Features of sweet pepper Swallow: its characteristics and cultivation rules

Sweet pepper of the Swallow variety is considered undemanding in care and high-yielding. Farmers love the plant for its ability to adapt to any climatic conditions and sudden changes in weather. The thick skin makes it possible to store the crop for a long time. Simultaneous ripening of fruits allows for one-time harvesting.

Pepper seeds of the Swallow variety

Sweet pepper of the Lastochka variety is characterized by high yield

Pepper Swallow ripens very quickly

History of the pepper variety Swallow

Homeland - Moldova. Breeders are scientists from the Pridnestrovian Institute of Agriculture. In 1970, breeders applied to register this variety in the state register. In 1974, the plant standard was approved and allowed for cultivation throughout Russia, except for the Central region.

At the moment, numerous companies engaged in breeding work in the Russian Federation are responsible for the safety of the plant. After some time, breeders created another variety of pepper - Golden Swallow. And even though the names of the plants are similar, and the scientist is the same, the characteristics and productivity are still different.

Swallow today is very popular among farmers, some even suggest that the plant received this name because of the amazing shape of the fruit - in the shape of a swallow's beak.

Description and characteristics of pepper

The peculiarity of the Swallow pepper is that it can be grown under any climatic conditions. You can plant the plant in a greenhouse, or in open ground.

Scientists prove that Swallow is a healthy variety; it contains a huge amount of nutritional elements necessary for the body. Vitamins B and C play an important role. The product has a low calorie content: 100 g - 43 kcal. Pepper normalizes the gastrointestinal tract and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

The plant reaches a height of 0.7 m. Approximately 10 large pods are formed on 1 pepper. The plants are leafy and need staking. The leaves are large, rich green in color, with wrinkles on the surface.

Pepper Swallow ripens very quickly, technical maturity occurs after 110 days.

Description of fruits

The main characteristics of Swallow pepper pods:

• in the form of a cone, some specimens in the shape of an oval;
• during technical maturity the color is light green, during biological maturity it is red;
• walls thickness – 70 mm;
• pod weight from 60 to 110 g;
• the peel is not thick, the surface is smooth;
• fruit length 0.1 m.

Productivity

Sweet pepper of the Lastochka variety is distinguished by its high yield, which is why it is valued by farmers. From 1 sq. m you can collect approximately 6-7 kg of fruit.

Suitable region and climate

Sweet pepper itself is very heat-loving, so it is better to grow it in the southern territory. It is also suitable for northern regions, but only for growing in greenhouses.

For good development, the plant needs a temperature of +21...+26 degrees Celsius; at night it should not fall below +17...+20 degrees. The ground temperature is at least +19 degrees. At lower rates, the yield decreases, the leaves wither, and as a result, the Swallow dies. Drought and high temperatures above +34 degrees also negatively affect the plant.

In order for the pepper to begin to bear fruit faster and the harvest to be stable, it is necessary to maintain at least 13 hours of daylight. To grow seedlings in March, special additional lamps are used.

Description of the variety

The daily requirement of vitamin C is contained in 100 g of Swallow pepper, the main indicators of which are:

• technical maturation occurs in 115–120 days (depending on weather conditions); the fruits ripen in the middle period, simultaneously;
• the trunk is single, standard, small branches with many fruits, height ─ up to 60 cm, during the period of formation and ripening the fruit requires tying to a support;
• the variety is resistant to verticillium wilt, late blight, and gray rot;
• peppercorns are cone-shaped, up to a decimeter long. Weight ─ 10–120 g. The walls are thick, about 7 mm. Technically mature fruits are bright green in color, ripen from yellow to dark red (fully ripe);
• yield: from one plant to 3–3.5 kg of products;
• seeds collected from ripe fruits are suitable for planting next year.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Swallow pepper variety, like other varieties of the crop, has both pros and cons, and they must be taken into account when growing the plant.

Benefits of pepper Swallow:

• a large number of useful microelements, the product is suitable even for diabetics;
• can grow in any climate zone, the main thing is to choose the right place for planting;
• high-yielding;
• has a decorative appearance;
• can be used not only fresh, but also canned.

