- How do you water ornamental peppers?
- When and how do you fertilize ornamental peppers?
- Why should you cut the first flower?
- Is repotting necessary?
- What diseases and pests can occur?
- Can you keep ornamental peppers over the winter?
Ornamental paprika with its decorative yellow and red fruits is not only a real eye-catcher in the flower window, but also in the bucket on the terrace. The care is not very complex, more important is a favorable location. How to properly care for ornamental peppers.
The ornamental pepper is easy to care for and bears decorative flowers and fruits
How do you water ornamental peppers?
The non-poisonous ornamental paprika tolerates neither complete dryness nor waterlogging. Water the plant regularly, especially in summer. You must pour off excess irrigation water immediately so that no rot can develop.
When and how do you fertilize ornamental peppers?
Fertilize with a little liquid fertilizer every two weeks until the ornamental paprika flowers. From the first flowering, no more fertilizer is applied.
You should completely avoid fertilizing with flower fertilizer (€1.95) if you plan to eat the fruit later.
Why should you cut the first flower?
As the first flower, a single bud develops in the middle, the so-called royal flower. If you cut these off, the ornamental pepper will branch better and more flowers will form later.
Is repotting necessary?
Since the ornamental pepper is only cared for once a year until the fruit ripens, you do not have to repot it.
However, it can be worthwhile to place purchased plants in fresh substrate immediately after purchase. The soil supplied is often far too moist.
Potting soil is suitable as a substrate. If the fruits are grown for consumption, you should put together the substrate from compost and garden soil yourself.
What diseases and pests can occur?
- gray mold
- spider mites
- aphids
Gray mold occurs mainly when the substrate is constantly too moist and the ornamental peppers get too little air. Don't place it too close to other plants to allow air to circulate.
Spider mites and aphids are more common, especially when the humidity is very low.
Can you keep ornamental peppers over the winter?
Ornamental peppers are annual ornamental plants. After the fruit has fallen, it is used up and disposed of in the compost. So it does not have to be overwintered, but is sown or bought every year in spring.
tips
The fruits of ornamental peppers are edible. However, you should only eat them if you are sure that the plant has not been sprayed. Pre-treated plants are too heavily contaminated with pollutants.