Plant chili peppers

歌曲 Plant chili peppers
歌手 英语听力
专辑 VOA慢速英语:农业报道

歌词

[00:00.100] This is the VOA Special English
[00:03.190] Agriculture Report.
[00:05.190] Some people say
[00:06.930] eating hot chili peppers
[00:09.370] can help you breathe easier
[00:11.960] if you have a cold.
[00:13.800] Others believe that chilies
[00:16.490] give you more energy.
[00:18.630] All we know is that people
[00:21.630] have been growing chilies
[00:23.330] for centuries.
[00:25.220] And there are plenty
[00:26.810] of different kinds
[00:27.760] of chili peppers to choose from,
[00:30.760] along with different levels of heat.
[00:34.170] Want to spice up your meals
[00:36.850] with homegrown chilies?
[00:38.940] They need a warm climate.
[00:41.330] If you plant the seeds outside
[00:44.530] when the weather is cool,
[00:46.420] place a glass over them.
[00:48.870] That will add warmth
[00:51.370] from the sun and
[00:53.990] protect them from wind.
[00:56.450] You can also start the seeds
[00:59.300] in your home or a greenhouse.
[01:02.950] If you plant chili peppers
[01:05.790] inside, fill an eight-centimeter
[01:09.240] pot with soil.
[01:10.680] The pot should have holes
[01:13.370] in the bottom
[01:14.520] so water can run out.
[01:17.080] Tap the sides of the pot
[01:19.820] to settle the soil.
[01:21.510] Drop several seeds
[01:23.950] over the surface of the pot
[01:26.190] and cover with a thin layer
[01:28.840] of vermiculite.
[01:30.680] Vermiculite is a material
[01:33.120] that can hold air,
[01:34.960] water and nutrients.
[01:37.910] Then cover the top of the pot
[01:40.990] with a see-through plastic bag.
[01:43.830] Hold the bag in place
[01:46.120] with a rubber band.
[01:47.760] Place the pot in a warm area.
[01:50.750] When the chilies start growing,
[01:54.040] take off the bag.
[01:55.430] When the plants have reached
[01:57.920] about two centimeters high,
[02:00.060] place each one carefully
[02:02.260] in its own eight-centimeter pot.
[02:05.400] When the roots show
[02:07.590] through the holes
[02:08.830] in the bottom of the pot,
[02:10.930] transplant each seedling
[02:13.120] into a twelve-centimeter pot.
[02:16.500] When the plants are
[02:18.650] twenty centimeters high,
[02:20.640] tie the plants to a stick placed
[02:23.630] in the pot to support them.
[02:26.070] When the chili peppers
[02:28.260] are thirty centimeters high,
[02:30.830] pinch the tops off
[02:32.520] with your fingers.
[02:33.760] That should get
[02:35.720] new branches to grow.
[02:37.510] When the first flowers show,
[02:40.360] give the plants
[02:42.100] some potash fertilizer.
[02:44.100] When the weather is warm,
[02:46.490] put them into five-liter pots
[02:49.680] and place them outside.
[02:51.630] Make sure they get
[02:53.980] a good amount of light and water.
[02:56.960] Some people like mild chilies,
[03:00.620] others like plenty of heat.
[03:03.550] Some like to harvest the plants
[03:06.010] when the chilies are green.
[03:07.810] Others like their chilies red.
[03:10.650] Either way can give color
[03:13.490] and taste to many different foods.
[03:17.230] And that's the VOA Special English
[03:21.360] Agriculture Report,
[03:23.330] written by Jerilyn Watson.