In the modern world, thrill-seekers (especially if we are talking about the taste of products) have the Scoville scale, which is usually used to determine the spiciness of certain foods and vegetables. Habanero pepper is quite hot; on this scale, its properties range from 100 thousand to 475 thousand. In fact, this is one of the highest rates among pepper crops. It is mainly loved in Mexico, since it is in this country that the spicy habanero is used as a seasoning or ingredient for a huge number of national dishes.
Description of hot habanero pepper
The height of the Habanero bush depends on its variety; the plant reaches a height of 50 to 150 cm. The fruits are small, heart-shaped, the weight of each peppercorn is 15-50 g. The color of the fruits is varied - at first they are green, then they become light or dark yellow. There are peppercorns in white and pink colors. The leaves are small, deep green in color with a glossy surface.
Description of the flowers of the plant - they are painted white, cream, purple color is less common.
Additional Information! The hot Habanero pepper has a very attractive appearance, thanks to which it is often planted in homes and gardens for decorative purposes.
Popular types
It is effective to grow peppers at home in compact sizes, up to 50 cm in height. There are varieties of indoor plants, also called Capsicum, whose height does not exceed 20 cm - these are dwarf varieties with numerous bright fruits and a fairly long wave-like ripening. Peppers growing on small green bushes are not only a spectacular decoration for any windowsill, but also an excellent piquant seasoning. There are many types of ornamental peppers, differing in fruit shape, size, leaf mass, duration of the fruiting period, and color from green to purple.
Annual
In most cases, plants dry out after harvesting, which explains their name. But there are exceptions - these are certain varieties that, at home, are capable of bearing fruit for several years in a row. Annuals are distinguished by their short stature, compactness, their height is 30-55 cm. Depending on the varietal characteristics, the fruits can have different shapes and colors.
Shrubby
This type of perennial plant is grown on window sills, balconies, and loggias. Shrub pepper is a good solution in choosing an indoor crop; it stands out for its qualitative and quantitative fruiting (5-6 years), its height is within 15-45 cm.
The crown of the plant is quite dense, the fruits are small in size, their number reaches up to 50 pieces. Among the famous small-fruited varieties are the Queen of Spades, Carmen, Ogonyok, Bride, and Salute. Bush pepper is also known as cayenne pepper.
Berry-bearing
This variety of homemade pepper fully lives up to its name; its fruits are distinguished by a flattened shape, rather than the usual cone-shaped one, somewhat similar to squash. The Bishop's Crown pepper variety is attractive due to its unusual shape, but its productivity indicators are average, up to 20 fruits from one bush.
Often found in indoor conditions are Lemon Lollipop and White Crystal, which have proven themselves exclusively on the positive side. They have high yields. They are sweet and not spicy in taste. Tall plants grow up to 80 cm and are best placed on the floor.
Chinese
This is a less common type of indoor pepper, its height does not exceed 50 cm. The compact bush is distinguished by its ovoid shape of foliage, their color is light green, the surface is slightly wrinkled
The flowers attract attention with their white color, there is a greenish tint
Peppers may differ in shape; there are specimens in the form of a flashlight. Chinese pepper is valued for its pungency and heat. Its only drawback is its relatively slow growth. Santa Lucia, Devil's Yellow, and Devil's Tongue are popular.
pubescent
This variety is also called fluffy pepper; due to its tallness (3-4 m), it is most often planted in open areas. At home, some of its types are suitable, in particular, Rokoto. It grows only up to 1 m in height. The plant is covered with dense pubescence (shoots, flowers, leaves).
The flowers can be single or paired and have an unusual purple color. Short peppers grow dark red, orange, brown or black. The fruits are quite spicy in taste.
History of vegetable breeding
The history of the Habanero pepper goes back over 8,000 years. It grows naturally in Mexico, Brazil and the Caribbean islands. Breeding of the vegetable began in the 1700s, when its seeds were spread by the Spanish through trade routes around the world.
Today, breeding work to develop new varieties of Habanero is taking place all over the world.
The name Habanero means “from Havanna,” the capital of Cuba.
Each variety of Habanero has its own use, since the taste characteristics of the fruit are different.
Best Habanero Varieties
Habanero has 18 varieties, each of which has fruits that differ in color and degree of bitterness. Application may also vary.
- Habanero Red Caribbean
The height of the bush is about 1 m. This variety is distinguished by its very high yield. It is grown in open ground, in greenhouses, and at home. Technical ripeness occurs in 90 to 100 days. The shape of the peppercorns resembles lanterns. The fruits are fleshy, with a dense peel, light burgundy in color.
Additional Information! The degree of bitterness in fruits depends on the amount of capsaicin in them.
