Chili is not only a very tasty seasoning, but also an amazingly beautiful ornamental plant that can decorate the window sill of any apartment. Bush beautifully decorates the interior with pods of different colors. It does not require much hassle and maintenance costs, but it looks very elegant and fun, giving a good harvest.
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Description and characteristics of hot red chili
The name of the pepper has nothing to do with the country of Chile, as the birthplace of this burning vegetable is America. From it, pepper has spread to all countries and other continents. India and Thailand are famous for their highest yields.
The name of the burning vegetable received from the Mexican word "chilli", meaning red. Capsaicin gives a sharp taste to pepper, the more its content in the product, the sharper the taste.
Capsicum frutescens or chilli pepper is a tropical bushy plant that has fruits with a hot, spicy and sometimes bitter taste.
The 60 centimeter tall pepper bush is covered with small green leaves in the shape of an ellipse.
In the indoor home conditions, you can sow or plant a plant and get a large crop of high-quality fruits. For this it is necessary to master the features and agrotechnology of cultivation. In general, the matter is not very laborious. Indoor plant fruits wellgives small, high-quality fruits.
Most comfortable The varieties to grow in an apartment and plant on the windowsill are the following plant species:
- Christmas bell;
- Light;
- Naga Jolokia;
- Explosive amber;
- Big fireworks.
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- Christmas bell
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- The light
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- Naga Jolokia
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- Explosive Amber
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- Big fireworks
Pepper constantly mutates. So now you can find several hundred of its varieties. There are all new types of plants. They differ in the color of the fruit (from bright red, to yellow or green), their shape and hotness.
In many ways, the taste of pepper depends on the place of growth and type. All types and varieties of such vegetables are combined into one common group - Cayenne pepper.
Useful effect on the body when eating hot pepper
Chile is widely consumed fresh, dried, as a powder. It is used in salads or vegetable dishes. It perfectly emphasizes the taste of meat, fish or first courses.
The main advantage of chilli is determined not by its special taste, but by its rich mineral and vitamin composition, which has a positive effect on the work of the whole organism.
Chile contains the following vitamins:
- Beta Carotene (Vitamin A);
- Thiamine (vitamin B1);
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2);
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5);
- Pyridoxine (vitamin B6);
- Folic acid and other beneficial substances.
Also, the vegetable has a unique mineral composition - zinc, iron, manganese, selenium and copper bring many benefits to the human body. A positive effect is achieved with a moderate use of it in food - no more than one pod per day.
This seasoning perfectly helps to treat the following diseases:
- Diarrhea. Ready-made tablets or decoctions of fresh chilli or its powder are used;
- Stretching muscles and ligaments. Spicy powder mixed with castor oil and rubbed into the sore spot;
- Loss of sensation of arms and legs. For the treatment of used ointments and oils based on it;
- Heart attack. Since spice can reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, the risk of developing this terrible disease decreases;
- Diabetes;
- Scurvy;
- Oncological diseases;
- Headaches. It can be used moderately in food or rubbed into the temporal region of the head ointment, based on it;
- Increased body temperature;
- Treatment of cold and ARVI;
- Obesity.
Harm and contraindications for health from drinking
Despite the fact that this spicy seasoning with moderate use can cope with some diseases or prevent their occurrence, there is a huge difference with a group of people who categorically can not use it in no way.
Diseases and contraindications for health, which can aggravate the condition or harm the patient:
- Cholecystitis;
- Pancreatitis;
- Ulcer, gastritis and any inflammatory processes of the mucous membrane;
- Hemorrhoids.
Under the prohibition of eating children under 14 years of age. It is not advisable to abuse this hot seasoning for pregnant and lactating women. They are better opt for sweet pepperwith no less useful vitamin and mineral composition.
The abuse of sharp pods can harm even a perfectly healthy male body. There is heartburn, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines.You can not use the product, people using drugs to thin the blood, as chile has the property of enhancing the effect of their effects.
When used in condiments, food allergies may occurexpressed in swelling of the mucous and skin rashes.
It is necessary to know exactly how much chili pepper can be used in case of the listed diseases and it is obligatory to consult with your doctor before cooking.
Growing chili peppers from seeds on the windowsill at home
It is not at all difficult to grow paprika at home; the main thing is to choose a suitable variety. The most undersized variety - Salute will give a bush with a height of no more than 20 centimeters. Sort "Tabasco"- gives a big crop of fruits no larger than 5 centimeters. It is appreciated for precocity and especially burning taste.
The main thing when choosing a variety to take into account the possibility of using fruits for food, as there are varieties only for decorative purposes.
Before planting seeds you need to prepare the tank. Perfect option - peat pots. For each adult plant requires a separate capacity.
Tanks are filled with soil. You can buy soil for indoor plants in specialized stores.
Growing peppers on the windowsill goes through the following steps:
- Seed germination. For a week, the seeds should be wrapped in a paper napkin or gauze moistened with water. Seeds should swell properly;
- Landing on seedlings. We pour soil into peat boxes, make small indentations of 7-10 ml in it, moisten and lay seeds, sprinkle them with earth. Box wrapped with foil. The first shoots should appear in a week. Then the film should be removed and put the seedlings on a good light;
- Transplant to a permanent place. When the seedlings get stronger, it should be transplanted into a plastic or ceramic pot. For this, the plant in the peat tank should be shed with water so that a lump of dirt forms around the root. This is important, since the root cannot be damaged during transplantation. In the main pot, a recess is made into which the seedling is placed.The leaves should be at a distance of 2 centimeters from the ground surface.
The seedling is watered as soon as the soil begins to dry with settled water at room temperature. Leaves should be moistened with a sprayer. once a week.
Twice a month, fertilizing is carried out with mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. Chile is a perennial plant that can bear fruit for five years or more. In order to better pass the pollination, pots with flowering plants must be shaken once a day.
Better fruiting observed in the second and third year of life. Some plants can form up to hundreds of peppercorns per season. They must be removed from the tree as they mature.
Chile - this culture is perfectly suitable for growing at home on the windowsill. Thanks to simple care, you can get not only a beautiful plant with a pleasant aroma, but also a constant source of tasty and healthy spices.