# Capsicum (Capsicum annuum)

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/capsicum · Updated: 2026-10-29
Source: Plant Guide (https://plantguide.ae/plants/capsicum)

Capsicum · فلفل حلو  
vegetable · exotic · family Solanaceae · grows 0.4–0.9 m tall, 0.3–0.6 m wide · moderate growth  
full sun · moderate water need  
Ratings for Dubai (1–5, 5 is best): heat 2 · salt 2 · drought 2 · shade 1 · ease of care 3  
Sow or plant: Aug–Nov  
Uses: edible, container

## Also known as

- **English:** Bell pepper, Sweet pepper
- **Botanical synonyms:** *Capsicum annuum Grossum Group*
- **Arabic (العربية):** فلفل حلو, فلفل رومي (filfil rumi)
- **Hindi (हिन्दी):** शिमला मिर्च (Shimla mirch)
- **Urdu (اردو):** شملہ مرچ (Shimla mirch)
- **Malayalam (മലയാളം):** കാപ്സിക്കം (Capsicum)
- **Tamil (தமிழ்):** குடைமிளகாய் (Kudaimilagai)
- **Persian (فارسی):** فلفل دلمه‌ای (Felfel dolmeh-i)

Sweet peppers for Dubai's cool season: sow August to October, plant out September to November, and pick green or ripe from December before April's heat brings flower drop and sunscald.

## About

Meet capsicum, the sweet pepper that turns a handful of seedlings into a winter of crisp, glossy fruit. In Dubai it is a crop for the cool months: planted out in autumn, flowering through the mild winter and fruiting well before the summer heat arrives.

Its character is steady rather than showy. It sits in the sun without fuss, asks for even water, and drops its flowers if it is stressed, so a gardener who waters on schedule and shields it from wind and the first hot weeks is rewarded.

What it brings is colour on the plate and a long picking season. Fruit can be cut green from December, or left on the plant to turn red, yellow or orange and sweeten. A few plants in a raised bed or a large pot are enough for a household.

Capsicum, the sweet or bell pepper, follows the same calendar as tomato and aubergine. The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment lists pepper with nursery sowing from August to October, field planting from September to November and harvest 60 to 70 days later. UF/IFAS gives 60 to 80 days after transplanting, or 80 to 100 days from seed. In practice that means seed in shaded trays through the last warm weeks, seedlings in the bed by October or November, and picking from December. For the hot types, see [chilli](https://plantguide.ae/plants/chilli.md).

Flowers are the delicate stage. New Mexico State University's guide to chile pepper disorders, written for a hot, arid climate, lists high temperature stress, too little water, strong wind, high humidity and insect damage as the usual causes of flower drop, and advises even water and feeding through flowering. Dubai's mean highs stay at or under about 31°C from November to March, which is why the cool months are the flowering window, and they climb to 34°C in April and 38°C in May. NMSU also describes sunscald, the pale, sunken, papery patch on fruit that is suddenly exposed to intense sun. Leave the leaf canopy intact, and put shade cloth over the bed before the heat returns.

Peppers are salt-sensitive. FAO puts the threshold at 1.5 dS/m, and NMSU says seedlings suffer worst, and that injury often follows light irrigations that wash salts into the root zone. Use mains water, mix sweet soil with compost, and water deeply rather than often. Gulf News lists peppers among the vegetables that need full sun and tolerate slightly drier soil than tomatoes or broccoli. UF/IFAS advises easing off nitrogen once fruiting begins, staking plants once fruit weighs them down, and picking green or leaving the fruit to ripen, since ripe peppers are sweeter.

## Through the year

Capsicum has one main season in Dubai. Seed goes into shaded trays from August to October and seedlings are planted out from September to November. Flowers set through the mild months of November to March, and fruit is picked green or ripe from December to April, 60 to 70 days after planting. Whitefly, leafminers and aphids need watching from October to March. In April and May, average highs of 34 to 38°C bring flower drop and sunscald, and the plants are finished until the next autumn.

| When | What | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aug–Oct | Sow: Sow seed in shaded trays | Ministry calendar: nursery August–October. NMSU: pepper seed germinates best above 18°C (about 11 days at 23°C, 22 days at 15°C), so warm autumn trays come up quickly. |
| Sep–Nov | Plant: Plant out seedlings | Ministry calendar: field planting September–November. Shade young plants through October while the average high is still 36°C, and give them mains water. |
| Nov–Mar | Flowers: Flowering and fruit set | NMSU: high temperature stress is the most common cause of flower drop. Dubai's mean high stays between 24°C and 31°C from November to March. |
| Dec–Apr | Harvest: Pick green or ripe | Ministry calendar: 60–70 days to harvest; UF/IFAS: 60–80 days after transplanting. Fruit can be cut green or left to ripen further. |
| Apr–May | Heat stress: Flower drop and sunscald | Dubai's mean high is 33.7°C in April and 38.2°C in May. NMSU: sunscald appears on fruit exposed to intense sunlight, often when shaded fruit is suddenly uncovered. |
| Oct–Mar | Pest watch: Whitefly, leafminer and aphids | Whiteflies, leafminers and cutworms rank among the top insect pests on UAE vegetable farms; Arizona desert data show whiteflies arriving each fall and aphids peaking in winter. |