- Habanero Red Savina
This species was bred in California. A distinctive feature is the greatest juiciness of the fruits among other types and the highest bitterness.
- Habanero Fatal
It was developed in South Africa. The color of the fruit can be brown or chocolate.
- Habanero Tigerpaw-nr
The color of the peppercorns is dark yellow, the degree of bitterness is medium.
- Habanero Orange
The fruits are bright orange, with wrinkled skin, no more than 4 cm in length.
- Habanero White
This variety of Habanero is the mildest in taste. The fruits are white.
Habanero White has the most atypical fruit color
- Habanero Chocolate
The name chocolate comes from the fact that the peppers are the color of chocolate. The peculiarity of the vegetable is its smoky aftertaste.
Capsaicin, which is present in varying concentrations in the pulp of peppercorns, is a substance that is not able to dissolve in water.
Attention! If after eating Habanero there is a strong burning sensation in your mouth, you will not be able to relieve this feeling by drinking a glass of water.
Reviews
We bring to your attention several reviews from experienced summer residents.
Vita, Costa Rica: “For me, hot peppers have always been just hot. Until I found myself on the continent, where many of its species are home, and in traditional food you can’t do without it. First I tried sauces and pickled peppers. The most popular in Costa Rica are Jalapeños and Habaneros. Now I cook it myself all the time. One of the hottest in the world, but I love it!”
Svetlana, Liski: “I really like spicy dishes. I grow a lot of hot peppers, but my favorite variety is the yellow Habanero. The fruits have incredible taste! Imagine sweet hot peppers with a hint of melon! This will be the Habanero. I plant it in a greenhouse in the summer, in the winter I place it in a large pot and bring it into the house. All year round I have a fiery addition to my favorite dishes.”
Alisa, Ermolino: “I have experience in growing vegetable crops in garden beds, so I decided to try growing hot peppers on the balcony. I chose Habanero. The fruits are distinguished by their pungency, pronounced peppery taste and aroma. What I liked: unpretentious cultivation, high yield, long fruiting. I collected more than 80 peppers from one bush.”
Characteristics of Habanero
Habanero is a unique vegetable. On the Scoville scale, it scores about 475,000 units, which is higher than even the most bitter varieties of chili.
Habanero is not only a delicious spice for vegetable and meat dishes. It contains many vitamins, macro- and microelements, which makes it very useful and, in addition to cooking, allows the fruits to be used in medicine and cosmetology.
A small peppercorn is a klondike of nutrients
Useful properties of the vegetable
The composition of Habanero is represented by vitamins B, C and D. Iodine, iron and calcium, copper, alkaloids and retinol are present in the pulp.
Regular consumption of hot chocolate habanero peppers and other varieties has a number of positive effects on the body:
- cleansing the body of toxins and waste;
- improving the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- improvement of psycho-emotional state, relief of depressive states;
- lowering blood pressure;
- treatment of colds and viral diseases;
- slowing down age-related changes in the body;
- acceleration of metabolism;
- increasing the body's resistance to stress.
Additional Information! The vegetable’s ability to remove toxic substances and cleanse the body of toxins, as well as speed up metabolism, makes it a very useful product for those who are on a diet to lose excess weight.
Application
Habanero is used in various fields:
- Cooking - it is consumed fresh and dried. It is used as a spicy spice for a wide variety of dishes - vegetable and meat, for salads and soups; pepper is well suited for fish.
- Medicine - capsaicin, contained in the pulp of the vegetable, is used as one of the ingredients in lotions and creams intended to relieve pain caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
- Cosmetology - capsaicin is included in drugs used to eliminate cellulite. It is useful to add a few drops of Habanero juice to your shampoo to restore the condition and functioning of the hair follicles.
Habanero is a key ingredient in the famous Tabasco sauce.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Habanero
Growing Habanero peppers at home is not a difficult process, since its agricultural techniques are not much different from other types of vegetables. Hot pepper has a number of advantages that have made it popular, but it is also not without its disadvantages, and a gardener who decides to grow a habanero should be aware of them.
Advantages:
- highest degree of bitterness;
- Widely used in cooking - Habanero will add a spicy, unusual taste to any dish;
- a large amount of harvest that can be harvested from one bush;
- presence of decorative characteristics;
- ease of cultivation and care.
Flaws:
- the vegetable is picky about the planting site and conditions - it loves a lot of light and warmth;
- susceptibility to nematodes.
Attention! Due to the incredibly strong bitterness, when picking the fruits, you must wear gloves and avoid touching your face and other areas of the skin and mucous membranes with your hands, otherwise severe irritation may occur.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main benefits of Habanero are:
- incredibly high degree of pungency, so the variety is widely used in cooking;
- simple cultivation;
- decorative appearance;
- high yield.