Disadvantages of the variety:

• too high, supports must be installed;
• demanding on soil composition;
• It is possible to grow in open soil, but it is very difficult.

Description of the variety

The table shows the biological description of the variety, yield indicators, resistance to external environmental factors and other important parameters:

Landing Features

You can get a rich harvest only with proper planting. There are several main stages that have their own characteristics and nuances.

Seed preparation

The most important thing is to sow the seeds of the Swallow pepper in time. If you are late, the plant will begin to develop later, and therefore will not bring the harvest it should. The sprouts will hatch only after 2 months, so sow the seeds in mid-February. If you plant the seedlings immediately in open soil, it is better to sow the planting material in early March.

To ensure a high percentage of germination, the seeds should be selected correctly. First, inspect them carefully, throw out the bad ones and keep the good ones. Add 1 tbsp to a container of water. l. salt and place all the seeds in the solution. Keep the seed in this mixture for about a quarter of an hour, throw away any grains that float to the top. They are of low quality and will not sprout.

Rinse the seed material under running water and dry. To avoid the development of all sorts of diseases, treat the grains - place them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1%), keep the seeds in it for 20 minutes, then rinse the seeds. This procedure will not only strengthen the immune system and prevent infection in the future, but will also increase the pepper’s resistance to adverse weather conditions.

You can germinate the seeds in advance - place them on damp gauze, and plant them as soon as the sprouts appear.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Prepare containers and fill them with soil mixture, make small holes approximately 15 mm deep. Place 1 grain in each, there should be no less than 3 cm between the plants. The swallow does not tolerate picking and replanting, so it is better to sow the grains directly into separate pots.

Use peat tablets, then together with them you can plant pepper seedlings in the ground.

Growing seedlings

If the seeds are sown in a large box, then after forming 2 sheets, pick. To do this, take cups (0.5 l) and transplant one seedling into them. Place the seedlings on the sunny side of the windowsill.

As soon as the temperature outside rises to +15...+18 degrees, carry out hardening. Leave the seedlings on the balcony overnight. Water the plants with warm water once a week. After a week, apply mineral supplements.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Almost all gardeners rely on the appearance of the seedlings; as soon as the sprouts become strong, a rich green mass appears on them - the pepper is planted.

The plant is transplanted into open ground when buds appear on the seedling. At this time, the air temperature becomes favorable and the plant will begin to develop quickly. Before directly planting the seedlings, fertilize the soil with mineral or organic fertilizers. The swallow loves potassium, so it is better to add this element.

Plant the seedlings so that there is a distance of at least 0.4 m between the seedlings. Do not deepen the plantings; first fill the hole with cool water, and then plant the sprouts. Carry out the second watering only after a week.

To reduce moisture evaporation, cover the seedlings on hot days, and at the same time you will protect the foliage from the negative effects of sunlight.

Specifics of growing crops

To get a harvest of sweet peppers, you must follow certain recommendations for cultivation and agricultural technology.

The following rules can be distinguished:

• Growing seedlings indoors or under film.
• Preparation of planting material.
• Performing picking, hardening of seedlings, regular feeding.
• Timely watering.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

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Attention: It is not recommended to grow swallow by directly planting seeds in the ground, in this case the yield will be reduced

Selection and preparation of planting material

The material for sowing sweet pepper swallow must be disinfected and planted in February. Often on sale you can find grains already prepared for sowing, but to activate the process of seedling development, you can use some tips.

For example, you can heat the grains in the microwave for 2-3 seconds, or soak the seed in a solution of medical alcohol and water (1:1 ratio). Due to this, you can get sweet pepper seedlings much faster. After which it is necessary to wrap the future seedlings in a rag soaked in water and leave it for several days in a warm and dry room - this will allow the seeds to swell. Moreover, it is absolutely necessary to control that the rag is wet all the time.

As for the land, it can be purchased at the store in advance, starting in September. It is best suited for growing seedlings.

I recommend planting Swallow sweet peppers in containers or peat cups. You can also use special peat-based tablets. One seed is planted in a container, but when the first shoots form, each one must be planted in a separate container.

When planting pre-prepared seeds in boxes, it is necessary to deepen them with a distance of 17-22 mm from each other. Then you need to sprinkle the seeds a little with soil, pressing down a little. It is necessary to plant them in such a way that they cannot wash out during watering.