## Care in Dubai

- **Watering in summer:** Not grown through summer. Seedlings are started in shaded trays from August and the crop is finished by May.
- **Watering in winter:** Keep the soil moist but not wet (UF/IFAS), with a drip line finishing before 8 am (DEWA). Even moisture through flowering helps prevent flower drop (NMSU).
- **While establishing:** Water seedlings every day until established, with light shade through October. NMSU says seedlings are the most salt-sensitive stage, so use mains water.
- **Soil:** Sweet soil blended with compost in a raised bed 30 to 45 cm deep, or a large container, with drainage. Gulf News suggests perlite or sweet sand. Do not use the garden's salty sand on its own.
- **Feeding:** UF/IFAS: feed at planting and two or three more times through the season, and reduce nitrogen once fruiting starts, since too much nitrogen gives fewer fruit.
- **Pruning:** Little pruning is needed. Stake plants once fruit weighs them down (UF/IFAS) and keep the leaf canopy, which shades the fruit from sunscald.
- **Planting:** Sow in shaded trays from August to October, plant out from September to November, and put shade cloth over the bed before April. Rotate beds each year, since pepper shares a plant family with tomato and aubergine.
- **Pests and problems:** Whitefly; Leafminers; Aphids; Cutworms
- **Toxicity:** Sweet peppers are a normal food for people. The ASPCA's plant list for dogs has no entry for the garden pepper (its "ornamental pepper" entry is a different species, Solanum pseudocapsicum, which it lists as toxic), so we make no claim about pets chewing the plant. Keep dogs and cats out of the bed. Hot varieties can irritate eyes and skin when handled (UF/IFAS).

## Good and bad

**Pros**
- Ministry calendar gives a clear window: sow August–October, plant September–November
- Fruit ready 60–70 days after planting (Ministry calendar)
- Pick green early or let fruit ripen to a sweeter red, yellow or orange (UF/IFAS)
- Tolerates slightly drier soil than tomatoes or broccoli (Gulf News)
- Compact enough for a large pot or a raised bed

**Cons**
- Salt-sensitive: yield loss starts above 1.5 dS/m (FAO, NMSU)
- Flowers drop in heat, wind or dry spells, and fruit can sunscald
- Needs the cool months: flowering and setting stall as April heat arrives
- Stake as fruit weighs the plant down
- Whitefly, leafminers and aphids need watching

## Common mistakes

- Letting the soil swing between dry and soaked. NMSU lists insufficient water among the causes of flower drop, so water evenly through flowering.
- Pruning the leaves away from the fruit. NMSU says sunscald hits fruit that is suddenly exposed to intense sun, so keep a leafy canopy.
- Using salty or recycled water. FAO's threshold for pepper is only 1.5 dS/m, and NMSU says seedlings suffer most.
- Feeding with too much nitrogen once fruit has set. UF/IFAS says it produces fewer fruit.
- Leaving the crop in the ground after April. Flower drop and sunscald rise as Dubai's averages pass 33°C.

## Good to know

- Capsicum and chilli are both Capsicum annuum. Bell peppers are the Grossum cultivar group, the sweet, non-hot types.
- NMSU: the usual causes of flower drop are high temperature, too little water, strong wind, high humidity, insect damage and nutrient problems.
- UF/IFAS: bell peppers can be picked green, or left on the plant to ripen further, and fully ripened peppers are sweeter.
- Gulf News says peppers and aubergines tolerate slightly drier conditions than broccoli, cucumbers and tomatoes.

## Using it in a garden

Roles: Raised-bed vegetable, Container crop, Kitchen-garden staple, Colourful edible

Give capsicum a sunny, sheltered bed or a large pot out of strong wind, with a stake near each plant and a drip line on a timer. Gulf News puts peppers in the full-sun group, with six to eight hours a day. Keep it in a different bed from last year's tomatoes and aubergines, which share its plant family and soil diseases.

- [Eggplant](https://plantguide.ae/plants/aubergine.md): Same Ministry window and similar watering, so the two share a bed or a row of pots, with rotation in later seasons.
- [Chilli](https://plantguide.ae/plants/chilli.md): The hot cousin, in the same species and on the same calendar, so seed, feed and watering routines are shared.
- [Basil](https://plantguide.ae/plants/basil.md): A pot of basil at the foot of the plants gives a ready kitchen partner and shares the cool-season routine.

## FAQ

**When should I plant capsicum in Dubai?**  
The Ministry's calendar gives nursery sowing from August to October and field planting from September to November. Start seed in shaded trays, plant out from September to November and shade young plants through October.

