Is it worth planting Hercules pepper - the pros and cons of the variety

Hercules pepper is a high-yielding variety bred by French breeders. Designed for planting in open and closed ground, depending on the climate zone. To increase the yield, it is better to choose zoned varieties (preferably domestically produced) that are suitable for the local climate. Practice shows that the best and most popular variety is Hercules F1.

Description of the variety

Description of Hercules F1 pepper:

• mid-early maturation;
• bush height 75-80 cm;
• fruiting 70-75 days after transfer of seedlings;
• yield per bush is from 2 to 3.5 kg.

Characteristics of the fruits of the Hercules F1 variety:

• cuboid shape;
• average weight 250 g, maximum – 300 g;
• wall thickness up to 1 cm;
• fruit length – 11 cm;
• As it ripens, it changes color from green to dark red;
• Even green fruits have a very sweet taste.

The fruits of the Hercules variety are suitable for fresh consumption, freezing and processing. Due to its good presentation, the variety is grown for sale.

Peppers can be harvested at the technical maturity stage. Then its shelf life is 2 months. If the fruits have already turned red on the bushes, then after picking they need to be processed as quickly as possible.

"Hercules f1": advantages and features

A highly productive thick-walled hybrid of sweet peppers, represented by the French variety series Clause. It is characterized by uniform ripening of fruits, long-term fruiting, and the ability to form up to 12 peppers on 1 bush. The color of technically ripe peppers is green, while that of biologically ripe ones is red and rich.

Yield indicator from 1 bush:

• indoors – up to 4 kg;
• open – up to 2 kg.

Pepper "Hercules f1"

Large peppers, the average weight of which reaches 200-250 g, and in some specimens 350 g, have a cuboid shape. The average length of the fruit is about 12 cm, diameter is about 10 cm, wall thickness is 7-10 mm.

Confirmation of the high commercial qualities of peppers of the Hercules f1 variety is:

• juicy fleshy walls;
• sweet with a subtle note of bitterness, adding piquancy to the taste;
• with a small cotyledon and a moderate number of seeds;
• excellent transportability and keeping quality;
• the ability to use it fresh and processed, for freezing.

Attention! Pepper "Hercules f1", due to its attractive appearance, high taste and nutritional qualities, is in great demand in the fresh vegetable market, so growing this variety is in demand for both home and commercial cultivation. Pepper bushes are vigorous and densely leafed, habit is compact

Pepper bushes are vigorous and densely leafed, their habit is compact.

Weight of peppers - 250-300 grams

The variety is resistant to a number of viral infections typical of peppers, including:

• tobacco mosaic;
• cucumber mosaic;
• spotting;
• late blight.

Pepper seedlings

The Hercules variety is grown by seedling method. Seeds are germinated at home. Before starting work, prepare the soil and planting material. When the pepper grows, it is transferred to a permanent place in an open area, in a greenhouse or greenhouse.

Preparing for landing

Seeds of the Hercules variety are planted in March or February. They are first wrapped in a damp cloth and kept warm for a couple of days. This treatment stimulates the appearance of sprouts.

If the seeds have a brightly colored shell, they are not treated before planting. This planting material has a nutrient shell, due to which the seedlings develop faster.

The soil for planting the Hercules variety is prepared from the following components:

• humus - 2 parts;
• coarse river sand – 1 part;
• land from the site - 1 part;
• wood ash - 2 tbsp. l.

The resulting soil is heated for 15 minutes in a microwave or oven. Boxes or individual cups are prepared for seedlings. One option is to use peat pots.

If you grow Hercules peppers in boxes, then when 1-2 leaves appear, you need to pick them out into separate containers. The culture does not tolerate such changes in conditions, so picking should be avoided if possible.

Advice! Hercules pepper seeds are deepened into the soil by 2 cm.

The crops are watered and the containers are placed under glass or film. Seed germination occurs at temperatures above 20 degrees. The emerging shoots are transferred to the window.

Conditions for seedlings

Seedlings of the Hercules variety are provided with certain conditions:

• temperature regime (in the daytime - no more than 26 degrees, at night - about 12 degrees);
• moderate soil moisture;
• regular watering with warm, settled water;
• ventilation of the room;
• absence of drafts;
• increased air humidity due to spraying.