The disadvantages of this variety are:
- strong thermophilicity and even slight frosts can destroy the bush;
- low resistance to nematodes;
- strong bitterness - it is better to collect fruits with gloves.
You can watch a video review of the Habanero pepper variety in the following video:
Features of reproduction and cultivation
Habanero can be propagated by seed. Seed material is purchased ready-made or collected independently.
When to reproduce - timing
Habanero seedlings are prepared in February. Shoots appear in about 2 weeks - 1 month.
Preparing the container and soil
The soil mixture should be slightly acidic, no more than 6.5 pH units. You can prepare the soil yourself from the following ingredients:
- peat - 1 part;
- land - 2 parts;
- humus - 1 part.
It is recommended to plant seed in peat cups - this is the most suitable container. You can use a common box, but then the grains will need to be buried in the ground at a distance from each other, and when the seedlings grow, pick them.
Seedling cultivation technique
- Before sowing, it is better to prepare the seeds by soaking them for three days in warm natural water. To do this, they are packed between copiously moistened cotton pads. Containers with seeds should be kept warm and the disks should be kept moist.
- Habanero seeds should be sown 8-10 weeks before transferring to a permanent place of growth. This is usually done in February. Future peppers are planted in sterilized soil mixed with perlite and vermiculite (their volume is 25%). The ground temperature should not be lower than 26°C. When planting, the seeds are deepened into the ground by about 0.7 cm. They will germinate in 2-4 weeks: the period 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 health. You need to find the lightest window sill in your apartment or house (usually on the south side). But if there is not enough light, you will have to look for additional lighting. To do this, you will need a fluorescent lamp located at a distance of 7.5 cm from the bush tops. It’s good if the lamp comes with a timer set to 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness.
- As soon as a couple of real leaves appear, the plants dive into small pots. The backlight is set to 12/12 mode.
- It is necessary to ensure that the soil does not change its pH - 6.5, remaining slightly acidic. It should be dry by the time the next watering begins.
- As fertilizers for seedlings, root crops are used during watering and variants of organic and complex fertilizers, for example: “Ideal”, “Agricola Forward”, “Florist Rost”. Adult plants are fed with any fertilizer for tomatoes.
- Those who choose to grow peppers permanently in a garden or unheated greenhouse must wait for an average temperature of 21°C during the day and 12°C at night. On the eve of transplantation, you need to harden the sprouts: take them out to the greenhouse or onto the balcony for an hour or two, gradually lengthening the “outdoor” period.
Features of growing Habanero peppers at home
It is easy to grow Habanero at home - seedlings are prepared, and when the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, they are planted in separate pots. In a room, Habanero will grow for about 6-7 years; with proper care, the harvest can be harvested up to 2-3 times a year.
Attention! At home, Habanero needs warmth and long daylight hours - at least 16 hours. In summer it should be placed on the south side, and in winter it should be illuminated with phytolamps.
Sowing seeds
Pepper cultivation begins with sowing seeds.
Step-by-step sowing of seeds:
- Sow the seeds in February. Wrap them in a damp cloth. Place in a warm place. Warmth is the key point; if it is not there, the seeds will not germinate at all.
- Make sure that the moisture does not dry out. Wait 3 days.
- To plant seeds, prepare peat pots with sterilized soil from 1 part peat, 2 parts soil, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part humus. The soil temperature should be about 26 °C. The soil should be slightly acidic with a pH of 6.5. Instead, you can purchase "Universal" soil from Morris Green.
- When, after 3–4 days, the seeds swell and begin to germinate, plant them, deepening them 0.7 cm into the soil. Water the soil before planting. Cover with clear glass or polyethylene.
- Constantly slightly moisten the soil with a spray bottle so as not to wash away the seeds.
- After 2 - 4 weeks the first shoots will appear, then remove the glass or film.
- Young sprouts can be illuminated with fluorescent lamps. Place the lamps at a distance of 10 cm from the seedlings. It is better if the peppers have 16 hours of daylight.
- When 2 true leaves grow, pick up the seedlings. You can transplant it into plastic cups. Further cultivation of seedlings consists of reducing daylight hours to 12 hours, placing the lamp 50 cm away from the seedlings.
- Remember to water the seedlings, but do not overwater them.
- When watering, you can add root or some complex fertilizers to the water: “Ideal”, “Florist Rost”.
- 2 weeks before transplanting, harden the seedlings, take them out onto the loggia for 1 - 2 hours, gradually extending the period the plants stay outside.
8 to 10 weeks after sowing the seeds, when the seedlings are 15 cm tall, continue growing by transplanting each seedling into a large pot. Place the pots on the windowsill. If you want to transplant peppers to a plot or greenhouse, remember that the air temperature should be +21 °C during the day, and from 12 °C at night.