Upon completion of sowing, the containers should be covered with glass or polyethylene, and the containers should be placed in a warm room. The glass must be removed when the first shoots appear. In this case, the container must be placed in a bright place.

Attention: We must not forget that daylight hours in February are short, that is, there will not be enough daylight for sweet pepper seedlings. The situation can be corrected by installing additional lamps. This is required so that the bush does not stretch

This is required so that the bush does not stretch.

Growing seedlings

Picking seedlings of the Swallow pepper should be done when 3-4 leaves appear on the bush. This occurs in March, but the time will depend on the time of planting the grains. After diving, the plant is moved to a dark place for several days so that it can adapt to the future environment.

Watering seedlings should be done taking into account the need. So, you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out, but also avoid excessive moisture, since stagnation of moisture in the cassettes can lead to pepper diseases.

It is necessary to feed the bushes in several stages. Complex baits are suitable for this. They are used to fertilize pepper seedlings.

They also fertilize the ground with ash. The purchased drug is used according to the instructions, and the ash is infused in water for 2-3 days.

About a month before transplanting Swallow seedlings into open beds or into a greenhouse, you need to start hardening the pepper.

Moving to a permanent place

Then, when the sweet pepper seedlings grow, you can transplant the plants to an open area. This can be done if the possibility of spring frosts has already been excluded. Most often this is done no earlier than May.

The predecessors for Swallow are legumes, carrots and garlic. The bed must be dug up to the depth of a bayonet shovel. It is necessary to clean the garden of weeds and roots. The land is fertilized here.

Planting is carried out in the following stages:

It is better to plant bushes in the garden in a checkerboard pattern. Thus, comfortable care of the crop occurs. The scheme for planting seedlings in open beds does not differ from planting in greenhouse conditions - 45x65 cm. You need to add nutritious soil to the hole for planting, where you need to add bait (superphosphate, manure, humus). Groundbait is added when fertilizer was not added during digging of the site

You also need to add 0.5 buckets of water to the hole and immediately place pegs where the bushes are subsequently tied. The seedlings are placed in holes and carefully sprinkled with soil. Upon completion of planting the peppers, it is necessary to water the plants and leave them to adapt for about a week. Mulch with sawdust, straw, peat.

Care and cultivation

According to general standards, caring for Swallow peppers is not very different from caring for other vegetable crops. It consists of timely watering, loosening, mulching and fertilizing.

Watering and fertilizing

Water the plants only with warm and settled water. A week after planting, the plants are watered every 4 days. Also, keep the soil surface dry and do not allow the earthen crust to dry out. Water more frequently during the fruiting and flowering stages.

If you need to increase the greenness of vegetables, then use the “Growth” product, you can replace it with urea dissolved in water. The number of ovaries can be increased using the “Ovary” stimulator. Epin-extra will help improve the overall health of the plant.

Bush formation

Caring for a plant in a greenhouse also consists of pruning and shaping the pepper bush. Formation is carried out in several stems. Avoid overcrowding the plant. Peppers that are trimmed earlier will begin to bear fruit earlier and more abundantly.

It is necessary to understand that the formation of a pepper crown often brings not only benefits, but also harm. Pruning increases the risk of pests and diseases in the bushes.

When growing this variety, make sure that the bushes do not overgrow; pinch the top when you think that it no longer needs to grow upward. After this process, the plant will begin to grow lateral branches on which the fruits will be located. In addition, cut off the lower stepsons, leaving only strong and strong shoots with flowers in the upper part of the plant.

Weeding and loosening

Weeds cause harm not only to the site as a whole, but also to individual crops in particular. Weeding and weed removal should be carried out simultaneously with loosening the root zone of the pepper. The root system of the Swallow is close to the soil surface, and it is easy to damage it. Do not loosen too deeply.

Collecting seeds

Seeds are necessary for future cultivation of the variety. Pick a fully ripe fruit, wash it, cut it in half and remove the grains. Dry them, they will serve as excellent planting material next year.

