Sweet bell pepper is one of the most common vegetables on our table. Thanks to its bright rich taste and a whole range of vitamins, pectins, soluble sugars and other useful substances in it, pepper is an excellent helper in the fight against vitamin deficiency, not only fresh, but also canned.
Bulgarian pepper is an excellent antidepressant, fights well with insomnia and perfectly restores strength. But the most interesting thing is that sweet pepper, just like chocolate, contains the hormone of joy. The red color of peppers is due to the presence of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant. This is exactly what our variety belongs to.
Description of Cow's Ear Pepper
Sweet pepper "cow's ear" is one of the ten most popular varieties for open ground. These are fleshy thick-walled fruits that change their color from dark green to deep red. The variety is quite versatile, it can be used both in salads, where it will be a great juicy addition, and in homemade preparations. Especially housewives love to use it in lecho.
The fruits are very large, up to 12-16 cm long and weighing up to 200 g. They have a conical shape, for which they got their name. The plant itself is no less powerful and can reach a height of 70-75 cm. In order to get a large crop of quality fruits, early and mid-early varieties are planted in central Russia. Pepper "cow's ear", reviews of gardeners about which are the most positive, is just one of the most successful mid-early varieties. In 120-130 days, it goes all the way from the first shoots to the beginning of the appearance of fruits and, with proper care, can produce up to 2-3 kg of fruits from a bush. You can grow this variety both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Sowing for seedlings is carried out on the 15th of March, plus or minus 5 days, depending on the weather outside. Seedlings are planted in open ground after 2 months according to the scheme 60x50 cm. You can start harvesting after 70 days, from the end of July to the end of August.
How to get a good harvest of cow's ear pepper?
Like any sweet pepper, the Cow's Ear variety is very thermophilic and grows well and bears fruit only with appropriate lighting, so even during the seedling period it is necessary to maintain the correct heat and light regime.
Features of growing in a greenhouse
The optimum temperature for seed germination and the subsequent development and growth of pepper is +18 degrees, while the water temperature for irrigation should be within +25 degrees. Despite the thermophilicity, pepper does not tolerate heat very well, especially whenlow air humidity. If you plan to grow peppers in a greenhouse or under plastic, the plant will need to be aired periodically, especially during flowering. Otherwise, you can lose not only flowers, but also formed ovaries.
Which soil to choose for cow's ear pepper?
Before you choose the soil for seedlings, choose a place where the bullock's ear pepper will grow during fruiting. From there, take the main soil for seedlings. This is necessary so that she immediately gets used to a permanent place of growth, and the process of acclimatization was easier. After all, during the transplantation of fragile sprouts, lighting, air temperature, and many other conditions change for them.
When choosing a place in the open ground, one should remember the preferences of pepper, which does not like to grow after potatoes or tomatoes, but is "friendly" with cruciferous vegetables, such as all types of cabbage or turnips.
Add some sand and wood ash to the soil, pour it well. It is better to plant seeds immediately in cups, since pepper does not like picks and stops developing for 1.5-2 weeks with each transplant. Moreover, it is better to sow seeds 2 times more than it is planned to grow adult plants, pepper has rather poor germination. This affects not only the “cow's ear” pepper, reviews of gardeners note a similar problem in other varieties.
Landing in open ground
Besides the feature already mentioned (do not plant peppers after certain vegetables),the plant cannot be determined for permanent residence:
- To the old place where it grew the previous year.
- Next to the "unloved" vegetables, the same tomatoes, eggplants and other similar crops.
- Next to other varieties of pepper, especially bitter ones, as in this case cross-pollination occurs and the variety loses its qualities. Seeds from such a plant are also not suitable for subsequent planting, as they will not have the characteristics of the main variety.
Common pepper diseases
An important factor influencing the amount of harvest is diseases and pests that can infect bull's-ear peppers. A description of the main diseases and methods of dealing with them are presented below.
Sweet peppers are particularly susceptible to the action of pathogens of tracheomycosis, which cause verticillosis and phytoplasmosis. Initially, the disease manifests itself in the form of root rot, after which the plant wilts and dies.
Pepper "cow's ear" quite successfully resists this disease and practically does not become infected with tracheomycosis.
Not so good with pests. Only the intervention of a gardener can save them from them. The main enemies of pepper are the Colorado potato beetle, aphids, slugs and spider mites. From insects, spraying with the use of folk remedies, such as infusions of garlic, onions and celandine, will help. Aphids can only be removed with insecticides. It is more difficult with slugs, they will have to be collected manually, after which, for prevention, treat the plant with tobacco, and pour dry water around it.mustard.
Reviews of amateur gardeners about the variety
The fact that sweet pepper "ox's ear" was included in the top ten most famous varieties in Russia speaks volumes. As gardeners with experience who have something to compare note, the variety is really unpretentious in care, has a good yield, and is great for fresh and canned consumption. In addition, cow's ear pepper has good keeping quality and transportability, retaining its appearance and characteristics for a long time.
