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When choosing pepper for growing in greenhouses and outdoors, gardeners pay attention to the appearance, taste of the fruit and the yield of a particular variety. However, an important detail of a variety or hybrid for ripening in small areas of soil is the size of the bush.
Benefits of growing stunted sweet peppers
Most often, all the necessary information about the variety of bell pepper is on the packaging with planting material. If you are a beginner gardener, or choose a new variety for planting, pay attention to such parameters as growth conditions (greenhouse or open ground), temperature conditions and fruit ripening time. The manufacturer also acquaints the buyer with the size of the expected crop and the plant itself.
What is the difference between growing tall varieties and short ones, and in what cases should certain plants be planted in the ground? It is known that tall varieties are, most often, the most productive bell peppers. In closed ground conditions, up to 10-12 kg of juicy and colorful fruits are harvested from one bush. Modern breeding produces hybrids that can bear fruit until the onset of winter. But these bushes require regular attention: they must be tied up and shaped in such a way as to prevent wilting or weakening of the main stem. In addition, tall varieties need regular mineral and organic nutrition.
In cramped conditions of country gardens and greenhouses, it is best to grow undersized peppers. Low bushes dotted with colorful fruits are also ideal for tunnel options for film shelter. The yield of such varieties is somewhat lower, however, due to the density of planting in the ground, good and stable results can be achieved.
Experienced farmers grow early low-growing varieties of pepper in order to get quick first crops with minimal care and feeding costs. But for beginners, for the first time growing vegetables, it is strongly recommended to start with low bushes. They are perfect for those summer residents who come to their sites only once a week. Resistance to arid and hot climates, slow return of stepchildren and side branches and a strong stem are the main advantages of growing pepper on low bushes.
Varieties and hybrids of undersized sweet pepper
When choosing planting material for low-growing sweet peppers, be sure to remember that characteristics such as the beginning of the growing season and the taste of the fruit, as a rule, always conflict. If you are harvesting your first harvest already in early July, then the quality of the fruit is likely to be average.
chanterelle
This short and compact variety of sweet pepper can be grown in open garden beds and in film greenhouses. The first fruits can be removed already on the hundredth day from the pecking of the planting material. The fruits are painted in light green or orange color, have an even, slightly elongated shape, grow small in size and weight. Interestingly, Chanterelle is one of the few varieties that can produce small yields on the balconies of city apartments. This is due to the fact that the plant does not need large volumes of soil and feels great in a flower pot.
Planting seedlings in the ground is carried out in early or mid-March. Planting density per 1m2 – up to 5-6 seedlings. The main features of the variety are the regular picking of lateral shoots. Up to 1,5-2 kg of peppers are removed from one bush per season.
Sveta
An early ripe variety of undersized sweet pepper for open areas and small film shelters. In the garden, this plant does not grow more than 40-50 cm. The first fruits are removed 100 days after the seed is hatched. The skin is dense, painted in a bright orange color. Fruit weight during the period of technical maturity – 80-100 gr. The obvious advantages of growing the Sveta variety include high resistance to watermelon mosaic viruses, fungal and putrefactive diseases. From a small but fruitful bush, up to two kilograms of the crop are harvested.
Fakir
Gardeners recognize this variety as the best among compact bush peppers, due to the wide possibilities of using the crop. The fruits are small in size, have an even oblong shape, painted in bright red. Those who are not familiar with the taste of the Fakir pepper are somewhat alarmed by its appearance, since the pepper is small in diameter and looks like an overgrown hot pepper.
However, “Fakir” is one of the undersized varieties, which is famous for its high yields. During the fruiting period, a small bush, barely reaching half a meter in height, is all showered with bright fruits.. In open gardening areas, up to three kilograms of crops are harvested from one bush, but if you put Fakir in a greenhouse, these figures can reach up to 8-10 kg. A distinctive feature of the variety is an incredible dense skin, thanks to which the pepper tolerates transportation well and remains on the bush even during the first frosts.
Agapovsky
The variety is marked by the Research Institute of Selection and Vegetable Crops of Our Country as the earliest undersized variety.
