How allspice grows in its natural environment and how to grow it at home. how black pepper grows how black pepper peas grow

Culinary thrill-seekers cannot imagine any dish without black peppercorns. The spicy smell and spicy taste will turn the meat into a delicacy and add an interesting note to salads. What can we say about marinades for preservation - there’s nowhere without pepper. Do you know how black pepper grows? Despite the name, this plant has nothing in common with bell or hot peppers. Yes, they have different growing requirements. What is black pepper as a culture?

The second name of black pepper is Malabar berry.

plant description

Unlike the Bulgarian, popular among gardeners, black grows by no means in a bush and is not quite compact. By its nature, it is a perennial tree-like liana, whose birthplace is the subtropics of India and Asia. There, in conditions of high humidity and stable heat, its length can reach 15 m. Clinging to aerial roots, it wraps itself around trees and rushes towards the sun, forming a thick wall. Pepper thickets are almost impassable, because the leathery leaves are very dense. Although their sizes are small, maximum 10 cm in length, there is a lot of gray-green foliage. Pepper blooms simply, with small white flowers, collected in a long semblance of a hanging spikelet. At the end of flowering, round green drupes are tied in their place. When ripe, they turn red.

Black, green and white peppers are the same crop. The only difference is when and how the crop was harvested. Red peas become black during the drying process, they remain green if unripe peppers are harvested. White pepper is obtained by cleaning the peas from the pericarp after soaking.

How black pepper grows - growing features

The lowest temperature that the vine can tolerate is 10 ° C heat. For this reason, not only winter, but even autumn in the open field, we will not endure. But the liana will cope with the role of a room pot culture.

Getting seeds is not a problem. You can also plant those peas that are among the seasonings in the kitchen, but only after soaking them for a couple of days.

Black pepper as a houseplant is quite unpretentious. It is enough just to reproduce the natural environment of its growth, and already in the second year of life, the first crop can be harvested. In order for the vine to grow actively, it needs:

loose nutrient soil (a mixture of leafy and soddy soil, sand and humus);
good but diffused lighting (east windows);
humid air (water pan plus frequent spraying);
warm (in winter - not lower than 16 ° C);
proper watering (abundant - from spring to autumn, scarce - in winter);
seasonal top dressing (from spring to autumn - twice a month with a mineral complex).

Given the "curly" nature of the vine, you need to install a support in the pot. So she can curl and maintain an upright position. Once every 2-3 years, the bush is transplanted into fresh soil. You can propagate such a plant by collecting seeds, as well as cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.

Black pepper is massively grown in Latin American countries in the tropical zone. But if you wish, you can grow it with us.

Since pepper has become an agricultural crop, poles have been set up for it on plantations, as for hops, and this limits its growth to a height of 4-5 m.

The plant resembles a liana, as it wraps around trees with its rods, on which fruits grow. First, the plant blooms, its flowers resemble hanging icicles, and then bears yellow and red fruits.

These black pepper fruits are useful to grow and eat for people who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system. Black pepper is also seasoned with meat and fish dishes. This is a spicy plant for lovers of spicy dishes.

In the countries of Latin America and the islands close to it, black pepper is cultivated on plantations.

Black pepper is good for normal digestion. However, they should not be abused. Especially it should not be eaten by people with stomach diseases.

Pepper is widely used in the cuisine of different countries. In our country, it is used for soups, marinades, for all types of meat and sausages.

Sold in two versions: ground and in grains. It is used as a spice to add piquancy and flavor to the dish.

The crop is harvested when the fruits begin to turn red.

Beneficial features:

Black pepper has antibacterial properties. Therefore, adding it to foods keeps them fresh.
Thanks to pepper, the secretion of hydrochloric acid increases and the digestion process improves. Protects against colic, diarrhea and constipation.
Helps overweight people to overcome kilograms. Thanks to the hot properties of pepper, added in the right amount, it helps to lose weight with the right diet. It destroys fat cells in the body.
Useful for skin diseases.
For colds and coughs, black pepper should be treated. It relieves sinusitis and some nasal conditions.
Is an antioxidant.
Helps transport nutrients throughout the body.
Helps with diseases such as hoarseness, joint pain, hernia, gangrene, earache, asthma, whooping cough and many others.
It has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times.