Before transferring the plants to a permanent place, they are fed twice with Agricola or Fertika fertilizer. Between treatments take a break of 2 weeks.

2 weeks before planting, young plants need hardening. They are transferred to a balcony or loggia, first for several hours, then this period is gradually increased. Then the transplant will bring less stress to the peppers.

The main nuances of growing Hercules f1 pepper

The hybrid form of pepper "Hercules f1" is suitable for any climatic conditions, having the ability to withstand stressful growing conditions - lack of moisture and increased temperature. Shows excellent results when cultivating:

• in open ground;
• in film tunnels;
• in greenhouses.

From 1 sq.m. you can collect up to 4 kg of peppers

If you plan to grow pepper in a greenhouse, sowing seeds for seedlings should be done as early as possible - from the second half of December to the beginning of February. If the pepper will be grown in open ground, in order to avoid overgrowing the seedlings, it is recommended to sow the seeds a little later - at the end of February or March. To ensure rapid seed germination, fertile soil should be used and appropriate conditions should be created: temperature not lower than +24°C, high humidity.

When the seedlings reach 40-50 days of age and have 5-6 leaves, they can be transplanted to a permanent place. The planting density of seedlings is 2-3 bushes per 1 m². When planting peppers, the seedlings are deepened into the ground so that the neck of the plant remains outside. Planting peppers deeper is considered impractical.

Among the basic requirements for agricultural technology, it should be noted that the Hercules f1 pepper:

• demanding of warmth;
• responsive to watering;
• needs to be tied to a support;
• requires molding.

Pepper "Hercules" needs tying up

When grown in a greenhouse, harvesting lasts from the second half of May to mid-November.

Planting peppers

The Hercules variety is planted in open areas, greenhouses or greenhouses. The transplant is carried out at the end of May, when the air temperature rises to 15 degrees.

Pepper prefers light soils with low acidity. The preparation of the beds is carried out in the fall, when the soil is dug up and added per 1 square meter. m rotted manure (5 kg), double superphosphate (25 g) and potassium sulfate (50 g).

Advice! In the spring, the soil is dug up again and 35 g of ammonium nitrate is added.

The place for growing the Hercules variety is chosen depending on the crop that previously grew on it. Good predecessors for peppers are zucchini, cucumbers, onions, pumpkin, and carrots.

It is not recommended to plant if any varieties of peppers, eggplants, potatoes, or tomatoes previously grew in the garden bed. These crops have common diseases that can spread to new plantings.

The order of planting Hercules peppers:

1. Preparing holes 15 cm deep.
2. The holes are placed in increments of 40 cm. 40 cm are also left between the rows.
3. Add 1 tbsp to each hole. l. complex fertilizer including potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
4. Plants are moved into pits along with a lump of earth.
5. The roots of the peppers are covered with earth, which is lightly compacted.
6. Plants are watered abundantly.

After transplantation, peppers need about 10 days to adapt. During this period, no moisture or fertilizer is added.

Planting seedlings in open ground

The characteristics of the variety make it possible to grow Hercules pepper in open beds, in greenhouses and tunnel greenhouses.
Since the plant is small, there is no need to build a spacious film cover. Per sq. m, 5-6 bushes are placed, which increases the efficiency of space use. The area for growing sweet vegetables is prepared in advance, preferably in the fall. Choose a place that is not windy and well lit. The soil should be:

• neutral acidity;
• loose;
• rich in nutrients.

Seedlings are planted, paying attention to the sequence:

• make holes;
• fill with water;
• apply fertilizer;
• place the seedling together with a lump of earth in the hole;
• cover with soil and compact;
• do not water immediately.

Depending on the region, the fragile sprouts are protected from frost for the first time. Plastic bottles are used as covering material. The bottom is cut off and put on the bushes. If the air does not warm up during the day, the bottles are not removed. It is enough to unscrew the covers in the morning and return them to their original place in the evening.

