The New Zealand Capsicum Grower

The Capsicum, originally from North and South America, has been making its mark in New Zealand since the 1970's.

The capsicum grower will often correct people because the capsicum is frequently confused as a vegetable but they are a fruit, like the Tomato, as they contain seeds. They come in a variety of colors; red, green, yellow, orange, and also purple and white. The succulent yet crispy fruit range in flavors from bitter to sweet, depending on their colour. Green capsicums are unripened red peppers and have a stronger bitter flavour. The red capsicums are the green capsicums left on the vine longer to ripen, they are amilder and sweeter taste like the orange and yellow varieties.

The capsicumflourishes in tropical climates, however, fortunately for the New Zealand capsicum grower they also grow well in sub-tropical climates, particularly when grown in greenhouse, which can prolong the growing season. When the New Zealand capsicum grower uses a greenhouse planting can be done as early as August.

When grown with care,the capsicum is a cost-effective crop. In 2006 the New Zealand capsicum grower had their crops valued at about $29 million.

A capsicum grower guarantees the use of excellent and virus-free seeds. An average seed count of 100-140 seeds per gram will produce between 90-100 plants for the capsicum grower.

The quality of a capsicum is dependent on the temperature control issued by the capsicum grower. For a new plant to be successful it is required that a capsicum grower keeps the greenhouse temperature at a high and steady level to promote the growth of leaf growth. For the capsicum grower to get the most out of the first five days of growth it is suggested the capsicum grower sets a 22/21°C, day/night, temperature followed by 23/22°C when growth is well underway. High air humidity is also needed and 80 per cent is usually what is required. However, a capsicum grower should not use water sprayers above the plants as this can increase the threat of Botrytis, a fungus that forms a dusty, grey mold on organic produce, which can then lead to plant diseases. CO2 will also be use by the capsicum grower from the time the first leaves are showing,this assists in promoting the growth of the seedlings.

The root's temperature is also significant and should be kept around 18-20°C. Any lower temperature can heighten the risk of Pythium, a fungus, but too high root temperature will cause excessive plant growth and insufficient flower production.

The young plants are usually planted in seed blocks made of Rockwool. Rockwool is excerpts from volcanic rock and limestone material mixed together, mainly used for most hydroponic plants.

At around two to six weeks the first flower buds begin to show. From here a capsicum grower will replant the plants in an area of a metre squared with three to four plants planted in this area. A slight key for a capsicum grower, during the pollination process, is to lower the night temperatures to 18°, this means there will be more seeds produced in the fruit. Day temperatures stay the same.

The median temperature should be set between 20 and 23°C, depending on the conditions and what the capsicum grower wants from his end product, at the start of fruit growth. The higher temperature will accelerate fruit growth, but will lessen the fruit's size. The lower median temperature will createbigger fruit and improve the fruits storing quality. A promising system used by capsicum growers for heating is placing heating pipes below the roots and above the plant.

Another useful tool for the capsicum grower is the Bee. Capsicums can self-pollinate but a capsicum grower will use bees for pollination as they achieve better rewards with the end produce growing faster, being larger in size and decreasing the likelihood of deformities.

One downside to the capsicum plant is that it requires a fair bit of attention from the capsicum grower, for it's maintenance. The capsicum grower must train and prune the plant every two to three weeks, especially during fast growth periods. However, as a capsicum grower will know, during summer it is advised not to prune the leaves of the upper 15 cm of the plant because these leaves offer shading for the fruit.

Throughout the pruning process the capsicum grower needs to control the fruit load, as too much fruit weight in a plant can produceroot rot. Nevertheless, the capsicum grower has to be cautious not to remove to many as this can lead to cracking on the other fruit.

Between day 70 and 90 the capsicum grower can begin harvesting. The capsicum grower has anoption of leaving harvesting of leaving the green capsicums to ripen to red, orange or yellow. Harvesting must be done during the early hours of the day and finished before the hottest part of the day to ensure good quality fruit. The capsicum grower will use a sharp knife, to get a good-looking stem, with minimal damage. By doing this the capsicum grower reduces the chance of transmitting funguses.

Throughout the peak periods the capsicum grower can expect to harvest green capsicums once a fortnight and coloured fruit up to twice a week.


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