Contraindications for using black pepper:

Gastric ulcer.
Operations on the stomach and intestines.
Use in large doses.

Growing black pepper at home is not difficult.

Growing black pepper at home

There are two main qualities of pepper - its sharpness (due to piperine) and aroma (depending on the content of essential oils).

To do this, you need to buy black peppercorns in the store. It is sold in bags and is quite inexpensive. And from this bag you can grow a good crop. Growing, care, temperature, growth, watering and harvesting - all this you need to know when growing black pepper.

The plant must be provided with conditions in which it will grow comfortably. The first step is to ensure the correct temperature. Black pepper grows at a temperature of +25°C and does not like a sharp drop in temperature. At temperatures below +10°C, the plant will die.
A potted plant can reach 2 meters in height with proper care.
Fruits black pepper in the second year of life.
Soil for the plant: heavy leafy and soddy soil, sand and humus.
Peppers need light, but not direct rays.
Watering should be plentiful in summer and moderate in winter. Pour black pepper with water at room temperature.
Reproduction occurs in several ways: layering, cuttings, division and seeds.
Peppers bloom in April or May.

Tools you will need to grow black pepper at home:

Peppercorns from a store bag.
Pot or cup made of cardboard.
Thermometer.
Water.
Land with fertilizers.
Chopper and shovel for transplanting pepper into the ground.
Covering polyethylene film.

For pepper, choose a bright place, protected from direct sunlight.

Planting black pepper at home

After buying black peppercorns, you need to select the largest ones and plant them in a pot.
Before planting, they must be soaked in water for a day.
The air temperature for growing should be +25-30°C.
It is better to plant a plant in a pot in early summer.
After the appearance of the second leaf, it must be fertilized. It is best to use bird droppings for this. It must be defended in advance.
After fertilizing, black pepper should be planted in a large pot so that it becomes spacious. The pot should be kept on the windowsill in cloudy weather, and in sunny weather it should be taken out into the street.

Features of black pepper:

If white eggs appear on the back of the leaves, then this is normal. Then they will turn black.
There is a so-called white pepper, which is also sold in peas. It practically does not differ from black, except for the color of the shell. And get this white shell by soaking peppercorns in water. Soaked peppers lie in water for 2 weeks, and then the shell is easily peeled and turns white. Then it is dried, after which it is ready for use. White pepper is not subject to planting.
They also grow green peppers. It is obtained from unripe black fruits. By drying, its color remains green. Red is obtained in the same way. But pink is already a separate variety of Brazilian pepper.
Only black pepper is suitable for planting, and green, white and red cannot be planted.

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Proper care of black pepper

The plant grows on the window, and therefore it must be placed so that there is enough light. It is best on the east or west side, because there is little light on the north side, and on the south side it can burn out.
During the growing season, the temperature should be around 20-22 degrees, and in winter the temperature should be reduced to + 18 ° C. Lower than 16°C is not desirable.
The plant loves moisture, so if the heating is constantly on, it can dry out the air, while the plant will get sick. It must be sprayed 2 times a day with water. In winter, it is worth doing it less often than in summer. In the summer you need to water abundantly. On the tray with a pot, you can pour water or peat.
In summer and spring, the plant is fed with mineral fertilizers.
In winter, the plant is dormant. It is better not to disturb him, water him so as not to overdo it. Leave it in a bright place.
Peppers are transplanted every two years. Pots are better to take plastic, they retain moisture more.

Grow black pepper at home

It turns out that black pepper can be grown at home, and getting the seeds is just elementary, just buy black pepper in the form of peas at any grocery store, choose the largest peas, soak the peppercorns in water for a day and plant them in a pot, it is advisable to plant in early summer, after about a month, the first sprouts of sprouted peas will appear (temperature regime is 25-30 degrees Celsius) and do not believe those who say that black pepper-peas are heat-treated, peppercorns are dried in the sun in natural conditions.
After the second leaf, you need to fertilize the pepper - it will be a solution of bird droppings, which has settled for a couple of days. After these steps, the pepper can be carefully transplanted into large pots. Keep the plant on a windowsill in the winter and outdoors in a warm, sunny spot in the summer.