Care plan

According to reviews, Hercules F1 pepper responds positively to watering and fertilizing. Caring for the variety also includes loosening, mulching the soil with humus, and forming a bush.

The Hercules variety is formed into 1 stem when planted in open areas. If plants are planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse, then 2 stems are left. Side shoots are removed from peppers.

Watering the plantings

Before flowering, it is enough to water the peppers every week. When fruiting, plants are watered twice a week. Each bush requires 3 liters of water.

Advice! After watering, shallow loosening of the soil is carried out so as not to touch the root system of plants.

When the fruits are forming, the intensity of watering is increased to 2 times a week. To stimulate the ripening of Hercules fruits, watering is stopped 10-14 days before harvest.

The Hercules variety is watered from a watering can at the root. Moisture is taken from the barrels when it has settled and warmed up. Exposure to cold water is stressful for plants. For watering, choose the evening or morning period.

Feeding peppers

Regular feeding of Hercules F1 pepper stimulates its development and fruit formation. During the season, plants are treated by spraying and applying fertilizers at the root.

After planting the plants, the first fertilizing is based on a solution of urea (10 g) and double superphosphate (3 g) per 10 liters of water. 1 liter of the resulting fertilizer is applied to the plants.

Important! During the period of bud formation, a solution based on potassium sulfide (1 tsp) and superphosphate (2 tbsp) is added under the peppers.

During flowering, Hercules F1 peppers are fed with boric acid (4 g per 2 liters of water). The solution stimulates fruit formation and prevents the ovaries from falling off. Fertilizer is applied by spraying. When you add 200 g of sugar to the solution, pepper flowers will attract pollinating insects.

Repeated feeding of the Hercules variety with phosphorus and potassium is carried out during the ripening period of peppers. Plants are watered at the root.

Pros and cons of the variety

Protection from diseases and pests

The Hercules variety is not susceptible to a number of diseases:

• bacterial spot;
• tobamovirus;
• tobacco mosaic;
• late blight.

Viral diseases are the most dangerous for peppers. To combat them, the affected plants are destroyed and the place where the crop is planted is changed.

Fungal diseases spread in dense plantings with high humidity. You can fight them with the help of the drugs Fundazol, Oxychom, Akara, Zaslon. If the product contains copper compounds, then the treatment is carried out before flowering and after harvesting the fruits.

The Hercules variety is attacked by pests that feed on their cell sap, roots and leaves. Insecticides Keltan or Karbofos are effective against insects and are used according to the instructions. Folk remedies include onion peel infusion, tobacco dust, and wood ash.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Hercules bell pepper has a number of distinctive advantages that make it a good choice for Russian vegetable growers:

• small bush size;
• large thick-walled fruits;
• simultaneous ripening of peppers;
• ideal presentation, which makes this hybrid suitable for cultivation for the purpose of sale and profit;
• excellent rich sweet taste;
• abundant and long-lasting fruiting;
• good keeping quality of the crop.

The disadvantages of the hybrid Hercules pepper are:

• susceptibility to fungal diseases that spread in dense plantings at high humidity;
• the need for annual purchase of seed material.

Reviews from gardeners

Lyubov, 39 years old, Kazan

I chose Hercules F1 pepper based on reviews and didn’t regret it at all. This is the sweetest pepper I've ever tried. Individual fruits reached 400 g. Their walls are thick, and the yield is very high. The disadvantage is slow coloring. The harvest was already at the end of August. The variety has excellent taste and goes well in preparations and salads.

Vladimir, 58 years old, Voronezh

I planted the Hercules variety 5 years ago. Since then I have always bought its seeds for planting. I grow using the standard seedling method, then transfer the plants to a greenhouse. There are always a lot of leaves on the bushes, I leave 4 shoots on them. But in hot weather the fruits are protected from the sun. You can leave 50 cm between the bushes; this is quite enough for the normal development of peppers.

Svetlana, 34 years old, Stavropol

A couple of years ago, a friend suggested trying Hercules pepper. At first I didn’t believe that it was possible to grow such delicious vegetables. In the spring I decided to plant this variety at the dacha. I was worried that the seedlings would not sprout, but the seeds sprouted together, and the sprouts then developed well. The peppers took a long time to ripen on the bushes, but when I picked them, the taste turned out to be excellent. Next year I’m thinking of repeating the planting.