**When can I pick capsicum?**  
The Ministry gives 60 to 70 days to harvest and UF/IFAS gives 60 to 80 days after transplanting. Plants set out in October are usually picked from December.

**Why are my capsicum flowers dropping?**  
The usual causes (NMSU) are heat, too little water, strong wind, high humidity and insect damage. In Dubai, drops cluster in April and May as the averages pass 33°C. Water evenly and shield plants from wind.

**Is capsicum the same as bell pepper?**  
Yes. Capsicum is the name used in the UAE and India for the sweet bell pepper. Hot peppers are the same species but are covered on the chilli page.

**Why are my peppers sunburnt?**  
Sunscald, a pale, sunken, papery patch on the side of the fruit facing the sun, which NMSU says often happens when shaded fruit is suddenly exposed. Keep the leaf canopy and use shade cloth in April.

**Does capsicum tolerate salty water?**  
Poorly. FAO and NMSU put the threshold at 1.5 dS/m, one of the lowest among common vegetables, so use mains water and low-salinity soil.

## Related plants

[Chilli](https://plantguide.ae/plants/chilli.md) · [Eggplant](https://plantguide.ae/plants/aubergine.md) · [Tomato](https://plantguide.ae/plants/tomato.md) · [Cherry tomato](https://plantguide.ae/plants/cherry-tomato.md) · [Basil](https://plantguide.ae/plants/basil.md)

## Photos

![Capsicum (Capsicum annuum) plant growing in a home garden in Kerala, India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Capsicum_plant_%28Capsicum_annuum%29_in_Kerala.jpg)  
Photo: Clintacc / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capsicum_plant_(Capsicum_annuum)_in_Kerala.jpg))

![A Capsicum annuum plant growing in West Bengal, India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/A_plant_of_Capsicum_annuum_in_West_Bengal%2C_India.jpg)  
Photo: Billjones94 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_plant_of_Capsicum_annuum_in_West_Bengal,_India.jpg))

![Bell pepper plant with flowers turning into fruit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Bell_pepper_flowers_turning_into_fruit.jpg)  
Photo: RTG / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bell_pepper_flowers_turning_into_fruit.jpg))

## Sources

- [UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Dates for Planting Vegetables and Fruits in the UAE](https://moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/56f7a89b/agriculture_calender_page_en.pdf.aspx)
- [Wikipedia: Climate of Dubai (Dubai International Airport, 1991 to 2020 normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Dubai)
- [UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Peppers](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/peppers/)
- [New Mexico State University: Chile pepper disorders caused by environmental stress (Guide H-249)](https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H249.pdf)
- [FAO: Crop salt tolerance data (Annex 1)](https://www.fao.org/4/y4263e/y4263e0e.htm)
- [Gulf News: Winter gardening in the UAE, a budget-friendly guide to growing your own vegetables](https://gulfnews.com/amp/friday/home/winter-gardening-in-the-uae-a-budget-friendly-guide-to-growing-your-own-vegetables-1.1733397053629)
- [The Arabian Post (from The National): From seed to harvest, advice for gardeners in the UAE](https://thearabianpost.com/from-seed-to-harvest-some-essential-advice-for-gardeners-in-the-uae/)
- [DEWA: Irrigation advice](https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/consumer/sustainability/sustainability-and-conservation/irrigation)
- [Kaakeh et al. (2007): Assessment of pest and pesticide trends in vegetable crops in the UAE and Sultanate of Oman](https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/publications/assessment-of-pest-and-pesticide-trends-in-vegetable-crops-in-the/)
- [University of Arizona Vegetable IPM Updates: Weather influence on desert insect pests (J. Palumbo)](https://www.vegetableipmupdates.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2023-11/Weather%20Influence%20Desert%20Insect%20Pests-2020.pdf)
- [POWO (Kew Plants of the World Online): Capsicum annuum](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:316944-2)
- [Wikipedia: Bell pepper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pepper)
- [Arabic Wikipedia: فلفل حلو](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84_%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%88)
- [Hindi Wikipedia: शिमला मिर्च](https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A)
- [Wiktionary: शिमला मिर्च (Hindi, with the Urdu spelling شملہ مرچ)](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A)
- [Urdu Wikipedia: شملہ مرچ](https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D9%85%D9%84%DB%81_%D9%85%D8%B1%DA%86)
- [Malayalam Wikipedia: ബെൽ പെപ്പെർ](https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AC%E0%B5%86%E0%B5%BD_%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%86%E0%B5%BC)
- [Tamil Wikipedia: குடைமிளகாய்](https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AE%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%8D)
- [Persian Wikipedia: فلفل دلمه‌ای](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84_%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%E2%80%8C%D8%A7%DB%8C)
- [ASPCA: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, Ornamental Pepper](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/ornamental-pepper)