Do not be alarmed if you notice formations on the back of the sheet that look like white eggs, which then turn black, this is a normal phenomenon.

By the way white pepper this is the same black pepper, only mechanically peeled from the pericarp, usually to obtain white pepper, freshly picked ripe peppers are soaked in water (sometimes hot to speed up the process) for about one week. As a result of soaking, the fruit shell decomposes and softens, after which the fruit shell is separated and the remaining seeds are dried. You are unlikely to be able to grow anything from white pepper peas.

Green pepper, obtained from the unripe fruits of black pepper. Dried green peas are processed in such a way as to preserve their green color, for example, by using sulfur dioxide or by lyophilization (drying). Similarly, pink (red) peppers are also obtained from ripe fruits (pink peppers from Piper nigrum should be distinguished from the more common pink peppers made from the fruits of Peruvian pepper or Brazil pepper). Green peppercorns are not suitable for planting.

Instruction
1. First you need to choose and prepare a landing site. Pepper seedlings do best in rich, moist soils and well-drained areas, so fertilize the soil to add nutrients. Soil pH should be between 5.5 and 6.5. Lime should be added if the soil is too acidic.

2. Partially shaded locations should be selected as plants can be damaged if exposed to too much sunlight. If landing will be done indoors, then it is better to choose one that can have a temperature of 24 to 29 degrees, for example, it can be a sunny room with a partial blackout of the window.

3. Pepper planting is carried out by seeds. Pepper seeds are placed below the soil surface to a depth of about one centimeter. If planting is done indoors in pots, it is best to use pots with a capacity of at least 3 liters, as the pepper plant can develop extensive root systems.

4. Not everyone knows how to grow black pepper. It is necessary to control and maintain the pepper during the first two to three years, as well as in the time between the first planting and the first flowers. The plant should be provided with enough water. The soil should always be moist, but not soggy, to help the roots develop.

5. You need to fertilize the soil from time to time to help retain rich nutrients in the soil. If the plant grows in pots and is usually kept indoors, you can take advantage of its mobility and place it outdoors in a shady spot.

6. Pepper crop appears six to eight months after the first flowering. To harvest black pepper, it must be harvested when it is still green. Peppers need to be boiled and then dried for several days in the sun. After that it will turn black. Store peppers in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Where does black pepper grow?

REFERENCE! Black pepper, in Latin called Píper nígrum, is a tree-like vine from the Pepper family. Her homeland is the town of Kochi, located on the Malabar coast of India.

In the old days, this area was called Malikhabar, which translates as "land of pepper." According to the place of origin, the plant acquired another name - "malabar berry".

In the wild, black pepper grows in forests, braiding tall trees. 15 meter shoots. In areas with a hot and humid tropical climate, such as Sri Lanka, Brazil, Indonesia, China, Cambodia and other countries, the plant is grown as an agricultural crop. The main supplier of black pepper is the island of Sumatra.

As a rule, on plantations, the growth of the "Malabar berry" is limited, allowing its shoots to stretch only up to 5 meters in length.

Support for the plant are special poles. The juicy gray-green leaves of black pepper are ovoid in shape with a ribbed surface and a pointed tip.

The leaves are quite large in size. 6 to 10 cm in length. Liana blooms with small white or gray-yellow flowers, collected in thin hanging spikes.

After the plant fades, small fruits are formed on it in the form of spherical drupes with a burning taste. The berries are green at first, then they turn yellow and then, when fully ripe, they become orange-red.

To obtain black pepper as a seasoning, the berries are harvested unripe, when they are green or just starting to turn yellow. The harvested crop is scalded with boiling water and laid out to dry in the sun. Drying, the fruits shrivel, and then turn black, turning into a world-famous seasoning.