Agrotechnics of cultivation and care

When selecting a site for growing Hercules sweet peppers, take into account that good predecessors for this variety are legumes (excluding beans), pumpkin, cabbage, carrots, and beets. You cannot plant beds with peppers next to cucumbers. Hercules develops best on light, fertile soil.

When growing Hercules pepper, the seedling method is used. The seed boxes are filled with soil mixture, which can be purchased in specialized stores. When preparing it yourself, combine garden soil, medium sand, and rotted compost in a ratio of 1:1:2. Pour 2 tablespoons of ash onto a bucket of mixture. In order to get rid of pest larvae and infections, heat the soil substrate at 160 degrees in the oven for half an hour.

Planting pepper seeds, which are previously kept for a quarter of an hour in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate and dried on a napkin, is carried out at the end of February or the first ten days of March to a depth of no more than 2 cm.

Cover the planting containers with film and place in a warm place, maintaining the temperature from 24 to 25 degrees. The miniature greenhouse is ventilated daily. If necessary, moisten the soil.

The shelter is removed after the appearance of cotyledon leaves. Pepper seedlings are fed twice using a special liquid fertilizer. The soil is moistened as needed. Picking of seedlings begins when two true leaves are formed.

Hardening of Hercules pepper seedlings is carried out 15 days before it is moved to a permanent place. During the day it is taken out onto the veranda or balcony. In the first few days, seedlings are kept in the fresh air for no longer than 30 minutes. The period of time is gradually increased, reaching full daylight hours.

Seedlings should be planted in open beds after night frosts have passed and the air temperature during the day is at least 15 degrees. This event is usually timed to coincide with the beginning of June. A common planting pattern is 40x60 cm. Pepper seedlings are moved to the greenhouse in the first ten days of May.

Place a tablespoon of any mineral complex fertilizer, for example, nitrophoska, into the hole. The seedlings are removed from cups containing a ball of earth, pre-watered with water, and immediately placed in the planting hole. They are filled with soil without strong compaction, making sure that the root neck of the pepper remains flush with the soil surface.

Caring for Hercules pepper includes traditional techniques and is accessible to every gardener. The first mineral complex fertilizing is applied 14 days after planting the seedlings. For 10 liters of water take 2 tbsp. l. nitrophoska. Repeatedly at the stage of ovary formation, to ensure good development of the fruit, superphosphate is used per bucket of water - 2 tbsp. l. and potassium sulphide - 1 tbsp. l.

Water twice a week with warm, settled water. It is recommended to pour water into the holes - 3 liters into each hole. In open ground, they focus on weather conditions, reducing the time of watering during the rainy season. Before the buds begin to appear in the open ground, a good method is sprinkling, carried out from a hose with a fine sprinkler or using a watering can.

As weeds appear, it is necessary to weed and loosen the soil. If you mulch the surface after loosening, you can avoid the formation of a crust.

Features of cultivation

Agronomists recommend sowing seeds for seedlings in advance. The optimal period is February. If gardeners grow peppers in unprotected soil, then it is better to replant the seedlings no earlier than May, when the threat of frost has completely passed. The soil must be heated to 10 0 C. The optimal planting pattern is 50x50.

When growing Hercules, special attention is paid to watering and fertilizing. Minimum watering frequency: twice a week

In dry regions, plants should be watered more often. Agronomists advise using only warm, settled water.

Fertilizers are applied at least 3 times during the growing period. The first feeding is done 2 weeks after transplanting sweet peppers, the Hercules variety, into the ground. The optimal time for the second feeding is considered to be the period of mass fruit set. Fertilizers are applied the third time during ripening.

Many people advise doing a fourth feeding in early autumn. It is desirable if the fruits are small. This means that the plants do not have enough strength to form large peppers.

Fertilizers can be applied more actively, but agronomists advise fertilizing no more than once every 2 weeks.