Harvest and storage

The stems of pepper Leaf are very thin and fragile, damaging them will not be difficult. To avoid this, collect the fruits carefully and carefully. Start harvesting from the beginning of fruiting, and you can collect it every day, it all depends on the number of plants growing in your area and on the phase of their maturity.

If the weather conditions are favorable, that is, with warm, windless weather and short rainfall, then throughout the entire season you can get approximately 6 kg of sweet pepper from 1 sq. m.

The Lastochka variety is a classic early variety, very popular among gardeners. You can see what it looks like in this video:

Further care for sweet peppers Swallow

Caring for the Swallow pepper is standard - compliance with the watering regime, loosening and weeding, as well as timely application of fertilizers.

Pepper Swallow - video

Irrigation regime

Approximately 6-8 days after transplanting the seedlings, you can begin to water the peppers as expected - 2-3 times a week. If the weather is dry, then the amount of watering is increased, and in rainy weather - reduced.

During the opening of buds and the ripening of peppers, the amount of moisture is increased, but care is taken that it does not stagnate in the soil.

Feeding

To increase the number of ovaries formed, peppers are treated with the “Ovary” product. In order to activate the growth of roots and vegetative mass, Swallow bell peppers need to be fed with urea or Epin.

In order for the bushes to grow faster and bear fruit more actively, the peppers need to be watered with the “Growth” preparation.

Loosening and weeding

You need to carefully loosen the soil around the pepper bushes so as not to damage the root system of the plants. At the same time, all emerging weeds should be destroyed.

How to increase productivity?

The highest possible pepper yield can be obtained using the recommendations of experienced summer residents, here are some of them:

• Place the supports to which the seedlings will be tied into the ground before planting the plants, so that when digging stakes into the ground you will not damage the root system of the pepper.
• Pepper loves moisture, but during heavy and prolonged rains, cover the sprouts with film, otherwise it will begin to rot.
• Over-watering of the root system will only cause harm; first of all, it will affect the risk of all sorts of diseases.
• Remove the first flowers that appear on the upper fork of the branches.
• Harvest the first harvest at the stage of technical maturity, and the rest as desired.
• Do not forget about the need to form a bush.
• Store fruits in the refrigerator for no longer than a month; it is better to freeze them rather than can them.
• If the soil is nutritious and there is no need to apply certain fertilizers, then sprinkle the root circle of the pepper with ash; it will not only act as a fertilizer, but will also protect the bushes from diseases and pests.

Landing in a permanent place

The grown bushes are planted in a permanent place in late spring - early summer. For planting, select an area that was previously allocated for cabbage, pumpkin, cucumbers, beets, carrots, onions or beans; it is unacceptable to use for planting an area where beans grew.

You should not choose areas for planting that previously contained nightshade crops. They have similar diseases and are also favored by the same types of insect pests. In particular, it is not recommended to plant peppers in areas after eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes. Digging up the soil is done in the fall; before that, it should be fertilized. The second time the earth is dug up is in the spring.

Planting of seedlings is carried out in specially dug holes, between which there should be a 40 cm distance. A 60 cm distance is required between planting rows. Before planting begins, each of the holes is filled halfway with nutrient soil.

Then you should place the plant in the hole, carefully straightening the root system and filling it with nutrient soil on top. After this, the seedlings are thoroughly watered and tied to pegs driven into the ground before planting.

Important! It should be ensured that after planting the root part is above the ground

Diseases and pests

The Swallow pepper variety has strong immunity and is not susceptible to disease. Good health helps to resist even late blight and verticillium wilt. The swallow rarely suffers from pests such as aphids, spider mites and slugs.

Preventive measures consist of regular removal of weeds from the site, since most of the disease spores are found on such harmful plants. Infections can also be prevented by disinfecting grains and soil for planting Swallow peppers.

