The real or black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a climbing plant from the tropical coastal forests of southwest India. The plant needs constant temperatures of at least 18 °C - preferably between 27 and 29 °C - and high humidity of at least 60 percent. For this reason, cultivation usually only succeeds in suitably equipped greenhouses or conservatories.
Grow pepper from seeds
You can get pepper seeds e.g. at well-stocked garden centers or on the Internet. Cultivation from seeds is quite difficult, since the grains do not germinate reliably and the young plants are also quite susceptible. In principle, the seeds can be planted all year round, provided you can provide the pepper bush with tropical conditions all year round. The seed kernels are simply put in a container with potting soil, kept warm and well moist. They germinate at about 27 to 30 °C and high humidity. However, you can take care of the latter with the help of a spray bottle. If there is already a pepper bush, propagation is easier with cuttings. You can harvest and process the fruits about eight months after flowering.
What kind of pepper can be trained to bonsai?
Sometimes you can marvel at pepper bonsai from breeders and passionate hobby designers. However, these are not plants of the genus Piper Nigrum, but the so-called Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum), also known as mountain pepper or Chinese pepper. This species is not related to the real pepper but, on the contrary, to the citrus family. The real pepper, on the other hand, is unsuitable as a bonsai plant.
Properly caring for pepper
Pepper prefers a permeable, nutrient-rich substrate made of humus soil and sand, which you can mix yourself in a ratio of 3:1. Otherwise, the plant needs a semi-shady, warm location - the ambient temperature must never fall below 18 °C. In the absence of tropical trees, you can offer your pepper bush - after all, it is a climbing plant - an alternative climbing aid. However, it is important that you mist the plant with a spray bottle at least once a day to keep the humidity high enough. However, you only have to water moderately - it is sufficient to keep the substrate only slightly moist. Fertilization with liquid complete fertilizer takes place every two weeks. Since it is an evergreen tropical plant and the tropics only have a daytime but no seasonal climate, care remains the same throughout the year.
tips and tricks
Another very interesting but much easier-care alternative is the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), also known as pink pepper or Christmas berries. This tree, up to several meters high, can be overwintered in a cool, but frost-free place.
IJA