Early ripening and high-yielding hybrid of pepper "Kalif" (Khalif) from Japanese breeders

Pepper Kalif (Khalif) is cold-resistant and unpretentious. The hybrid is suitable for growing in regions with sudden weather changes, heat and drought. It is planted in greenhouses, hotbeds or open ground. Peppers make tasty and healthy dishes - the flesh is tender and sugary.

Let's look further at the description of the Calif pepper and find out how to grow a rich harvest on your site.

What kind of pepper is this

Sweet pepper Kalif is the result of the work of Japanese breeders. Thanks to its taste, it has become widespread throughout the world.

Hybrid f1

The hybrid shows resistance to the main diseases of the crop - tobacco mosaic, powdery mildew, root rot. Unpretentious, rarely exposed to pests and weeds.

It bears fruit for a long time and sets fruit in any climatic conditions.

Distinctive features

Early ripening, ripens within 90 days from the moment the first shoots appear. The bushes are miniature, about 50-60 cm in height. The leaves are green, medium in size. The shoots are short and powerful.

Fruit characteristics and yield

The fruits are large, the weight of one varies from 180 to 210 g. The shape is prism-shaped, elongated. The wall thickness is 9 mm, which allows the peppers to be used for long-term storage. The pulp is fleshy and sweet.

It is universal in use, the yield is stable - 8-10 fruits from one bush.

Description of the variety

Pepper Khalif F1 appeared in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2014. It became available to farmers several years earlier. Gardeners have found that the variety quickly yields crops in open beds, under film covers, and in greenhouses.

The bushes of the crop are low and not very branched. Their length is from 50 to 90 cm. The foliage is slightly wrinkled, elongated-ovate. The minimum number of fruits per plant is 8 – 10 pieces.

Pepper has a classic cube shape. The photo shows that during technical ripeness it acquires a white-yellow hue. However, when fully ripe, the vegetable turns light red. The fruits can weigh about 180 g with a wall thickness of 6 to 9 mm and a length of 9 – 12 cm. If you cut the pepper, you will see that the seeds are in 4 chambers.

Attention! The characteristics of the vegetable depend on its care. In the absence of proper watering and fertilizing, the fruit will weigh about 80 g.

Preparation for cultivation

Seed material is purchased in trusted stores; upon purchase, the expiration date of the seeds, the manufacturer, and the integrity of the packaging are studied. At home, the seeds are inspected for defects; specimens with stains or scratches are thrown away. The remaining seeds are checked for germination - placed in a jar of water and salt (50 g of salt per 1 liter of water) and stirred clockwise. The seeds that sink to the bottom are used for planting.

Seed disinfection is carried out using a solution of potassium permanganate, aloe juice or Bordeaux mixture. The seeds are placed in a fabric bag and dipped in liquid for 20 minutes, taken out and dried on a clean towel. They can also be disinfected using the oven - place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for an hour at a temperature of +180°C.

Important! After disinfection, the material is germinated - placed in damp gauze and put in a warm place for two days. To accelerate development, the growth stimulator “Kornevin” is added.

Hybrid Kalif is grown in seedlings, so prepare the container and soil in advance. Any dry and clean container is suitable - flower pots, peat cups, wooden boxes. Ready-made soil from the store or soil from the garden are used as soil. The soil is fertilized with manure, compost or humus, and clean river sand is added for looseness.

Harvest and storage

Depending on the region, Khalifa fruiting begins in mid-to-late July and lasts until the first frost.

It is recommended to remove vegetables from the bush at the stage of technical ripeness, avoiding redness. This will help not delay the development of new ovaries and increase productivity.

Harvesting is carried out every 6-8 days, cutting off the fruits with a sharp knife. This method will prevent injury to the stalk, which can cause a reduction in the shelf life of the crop. Store the vegetable in wooden boxes in a cool, ventilated place.

Growing seedlings

Seedlings are prepared at the end of March. The containers are filled with soil, grooves are made 1 cm deep. 1-2 seeds are placed in each hole, sprinkled with soil and watered with warm water.

Store seedlings in a warm and sunny place; sweet peppers are a heat-loving crop. If there is a lack of natural sunlight, phytolamps are purchased.

Water the seedlings as the soil dries, approximately once every 4-6 days. It is important to prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged, which can lead to fungi and viruses. Two weeks after planting, fertilizing with manure or chicken droppings is organized. The next time the fertilizer is applied after 15 days, mineral components are used - superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium nitrate.

Important! If the peppers are planted in small pots or cups, after a month the gardeners organize a pick, that is, they transplant the seedlings into a larger container. If this is not done, then the roots will not have enough space to grow and develop. Plant the sprouts carefully so as not to damage the fragile roots and leaves.

Planting pepper

The beds for peppers are prepared in the fall. The best predecessors are peas, corn, cabbage. It is not recommended to plant vegetables after potatoes or tomatoes. At the end of October, the soil is dug up, lumps and weeds are removed, and manure is added. In April, the soil is dug up again, cleaned of debris and leaves. Recommended planting pattern for Calif pepper 50x70 cm.

For planting, choose a cloudy, windless morning. Seedlings are placed in holes 3-5 cm deep, the base of the stem is slammed with earth and sprinkled with peat chips. After planting, the peppers are watered and straw is placed on the beds - it retains moisture and nourishes the young plants. In the first week, the bushes are covered with film or thin glass to protect them from winds and frosts.

