Pepper "Swallow": variety description and cultivation
A vegetable with excellent characteristics, called pepper, belongs to the nightshade family. This type of annual culture is widespread throughout Russia. Gardeners grow different varieties of this plant, as well as its hybrids, which differ in shape and color. A worthy representative of the family is the "Swallow" pepper, which has been found on the backyard plots of Russians for fifty years. The process of growing this plant is simple and does not require special skills.
Peculiarities
Pepper "Swallow" - an absolute favorite among vegetables of its kind. The description of the variety allows culture lovers to be convinced of this. The variety is mid-season. From the moment the first sprout appears to the harvest of a ripe crop, about one hundred and twenty days pass. Such pepper takes root both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions.
The fruit has the shape of a rounded cone with a dense skin. Due to the peculiarities of the peel, the crop can be stored for a long time. Usually one pepper weighs about one hundred grams and has a length of ten centimeters. The walls of the fruits are thick, which causes their fleshiness and juiciness. The taste of a vegetable of this variety is sweet and very pleasant, the smell is no less interesting. The color of the fruit changes with maturity. A technically mature vegetable has a salad color, and a biologically mature one is bright red.
The yield of "Lastochka" is influenced by weather conditions, as well as the quality of care.The average yield is from two to five kilograms per square meter. To obtain an excellent harvest, planting should be carried out in greenhouse conditions.
Sweet pepper bushes are medium tall. Usually they reach 0.5-0.6 m, they need to be tied up. They have a semi-spreading stamped shape and a compact size. Fruit ripening is friendly. A positive characteristic of the variety is expressed in its unpretentiousness and versatility. Fruits can be used not only for salads, but also for stuffing, stewing, and also for delicious preservation.
This vegetable contains a whole range of useful elements. If you eat it, you can notice an increase in immunity and a surge of strength. Due to the presence of vitamins B and P in the fruits, as well as ascorbic acid, carotene and antioxidants, pepper is able to favorably affect the functioning of the pancreas and normalize blood pressure. "Swallow" is considered a low-calorie product, so it is ideal for diet food. The use of bell pepper is a guarantee of healthy skin and a strong body.
Advantages and disadvantages
The high yield of "Lastochka" is one of the main reasons that the variety occupies an important place in many beds. Reviews of summer residents who are satisfied with the cultivation of this vegetable indicate the excellent properties of the plant. Pepper has the following advantageous characteristics:
- fruits ripen at the same time;
- the vegetable perfectly tolerates transportation and is stored for a long time;
- the variety is resistant to various diseases and pests;
- culture is not capricious and whimsical;
- the variety responds well to weather changes;
- plants are able to withstand drought and low temperatures;
- culture gives high yields.
There are few disadvantages of this type of sweet pepper:
- dense planting may reduce yields;
- if the bush is not tall, then the fruits that touch the ground begin to rot.
Also, the negative points include the fact that some people can be harmed by eating pepper. It is not recommended as a food product for those suffering from hemorrhoids, high acidity, and people who have impaired kidney and liver function.
How to plant?
Growing pepper "Swallow" is easy. This variety is characterized by seeds with a good percentage of germination. Planting material can be collected independently or bought in a store. Before planting, it is worth checking the seeds for defects and selecting the best of them. Spoiled seeds that have defects should not be used.
A mandatory procedure is the disinfection of planting material in a solution of manganese, as well as its soaking in a phytopreparation. Also, the seeds need to be germinated by laying them out on a damp gauze cloth. The room for the procedure should be warm. Germination should begin in the second half of February. The soil for planting seeds should be loosened, weeds should not grow on it. After marking, you need to dig holes and fill them halfway with nourished soil.
For growing seedlings, you can use different containers. They need pre-steaming to reduce the likelihood of plant infection with diseases. The container must be covered with soil and the seeds are laid out in it at a distance of two centimeters from each other. Then a centimeter layer of soil should be poured over the planting material. Containers should be placed in a warm room. A well-lit window sill is considered the most favorable place.
The earth should not be allowed to dry out. Irrigation is best done with a spray bottle. Seed germination begins on the fourth day after planting. During this period, it is worth moving the young individuals to a cooler place in order to avoid their strong stretching.