ATTENTION! Pepper liana begins to bear fruit on second year life. It blooms in mid-spring. The fruits do not ripen at the same time, so it takes several months to harvest.

One plant gives about 3 kg of seasoning. The life expectancy of this representative of the flora - from 25 to 50 years.

You can also grow black pepper at home. With proper care, a wonderful plant is able to provide the grower with a bountiful harvest of burning peas every year. Moreover, every housewife can find seeds for its cultivation.

Growing from seed

Consider how to grow black pepper from seeds at home.

The best time to sow the "Malabar berry" is beginning or middle of June. Seed material in the form of black peppercorns in a bag can be found in a kitchen cabinet or any grocery store.

For sowing, the largest peas are selected and soaked in warm water for one day. Seeds should be sown to a depth of no more than 1 cm. The recommended soil for sowing is a mixture for which 1 share of river sand and soddy soil and 2 shares of leafy soil are taken.

It is advisable to cover the container with planted seeds with plastic wrap or glass, not forgetting to periodically ventilate it and moisten the ground. At temperatures from 25 to 30 °С shoots can be expected in a month.

REFERENCE! With the advent of the first true leaflet, the seedlings dive into another container at a distance 2-3 cm from each other. After the appearance of the second true leaves, you need to feed the seedlings with settled infusion of bird droppings.

When the seedlings get stronger and grow up, you can transplant them into separate pots with a diameter of no more than 7 cm. As the root system grows, each young vine will need a container with a diameter of about 9 cm and reliable support.

You can visually familiarize yourself with how pepper grows in the photo below:

Features of keeping at home

Further care for pepper liana is not difficult. With sufficient humidity, it grows very quickly and is able to stretch out within a year. up to 2 meters. You just need to pay attention to the plant and follow some recommendations for growing it.

Lighting and temperature

Peppers need diffused sunlight. The ideal place to place it is a window facing west or east. In the south, shading from the sun is required. Due to the perceived lack of light, the north side is completely unsuitable.

The optimum temperature in the warm season is from 20 to 25 °С, and in winter - from 16 to 18 °C. It is highly desirable that the temperature column in the room does not fall below 10 ° C, otherwise the pet may die.

Watering and humidity

In the warm period, the plant should be watered abundantly enough, waiting for the top layer of the earth to dry out. In autumn, watering is recommended to be reduced, and in winter, moisture should be very moderate.

And it is important to remember that both overdrying of the soil and its waterlogging are equally dangerous for black pepper. For a resident of the tropics, high humidity is the main condition for existence.

If the air in the room is dry, the plant will begin to wither and get sick. Morning and evening water procedures in the form of spraying foliage will help increase humidity.

top dressing

In spring and at the end of August, the pet should be fertilized twice a month with a mineral complex for decorative and deciduous. In winter, pepper does not need fertilizer.

Transfer

Young vines are transplanted annually, adults - every two years. Transplantation is carried out in the spring, a slightly larger flowerpot is required, provided with holes for water drainage and a sufficient layer of drainage. It is better to prepare the substrate for the plant yourself, taking for this equal shares of river sand, peat, humus, leaf and sod land.

pruning

ATTENTION! Like all plants, peppers require annual pruning and removal of old or diseased parts. In the fall, when the fruiting period ends, it is necessary to cut the shoots by a third.

In addition, due to the very rapid growth of the vine, it can get too long and tangled lashes - it is advisable to shorten them so that the plant looks better and is healthy. Black pepper will take on a particularly attractive shape if there is a support in the form of a wooden lattice or arc next to it - young shoots will effectively braid it.

reproduction

Seeds that can be harvested from the plant itself. Sowing seeds and caring for seedlings follows the method described above.
cuttings. From an adult vine, cuttings with 1 or 2 buds are cut and planted in the ground, consisting of one part of leafy soil and 2 parts of sand. The container with the cuttings is covered with a plastic bag, the “greenhouse” is regularly ventilated and the seedlings are watered. At a temperature of 24 to 26 ° C, rooting occurs within 3 weeks. After that, young black peppers can be seated in separate pots.
The division of the bush. This method is best used during the spring transplant. The overgrown climbing bush of the plant is divided, and the resulting "delenki" are seated in separate containers, providing them with proper care.
layering. A long creeping shoot of a creeper is attached to the surface of the soil and moistened regularly. Rooting in this case occurs very quickly. The shoot, along with the roots, is cut off and a separate container is allocated to it.