Reviews of pepper Swallow

★★★★★
Natalya, 46 years old, housewife, Volgograd. This is not the first season I have been growing Swallow.
The germination of seeds is simply excellent; most likely, it is their processing and preparation that helps with this. The seedlings tolerate hardening well and quickly get used to a new place in the greenhouse. The variety does not require special attention, does not get sick, the main thing is to care for it correctly and regularly. I spray only once per season. The plants grow large and lush, and the number of fruits I get is different each time. ★★★★★
Maria, 67 years old, pensioner, Omsk. Swallow is the best mid-season pepper variety that you can always rely on.
Excellently adapts to climate and sudden changes in weather. The bush is compact and has a large number of ovaries. The fruits are very juicy and tasty, I often preserve various assorted vegetables with them, and are also suitable for making lecho. Hide

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The Swallow pepper variety is one of the best representatives of this culture; it does not require special care. A large number of fruits will provide the gardener with such a harvest that he will be able to realize all his ideas about the use of this vegetable.

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Recommendations for cultivation

Many gardeners have noticed that it is not always possible to achieve the declared yield from a plant. Despite a detailed description of the agricultural technology for growing pepper, the yield is actually almost half as much. It's all in the little things:

• growing through seedlings in closed ground or under temporary film cover;
• preparing seeds and land for planting;
• timely and sufficient watering, fertilizing, picking and hardening of seedlings.

Peppers are not grown by sowing seeds in the ground; in this case, they will give a meager harvest.

Important! The sooner the pepper begins to bear fruit, the more fruit you can get. Growing peppers begins at the end of February - in March with sowing seeds in cells or peat tablets. It is advisable to soak the seeds for 20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, and then for 24 hours in a solution of microelements

It is advisable to soak the seeds for 20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, and then for 24 hours in a solution of microelements

Growing peppers begins at the end of February - in March with sowing seeds in cells or peat tablets. It is advisable to soak the seeds for 20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, and then for 24 hours in a solution of trace elements.

It is better to sow this variety twice; it yields the harvest very quickly and at the same time. This property is suitable for the production of home canned food.

The soil is prepared from turf soil and peat or sand, sawdust. It should be loose, moisture- and breathable, and filled with the necessary fertilizers.

If seedling picking is required, it is carried out in April. After picking, you need to water the seedlings with a solution of microelements “Kemira” or “Epin” for better survival.

Planting seedlings in the ground begins in early June. To increase productivity, use full-aged seedlings from 45 to 60 days. It is advisable to sprinkle 40 grams of boric acid and 20 grams of Kemira Lux fertilizer per 1 square meter on the prepared bed. m.

Pepper does not tolerate drought and suffers from waterlogging. The optimal watering will be drip irrigation. In this case, the bushes grow 2-3 times faster than with sprinkling. When irrigating in furrows and sprinkling, the row spacing is 70 cm; with drip irrigation, it is reduced to 50 cm. The distance between plants is 40-50 cm.

With drip irrigation, the above-ground part of the plant develops well, and the roots do not grow deeply, they grow superficially. In strong winds, such plants will die. To prevent this outcome, it is necessary to regulate watering, forcing the roots to grow deeper.

In the first days after transplanting seedlings into the soil, they need to be watered daily. After rooting, they switch to less frequent watering - once every 4-6 days. During flowering, you need to return to more frequent watering.

Good foliage provides plants with nutrition and protection from sunburn. Therefore, at the beginning of seedling growth, it is necessary to fertilize with nitrogen fertilizers to form a powerful green bush.

A mandatory procedure is the removal of the first apical flower, the appearance of which inhibits the growth of the entire plant.

Mulching the planting with black film, a layer of hay or plant residues 5 cm high prevents the germination of weeds, maintains soil moisture and improves its structure.

The pepper plant is very light-loving. If there is insufficient lighting, it turns yellow, does not bloom or bear fruit. It is necessary to select a bed without shade in advance, being sure to follow the rule of crop rotation.

A good trick is to plant pepper seedlings in the beds where early lettuce grows. Its leaves cover the seedlings from direct sunlight, the pepper grows strong and healthy. By the time the peppers bloom, the lettuce will have already been harvested.

In rainy summers, it is necessary to lighten the bush by removing the lower leaves and excess shoots. In dry summers, the lower shoots, on the contrary, protect the roots from overheating.

Another advantage of growing varietal peppers is getting seeds from your own garden. The largest peppers, growing in the middle of the bush, are picked in the phase of biological ripeness. After cutting the ripened fruit, take out the seeds, dry them for 4-6 days and store them in a paper bag. The seeds are ready for planting after a year and retain maximum germination capacity for 5 years.