The Habanero is a type of chilli that has migrated from Mexico. Accordingly, she has special demands on her living conditions. Planting is an important step in their cultivation. It must not happen arbitrarily, otherwise all the effort will be in vain.
Habaneros should be preferred when warm
sowing
Small plants are rarely offered in the trade. Even those who want to exploit the full variety of varieties must start cultivating the Habanero with sowing.
- Sow indoors 0.5 to 1 cm deep
- in February or March
- use potting soil
- keep moderately moist throughout
- Set the breeding pot bright and at least 24 °C warm
- separate from the third pair of leaves
tips
Seeds can be taken from a ripe pod or ordered online. Some varieties are also available at local garden centers.
Time for the outdoors
Habanero plants are sensitive to cold. They are only allowed outside after the ice saints, when they are no longer threatened with frost. However, a few weeks beforehand you can go outside for a few hours to harden off, provided the temperature is above 10 °C.
bed or pot
Habanero can be cultivated both as a pot plant and in beds. In both cases it must be sunny and warm. The pot must be large and have drainage holes. Only one plant is planted per pot. The planting distance between two plants in the bed is approx. 40 cm.
Fertilize
The potted plant draws the first nutrients from the potting soil, which is sold already enriched. The garden soil is provided with compost before planting. These starting conditions will feed the plant for a few weeks. After that, you can regularly fertilize with a fertilizer for nightshade plants.
pour
The smaller a habanero plant is, the more often it needs to be watered. However, even mature plants still need to be cared for as needed. Especially when cultivating in a pot and on particularly hot days, make sure that the soil around the root ball does not dry out.
To harvest
You can get the first pods about 70 to 100 days after sowing
to harvest. They change color at this time. The individual chilies ripen one after the other. The ongoing harvest stimulates the formation of new fruit. Fruit that you cannot process early can be dried for later.
hibernate
Because of its sensitivity to frost, the Habanero is usually only cultivated for one year. But you can also overwinter pot specimens in a winter quarters.