Habanero peppers are a very spicy but tasty and healthy crop. They can be grown on your site, but you need to study the basic rules before that.
The plants grow about 1 m above the ground and are compact. Typically, the stems are branched and have small elliptical leaves.
The flowers are solitary, with white, cream, or purple petals. The fruits of habanero peppers have a heart-shaped shape, outwardly reminiscent of paprika.
The length of the fruits does not exceed 6 cm, and the width does not 2.5 cm. The skin of the fruits is smooth, with a waxy coating and the color is usually orange, red, or dark brown, although there are also white or pink varieties.
Habanero peppers gain color gradually, and at the first stages of ripening, they remain green. Continue reading this article to know when to pick habanero peppers.
Characteristics Of the Habanero Peppers
Habanero peppers are pretty fruitful. With one bush in one year, it is possible to collect up to 90 small fruits (about 2-3 kg). In warm climatic places, it can bear fruit a couple of times a year. The mass of ripe pepper ranges from 30 to 50g and is heart-shaped and uneven.
The walls of the peppers are thin, and the skin is smooth and waxy. Unripe specimens are green in color. When they ripen, they acquire different colors, including red, yellow, orange, chocolate, and even white.
At first glance, the habanero peppers look like diminished bell peppers, so they seem pretty harmless. They are among the spiciest foods. A real fire in the mouth begins from one small burning piece, which is difficult to extinguish.
When To Pick Habanero Peppers
Habanero peppers can be picked green. Essentially, ripe fruits can change after harvest. The hotness and flavor develop as the peppers ripen. Habanero peppers are harvested when the full color has been established. There will be unripe and ripen peppers in the same plant.
Start picking the habanero peppers once they change the color. Harvesting ripe fruits encourage this plant to produce extra. The ripe fruits are firm, filled-out, and colorful.
Fruits that are already growing are easily pulled from the plant. If they are not detached with a gentle tug, they will continue to grow. Fruits with brown lines grow regardless of size and must be picked.
How To Grow Habanero Peppers To Get The Best Harvest When Picking
The composition of habanero peppers is enriched with trace elements and vitamins. Therefore, they have general tonic properties and improve immunity. It is for these qualities that the vegetable has gained popularity among gardeners.
By the way, habanero peppers are not particularly whimsical to growing conditions. Therefore, they can be grown even at home on a window or balcony. To grow habanero peppers, you need to do the following.
1. Preparation of soil and containers
To grow habanero peppers in a container, you must take care of the nutritious substrate. It is usually prepared from humus, garden soil, and peat. Generally, the components are mixed in a ratio of 1: 2: 1.
It is recommended to use degradable peat cups as containers. Sowing seeds in an ordinary wooden or plastic box is also allowed. But in this case, the container must first be disinfected by treating it with boiling water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
2. Seed preparation
For the successful germination of habanero peppers, the seeds must also be processed. The procedure is as follows: The seeds are placed on a damp gauze or napkin at small intervals.
Cover the top with another piece of a moistened cloth. Then place in a warm, moderately lit place for several days until sprouts appear. Before planting, the seeds can be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate to protect them from fungi.
3. Sowing
Seeds should be planted in the warm ground (25-26 °C) to a depth of about 0.5-1 cm. When growing habanero peppers in a box, the distance between rows should be 5-6 cm.
Seeds should be sprinkled with soil, compacted a little, and then watered with warm water and covered with glass or transparent film.
As a rule, seeds germinate from 2 to 4 weeks, but it depends on air temperature, soil composition, and seed quality. The air temperature shouldn’t drop below 16 °C at night. It is necessary to spray the ground with warm water from a spray bottle in the morning and the evening.
4. Seedling care
If a person wants to collect large fruits, then it is recommended that he remove a small number of flowers during the flowering period. For a good harvest, you should not forget about feeding. For this, mineral fertilizer and compost are used.
To improve the lighting that the Habanero variety needs, additional lamps are installed. Watering the plant depends on the season.
Young sprouts are watered constantly, but they do not need to be poured, leading to the appearance of diseases. In winter, watering should be reduced as much as possible. The plant needs abundant watering at the beginning of April when it begins to develop actively.
Benefits Of Habanero Peppers
Habanero peppers can perfectly decorate a garden or windowsill. But do not forget that these plants bear beneficial fruits. In small quantities, peppers are added to food, which stimulates an improvement in appetite.
The peppers are used as a condiment. They can improve the taste of any meat and fish dishes. Many people who adore spicy add pepper to soups.
From this, their flavor is transformed and becomes piquant. Habanero peppers are added to conservation. Sharp peppers should not be thrown into boiling oil. From this, they will turn black and lose their taste.
The fruit contains many vitamins A, C, E, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and copper. Likewise, they have amino acids, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and alkaloid capsaicin.
Therefore, you can find their application in medicine. Thus, the habanero peppers are the perfect plants for spice lovers. They are easy to grow, and by adhering to simple rules, you can reap a large harvest.
As you can see from the composition, habanero peppers are also beneficial. They have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, clean blood vessels from cholesterol, and help to fight obesity.
But the main ingredient that makes them very hot is capsaicin. This substance can block the supply of painful impulses by nerve cells. Capsaicin is found in many medicines.
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Conclusion
Habanero peppers are exciting and healthy crops with a pungent taste. It is recommended to grow them in any region, but the rules of care are generally straightforward. They need regular care like other plants. With this article, now you know when to pick habanero peppers.