Black pepper is botanically known as Piper nigrum from the Piperaceae family. It is a perennial vine grown for its berries extensively used as a spice and in medicine. Black pepper is cultivated to a large extent in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu and to a limited extent in Maharashtra, Northeastern states, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. 

GROWING TIPS - Black pepper is a plant of humid tropics requiring high rainfall and humidity.

• You can grow it in a pot or directly in the soil in case of large plantation planning. 
• The crop tolerates temperatures between 15° and 40°C. The ideal temperature is 23 -32°C with an average of 28°C.
• It can grow well up to 800 m above sea level.
• Soil that is neither too dry nor susceptible to flooding, moist, well-drained, and rich in organic matter with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, though in its natural habitat it thrives well in red laterite soils.
  
• This plant needs some support to climb like trees with rough bark are favored over those with smooth bark.
• It prefers 3-4hours of direct or indirect sunlight, saves the plant from a hot afternoon especially in summer.

TEMPERATURE - Between 23-32 Degree Celsius.

MAXIMUM HEIGHT - It can reach up to 4 meters

BLOOMING TIME - Flowers start from early summer to it takes 5-6 months for harvesting the fruit.

FRUITING TIME - Productive fruiting will start after 1-2 years of planting, do not encourage if it flowers earlier because it will weaken the plant's physical health.

INSIDE THE BOX

**above specifications are for indicative purpose only, actual dimensions may slightly vary.

INITIAL CARE FOR 10-15 DAYS JUST AFTER RECEIVING YOUR PLANT 

1. Remove the Packaging Materials carefully.
2. Press the soil in the pot & add additional soil(garden mix) if necessary.
3. Maintain moisture in the pot, Do not overwater it may kill your plant, so make sure that the soil should be dry between watering.
4. Make sure that plants get enough morning direct bright light(2-3hrs) for 10-15 days & do not go for immediate transplanting (minimum 1 month)
5. After 1 month you can transplant it into a slightly bigger pot than the present pot or directly in the ground.
6. Just prune if any branch of the plant is get damaged in transits. New leaves will come definitely.