Possible problems

Leaves wither and turn yellow - waterlogging of the soil, lack of nutrients.
The tips of the leaves turn brown and turn brown - low humidity, "drought" in a pot.
The stems are stretched and exposed - poor lighting, the need for top dressing.

Benefit and harm

Consider the beneficial and harmful properties of the seasoning, as well as diseases that can be treated with black pepper in traditional medicine.

Black pepper is so versatile that it is included in most recipes for cooking first and second courses. The popularity of the seasoning is not accidental, because it has a lot of useful properties. "Malabar berry" has the richest composition.

This unique substance stimulates appetite by thinning the blood, prevents thrombosis, and stimulates metabolism. Pepper liana also helps to normalize bowel function and is indicated for stress, fatigue and depression.

IMPORTANT! Black pepper has long been used for medicinal purposes. It has an antioxidant, bactericidal, firming and even anthelmintic effect. "Malabar Berry" helps in the treatment of fever, coughs and colds and in diseases of the endocrine system.

However, black pepper has a number of contraindications. It is not recommended for people with individual intolerance to the product, suffering from anemia, peptic ulcer, as well as for diseases of the urinary tract in the acute phase.

It is necessary to give up your favorite seasoning if you have had an operation on the stomach or intestines. And do not abuse hot peas - this is not useful even for a healthy person.

You can, of course, buy black pepper in the store - this is an affordable and inexpensive product. But how much more interesting it is to grow it on your own!

This is not only an exciting process, but also the opportunity to always have fresh and therefore more healthy seasoning on the table. You just need to surround the plant with care and attention - and it will thank you with a rich harvest of black peppercorns.

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Pea-shaped black pepper has another name - the Malabar berry, which indicates the place of its natural growth in the south of India - the Malabar Islands. There, pepper is grown on special plantations, on which wooden supports are installed to support the plant during the period of active growth.

This culture can be grown at home. Black pepper peas have received recognition due to their beneficial properties. It is used in the fight against excess weight, as it is able to destroy fat cells in the body. The plant is a natural antioxidant and helps to cope with coughs and colds, some skin pathologies.

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Plant features

Black peppercorns is a tree-like perennial vine that belongs to the Pepper family. The length of the shoots of the plant in natural conditions reaches 15 meters, numerous aerial roots form in the axils of the plant. At home in the tropics, the plant uses trees as a support, climbing them closer to the sun. The shape of the leaves is oval with a pointed end and a plate length of about 10 cm. The flowering period falls on the beginning of June, as a result of which small white flowers appear on the plant, which form an inflorescence in the form of a panicle.

The plant produces spherical green seeds 5 mm in diameter, which turn yellow or red as they ripen and are distinguished by a characteristic burning taste. The fruits are arranged alternately on the cobs 15-20 cm long. The black color of the peas is due to natural drying. For seasoning, the fruits are harvested unripe - in a green or yellow state.

Harvest takes several months. The culture is planted on plantations, and wooden poles are used as supports. The length of the stem is limited within 4.5–5 m, which improves the fruiting of the plant. Pepper bears fruit twice a year for 20-30 years - depending on care. Several varieties of allspice are harvested from creepers: red, white, green and black. The color of the seasoning depends on the stage of harvesting the fruits and their processing method.

Rules for growing at home

Black pepper peas need high humidity and an air temperature of at least 20 degrees throughout the year, so it can only be grown in Russia on a windowsill as a houseplant.

For successful cultivation, it is necessary to find a suitable sunny open place. It is recommended to plant seeds in late April - early May, which will enable the seedlings to grow and get stronger during the season. For sowing, a store-bought package of black pepper is suitable, from which the largest peas should be selected without damaging the integrity of the upper shell.

