The real or black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a climbing climbing plant from the tropical coastal forests of southwest India. The plant needs constant temperatures of at least 18 °C - preferably between 27 and 29 °C - and high humidity of at least 60 percent. For this reason, cultivation is usually only possible in appropriately equipped greenhouses or winter gardens.
How can you grow pepper yourself?
Pepper cultivation succeeds in constant, tropical conditions with temperatures of 18-29 °C and at least 60% humidity. Pepper seeds are planted in potting soil, kept warm and kept moist. The ambient temperature should never fall below 18 °C and the humidity should be kept high, for example by spraying daily.
Growing pepper from seeds
You can get pepper seeds, among other things. at well-stocked garden stores or online (€198.00 on Amazon). Growing them from seeds is quite difficult because the grains do not germinate reliably and the young plants are also quite vulnerable. In principle, seeds can be planted all year round, provided you can provide the pepper bush with tropical conditions all year round. The seeds are simply placed in a container with potting soil, kept warm and kept well moist. They germinate at around 27 to 30 °C and high humidity. However, you can do the latter with the help of a spray bottle. If a pepper bush already exists, propagation is easier via cuttings. You can harvest and process the fruits about eight months after flowering.
Which type of pepper can you train for bonsai?
Sometimes you can admire pepper bonsai from breeders and passionate hobby designers. However, these are not plants of the genus Piper Nigrum, but rather the so-called Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum), also known as mountain pepper or Chinese pepper. This species is not related to the real pepper, but, on the contrary, to the citrus family. The real pepper, on the other hand, is unsuitable as a bonsai plant.
Care for pepper properly
Pepper prefers a permeable, nutrient-rich substrate made of humus soil and sand, which can be mixed yourself in a 3:1 ratio. Otherwise, the plant needs a partially shaded, warm location - the ambient temperature must never fall below 18 °C. In the absence of tropical trees, you can offer your pepper bush - after all, it is a climbing plant - an alternative climbing aid. However, it is important that you mist the plant at least once a day with a spray bottle to keep the humidity sufficiently high. However, you only need to water moderately - it is enough to just keep the substrate slightly moist. Fertilization with liquid complete fertilizer is carried out every two weeks. Since it is an evergreen tropical plant and the tropics only have a diurnal climate and not a seasonal climate, the care remains the same all year round.
Tips & Tricks
An also very interesting, but much easier to care for alternative is the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), also known as pink pepper or Christmas berry. This tree, up to several meters high, can be kept cool but frost-free in winter.