Chinese Five-Color Pepper Ornamental Pepper

The Chinese Five Color’s beauty, flavor, productivity, and versatility are simply amazing. Add in that this ornamental pepper is one of the easiest and most forgiving plants you can grow, and it really is the best hot pepper plant around.

The young peppers start as glossy, deep green pods with a slight purplish tint. As they ripen, they gradually shift from purple to yellow, then orange, and finally develop a fiery red hue at full maturity. What makes the Chinese Five-Color Pepper truly extraordinary is the simultaneous presence of peppers in all of these vibrant colors on a single plant, creating a visually striking and colorful display in gardens and on dinner plates.

Feature:
Botanical Name:Capsicum annuum
Life Cycle:Annual
Min. Time to Germinate:10 Days
Max. Time to Germinate:15 Days
Depth to Sow Seeds:1/4 in.
When to Sow:Indoors 8-10 weeks before last spring frost
Growing Height:18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Plant Spacing:18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Sun Exposure:Full Sun
Danger:N/A
Other Details:Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Soil pH Requirements:5.6 to 6.0 (acidic), 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic), 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Days to Harvest:80-90
Propagation Methods:From seed; sow indoors before last frost
Seed Collecting:Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds

Flavor
Fresh picked, they have a crisp, almost sweet and spicy zing. In fact, with your first taste, you may briefly think they are a crunchy, sweet, snacking-style pepper.
The heat then hits the taste buds, but without lingering on the tongue for too long. We both are not fans of having something be hot to simply be hot. For us, a hot pepper needs to have flavor first, with the heat as an enhancer.
The heat slowly rolls in and begins to fill your mouth with the perfect sweet heat. And, just when you think you might have literally bit off more than you can chew, the heat gently fades away, leaving you wanting more.

How to Grow:
1.Germination:
Soak the seeds in warm water (about the same temperature as face wash water) for 12 to 24 hours, until the seeds absorb water and swell. For small and common seeds that germinate easily, this work may not be done.
2.Soil:
Generally, plants have relatively low requirements for soil, and some herbs and flowers hardly choose soil. Generally, the soil for planting herbs and flowers requires loose and fertile soil, good water retention and permeability, excellent aggregate structure, and high humus content. Before planting, rake and level it, water thoroughly, and then plant at the right time.
3.Sowing:
For small seeds that are difficult to pick up by hand or other tools, you can wet one end of a toothpick with water and stick the seeds one by one on the surface of the substrate, covering the substrate with a thickness of 1 cm;
For larger seeds that can be centered by hand or other tools, place the seeds directly into the substrate and sow them at a distance of 3X5 cm. After sowing, cover the substrate with a thickness of 1 to 2 times the seed grain.
After sowing, you can use a sprayer or fine-hole shower to wet the sowing substrate. Later, when the soil in the pot is slightly dry, water it again. However, be careful not to water too hard to avoid washing the seeds.

Tips:When planted directly into the soil, the plant grows into a compact shrub-like shape.These peppers are even perfectly content for containers and pots. It makes for a stunning conversation piece on your back porch, deck or patio. See : How To Grow Ornamental Peppers In Pots & Containers

Usage:
Cooking: Colorful chili peppers are commonly used in Chinese and Asian cooking to add a spicy and colorful flavor to dishes. The different ripening stages of these peppers present different spiciness and flavors, which can be selected and used according to needs. They are used in stir-fries, cold dishes, hot pots, sauces and condiments, etc.

Ornamental: Colorful peppers are so named because they appear in multiple colors of green, purple, yellow, orange and red all at once on the plant. Therefore, they are often planted in gardens, providing visual beauty and colour. This makes it a popular ornamental plant, especially for patios and flower beds.

Canning and Pickling: Colorful peppers are also suitable for canning and pickling. They can be made into hot sauce, chili powder, pickled peppers and a variety of spicy condiments.