Loosening the soil and timely removal of weeds can increase productivity, make plants more powerful and stronger, and ensure access of nutrients to the root system. But you can avoid the need to loosen the soil after each watering by mulching. It is recommended to use pulled out weeds, straw, leaves, hay, and sawdust as mulch, which are laid around the plants.

Mulching prevents the formation of crust, improves air access to the roots, and promotes the formation of a strong root system. Also, when using mulch, weeds begin to grow less.

Caring for the plant after transplanting into the ground

Caring for plants after planting in the ground consists of:

• maintaining an optimal microclimate;
• formation of bushes;
• glaze;
• application of fertilizers;
• loosening;
• weed removal;
• hilling;
• harvesting.

Optimal conditions for pepper growth are temperature +23...+27° C and humidity 60–65%. As the pepper grows, it “likes” to touch the leaves of neighboring plants. Therefore, in order for air to circulate freely around the bush, the crown needs to be thinned.

Peppers need to be watered several times a week. A switch to daily watering will be necessary if the weather is dry and hot. To retain moisture, crops are mulched. It also prevents weeds from germinating and reduces the risk of late blight and pests.

If you need to remove weeds, work carefully with a garden hoe, because peppers have a root system located close to the surface. Try not to damage it.

Fertilizers are applied 2 weeks after planting the plants in the ground and then every 3–4 weeks. As the harvest appears, keep in mind that peppers bear fruit in several waves, and it is not advisable to leave ripe fruits on the bushes. This way you delay the development of the next group of fruits.

Control pests. Peppers are loved by aphids and flea beetles. They are dangerous twice: because they damage plant tissue and because through damage they become infected with bacteria. To control pests, insecticides with a broad spectrum of action or aimed at a specific type of insect are used.

Important! Heat destroys the nutrients in bell peppers, so it's best to eat them raw. Cook the pepper so that the cooking temperature is as low as possible and the processing is short.

Watering and fertilizing

Standard watering rules:

1. Water as the soil dries - 2-3 times a week. In hot weather - every day. Before watering, make sure the soil is dry by 4–6 cm.
2. Water should flow slowly so as not to destroy the delicate roots with an intense flow of water.
3. Do not saturate the soil below 10-15 cm - this is the distance at which the roots of the pepper are located.
4. Try not to let water get on the leaves. This increases the risk of late blight or rot.

Peppers require nutritious soil to thrive. Since you already added humus when planting, the pepper does not need additional feeding, which can be done 2 weeks after planting. Therefore, if you see that the plant is developing well, carry out the next feeding 5-6 weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground.

Choose both organic and synthetic fertilizers. Farmers who practice eco-farming always apply organic matter as a more natural fertilizer without side effects.

Use a slow-release organic fertilizer such as manure. The slow release of minerals improves the soil. But fast growth leads to the fact that the plants are stretched, the trunk becomes fragile and unable to hold the harvest of Hercules.

Find out how to water peppers correctly and how often.

Feeding schedule:

• 10 days after planting;
• in the budding phase;
• in the fruit formation phase.

You can use fertilizers in which the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is the same. Such compositions are called balanced. The fertilizer is dissolved in 10 liters of water and 1 liter of liquid is applied to each bush.

Hilling and loosening the soil

Loosening of the soil is carried out on the second day after watering. This is necessary to remove weeds and weaken the soil. After watering, the soil becomes compacted, does not allow oxygen to pass through and inhibits development. To avoid this, it must be loosened. If the crops are covered with mulch, there is no need to loosen them. A layer of mulch material prevents the development of weeds, moisture loss and compaction.

The Hercules variety is tall. Its height is from 0.5 to 0.8 m. The weight of the harvest of 1 bush is about 3 kg. To strengthen the root system, hilling is carried out. This is the process of increasing the earthen mound around the trunk of the plant. Hill up the bush when it reaches a height of 0.3 m.

Plant Formation

The pepper forms the plant in a "Y" shape. These are skeletal branches. If your bush has become thick enough, you need to start shaping it. Skeletal branches are tied to a trellis or stake. From each of these branches side shoots extend to the side. Cut the first of them, and then every third, alternating sides: inner and outer.