For planting, it is necessary to prepare in advance planting containers 8–10 cm high, in the bottom of which make drainage holes to remove excess water. The soil can be used purchased at the store specifically for seedlings or prepared independently at home.

To prepare the substrate, combine and mix the following components thoroughly:

2 parts of leaf land;
1 part soddy soil, river sand, perlite or vermiculite.

A day before planting, peppercorns are recommended to be soaked in a warm solution of potassium permanganate of a weak consistency, which will help soften the upper shell of the seed and prevent possible pathogens. It is recommended to use only those seeds that have sunk to the bottom. To disinfect the soil, it is necessary to shed it the day before planting with a working solution of the Previkur fungicide (10 ml per 6 liters of water), which will prevent the development of fungal diseases in the soil.

In the future, the planting of black pepper with peas is carried out in stages:

1. Pour a 1 cm layer of drainage into the prepared containers.
2. On top, lay out the substrate with a layer of 5–6 cm and water it abundantly and wait until the moisture is completely absorbed into the soil.
3. Spread the seeds of black pepper on the surface, so that there is a distance of 2 cm between them, and press them a little to the ground.
4. Sprinkle a 0.5–0.7 cm layer of substrate on top and moisten it with a spray bottle.
5. Cover the containers with a transparent lid or film. Put the containers in a dark place at a temperature of +25+28 degrees until the seedlings germinate.

Within three weeks, the seeds will germinate, but throughout the entire time it is necessary to occasionally ventilate the containers and remove condensation from the lid with a paper towel. When multiple shoots appear, it is necessary to rearrange the containers on the windowsill and reduce the temperature of the contents to + 20 + 22 degrees.

In order to prepare sprouts for environmental conditions, it is necessary to adapt them. 7-10 days after seed germination, it is recommended to open the planting containers for 30 minutes and increase this period of time by 25 minutes with each subsequent day. After a week, the containers with sprouts can be fully opened. To improve the adaptation of seedlings, it is recommended to spray the leaf with Epin's working solution (0.2 ml per 1 liter of water).

Black pepper does not tolerate a lack of moisture, so it is necessary to water the seedlings on time, preventing the roots from drying out or overflowing. The culture is susceptible to temperature differences, therefore, it needs a constant regime within + 19 + 22 degrees, which will ensure the full development of the root system and the aerial part.

Liana will begin to bear fruit only in the second year.

Picking seedlings

When two true leaves are formed at the shoots of black pepper, the plants should be picked in separate containers. For this, pots with a diameter of 9-10 cm are selected. The day before the transplant, the seedlings should be watered abundantly. Drainage holes must be made in the bottom of the containers. Soil for planting should be purchased at a specialized store or prepared independently in the following ratio:

2 parts of sod land;
1 part peat, leafy soil, rotted humus, river sand.

Fill the prepared containers with the resulting substrate and water abundantly. When transplanting into separate containers, the tip of the main root of the plant should be pinched 0.3 cm, which stimulates increased growth of lateral roots. To improve the rooting of plants in new containers, it is necessary to water the seedlings with Kornevin's working solution (4 g per 4 l of water). After adaptation, the pepper will begin to grow actively. During this period, it is important to maintain high humidity, for this, spraying the leaves and timely watering should be carried out once every 3 days. The air temperature should be within + 20 + 25 degrees.

Reproduction methods

In the future, young seedlings of black pepper with peas can be obtained by cuttings or by rooting layering. This will help reduce the effort and time to get a new plant. Propagation by cuttings should be carried out in early spring. To do this, the apical shoots are cut into segments with 2-3 buds.

For planting cuttings, mini-greenhouses should be used. It is recommended to use the soil the same as when planting seeds, previously watered and neutralized. The lower cut of the cuttings must be dipped in Kornevin powder and immersed in the soil by 1 cm. Put the greenhouses on the windowsill. Rooting of seedlings occurs within 2–3 weeks at a temperature not lower than +22+25 degrees. When young plants get stronger, they should be adapted to external conditions and planted in separate containers.

