Bulgarian pepper Gypsy is a Dutch hybrid for those who like to enjoy the fresh harvest before anyone else
Often in the spring, during the period of vitamin deficiency, you so want to feast on fresh crispy peppers. But, the stores sell tasteless, nitrate-overfed vegetables at high prices. In this case, the way out will be the cultivation of ultra-early hybrids, such as the Bulgarian pepper Gypsy, which yields a harvest at the end of spring.
Description of Gypsy pepper
Gypsy pepper is not picky about care, has a strong immunity to diseases, is suitable for growing in temperate climates. The homeland of the variety is Holland, but the hybrid grows well and bears fruit in Russia. The variety is ultra-early, the first fruits are formed 90 days after germination or 65 days after transplanting.
The plant grows to a height of 60 cm, not too branched, semi-spreading with weak stems that can break at the slightest mechanical impact. The root system is superficial, branched, consists of the smallest roots, located 25 cm from the surface of the earth. The leaves are bright green in color, small in size, rounded, slightly pointed at the edges. Flowers for men and women are white. The plant can bloom until frost. The bush is self-pollinating but capable of cross-pollination.
When planting, it is important to make sure that there were no other crops nearby with the Gypsy bell pepper at a distance of a couple of meters. If cross-pollination occurs with bitter peppers, the taste will become very pungent.
Fruits are polyspermous hollow berries, 5 wide, up to 14 cm long, wide at the stalk, pointed at the end, of medium size and beautiful shape, the average weight of each is 110 g, the skin is dense, but not very thick. The walls of the peppers are about 5 mm thick, have 3 seed chambers inside with yellowish seeds. Good yield for super early varieties. From a square meter, 3.5-4.5 kg of delicious allspice are collected. The fruits tolerate transportation well.
The maturity of the pods is determined by their color. Unripe have a green color, at the stage of technical ripeness acquire a yellowish-cream shade, when fully ripe, they turn red.
The seeds have a high percentage of similarity. With proper preparation, seedlings emerge from 80% of the seeds. Fruits are juicy, medium wateriness with crispy skin. The fruit tastes sweet, without bitterness and pungency. The aroma is pronounced, peppery.
Bulgarian pepper Gypsy: growing seedlings
The ideal time for sowing seeds is considered the end of February and the beginning of March, provided that there is a high-quality greenhouse in which the plants are planted in the last decade of April. Then, by May, the seedlings will have a root system and several leaf blades, the first harvest will ripen in early summer. With absence greenhouses sow seeds of Gypsy pepper in early April. Then the seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of May.
Gypsy is not picky about the soil; for sowing seeds, they choose light, well-fertilized substrates for peppers or soil mixture for indoor flowers.The looseness of the soil allows plants to get oxygen and nutrients from it without any problems.
Pepper Gypsy is not recommended to dive because of the weak root system. For the same reason, seedlings are sown in peat pots or tablets. If the seedlings still have to dive, they do it as carefully as possible, damage to the roots leads to the death of the plant.
Selection of seeds for sowing
When buying seeds, pay attention to the fact that the description of the Gypsy pepper variety must include the designation F1. This sign indicates that the plant is obtained by crossing mother plants. Second generation seeds are unsuitable for germination.
Viable seeds are chosen for seedlings without damage, signs of mold:
- A saturated saline solution is used to reject the seed.
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons of ordinary table salt in a glass of water, pour seeds into it, mix.
- Full viable seeds will sink to the bottom, they are caught, washed, dried.
- The rest are thrown away.
- Then the inoculum is disinfected by placing it in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.
- For another day, they are placed in warm water, to which a few drops of a growth stimulant are added.
They are sown in prepared cups with soil mixture, covered with glass, removed to a warm place at a temperature from +13 to +16 degrees. For a week, until the seeds germinate, the glass is removed daily to remove condensation, the soil is moistened as it dries. When the shelter is removed, the temperature is raised to + 18 ° C. With this mode, the root system is actively developing, which is important for this variety of peppers. After a few weeks, they try to maintain the temperature within +20 degrees during the day.
When cotyledon leaves appear on the plants, the temperature during the day is maintained at +16, at night it is lowered to +12. The seedlings are regularly moistened and fed. The first time peppers are fertilized when they grow 3-4 true leaves. Mineral fertilizers are applied.
After 10 days, the plant is again fed with fertilizer consisting of 2 tbsp. spoons wood ashdiluted in a liter of water. This mixture is pre-infused for 5 days, and immediately before watering it is diluted with half of water. The third feeding is carried out 4 days before transplanting into the ground. They are fed with ready-made commercial fertilizers. They are brought in during watering. First, the soil is watered, then top dressing is applied and the soil is again abundantly shed. This will prevent young plants from burning if the dosage of fertilizers is suddenly incorrectly calculated.
Transplanting into open beds or a greenhouse
Transplanting into open ground is carried out when the plant reaches at least 20 cm in height. It should have 10 leaf blades. Seedlings are hardened a week before transplanting, taking them out daily to fresh air or leaving them by an open window (first for an hour, then gradually increase the time).
For Gypsy bell peppers it is important to find the perfect outdoor location:
- Despite the fact that the plant can bear fruit even on poor soils, it needs to provide a well-lit area, away from tall vegetation, located in a lighted, windless place, on a small hill.
- When planting, make sure that there are no more than 5 plants per square meter of land.
- The root system must be at least 10 cm below the ground.
Plants are planted in cloudy weather or in the evening when the sun's activity subsides, otherwise the peppers will get burned. They make holes at a distance of 40 cm. Put humus in them. Planted in straight rows or staggered. The variety does not have a strong leafiness, so the bushes are shaded, otherwise, with excessive solar activity, the pods will get sunburn and die.
Care features
After planting Gypsy pepper, caring for it consists in destroying weeds, loosening, watering, feeding.The soil is loosened a few minutes after watering or the last rain, so that as it dries up, a dense crust does not form on the soil surface.
Before the buds appear, the loosening depth is 6 cm, during flowering - 10, during the formation of fruits, the depth is increased to 14, and then gradually reduced to 6 cm.
Pepper bushes are watered for the first time after transplanting, then after 4 days. Then moisten the soil once a week until fruiting. When ovaries form, watering is stopped, and only before the second flowering begins, the process is resumed. Water in the morning and in the evening using warm water (at least +22 degrees). Water is poured under the root or between the rows so that the liquid does not fall on the leaves. One bush requires at least 2 liters of water.
On the garden bed, Gypsy peppers are fed after 3 weeks with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. During flowering, watered with a solution of 20 g of boric acid, a pound of granulated sugar dissolved in 10 liters of water. During ripening, the fruits are fed with a mixture of 40 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium nitrate, diluted in 10 liters of water.
The plant needs an obligatory garter due to the extremely fragile branches. Pegs more than 60 cm high are dug in near each bush. Bushes are carefully tied to them.
Gypsy is not afraid of tobacco mosaic, but prevention is necessary from rot, phytophthora, sclerotinia, bacterial spotting. For this purpose, the bushes are treated with iodine, hydrogen peroxide, decoctions of wormwood, onion husks, and potato tops. In the fight against spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, insecticides Aktara, Aktellik are used.
Early sweet pepper Gypsy f1 from Holland belongs to fairly young varieties that have earned popularity among gardeners for their high yield and early ripening of fruits. Providing good conditions for a fragile plant, it will delight with tasty, fresh peppers already at the beginning of summer.