One of the most burning in the world, people cultivate this pepper more than 8500 thousand years.
This is confirmed by archaeological research in his homeland - in Mexico.
When it was opened, burning seasoning was evaluated in Europe and in China. Especially as an important component of the Tabasco sauce.
Plant of ancient legends
Habanero is a member of the chili peppers family, and among them ranks first in zhiguchest. If we talk about all the peppers, that is, the varieties are sharper, but they are extremely small.
Those who can withstand the fiery taste of Habanero, feel fruit and citrus notes and delicate, floral aroma. Those who dare to try habanero raw are not so many.
In Mexico, there is a legend: the Aztecs offered to those who were going to sacrifice, an alternative - to drink two glasses of tincture from this pepper. Few agreed.
Now no one is sacrificed, but the vegetable remains a cult. And if tourists in Mexico order a dish with this pepper, the locals will be filled with respect for them.
To taste habanero, it is not necessary to fly to distant countries. You can grow it at home: even in the garden, even in an apartment in a pot.
Some flower growers planted habanero, not even because of hot peppers, but as an ornamental plant. It is very beautiful: shiny green leaves, like bright fruits, resemble hearts.
The sharpest varieties
There are several varieties of Habanero, and they all occupy high places on the Scoville scale. This scientist created a gradation of the persistence of peppers based on the content of the active substance in them. capsaicinmaking the fruit burning.
The least burning of them is white habanero - pepper with small pale fruits. Next comes the classic version with orange peppers. Yellow Fatali Pepper also belongs to habanero, but it is from South Africa. "Devil's Tongue" is similar to the previous grade, but larger and sharper.
Variety Tigerpaw NR bred by American scientists. This is a slightly more burning modification of the classic orange habanero.
Note! The prefix NR means resistance to nematodes - root pests that often suffer from peppers.
The chocolate habanero with its tan brown fruits is even sharper. And the sharpest are red varieties: Red Savina, bred in California and Caribbean habanero. The buzziness of the latter is two times higher than that of the classic. On the Scoville scale, he can score as much as 475,000 points (compare with the initial bitterness of Bulgarian pepper, estimated at 0 units).
You can see the varieties of pepper Habanero in the photo below:
What is useful habanero?
Capsaicin enhances hair growth. You can add a drop of juice in the mask: it will "cheer up" hair follicles.
Habanero can help hypertensive patients and those who suffer from depression. Dishes with his participation reduce pressure and stimulate the production of endorphin.
But the pepper needs to be added only for a minute, and then extracted, otherwise it will be difficult to eat.
Good to use the juice of this pepper and those who sit dieting: it accelerates the metabolism.
Alcohol tincture and plaster with analgesic properties, as well as an anti-frostbite ointment are made from it.
Do not recommend such a hot pepper to children, nursing moms and those who suffer from peptic ulcer.
Preferences "sultry Mexican"
Habanero - perennial plant. If you create optimal conditions, it will reap the benefits of a few years.
Each bush usually gives up to a thousand peppers. You can grow in the winter - in a heated greenhouse or on the balcony - the pepper will continue to bear fruit.
He is very thermophilicFeels good in the bright sun, but does not accept drafts.
The most suitable soil is weakly acidic.
In the conditions of most regions of our country, "Mexican" is better in greenhouses than in an open garden. It should be watered regularly, but not excessively abundant, otherwise the fruit will lose its exquisite aroma.
Cultivate any of the varieties of Habanero from seeds purchased in specialized stores or ordered through the World Wide Web.
Important! Seeds should be in special packaging that protects against moisture and other damaging factors.
Sprouts cultivation technique
- Before sowing, seeds are best prepared by soaking them for three days in warm, natural water. To do this, they are packed between abundantly moistened cotton pads. Seed containers should be kept warm and the discs should be kept wet.
- Habanero seeds need to be sown for 8-10 weeks before transfer to a permanent place of growth. Usually they do it. in February. Future peppers are planted in sterilized soil mixed with perlite and vermiculite (their volume is 25%). The temperature of the earth should not be lower 26 ° С. When planting, seeds deepen into the ground by about 0.7 cm. They will germinate 2-4 weeks: the term depends on the composition of the soil, heat and other conditions.
- As soon as the first shoots appear, it is necessary to provide enough light for their better state of health. It is necessary to find the lightest window sill in the apartment or house (usually from the south side). But if the light is not enough, you will have to be puzzled by additional lighting. To do this, you need a fluorescent lamp, located at a distance of 7.5 cm from the spray tops. Well, if the lamp is attached to the timer, set to 16 light hours and 8 - dark.
- As soon as a pair of real leaves appear, the plants dive into small pots. Backlight set to mode 12/12.
- You need to make sure that the soil does not change its pH - 6.5, while remaining slightly acidic. By the beginning of the next watering, it should dry out.
- As root dressings for seedlings, they use roots for irrigation and variants of organic and complex fertilizers, for example: "Ideal", "Agricola Forward", "Florist Growth". Adult plants are fed with any fertilizer for tomatoes.
- Those who chose the constant growth in the garden or an unheated greenhouse for pepper should wait for the average daytime temperature from 21 ° C and at night from 12 ° C. On the eve of the transplant, it is necessary to harden the sprouts: take them out for an hour or two in the greenhouse or on the balcony, gradually extending the "street" period.
How to achieve harvest
- Pruning and formation of the bush: for the pomp of the plant, you can pinch the tops, but you can do without this procedure.
- For many years of fruiting, the first flowers need to be removed so that the bush has time to get stronger.
- It is necessary to pick off some of the flowers, if you want large fruits. They, however, will be less.
- During flowering and the emergence of ovaries need to help plants with growth stimulants.
- Pollinating plants in the beds or in the greenhouse will be engaged in flying insects. At home, you can pollinate flowers with a brush.
- Habanero fruits can be plucked both green and mature.
- Seeds can not only be purchased, but also harvested on their own. To do this, ripe pods do not tear ten days. Then laid out for easy wilt. The fruits are cut, take out the seeds, dried in a warm place and packaged for storage.
Caution! It is better to tear the habanero fruits in medical gloves, without touching the face, so as not to burn the mucous membranes.
Goodbye pest!
Most often the plants get sick because of contaminated soiltherefore, it should be sterilized before planting at home. And to treat the beds in the garden with special preparations: “Karbofos”, “Ultra”, “Arrow”. Can be used for already planted plants spraying onion or tobacco extract.
Other folk methods
Root nematode. To get rid of this problem, you need to arrange a water bath for the roots.
To do this, the sick bush must be removed from the soil, rinsed, and then the roots dipped in water with a temperature of 50-55 ° C. It is detrimental to nematodes and safe for plants.
Aphid, whitefly and tick. It is necessary to wash the plant with foam from dishwashing detergent, especially from the bottom of the leaves. Hold the foam on the leaves for an hour, then rinse under a warm shower.
And the burning habanero itself is a great helper in the fight against garden parasites. Watering with the infusion of this pepper saves any crops from ants, leaf-eating bugs and larvae nesting on the roots.
Plant this beautiful plant, and it will delight the fruits - "burning hearts" for many years.