Important! Before planting in the greenhouse, all walls and doors are wiped with a solution of succinic acid, the soil is watered with Bordeaux mixture, and the structure is ventilated.

Further care

Pepper Kalif requires timely care. It consists of fertilizing, watering and loosening the beds:

1. About 2 liters of warm water are consumed per bush. In rainy weather, the beds are watered once a week, in dry and hot weather - once every 4-5 days. If the leaves curl, it means the plant does not have enough moisture, increase the volume of water. The best time for the procedure is early morning or evening to avoid sunburn and evaporation.
2. Loosening helps get rid of weeds and prevent their appearance. The procedure makes the soil lighter and airier, improves the flow of oxygen to the roots. They loosen the beds once a week to a depth of 5-10 cm. In addition to the bushes, they also pay attention to the aisles where weeds often appear.
3. During the ripening period, Kalif pepper is fertilized 2-3 times. Alternate organics and mineral complexes: potassium, phosphorus, droppings, urea, ash. The procedure is carried out every 15 days, after watering the soil. Fertilizers improve the taste of fruits, their presentation, and protect them from diseases and pests. For foliar feeding, spraying with Bordeaux mixture or nettle infusion is used.

Care

Proper care of peppers will give you the opportunity to get the maximum yield of quality vegetables. This ensures that the crop will have good immunity and be less susceptible to diseases and pest attacks typical of these vegetables.

Watering

Soil moisture should be regular but moderate. Excess moisture can lead to bacterial diseases of the root system of the crop, and its lack will weaken the vegetable - the leaves will turn yellow and crumble, and the yield will be significantly lower.

Watering is carried out in the morning or evening with warm rain or settled water. It is advisable to alternate it with loosening and weeding. This will retain moisture in the soil for a longer time, and air access to the rhizome will improve. Some vegetable growers mulch the soil with straw.

Feeding

Peppers require constant care

It is recommended to fertilize pepper at least 3-4 times during the season. Systematic monitoring of the condition of plants will allow you to quickly determine what substance the soil lacks.

In the phase of appearance of 1-2 true leaves, the first feeding is carried out using the following solution: 2-3 g of superphosphate, 0.5 g of nitrate, 1-2 g of potassium are added to 1 liter of water. After 2 weeks, fertilizing is repeated, increasing the amount of mineral fertilizers up to 2 times.

Popular among gardeners are feeding peppers with nettle infusion and a solution of chicken manure (1:10). It is advisable to alternate them with mineral supplements (1 tablespoon of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water).

It is necessary to regularly apply potassium-phosphorus fertilizers to the soil, which affect the number of ovaries on the crop and the quality of vegetables.

Pruning and shaping the bush

The Khalif pepper bush is described as compact, but this does not relieve the gardener from the need for regular pinching (pruning) of the crop. Its essence is to remove side shoots, which accelerate their growth in wet weather. It is undesirable to carry out pinching in the heat: the presence of additional foliage on the bush protects the soil from rapid evaporation of moisture.

The lowest, longest shoots should be pruned; you should try to achieve maximum illumination of the bush with sunlight. It is also worth removing unnecessary branches of the culture. Stepping is carried out once every 7-10 days, more often if necessary.

The Khalif variety requires the formation of a bush and its subsequent tying. When the crop reaches a height of 20-25 cm, the top, which is located on the main stem, is removed. Of the remaining strong shoots, it is recommended to leave no more than 3-4 stepsons.

To speed up the ripening of vegetables, gardeners advise once again additionally removing the top of the bush plant after half the fruiting period.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

When growing a hybrid, it is important to observe the dosage of added microelements. Their excess or deficiency leads to leaf fall and fruit spoilage. When fertilizing, do not use fertilizers that contain chlorine - for example, ammonium chloride. It gets into the root soil and blocks the access of nutrients.

Preference is given to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and nitrogen-containing substances. During flowering, they focus on organic matter - they feed with liquid manure.

Interesting! Fertilizing based on herbs is effective. A remedy is prepared from the flowers and leaves of plantain, hops and horsetail. The plants are crushed, poured with boiling water and left for several hours. After cooling, the bushes are watered at the root or the leaves are sprayed with a spray bottle.

If after flowering the ovaries fall off and the fruits stop growing, the bushes are treated with a solution of boric acid. It nourishes the roots and stem, strengthens the immune system and stimulates further development.

Typical diseases and pests

Despite the hybrid’s resistance to fungi and infections, it can get sick if not cared for properly.

The most dangerous diseases:

1. Brown spot (cladosporiosis) . Occurs due to contaminated soil, non-compliance with crop rotation rules, heat and high humidity. The stems and leaves become covered with brown spots, which increase in size over time. Spraying with whey is used as a preventive measure; for treatment, the professional drug “Zaslon” is used. Apply the product strictly in accordance with the dosage on the package.
2. Black bacterial spot affects mature plants during the fruiting period. For prevention, use a soap solution or copper sulfate. If bacterial spotting appears, the affected bushes are removed from the garden bed and burned away from the area. The remaining plants are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

The Colorado potato beetle is a pest. The striped insect affects both young seedlings and adult bushes. Larvae and adults are dangerous. The Colorado potato beetle is able to live underground for up to two years and tolerates cold and low temperatures. It feeds on plant sap, which is why the pepper lacks vitamins for development. The drugs “Barrier” or “Tornado” help to cope with the pest.