Sweet pepper Kolobok: variety description, yield, reviews from gardeners

Gardeners have always been attracted to crops with unusual fruits. Therefore, breeders do not stop working on new varieties and hybrids that meet this demand. Thanks to this, peppers of an interesting round shape, called tomato, also appeared on the market.

The Kolobok pepper has this shape. In addition to their unusual appearance, the fruits of this variety are distinguished by thick walls and a sweet taste. The plants themselves are famous for their unpretentiousness and resistance to adverse environmental factors. What else will Kolobok delight gardeners with - read on.

What type of pepper is this?

Kolobok is a pepper variety bred by domestic breeders in 1979. Its originator is Yu. I. Panchev.

The variety was included in the Russian state register in 1983. Since then it has not lost its popularity. It is grown by gardeners in all countries of the former CIS.

Note! Seeds of the Kolobok crop are used for cultivation. This is a varietal pepper, so its seeds produce plants with the same characteristics.

Distinctive features

The main distinguishing feature of Kolobok is the unusual shape of its fruit. The peppers are round and resemble red tomatoes. It is especially easy to confuse them with the tomatoes in the photo.

There is practically no free space inside the fruit. Its thick walls are in contact with the seeds. The taste of the fruit is rich, sweet with a slight sourness and peppery aroma. At the stage of technical ripeness, there is no bitterness.

Kolobok bushes are low-growing. They do not require gartering or pinching, which makes caring for them much easier.

The variety is also distinguished by increased immunity to diseases of nightshade crops. It is not afraid of cold weather and is suitable for growing in the central and northern regions of our country.

Kolobok fruits are suitable for fresh consumption. They are used for preservation whole and in the form of lecho. This pepper is also suitable for freezing.

The only disease to which the variety is not resistant is Fusarium wilt.

Main characteristics of Kolobok

Kolobok is suitable for growing in all regions of our country. It has a high yield and produces unusual round-shaped fruits.

Characteristics and description of the variety:

Preparation for cultivation

Peppers are grown in seedlings. They do this both at home on the windowsill and in the greenhouse. In the second case, the seedlings will be stronger and more resilient.

It is important to prepare the soil for seedlings. You can buy it in the store (universal soil mixture or soil for tomatoes and peppers) or prepare it yourself.

To prepare soil for seedlings, use one of the following methods:

• take equal portions of peat and garden soil and add one part of sawdust to them;
• Mix 2 parts humus and 1 part turf soil.

Add 1 tbsp to the bucket of the resulting mixture. l. superphosphate and ash. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

It is recommended to sow pepper directly into individual pots - it does not like picking. It is better to use peat containers, but plastic containers with drainage holes will also work. Sometimes all the seeds are sown in wooden and plastic boxes.

The soil and containers are disinfected. To do this, use a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Preparing pepper and eggplant seeds for sowing

Seeds are prepared for planting. They go through several stages of processing:

1. The seeds are inspected for damage and dark spots. They are soaked in salted water at room temperature. After half an hour, the floating specimens are thrown away, as they will not sprout.
2. Planting material is soaked for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate , for 15 minutes. in hydrogen peroxide or for 12 hours in aloe juice.
3. Then the seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator for 24 hours. Often they use store-bought drugs "Epin", "Potassium Humate" or "Agricola-3". For 1 liter of water at room temperature take 1 tsp. facilities. Homemade recipes are also used. For example, 1 tsp. honey diluted in 1 tbsp. water.
4. The planting material treated with a growth stimulator is wrapped in damp pieces of cloth and placed in the refrigerator for two days . Then they are kept warm for a day and again in the refrigerator for a day.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pepper Kolobok has several main advantages for which gardeners love it:

• excellent taste of the crop. Moreover, the taste remains high even in canned fruits;
• high yield rates;
• small but weighty fruits with thick walls;
• the variety is recommended for growing outdoors, but it also bears fruit well in greenhouses;
• not fussy about care.

As such, no deficiencies were identified in the variety. But plants can suffer to a moderate degree from anthracnose and fusarium wilt. Kolobok is quite resistant to mosaic and blossom end rot.

Growing seedlings

Seedlings begin to be grown 80 days before the intended planting in open ground. Sowing time depends on the region:

• cities with a southern climate – end of February;
• central regions – early March;
• northern regions – end of March.

Before starting to sow the seeds, the soil is brought indoors for 2 days. During this time it will warm up.

Planting pepper

Sand and soil are poured into the boxes so that 4 cm is left free to the edge. The seeds are laid out on the soil in rows, between which 3 cm are left free. A distance of 2 cm is also left between the seeds.

The planting material is sprinkled with a three-centimeter layer of soil, watered with warm water with a growth stimulator, covered with film and put in a warm place.

If the seeds are grown immediately in individual pots, then 1 seed is sown in each container to a depth of 3 cm. This container is also covered with film and placed in a warm place.

Further care

To get strong and healthy seedlings, you need to properly care for them. Here are the basic rules:

1. After seed germination, the film is removed. The seedlings are moved to a well-lit place.
2. To prevent the seedlings from tilting to one side, they are periodically turned towards the window. This does not have to be done if fluorescent lamps are used for illumination.
3. Water the plants 1-2 times a week. It is important not to allow the soil to dry out or become waterlogged.
4. After the formation of 2 true leaves, the seedlings are planted in individual containers (if the seeds were sown in a common box). When removing plants, they are held by the leaves. Peppers are placed in pots without deepening the root collar. After picking, the plants are covered with newspaper for several days.
5. A week before picking the pepper for a permanent place, they begin to harden it. To do this, they take it outside.

