Ⅰ. Product Details

Variety Characteristics

Colorful Sweet Pepper (also known as Bell Pepper) is a premium ornamental and edible variety with a growth cycle of about 120-150 days. The plant height reaches 60-80cm, with strong branching ability and high fruit setting rate. Fruits come in multiple colors including red, yellow, orange, purple and white, with a fruit weight of 150-250g per piece, featuring thick flesh and excellent taste.

Quality Advantages

• Fruits are thick-fleshed (3-5mm thick), crisp and sweet with no spiciness, rich in vitamin C (content 3-4 times higher than tomatoes), vitamin A, dietary fiber and antioxidants.
• Strong ornamental value: Plants bear colorful fruits at the same time, suitable for courtyard planting, potted viewing and greenhouse cultivation, integrating beauty and edibility.
• Good storage and transportation performance: Mature fruits can be stored at room temperature for 7-10 days, and at 5-8℃ for 20-30 days, with strong resistance to transportation damage, suitable for long-distance sales.

High-Yield Characteristics

Each plant can bear 15-20 fruits, with a yield of 3000-4000kg per mu under proper management. It has strong adaptability to environment, suitable for open field and protected cultivation in most regions of China, with cold and heat resistance and few diseases.

Anwendungsszenarien

• Fresh food market: Used for raw eating, salad, stir-frying and stuffing, popular in high-end restaurants and family kitchens;
• Ornamental planting: Potted plants for home balcony, garden landscape and agricultural sightseeing park;
• Processing industry: Suitable for making pickled peppers, dried peppers, pepper juice and color food additives.

Selection & Storage Suggestions

• Selection skills: Choose fruits with bright color, smooth skin, full shape, no damage or soft spots, and fresh fruit stems;
• Storage method: Store in a cool and ventilated place at room temperature for short-term storage, or wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator crisper for 2-3 weeks.

Ⅱ. Planting Methods

Planting Preparation

1. Soil Selection

Colorful Sweet Pepper prefers loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam or loam with pH value of 6.0-7.0. Avoid continuous cropping with solanaceous crops (tomato, eggplant) to reduce soil-borne diseases. Deep plow the land 30cm before planting, apply base fertilizer: 3000kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 50kg of compound fertilizer and 20kg of calcium superphosphate per mu. Mix evenly and make high ridges with width of 60-70cm.

2. Seed Treatment

• Seed selection: Choose full seeds with high germination rate, with seed consumption of about 20-30g per mu;
• Seed soaking and germination: Soak seeds in 55℃ warm water for 15 minutes (stir continuously), then soak in 25℃ water for 8-12 hours. Wrap with wet gauze and germinate at 25-30℃, rinse once a day, and sow when 70% of seeds show white buds.

Seedling Raising & Transplanting

1. Seedling Raising Time

• Spring cultivation: Seedling raising in January-February (greenhouse), transplanting in March-April (after frost);
• Autumn cultivation: Seedling raising in July-August, transplanting in August-September, harvesting in October-December.

2. Seedling Raising Methods

Use seedling trays (50 or 72 holes) filled with nutrient soil (peat soil: vermiculite: perlite = 3:1:1). Sow 1 seed per hole, cover with 0.5-1cm fine soil, water thoroughly and keep temperature at 25-30℃. After emergence, control temperature at 20-25℃ during the day and 15-18℃ at night to prevent leggy seedlings.

3. Transplanting Requirements

Transplant when seedlings have 4-6 true leaves and a height of 15-20cm. The planting density is 40cm × 60cm, with 2500-3000 plants per mu. Water thoroughly after transplanting and cover with mulch to keep warm and retain moisture.

Field Management

1. Wasserwirtschaft

• Seedling recovery period: Keep soil moist to promote root development;
• Flowering and fruit setting period: Control watering properly to prevent flower and fruit drop, water in time when soil is dry;
• Fruit expansion period: Ensure adequate water supply, water once every 7-10 days, avoid flood irrigation, and drain water in time during rainy season.

2. Fertilizer Management

• Seedling fertilizer: Apply 10kg of urea per mu 10 days after transplanting to promote seedling growth;
• Flowering fertilizer: Apply 15kg of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per mu at initial flowering stage to promote pollination and fruit setting;
• Fruit fertilizer: Apply 20kg of compound fertilizer per mu every 15 days after fruit setting, and spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution on leaves to promote fruit expansion and color development.

3. Plant Pruning

• Remove lateral branches below the first flower cluster to keep the main stem robust;
• Retain 2-3 strong main branches, remove weak branches, old leaves and diseased leaves to improve ventilation and light transmission;
• When fruits are too many, thin out small and malformed fruits to ensure the growth of commercial fruits.

4. Disease & Pest Control

• Blossom end rot: Caused by calcium deficiency, spray 0.3% calcium chloride solution on leaves;
• Anthracnose and blight: Use 75% chlorothalonil 800x solution or 50% carbendazim 600x solution for spray control;
• Aphids and whiteflies: Control with 10% imidacloprid 1500x solution or yellow sticky traps;
• Spider mites: Use 1.8% abamectin 2000x solution for spray control.

Harvesting

• Harvest time: Harvest when fruits are fully expanded and show characteristic colors (red, yellow, etc.), usually 30-40 days after flowering;
• Harvesting method: Cut fruits with scissors, retain 1-2cm fruit stems, harvest in batches according to maturity, pick once every 5-7 days;
• Post-harvest treatment: Sort and grade fruits, remove damaged ones, and pack in cartons for sale or storage.