It is planted in open ground and film greenhouses, and gives the first crops already on the 90th day after germination. The fruits are large, have an even prism shape, when fully ripe they turn into a rich red color. Up to 5-6 kg of fruits are harvested from one bush per season, the average weight of which can reach up to 250-300 grams.
Distinctive features of cultivation – excellent resistance to the tobacco mosaic virus, but meanwhile requires additional mineral supplements. Without them, the fruits of the Agapovsky variety begin to get sick with apical rot.
Albatros F1
An early ripe undersized hybrid, which got its name from the shape of the pepper, slightly curved at the end, and resembling the wings of a bird. The variety is included in the State Register of the Federation, and is recognized by domestic breeders as one of the best among the early universal varieties.
Fruits in the period of biological maturity reach a size of 8-10 cm, with an average weight of one pepper – 100 gr. A distinctive feature of the Albatross orta is its high resistance to sharp temperature fluctuations in the air and on the soil. Up to 5-7 kg of tasty, light green or yellow fruits are harvested from one bush.
Bonetta
This variety gives the best yields under film shelters and in greenhouse conditions, since it belongs to low-growing early-ripening varieties with unstable growth during sudden cold snaps.
The fruits are colored red, during the period of biological maturity they can reach a weight of one hundred grams, although there are cases when, when weighing one Boneta pepper, the scale arrow reached 300. Up to 3 kilograms of pepper can be removed from one bush during the harvest period. A distinctive feature of the variety is its high resistance to drought, direct sunlight and high summer temperatures.
Timoshka
Close and very compact plant of short-growing sweet pepper, which feels great in cramped conditions with dense planting of seedlings in open ground. “Timoshka” refers to mid-season varieties, the first peppers are removed from the bush only on the 110th day from pecking the seed. The average weight of one fruit can reach 300 grams, however, the variety is not high-yielding, and only 3-4 ovaries can form on the bush itself for the entire season.
Gardeners love “Timoshka” for its taste. This beautiful, red pepper can be classified as thick, due to the fact that its fleshy walls during the period of biological ripening reach a thickness of 0,8-1 cm.
Up to two kilograms of crops are harvested from one bush, and, most often, it is used to make salads.
Gemini F1
Early maturing hybrid of yellow sweet pepper of the Dutch selection. The height of the bush barely exceeds 40 cm. It was bred specifically for growing crops in narrow film greenhouses. The period of full maturation of “Gemini” begins already after 2,5 months from the first shoot.
A distinctive feature of the hybrid is that the fruits hang on a long stem, which allows you to harvest without injuring the main plant. “Gemini” has excellent taste, enviable resistance to short-term drought and high summer temperatures.
Ilya Muromets
The name of this variety speaks for itself. A low and compact bush has a powerful root system and stem. Fruits can grow up to 12-15 cm in length, with an average weight of 200 g.
The plant belongs to the mid-season, so full biological maturation can be observed only on the 120th day. Peppers are fleshy, red, ideal for culinary processing and canning. Up to 10 ovaries are formed on one bush, therefore, with good regular care and watering, Ilya Muromets gives stable high yields.
Distinctive features of the variety are high resistance to cold snaps in the air and on the soil, immunity to viral and fungal infections.
Eroshka
Mid-season productive low-growing variety with a growing season starting on the 0,5th day after hatching the seed. The plant exceeds a height of 200 m only if grown in greenhouse conditions. The bushes are compact, with a powerful and dense stem, do not require picking and shaping. The fruits are painted in a beautiful rich red color, the weight of one is up to 5 gr. The skin is firm and juicy, with an average thickness of about XNUMX mm.
The main features of the fetus are resistance to low temperatures, watermelon and tobacco mosaic virus, fungal and putrefactive diseases. “Eroshka” is a great opportunity to get high yields on small plots of soil. This is one of the few varieties that successfully bear fruit when planting up to 8-10 seedling bushes per 1m2.
Conclusion
When choosing low-growing varieties and hybrids for growing sweet peppers, remember that each of them is adapted to certain climatic conditions, individual in the choice of top dressing and watering frequency. In order to collect a decent tasty harvest, follow the scheme for planting seedlings in open ground indicated on the package. For undersized compact bushes, as a rule, it is 30×40 cm, with rare exceptions, changing downwards.
For more information on growing undersized sweet peppers, see the video: