Agriculture and Natural Resources FSA6015
Home Gardening Series
Peppers Craig R. Andersen
Environment Light – sunny Soil – welldrained, loose Fertility – mediumrich pH – 6.0 to 7.0 Temperature – warm Moisture – average
Culture Planting – transplant after soil
is warmed Spacing – 1824 x 36 inches Hardiness – tender annual Fertilizer – mediumheavy feeder
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Peppers – Capsicum annuum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum frutescens
growing in Spanish monastery gardens by the end of the 15th century, and by the first half of the 16th they had spread to Italy, France and Germany.
The exact origin of peppers is debatable, but the possibilities have narrowed to Central and South America. The reason they are called peppers goes back to Christopher Columbus. He found the natives of the West Indies growing and using very hot forms of Capsicum. Columbus assumed they must be some form of pepper because of their extremely pungent flavor. The new spice, unlike most of the New World plant products, was an instant hit. Peppers were apparently adopted by other cultures immediately, and their use quickly spread worldwide. Capsicums were
It seems likely that peppers were domesticated simultaneously and independently in several different South and Central America locations. The plants seem to have been under cultivation by some time between 5200 and 3400 B.C. The Capsicums show great diversity in shape, color, taste and names. They are called ají, chile, chillis, pimentos, peperone or paprika. In writings from the early 1800s, bell peppers were often referred to as mangoes or mango peppers due to their association with pickled mangoes (the tropical fruit)
University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture, and County Governments Cooperating
Cultivars Days to Maturity
Plants/ 100 Ft of Row
Disease Resistance or Tolerance
Keystone Resistant Giant
Large, green, thick-walled fruit, heavy yield.
Yolo Wonder L
Large, green, thick-walled fruit, heavy yield.
Long, pointed, yellow fruit.
Thick-walled, four lobes green to red.
Super Heavy Weight
AAS green to red sweet bull’s horn type.
AAS yellow to red, sweet frying pepper.
Corno di Toro
Green to red, Italian bull’s horn, sweet fresh or grilled.
Long, pointed, waxy yellow fruit.
Small, elongated, dark green fruit that turns red when mature, extremely hot.
Dark green, thick-walled, remains green when ripe, very hot.
Medium green to red, mild with less pungency.
AAS mild heat, fruity flavor, yellow to red.
AAS chocolate brown pasilla type, mild heat.
Numex Big Jim
Large chili type, mild heat for rellenos or stuffing.
Numex Sauve Orange
Mild habanero from New Mexico Chili Institute.
being imported into the United States. In certain areas of the South, the name is still used. Most of the commercial cultivars of Capsicum annuum include the sweet bell peppers, the red paprika and pimiento peppers, a variety of hot peppers, among them the familiar jalapeno and Numex. Capsicum chinense includes the extremely hot, bright yellow-orange habanero Scotch Bonnet and bird pepper. Capsicum frutescens are the tepin, tabasco, cayenne, Thai hot and ornamental peppers. There exist some 20 wild species of pepper in South America which generally have tiny, red and very hot fruits.
Dark green bell, heavy-walled. Large fruit, green to yellow.
AAS green to red, thick-walled sweet roasting pepper.
In 1772 the botanically minded Dominican priest, Francisco Ximenez, wrote of a Cuban pepper so inflammatory that a single pod could render “a bull unable to eat.” These effects are due to a family of odorless but hot-tasting chemical compounds known as capsaicins. Bell peppers are tender, warm-season vegetables which require somewhat higher temperatures than tomatoes. Several other kinds of garden peppers (bell, pimiento, tabasco, cayenne, chili and paprika) may be grown as food or ornamentals
in Arkansas. Do not confuse these with black pepper, Piper nigrum, a shrub which yields the seed we use for a familiar table condiment. They are not related. The sweet varieties of peppers are by far the most popular.
Cultural Practices Bell peppers are tender, warm-season vegetables that require somewhat higher temperatures than tomatoes. Peppers have all the disease and insect problems of tomatoes and should be treated the same way.
Planting Time Peppers are best started from transplants after the soil has warmed in the spring. The plants cannot tolerate frost, and they do not grow well in cold, wet soil. Pepper seed can be slow to germinate, and temperatures need to be 76 degrees F or warmer for germination in 7 to 10 days. Some of the cultivars of C. frutescens may take 20 to 100 days to germinate and require much patience. When night tempera tures are 50 degrees F or lower, the plants may be injured. The plants grow slowly, leaves may turn yellow and the flowers will drop off. Transplants should be planted in the field when they are small (4 to 5 inches high). Larger plants will tend to set fruit too early and result in smaller fruit throughout the season. Plant peppers a week to 10 days after tomatoes are transplanted. Set transplants 18 to 24 inches apart in the row. A dozen plants, including one or two salad and hot types, will produce enough peppers for most families.
Care Peppers thrive in well-drained, fertile soil that is well supplied with moisture. The soil should be limed to raise soil pH above 6.0. Apply 8 ounces of a starter fertilizer solution (1 tablespoon of soluble fertilizer per gallon) to each plant when transplant ing. Hoe or cultivate shallowly to keep down weeds without damaging roots. Mulch is recommended, especially for gardeners who wish to maintain their plants for full-season harvest. Black plastic or organic materials are suitable for mulching.
Water the plants thoroughly every four to seven days during dry periods. Plants confined in containers need daily watering. Side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer (ammonia nitrate) at the rate of 1/2 pound per 100 feet of row (equivalent to 1/2 table spoon per plant) after the first peppers have grown to the size of golf balls. Apply supplemental ferti lizer (side-dressing) cautiously, only after a good crop of peppers is set, at two-week intervals. Do not get fertilizer on the leaves. Gardeners do more harm than good by applying too much fertilizer. Irrigate during dry periods; a uniform moisture supply is essential throughout the harvest season. Many gardeners train their pepper plants to stakes or trellises with great success. Using one stake for every four plants, the gardener can support the plants with one string tied about 15 to 18 inches above the ground. This prevents the plant from tipping over with wind and rain. All varieties are not equally suitable for staking.
Insect and Disease Control Peppers have the same problems as tomatoes do in the garden and should be treated as such.
Harvesting Fruits may be harvested at any size. The bell varieties, however, are usually picked when they are full-grown and mature (3 to 4 inches long, firm and green). When the fruits are mature, they will break easily from the plant. Some gardeners prefer to cut off the fruits to prevent damage to the plant. The fruit may be left on the plant to ripen fully to a red, yellow or purple color. Hot peppers, except jalapeno, are usually harvested at the red ripe stage. Entire plants may be pulled in the fall before frost and hung in an outbuilding or basement to dry.
Common Problems People who use tobacco should wash their hands with soap and water before handling pepper plants to prevent the spread of tobacco mosaic virus disease. Grow resistant varieties, if possible. Watch for accumulations of aphids on the underside of the leaves. When a large aphid population is present,
honeydew appears on the lower leaves and fruit. If this situation occurs, apply a suggested insecticide. diseases – tobacco mosaic virus, tomato spotted wilt virus, cucumber mosaic virus, bacterial spot, anthracnose, Alternaria leaf spot, Cercospora leaf spot, southern blight and Phytophthora root rot. insects – aphids, flea beetles, cutworms, corn earworm. cultural – blossom end rot (moisture irregularities or calcium deficiency), blossom drop (when night temperatures go above 75 degrees F or when the number of fruit set is excessive.
Harvesting and Storage days to maturity – 100 to 120 from seed, 70 to 85 from transplants harvest – Green peppers will turn color in 7 to 10 days after maturity. Harvest sweet peppers when they reach full size, while still in the green or yellow state. When allowed to mature on the plant, most varieties turn red, are sweeter and increase in vitamins A and C content. Cut instead of pulling to avoid breaking branches. Hot peppers are allowed to ripen and change color on the plant. Entire plants may be pulled and hung just before frost. approximate yields (per 10 feet of row) – 2 to 8 pounds amount to raise per person – 3 to 10 pounds storage – medium cool conditions (45 to 50 degrees F), moist (95 percent relative humidity); 2 to 3 weeks preservation – frozen, pickled, in relishes and as dried spices
Frequently Asked Questions Q. Why do my pepper plants grow large but do not develop fruit? They are dark green and do not appear to be diseased. A. Hot weather conditions can reduce fruit set of peppers. The most common problems in Arkansas are hot, dry winds and warm nights (above 75 degrees F). Too much nitrogen fertilizer often results in poor yields, although the plant will appear large and healthy.
Q. What causes small, dry, sunken black areas near the end of the peppers? A. This is blossom-end rot, similar to that in tomatoes. It is caused by drought and calcium deficiency, by pruning roots through improper cultivation or by the need for lime to raise soil pH. Blossom-end rot is more severe in some varieties of peppers than in others. Irrigate and apply lime if needed. Q. Why do my pepper plants often bloom but fail to set fruit? A. Peppers, like tomatoes, are sensitive to temperature. Most peppers will drop their blooms when day time temperatures get much above 90 degrees F and night temperatures above 75 degrees F. They will also drop their blooms in the early spring if temperatures remain cool for extended periods. Hot peppers, such as jalapenos, withstand hot weather fairly well and can often produce fruit through the summer. Optimum temperatures fall between 70 and 80 degrees F for bell-type peppers and between 70 and 85 degrees F for hot varieties. Q. If I remove the first few blooms on a pepper plant, will my overall production be increased? A. The plant will be stunted if it sets the first bloom that flowers. This is likely when the plant is growing under marginal conditions, which include low fertility or moisture. By removing the first bloom, the plant will grow larger before setting fruit, which often results in higher total yields. Q. If you plant hot peppers beside sweet peppers, will the sweet pepper plant produce hot fruit? A. No. Pepper flowers are normally self-pollinated, although they can cross-pollinate. However, the result of this crossing will appear only if seed is saved from this year’s crop and planted next year. Q. Is there any difference in taste or nutritive value between green peppers and those that mature and turn red or yellow? A. Peppers allowed to mature and ripen entirely, from green to yellow, are sweeter and higher in vitamin content, especially vitamin A. There is considerable difference in texture caused by the ripening process.
Q. How can you tell when jalapeno peppers are mature? A. Jalapeno peppers are edible and flavorful at all stages of their growth. A fully mature jalapeno pepper generally exhibits small cracks around the shoulders of the fruit. Often, a darkened area on the fruit indicates maturity, and the initial stages of a color change in the fruit.
do not handle or use tobacco products around the peppers. Wash your hands thoroughly with dish washing detergent for two minutes, or immerse your hands in milk to inactivate the virus.
Q. After the recent rainfall, my plants wilted and died soon after. The inner stems of the plants were dark. A. This is Phytophthora stem rot. It is a soilborne Q. Can I save seed from this year’s pepper crop fungus that attacks the root system and stems of for planting in my next garden? peppers. It is particularly severe in areas where A. Yes. Peppers are self-pollinated and will breed water stands around the plant. Plant on a raised true if seed is saved from this year’s garden for bed for optimal soil drainage. planting in next year’s garden. Occasional crosspollination will occur, but this is usually not a Q. After a summer rain, my pepper plants died problem. Do not save seed from hybrid pepper rapidly. I found a white growth at the base plants as these will not breed true and will result of the plant. Intermingled with this growth in plants exhibiting characteristics different than were small, round, bead-like structures the the desired hybrid. size of a pinhead. A. This is southern blight caused by a soilborne Q. The foliage on my pepper plants developed fungus. Crop rotation and deep burial of organic spots or lesions and the leaves dropped off. material will help control it. Do not allow leaves A. This could be one or a combination of three to collect around the base of the plant because the foliage diseases: Alternaria leaf spot, Cercospora fungus will feed on them and later develop on the leaf spot and bacterial leaf spot. In most cases, stem of the plant. two or more of these occur simultaneously on the foliage. Control with foliar sprays using a Q. There are small wiggly trails all over the combination of a fungicide and any other copper leaves of my pepper plants. What are these? spray. Begin at the first sign of the disease and A. These trails are caused by leaf miners, a juvenile continue at one- to two-week intervals during the stage of an insect. Generally, this is not a severe critical disease periods. problem in Arkansas. Heavy infestations can defoliate plants and reduce yields. Q. The foliage and fruit of my pepper plants are distorted and small. The leaves have a Q. The very youngest leaves of my pepper mosaic pattern. plant are twisted and misshaped, and the A. This could be one of five viruses transmitted by flowers are not developing into fruit. What aphids that attack peppers. The best control is to causes this? buy healthy plants and to follow approved A. The plant may be infested with aphids, a small cultural practices and a good insecticide program. insect that feeds by sucking the cell contents out It is important to control insects and to remove a of young succulent tissue. Use an insecticide to plant when infected with one of the viruses. To control them. prevent the spread of TMV (tobacco mosaic virus),
Printed by University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Printing Services. DR. CRAIG R. ANDERSEN is associate professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Fayetteville.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.