To use the method of propagation by layering, it is necessary to plant an adult black pepper vine in an oblong container with a volume of at least 5 liters. Balcony boxes may be the best option. One of the lower recumbent layers of the plant is laid along the entire length of the container, fastened with a wooden pin and sprinkled with earth, leaving only the tip of the shoot on top. Within 2 weeks, the shoot will take root and form several points of growth. When the sprouts get stronger, they must be cut into the resulting segments and planted in separate pots with a diameter of 12 cm. In this way, black pepper peas propagate without much difficulty.

Further care

The peculiarity of the plant is that light formations appear on the back of the leaf plate over time, which gradually darken. This is not a sign of disease and therefore does not require any treatment.

Black peppercorns are a perennial crop, so for its successful cultivation at home, certain care rules must be followed. This will enable the pepper to fully grow and regularly form pea seeds.

The plant is very demanding on light, therefore it prefers to grow on eastern or western windowsills. In the period of short daylight hours, it needs additional illumination in the evening. In summer, a pot with a liana can be taken out to a lighted balcony.

The culture is considered thermophilic, so the temperature of the content should not fall below 20 degrees, regardless of the season. Withstands short-term gradual cooling down to 16 degrees. At temperatures below 10 degrees, the plant dies.

Black pepper does not tolerate drying out of the soil, therefore, it needs timely and full watering. In hot periods of the year, it is necessary to spray the foliage 1 time in 2 days. Watering is recommended to be carried out 2 times a week, but at the same time allow the soil in the pot to soak. In winter, watering should be limited to 1 time per week.

For full growth, it is necessary to apply top dressing of the plant:

1. In the period from late February to mid-May, black pepper needs to be fertilized with a high nitrogen content, which must be carried out at intervals of 1 time in 10 days. This stimulates the active growth of young shoots and foliage.
2. From the end of May to the end of June, fertilizing the plant with a high content of phosphorus and potassium should be applied once every 10–14 days. This promotes abundant flowering and fruit set.
3. From July to October, the plants are fed with universal fertilizers at intervals of 1 time in 2–3 weeks.
4. From November to the end of February, feeding should not be carried out.

Carrying out a transplant

As it grows, every spring it is recommended to transplant the pepper into a large container, but at the same time, the diameter of the new pot is increased by 2-3 cm compared to the previous one. The day before the procedure, the plant should be watered so as not to damage the roots. The substrate for transplantation can be prepared independently.

This will require the following components:

2 parts of soddy soil and leafy soil;
1 part peat, river sand, rotted manure, perlite or vermiculite.

Transplantation should be carried out by transshipment, filling with a new substrate only the voids formed in the new pot. It is recommended to use supports for support, lengthening them as the pepper grows.

Possible difficulties

In the process of growing black peppercorns, various problems may appear that need to be adjusted in plant care or maintenance conditions.

The description of the most common cases is presented in the table:

Description of the problem	What is it and how to fix it
Elongated deformed plant stem	This is a sign of excess moisture in winter or lack of light in summer. It is necessary to adjust the watering and occasionally turn the pot on the other side to the sun
Dry brown leaf tips	Indicates low air humidity. Regular foliar spraying should be carried out on hot days.
Sudden fall of leaves	Occurs if the plant is poured with cold water or there is a sharp temperature drop. Dropping leaves in summer indicates drying out of the roots.
drooping, pale foliage	It is a sign of excess moisture in winter. For treatment, it is necessary to shed the soil with a working solution of Previkur at the rate of 10 ml per 6 liters of water
Rotting of the base of the plant	Caused by soil overflow at a low content temperature. It will not be possible to save the plant, it is necessary to carry out cuttings of apical shoots
Dry brown spots on leaves	They are a sign of sunburn. During the period of active spring sun, the plant must be shaded.

Observing all the rules for caring for the plant, it is possible to harvest the first crop of pepper seeds the next year after planting. And in order for them to acquire the usual black color, it is necessary to dry them in a warm, dark place. With proper care, the plant is long-lived.