, cutworms and slugs — fungicides are used against them (diluted according to instructions);
• mole crickets — larvae and adults destroy the root system of pepper. They get rid of them using homemade traps made from carrots or beets with cut out cores or fungicides. To prevent the appearance of the pest, plants are protected with cut plastic bottles buried 10–20 cm in the soil.

Reference! Wood ash solution is an effective folk remedy against diseases and pests. The bushes are sprayed with this composition 2-3 times during the entire growing season.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Advantages of the Siberian bonus:

• high yield (from 1 m2 you can collect 5–7 kg of fruit);
• characteristic peppery aroma;
• juicy and fleshy pulp without bitterness;
• the ability to ripen outside the bush without loss of fruit elasticity;
• ease of care;
• Possibility of cultivation in any climatic region.

The variety has no serious disadvantages.

Reviews

Farmers speak positively about Siberian Bonus pepper. They note bright, tasty fruits and excellent productivity:

Elya, Oktyabrsky: «I planted Siberian Bonus peppers for the first time. A friend gave me the seeds. Despite the rainy summer, the bushes bore a decent amount of heavy fruits, bright orange, just like in the photo.”

Svetlana, Moscow: “I grew Siberian bonus under film cover. I really liked the variety. The bushes grew up to 50 cm in height, and at the end of June thick, neat peppers formed. One fruit weighed 230 g. The vegetables pleased us with their excellent taste and light pepperiness.”

Read also:

Recipes for pickled peppers for the winter without sterilizing jars.

A variety that may become your favorite is the Ox's Ear pepper.

How to salt whole bell peppers for the winter quickly and tasty.

Conclusion

Pepper Siberian Bonus will be a good option for planting in open ground or under film cover in many regions of Russia, including Siberia and the Urals. The culture will delight you with a stable and high-quality harvest of juicy fruits. It is important to take into account the time of sowing seedlings, the timing of planting in a permanent place and the features of caring for the variety.