Ratunda sweet pepper has become one of the most beloved summer vegetables in our country. It is popular due to its high yield, reliable peel and strong immunity.
Description and characteristics of the variety
Ratunda sweet pepper has a high yield. The first couple of years, experienced farmers recommend picking the fruits a little immature (dark brown), allowing them to ripen at room temperature.
The main distinguishing feature of pepper is its unpretentiousness in choosing neighbors. The ratunda grows next to bitter crops, only you need to be prepared for the fact that the fruits of the pepper will become sharp.
Ratunda Sweet Pepper Seeds
Ratunda pepper on a branch
Deep red or cherry fruits
Bush
The plant is low, standard, without sprouting branches. Pretty strong, as it can withstand any load of the crop. In height does not grow above 0.6 m. The leaves are medium-sized, located on the petioles. Flowers appear between shoots.
Fruit
In almost all varieties, the pods are similar to small pumpkins with distinct lobes. However, there are also varieties in the form of a smooth barrel. The unifying feature of all varieties of this sweet pepper is that the fruits are not long, but flattened. The plant grows from 10 to 16 fruits.
Productivity: 1 sq. m - 4-5 kg of peppers.
Pods are unripe, green in color for adding to salads is not suitable, they are not used for canning. A ripe crop of saturated cherry or red. It all depends on the variety. Inside the fruit are several chambers with seeds. The average weight of one pod is 0.1 kg. There are large varieties - about 170 g.
The fruits of almost all varieties of Ratunda grow without bitterness. The plant is prone to over-pollination. Crops growing next to pepper, without fail, will affect the taste.
There are varieties to which bitterness is characteristic, but often the sharpness is contained in the chamber partitions, and the pulp itself is sweet, and so it turns out to be the pennant pod of Ratunda.
Almost all varieties of this sweet pepper have a medium ripening period, they bring fruits 4 months after planting, but you can also find earlier ones. Unripened fruits are not stored for a long time.
The ripe harvest of Ratunda is not afraid of transportation, so it tolerates transportation well.
Advantages and disadvantages of pepper
Ratunda sweet pepper has both pros and cons, so before growing plants, you need to evaluate them.
The benefits of sweet pepper:
- healthy fruits, the composition includes a huge amount of ascorbic acid;
- juicy pepper, but not very sweet, so vegetables are used for salads and preservation;
- a huge amount of vitamin C, P and B;
- undemanding care;
- Attractive appearance of bushes.
Ratunda pepper has no special drawbacks, the only negative that gardeners note is the large number of seeds in the fruits.
This video talks about the features of fleshy sweet pepper called Ratunda:
Features of planting and growing
Ratunda is an annual plant, respectively, for the entire stage of the growing season a full cycle passes: from sowing to the formation of fruits. At first, the bush develops very slowly, the green part growing above the surface of the soil grows much faster than the roots. The first foliage on the plant appears 8 days after planting, and the buds only 60 days after emergence.
Soil and seed preparation
A good result in the form of a large crop of Ratunda sweet pepper can be achieved by growing seedlings. Often peppers love to grow on the windowsill of a house or in a small garden.
First of all, prepare the soil mixture, it should be as nutritious and loose. The substrate consists of humus, soil and river sand (3: 3: 1). Add 5 ml of wood ash to 5 l of the mixture.
Use fresh grains for planting, that is, collected from last year's crop. Without fail, disinfect them for a quarter of an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate (1%). After washing the planting material under running water and dry.
Grains are sown in the last week of February at a temperature of +25 degrees Celsius. Sprouts often appear 2 weeks after sowing, when they all hatch - a container with seedlings is transferred to a well-lit place.
Sowing
Transplanting seedlings is not necessary, because the root system is very weak, and suffers during a dive. It is better to sow the seeds one grain at a time in a pot.
If the soil mixture was made by you yourself, then you need to think about the presence of drainage. First make holes in the bottom of the pot so that excess moisture from watering comes out of it, then place a layer of small fractions of agroperlite or other material. Place pots on pallets.
Purchased mixture must be selected special, designed for pepper. But during the acquisition, pay attention to the level of acidity, it must be neutral or slightly alkaline.
Seedling Care
For seedlings to be of high quality, place containers with seedlings in a warm place with a temperature indicator of approximately +25 degrees Celsius. When the sprouts begin to hatch, lower the temperature to +20 degrees, after the 1st week, increase again to +25. At night, lower the temperature indicator to +15 degrees, in this situation, the seedlings will not stretch, but the roots will be strengthened directly.