Planting and care in open ground
Seed material can be immediately lowered into open soil, but seedlings are preferable, since they are easier to care for, and it is possible to select the strongest seedlings.
Landing dates
Planting in open ground is carried out when there is no risk of a return of night frosts, and when the ground warms up. Depending on the climatic characteristics of the region, this may be in April - May.
Choosing a planting site, preparing the soil
Well-lit places are suitable, but the light should be diffused. There should be no drafts or strong wind. Before planting, the soil is cleared of weeds, fertilized and loosened.
Transplanting seedlings into open ground
Transplanting seedlings is carried out using the transshipment method - you need to leave a lump of old soil on the roots of the seedlings.
Watering and fertilizing
Habanero likes to be watered abundantly, but not frequently, up to 2 times a week.
Attention! If the bush grows at home or in a greenhouse, it needs to be moistened daily.
Applying fertilizers - the first feeding is 2 weeks after transplantation; the second time, fertilizers should be applied when the ovaries appear. For Habanero, complex mineral supplements or organics are used.
Bush formation
To give the Habanero bush a decorative appearance, it is recommended to pinch the top. Side branches are pruned to give the plant the desired shape.
Habanero can act as a beautiful houseplant
Productivity
From one bush you can collect from 70 to 100 peppercorns, depending on the type of vegetable.
Plant care
Let's look at how to create optimal conditions for harvesting a rich and tasty pepper harvest.
What conditions are required?
Habanero peppers are a perennial plant. It has been growing at home for several years. Growing peppers is all about providing warmth and bright sunshine. Pepper does not tolerate drafts. Prefers soil with slightly acidic characteristics.
If you decide to grow peppers at home, then place them on a south-facing windowsill.
Feeding
Feed the bushes for the first time 15 days after planting the seedlings.
Feed them with mineral complex fertilizers for tomatoes and compost. When the pepper begins to bloom, feed it with growth stimulants.
Dutch organic fertilizer BioGrow is very suitable. Half a liter of fertilizer is dissolved in 250 liters of water. This is enough for 10 years of feeding peppers growing at home.
Watering
Water young bushes constantly, but make sure that there is no stagnation of water in the pots, otherwise the plant will get sick.
In winter, greatly reduce watering. Water the peppers generously in early April, as they are actively growing foliage at this time. Water plants that are grown on the windowsill at home twice a day.
Trimming
Trim off some of the leaves. Pinch the top, then the crown will grow lush.
Pollination
If the pepper grows on your windowsill or in a greenhouse, then when flowering, transfer the pollen from flower to flower with a brush.
Harvest rationing
When flowering, pick off some of the first flowers. This will help the plants grow stronger and produce good harvests.
Diseases and pests
Before planting, treat the beds with Karbofos, Ultra, and Strela. When the plants are planted, they can be sprayed with infusion of tobacco or onion.
If a habanero pepper is attacked by a nematode, dig the bushes out of the soil so as not to damage the roots. Rinse and then dip the roots in water at a temperature of 50 – 55 °C. The nematodes will die.
If the bushes are affected by aphids, whiteflies and mites, then wash the bushes, making foam from dishwashing liquid. Let the plants sit in the foam for an hour. Then rinse it off in the shower with warm water.
If you make an infusion from the pepper fruits, you can water your garden crops with it. This infusion will save plants from bedbugs, ants and larvae.
Diseases and pests
Habanero has a strong immune system, so with proper care, diseases do not occur. Due to excessive watering, fungal diseases can develop - fusarium or blackleg.
Insects - aphids, whiteflies, spider mites. To combat them, a soap solution or insecticides are used.
Habanero is valued all over the world for adding piquancy to dishes and helping to better reveal their flavor. In addition, this vegetable is very healthy. It is not difficult to grow it, both at home and in the garden; even a novice gardener can cope with this task.
Beneficial properties of pepper
Pepper contains a lot of vitamins A, B, C, D. In addition, it is rich in microelements. Such as calcium, iodine, phosphorus, potassium and iron.
Effects of pepper on the body:
- speeds up metabolism;
- slows down the aging of the body;
- improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- reduces blood pressure;
- increases stress resistance.
In addition to the components listed above, Habanero peppers contain capsaicin. It has an excellent effect on hair growth. Therefore, you can literally drop a drop of pepper juice into a hair mask. But no more.
Yes, Habanero pepper is a healthy product, but even it has contraindications. So, children, people with ulcers, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not eat the vegetable.
Source: Depositphotos
Don't put too much pepper in the dish
By the way, you don’t need to add a lot of product to your food, even if you have no contraindications. In general, Habanero peppers are added to the dish for literally 1 minute and then removed.
