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A beautiful ornamental pepper plant that thrives in warm conditions (20-25°).

The peppers ripen from dark purple/black to red. The red peppers are hot and offer a beautiful contrast with the dark purple foliage and bright purple flowers.

The Black Olive pepper is ideal for indoor pots and reaches a height of 50 cm.

The Black Olive Pepper is a very original pepper variety, especially in its appearance, very similar as its name suggests to a Black Olive. It's primarily an ornamental pepper variety but no less edible. Rated between 30,000 and 60,000 on the Scoville scale, it's a rather hot pepper. The plant can reach 50cm in height. It's harvested once red, although it grows black - feel free to taste it before it reaches maturity though.

• heat level: 30,000 to 60,000 on the Scoville scale.
• plant size approximately 50 cm.
• medium-sized fruit, approximately 5cm long.
• fruit color: Black during growth, Red when ripe.
• genus: Capsicum Annuum.
• ideal germination: between January and April.
• harvest: between September and November.

What Equipment do I need to grow my peppers?

To optimize your results, we recommend equipping yourself with:

Black Olive Pepper seeds.
An enclosed growing space like a mini greenhouse.
Coco coir pellets, peat, or cotton (to germinate the seeds).
Labels (to avoid mixing up your seedlings).
Potting soil (ideally a mixture of 50% black peat and 50% blonde peat) or flowering-specific potting soil, which will also work.
Fertilizer for Peppers or Tomatoes, or 5-5-10 fertilizer for those in the know.
A water sprayer or watering can.
Gloves (if you don't like the feel of soil).
Pots with a diameter of 7 or 8 cm at first, before using 10-liter or larger pots depending on the pepper for repotting

To make your life easier, we offer our mini greenhouse for growing your peppers.

How do I Germinate my Pepper Seeds?

Planting Chili Peppers is a process that requires patience and some knowledge, but don't panic, we'll explain everything you need to know to germinate your pepper seeds!

Pepper seedlings are typically started at the beginning of the year, generally between January at the earliest and March for the start of spring. To do this, you'll need the equipment listed above.

You then have 2 options:
Plant directly in a pot full of potting soil with your seed at half a centimeter depth
Place a seed on a coco coir pellet or on a piece of cotton.

In both cases, once the seed is in place, you'll need to spray enough water to moisten the soil or cotton without soaking it, then place your coco coir pellet or cotton in a container like a mini greenhouse that will retain heat and humidity, thus providing oxygen. If you're using a flower pot, you can simply stretch plastic wrap over it and make small holes with a toothpick to oxygenate the plant.

The ideal is to maintain a constant temperature of 28 degrees. You can store your container behind a sunny window, on or near a radiator, or on a heating mat designed for this purpose.

OUR TIP:

Place your mini greenhouse on your internet router!

Remember to ventilate your growing area from time to time to prevent the appearance of fungi while keeping the soil moist. Once the first leaves appear, you'll need to make sure your seedlings get enough sunlight for 12 to 14 hours per day. Once the second set of leaves is well developed, you can then repot them.

Once in a pot, keep your plant near a heat source and exposed to sunlight (ideally try to filter the light to avoid heat stress).

After the Ice Saints around mid-May, you can move your plant outdoors and plant your pepper in the ground if you wish, or leave it in a pot and place it on a balcony, a windowsill, or even along a wall, preferably on the south side.

How do I water my Black Olive Pepper?

When watering your Black Olive pepper, be careful not to overwater. Too much water can drown the plant and lead to its demise. You simply need to let the soil dry between each watering to prevent insect proliferation and drowning of the plant.

Once the plant is well developed (once your plant reaches about thirty centimeters), you can cause water stress by stopping watering the plant for several days before resuming watering (however, be careful not to abuse this technique, it would be a shame to let your pepper plant die).

How do I properly prepare for my harvest?

Once your pepper plant is in place, here are our tips to optimize your future harvest:

When your pepper plant reaches a height of 15 to 20 cm, you can pinch the top of the stem (without breaking it), which should allow the plant to grow bushier and produce a bit more.

If flowering is early for one of your plants, remove the first flowers to prevent them from demanding too much energy from the plant.

If your pepper plant is outdoors, insects will take care of pollinating the plant, which will then produce peppers. If your plant is indoors, you'll need to do this manually - take your clean finger and rub it lightly against each flower, from one to another.

Don't hesitate to use a bamboo stake or rod to support your plant.

When should I harvest my Black Olive Pepper?

To harvest your Black Olive pepper, as with others, you'll need to look at its color! This pepper is harvested once it turns Red.