During growth, peppers need to be moved to separate pots. In this way, the risk of plants drowning each other out can be reduced. Transplanting to open soil should begin in the first month of summer. Seedlings are not completely placed in the hole, its root part remains on the surface. The root system must be straightened and sprinkled with earth. Then it is worth watering the seedlings and mounting pegs, which will subsequently serve as a support for the culture.
Do not forget about crop rotation. It is better to choose the area for planting peppers, which previously grew tomatoes, potatoes or eggplant. Bitter and sweet peppers should not be planted side by side, as a pollination process takes place between them. As a result, you can get "Swallow" with a bitter aftertaste.
Care
The process of caring for sweet peppers does not differ much from the standard care for individuals of this type. This crop, like any other vegetable, needs timely watering, fertilizing and weed removal.
Many vegetable growers believe that the Swallow pepper needs to form a bush, as this technique will help to make the crop larger, and the fruit itself larger. It is necessary to prune weak shoots that grow inward. In greenhouses, this technique is especially effective. The formation of bushes can begin already with seedlings, which have reached a height of 0.2 m.
During this period, branching begins at the stem, it is divided into two branches. At the fork, you can see the appearance of a bud that needs to be removed.This procedure will allow the bush to continue active branching. Each of its branches will form fruits, which will increase the total yield.
Watering
After planting in the garden, the plants need daily watering for two days. When the rooting of the pepper occurs, it will be possible to irrigate less often - once every three days. During flowering, the plant will again need abundant soil moisture. It is worth using only warm water (about twenty-five degrees). This type of pepper does not like drought. With insufficient moisture, the vegetable will have thin walls, as well as slight juiciness and fleshiness.
However, waterlogging can also harm the crop. That is why watering should be optimal. The most suitable option would be drip irrigation. It promotes good growth of bushes and superficial root growth. Moisturizing by drip should be adjusted so that the root grows in depth, otherwise the bushes may lie down.
If watering with furrows or sprinkling, then it is worth observing the width between rows of 0.7 m. When carrying out drip irrigation, a distance of 0.5 m is sufficient. Pepper should grow at a distance of about 0.4 m from each other. settled water will be suitable.
top dressing
To increase the number of ovaries, the plant should be irrigated with the well-known drug "Ovary". In order for the root system to develop well, and the green mass to grow, you can use Epin, as well as urea diluted in water. To accelerate the growth of fruits and increase fruiting, a drug called "Growth" is often used.
Weed harvesting, which must be carried out without fail, can be combined with loosening the soil.An important point that should not be forgotten is that it is not worth cultivating the soil too deep. Such work can harm the root system located close to the surface.
When caring for the "Swallow", gardeners should remember that the bushes can outgrow, so they need timely pinching. Such a plant will have a more compact size. The lower foliage with stepchildren needs to be removed. At the top, only the strongest shoots with flowers should be left.
How to get a good harvest?
In practice, it has been proven that a bush with twenty ovaries is the best for harvesting a future rich harvest. Everything else should be removed, adding strength to the plant for productive growth. The first fruit is best harvested when it is in technical maturity. This procedure will provoke the plant to the ovary of a new pepper. Do not forget that it is at this moment that the plant needs top dressing.
When the second half of August comes, the flowers and ovaries will need to be removed. Full-fledged fruits will no longer grow, and the remaining peppers will receive more nutrients. You should also follow these tips:
- install stakes for garter plants;
- if rainy weather is observed for a long time, then the peppers need to be covered with a film.
Pepper "Swallow" has certain preferences that should be considered.
- Growing in a warm place. If cold nights are observed in the growing region, then it is worth building a temporary film shelter. Thus, the forces of the plant will not go to eliminate stress from the cold, but will be directed to growth and development.
- Regular and correct watering.
- Regular feeding.
- mulching procedure.It helps to retain moisture, as well as protect the plant from overheating in extreme heat.
Harvesting must be careful not to damage the fragile stems. The process has to be done manually. You need to pluck the fruits every seven days, regardless of their ripening.
Pepper "Swallow" is considered a proven variety. Characterized by good plasticity, it can adapt to different growing conditions. Pepper will not suffer if the climate of the territory is constantly changing. It is enough just to take care of the plants, following simple rules. Therefore, summer residents often prefer this particular type of culture.
For an overview of the characteristics of the Swallow pepper, see the following video.