Hybrid varieties of pepper have long occupied a special place in the beds of our country. Bred from two common varieties, they have increased productivity and resistance to many diseases. So that the harvest of this crop can not only please, but also pleasantly surprise the gardener, it is recommended to choose varieties according to the climate of the area. It was bred in the Rostov region in the city of Shakhty by the breeder Yuri Ivanovich Panchev, the variety was registered in 1981.
Characteristic of the variety
Winnie the Pooh pepper is an early ripening variety. About 100 days will pass from its first shoots to fruits of technical maturity. The Winnie the Pooh pepper variety has compact bushes with a height of up to 25 cm. They have a standard shape and branches tightly pressed to the trunk with a small amount of foliage.
With success, it can be grown on ordinary and film beds.
The fruits on the bushes are formed in bunches. In their shape, they resemble a sharp cone. The color of their smooth surface changes depending on the degree of maturity from light green to red. Winnie the Pooh pepper has a rather small size: its length will be about 10 cm, and the weight will not exceed 50 grams. With this size, the pepper of this variety has a rather thick pulp of the pericarp – about 6 mm.
The pepper tastes sweet and juicy. It is perfect for fresh consumption and for use in cooking. The dense pulp of the Winnie the Pooh variety makes it suitable for canning.
Sweet pepper Winnie the Pooh has excellent resistance to many diseases, especially to verticillium wilt and aphids. The excellent taste qualities of these peppers are perfectly combined with commercial qualities. They can be perfectly stored and perfectly tolerate transportation. The variety is characterized by increased productivity, but due to the low weight of the fruit, it will not exceed 5 kg per square meter.
Recommendations for growing
In order for the plants of this variety to be able to give a bountiful harvest, you need to properly prepare the seedlings. It is recommended to start in February, but before that, the seeds should be checked and processed:
- 1-2 weeks before planting, pepper seeds are placed on a damp cloth. This is done to weed out dead seeds. After 1-1,5 weeks, all seeds suitable for planting will swell and hatch.
- All swollen and hatched seeds are placed for half an hour in a light solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed with warm water.
The seeds prepared in this way are planted in prepared containers and covered with a film. After germination, the film is removed so that the plants can fully develop.
Peat pots are perfect for this. You can also use empty milk cartons.
For normal growth of seedlings, it is necessary to provide a temperature of 20 to 24 degrees. In this case, the nighttime values should be several degrees lower than the daytime ones. Watering seedlings is carried out as the soil dries and always with warm water. Plant hardening gives excellent results. To do this, the night temperature is adjusted to 11-13 degrees. This procedure will allow young peppers not to stretch out and better adapt when landing in a permanent place.
Terms of planting ready seedlings of sweet pepper:
- Young plants can be planted in the greenhouse in late April – early May;
- Sweet peppers are planted in open beds no earlier than the beginning of June.
Further care for peppers is:
- Watering with warm water. The regularity of watering depends on the weather, but at least 2 times a week;
- Regular weeding and loosening;
- Top dressing with any mineral or organic fertilizers. Their frequency should not exceed 2 times a month.
You can learn more about caring for sweet peppers from the video:
Subject to these recommendations, the Winnie the Pooh variety can give the gardener an excellent harvest, which can be harvested until the end of September.