Sweet pepper sprouts need additional lighting, daylight hours should be 14 hours. You can use LED or fluorescent lamps for this.
Another important point when caring for the Ratunda is fertilizing. You can buy them at the store or do it yourself. The first dressing is carried out at the stage of formation of 1-2 sheets. If you decide to pick, then put off the fertilizer until the seedlings are transplanted.
Top dressing consists of 1 tsp. carbamide and 1 tbsp. superphosphate. Approximately 150 ml of fertilizer is consumed per plant. Spend the second dressing a week before transplanting seedlings into open soil or a greenhouse. The tool consists of 2 tbsp. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. potassium sulfate, 10 l of water.
Superphosphate dissolves for a very long time, so top dressing is done 1 day before entering the soil.
Greenhouse cultivation
Pepper Ratundo is planted in a greenhouse when the first bud has already appeared on the plant. Planting scheme: 0.25x0.25 m. In the greenhouse, carefully monitor the watering of the plant, it should be moderate, it is better to water often, but little by little, than to overmoisten the soil.
Excessive humidity in the greenhouse prevents the pollination of pepper, as soon as the pollen begins to crumble, the greenhouse is aired more often. Air helps distribute it across all the bushes and the ovaries are created faster. This event is extremely important for sweet pepper, because the number of ovaries affects the number of fruits, as well as their size.
Open transplant
In open soil, seedlings are planted in the last weeks of May or in early June, but if planting is carried out in the northern regions, it is better to wait until the threat of frost disappears. The best place for Ratunda pepper is a well-lit, nutritious patch. In spring, 40 g of phosphorus, 40 g of potassium and 20 g of nitrogen fertilize the land for culture.
Mulch the ground so that the moisture does not evaporate very quickly; you can use dry grass or hay as mulch.
Feed the ratunda in open ground with a mullein solution (1 part of organic matter and 10 parts of water), you can also use simple complex fertilizers. They are obligatory during the formation of buds, flowering and fruiting.
During periods of too long drought and heat, cover the seedlings with a net, thanks to this, the plants are not affected by high temperature and bring a better harvest.
At temperatures below +12 degrees Celsius, pepper is not pollinated. If it blooms in such an environment, then the fruits will grow miniature and crooked.
Pepper Care Rules
Sweet pepper needs high-quality and regular care, only in this situation can it bring you a large amount of healthy harvest.
Watering and feeding
Ratunda needs warm water. Thanks to this, the seedlings will quickly take root, water regularly during the growing season. If in hot weather pour pepper with cold water, then the plant will begin to fade.
An excellent option is drip irrigation simultaneously with the introduction of minerals. At different stages of development, pepper needs to be fertilized, namely nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Bush formation
Pepper Ratundo must be properly formed. Basic rules of procedure:
- during the appearance of the 1st branch, remove all stepsons below;
- Pick the 1st flower;
- remove weak from pair shoots, leave strong;
- in the last week of summer, pinch the tops of sweet pepper so that new shoots do not appear, and pepper begins to direct forces to the formation of the crop;
- clear the first crop in green;
- ripened pods as often as possible.
Harvesting and storage
Do not collect peppers in green, it is better to cut the fruits in technical ripeness, then the crop will lie a lot longer. Damage to pods during harvesting must not be. Fresh pepper can be stored for about 1 month.
Seeds from the largest fruits use for further cultivation. They are removed, washed, dried and folded into paper.
Protection against diseases and pests
In greenhouse conditions, the aphid is considered the most dangerous pest of Ratunda. Preventive measures are to apply fertilizing from potassium and phosphorus. From other insects special tools such as Lepidocide or Fitoverm help.
Ratunda Pepper Reviews
Ivan, 46 years old, veterinarian, Odessa. Ratunda takes one of the leading places on our table. Therefore, we plant pepper in the greenhouse every year. An excellent innovation in the field of gardening is the creation of polycarbonate greenhouses with movable elements, now pollination is not a big deal.
Antonina, 67 years old, pensioner, Astrakhan. Ratunda is wonderful to taste. I love those varieties that are slightly spicy. The only negative - in the summer it dries too much in the sun. I will buy a grid this year, maybe it will create a shadow.
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The unique pods of Ratunda pepper will be a great addition to the table, and in winter preservation they will remind you of summer and warmth. The main thing is to adhere to all the rules of planting and growing a plant, as well as to carry out proper and regular care.