Seedlings are fed three times. Use the following scheme:

1. 2 weeks after picking, the soil is sprinkled with ash. Then the plants are watered with a composition prepared from 10 tbsp. l. water and 1 tbsp. l. urea.
2. After 2 weeks, the plants are watered with 1 tsp. urea diluted in 1 tbsp. water.
3. 4 days before picking the pepper, the last fertilizing is applied to a permanent place. This time they use a product that is prepared from a bucket of water, 1 tbsp. l. urea and 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate.

Nuances of agricultural technology

• Peppers are planted only as seedlings in containers, from which they are transplanted to a permanent place, since they do not tolerate picking well due to their very delicate root system
• The beds must be protected from winds and drafts
• Before planting, the soil is treated with a 3% solution of copper sulfate
• The plant is a large “water bread”; when the surface layer dries out, immediate watering is required
• The most comfortable temperature for good plant development is 23-25 ​​°C.
• The root system is close to the surface, so when even a small crust forms on the ground, loosening is necessary for better air penetration to the roots
• This variety does not require garter
• Feeding is done no more than 3 times: the first feeding is 14 days after the sprouts appear, the 2nd feeding is after 2 weeks, the 3rd feeding is a few days before transplanting into the soil. Urea, ash, superphosphate are used.

Features of growing Kolobok

Kolobok is planted in open ground when the soil has warmed up and the threat of frost has passed. This usually happens in the second half of May.

For peppers, choose a sunny but wind-protected area of ​​the garden. The southern part of the land plot is best suited.

Beds on which other nightshade crops previously grew are not suitable for pepper. You cannot mix potatoes and peppers of other varieties next to them.

Picking to a permanent place

The beds for growing peppers are prepared in the fall. They are dug up and cleared of weeds. For every 1 sq. m of soil add 6 kg of cow dung or humus.

If the acidity of the soil is increased, it is reduced with dry lime or ash. Heavy soils are loosened with sand.

Holes are dug in rows. For 1 sq. m place 5-6 plants. Some gardeners use thickened planting and plant 1 square meter. m up to 9 peppers.

Before picking seedlings, pour 1 tbsp into each hole. l. potassium granular fertilizers. Then pour 1 liter of warm water into the recesses.

Plants are planted in beds without deepening the root collar. To make it easier for the seedlings to be removed from the pots, they are watered the day before picking.

The beds are covered with film at night until mid-June. Shelter is also made during the day in cool weather.

Rules of care

The bun does not need pinching or shaping. The yield of this low-growing variety is ensured by the branching of its bushes. You don't have to tie up the pepper either.

Water the pepper 1-2 times a week. Use warm water. For 1 sq. m add up to 12 liters of liquid. Before flowering, the beds are watered by rain. Then the liquid is poured only under the root.

After each watering, the soil is loosened. It must be cleared of weeds.

Advice! Experienced gardeners recommend mulching the soil with film, straw, hay, humus or tree bark and leaves. This will slow down the growth of weeds and also protect the plant roots from cold weather and pests.

Peppers are fed at least 3 times per season. They use purchased fertilizers (“Agricola-3”, “Effekton-Universal”) or homemade preparations. The list contains recipes for some of them:

1. 1 kg of bird droppings are diluted in a bucket of water. The mixture is infused for 5 days, then 1 tsp is added to it. nitrophoska and used for watering bushes.
2. In a bucket of water, leave the shells of 8 eggs and the peels of 5 bananas for 24 hours. The product is used during the formation of ovaries.
3. Chopped herbs (plantain, nettle, chamomile, etc.) are poured into the barrel. The green mass should fill half the volume. The rest of the space is filled with water. The mixture is infused for a week.

The day before applying fertilizer, water the peppers with clean water so that the fertilizing does not burn the root.

Peppers are pollinated by insects. To attract pollinators, the bushes are sprayed with a product made from 10 liters of water, a glass of sugar and 1 tbsp. l. boric acid.

Advice! Many gardeners prepare fertilizers from weeds and plant debris collected from their own beds. Bread and jam are also added to the mixture for better fermentation.

Typical diseases and pests

Sweet pepper Kolobok is not afraid of diseases of nightshade crops. It is not resistant only to Fusarium wilt.

To protect plants from infection, it is important to follow all care rules. Particular attention is paid to the disinfection of soil and garden tools, as well as the removal of plant residues.

To prevent diseases, bushes are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or Bordeaux mixture.

Plants are often attacked by pests. The following methods are used to combat them:

1. Leaves affected by aphids, spider mites or whiteflies are washed with warm water and soap (1 piece per 1 bucket of water). If this does not help, the plants are sprayed with Verticillin diluted in water (100 g per bucket). The procedure is carried out three times in 10 days.
2. To protect peppers from slugs, the soil is treated every 2 days with quicklime. For every 1 sq. m, 5 granules of metaldehyde are laid out.

To prevent a mole cricket attack, the following methods are used:

1. In the spring the soil is dug up. Found larvae are destroyed.
2. Traps are set in late autumn. To do this, 40 cm deep depressions are made in the beds, which are filled with manure. In the spring, the manure is dug up and burned along with the larvae that the mole cricket will lay there.

Reviews

Most gardeners leave good reviews about Kolobok. This is one of the thickest and juiciest peppers.

Valeria, Solnechnogorsk: “I have been growing Kolobok in open ground for several years now. A very unpretentious pepper that is suitable even for the garden. The fruits are round, bright red, similar to tomatoes. As shown in the photo on the packaging. Didn’t get sick, doesn’t require frequent watering.”

Alexandra, Valuiki: “I decided to try Kolobok because of its unusual shape. Pepper really does not require gartering or pinching. It is very easy to grow. The walls of the fruit are very thick. Ideal for lecho and salads. These peppers look especially interesting when stuffed.”