2015 Chilli Growers Thread

[Mark A]

Last year I just threw a bunch of jalapeno seeds in a plant pot on the windowsill and they all grew. This year I did some reading and tried to do it properly with a propagator and nice selection of seeds. Out of the 20 I planted only 3 have come through and one of them has died off after I left the window open on a cold night

Better luck next year hopefully!

Unlucky . Might have been too cold for the seeds to germinate. I had the same problem and lost 2 weeks of growing time as the first batch didnt germinate.

Second lot i put in damp kitchen towel, inside a plastic tub and put this above my superhub as it gives off a lot of heat./ You want them to be at a constant 25-30c. Then transfer to small plantpots after they have a decent sized root.

I'd get a couple of plants from B&Q if I was you. Next year is a long time to wait and you could over winter them to have a head start next year.

 

[Zaphan58]

Hi Mark thanks for the tips there. I think you're right about the heat being a problem. The three that did come through were when we had some nice warm weather a month or so back, since then nothing. Problem is the heating gets turned off in the house most days while at work and no airing cupboard to put them in so temp drops considerably. Maybe look in to an electric propagator next year.

I didn't know B&Q sold chilli plants, I might bob down this week and take a look.

 

[randal]

My nagas and Infinity Chinese are starting to grow flowers, not very tall plants but seriously wide. Must be getting a good amount of sunlight!

 

[Skii]

Cayenne, Scotch Bonnet and Jalapenos progressing nicely

 

[Mark A]

They are looking good. I would have thought growing 2 right next to each other might stunt the growth, but they seem to be keeping up with the single plant.

Mine have shot up since re-potting them a few weeks back. This is the ring of fire and the Chinese Bullet. Most have had to go in the greenhouse now as my window sills are too small to house them.

 

[mark66]

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advise ref trimming my plants. My plant is currently 25cm high and quite bushy already. It has the main stalk and then 2 stalks that are branching out at approx 30' also from the base, eg: \|/ Should I clip these off so I have just one main stalk?

Also in previous years I haven't really done anything regarding pinching out, I have just let the plants grow as they wish. This year I've picked up a book and it recommends

"Once the plants reach 30cm, pinch out the growing point to promote branching and bushy growth further down the plant"

How long would I keep this up for? Wouldn't this mean my plants are only ever 30cm high?

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

Tiny plants... And a terrible picture, as phone camera hates these lights.
Got basil and cherry tomatoes in there too (basil back left, tomatoes back right).
An unknown Chinese supermarket chilli I'd kept dried from last year, some seeds from last years generic Sainsburys chilli plant.
JRM and Cap 253c at the front from here (cheers Herman!).
The AJI Lemon didn't take, not sure if it was something I did. But just swapped out today to some more basil, basil is always useful.

 

[mark66]

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice ref trimming my plants. My plant is currently 25cm high and quite bushy already. It has the main stalk and then 2 stalks that are branching out at approx 30' also from the base, eg: \|/ Should I clip these off so I have just one main stalk?

Also in previous years I haven't really done anything regarding pinching out, I have just let the plants grow as they wish. This year I've picked up a book and it recommends

"Once the plants reach 30cm, pinch out the growing point to promote branching and bushy growth further down the plant"

How long would I keep this up for? Wouldn't this mean my plants are only ever 30cm high?

This is the plant, any advice appreciated

 

[Mark A]

Ahh great, the inevitable fungus gnat infestation has arrived. No matter where I get my soil from I get them every year. Tempted to get some of that gnat-off posted earlier in the thread, but its a bit expensive at £20 for 250ml .

Currently trying a pot of cider vinegar to try and kill off some of the adults, but it doesn't seem to be working so far.


mark66, wish I could help with the pruning question. I'd also be interested to know the answer. I guess you could post a thread in H&G if you get no luck here as there as it's a much busier subforum than here. Would be better if this thread was in there tbh.

 

[Herman Gelmet]

Looking for a bit of advice ref trimming my plants. My plant is currently 25cm high and quite bushy already. It has the main stalk and then 2 stalks that are branching out at approx 30' also from the base, eg: \|/ Should I clip these off so I have just one main stalk?

Also in previous years I haven't really done anything regarding pinching out, I have just let the plants grow as they wish. This year I've picked up a book and it recommends

"Once the plants reach 30cm, pinch out the growing point to promote branching and bushy growth further down the plant"

How long would I keep this up for? Wouldn't this mean my plants are only ever 30cm high?
This is the plant, any advice appreciated

Sorry nobody has replied. In this situation I would leave plants to grow how they want, especially if you have little chilli-specific knowledge and experience. There is no reason why you couldn't experiment a bit, but if you don't have plants to sacrifice, this is best left to future seasons.

If you were not around to change the plant to fit your needs, how would it grow? (almost) The way nature intended it (almost, because nature wouldn't use pots/compost/windowsills!)

 

[Herman Gelmet]

Ahh great, the inevitable fungus gnat infestation has arrived. No matter where I get my soil from I get them every year. Tempted to get some of that gnat-off posted earlier in the thread, but its a bit expensive at £20 for 250ml .

Currently trying a pot of cider vinegar to try and kill off some of the adults, but it doesn't seem to be working so far.


mark66, wish I could help with the pruning question. I'd also be interested to know the answer. I guess you could post a thread in H&G if you get no luck here as there as it's a much busier subforum than here. Would be better if this thread was in there tbh.

Try adding a covering of perlite or gravel to the top of the plant pot, as the fungus gnats don't live in that, as it acts as a protective barrier. The breeding cycle may take a while to break down, but this trick usually works. A covering which is total but not very deep will do. I wet perlite first, or use a face mask as breathing the dust is not recommended. I never use pesticide.

Proper organic growing using living composts and compost teas (as foliar feeds and soil feeds), don't suffer so badly with pests. Beneficial micro-life can coat the outside of the plant and help protect it. Adding tapwater to organic conditions like this will likely kill any micro-life therein.

Make your own organic composts if you can, and you won't get the gnat-seeded garbage from the multi-purpose compost sacks.

 

[Herman Gelmet]

Tiny plants... And a terrible picture, as phone camera hates these lights.
Got basil and cherry tomatoes in there too (basil back left, tomatoes back right).
An unknown Chinese supermarket chilli I'd kept dried from last year, some seeds from last years generic Sainsburys chilli plant.
JRM and Cap 253c at the front from here (cheers Herman!).
The AJI Lemon didn't take, not sure if it was something I did. But just swapped out today to some more basil, basil is always useful.

You're welcome! Nice to see some pics...... best of luck!

 

[Mark A]

Try adding a covering of perlite or gravel to the top of the plant pot, as the fungus gnats don't live in that, as it acts as a protective barrier. The breeding cycle may take a while to break down, but this trick usually works.

Thanks. I tried perlite a few years back when i had the same problem and it ended up getting blown all over my kitchen when the window was opened.

Would sharp sand work? I have a bag full in the garden.

 

[Herman Gelmet]

Thanks. I tried perlite a few years back when i had the same problem and it ended up getting blown all over my kitchen when the window was opened.

Would sharp sand work? I have a bag full in the garden.

Are you sure it wasn't Vermiculite? That is much lighter and could blow easily, whereas Perlite is not likely to. Sharp sands might be problematic if they are not horticultural grade, as they will need a lot of washing. Gravel/Shingle would do.

 

[Poppy]

So guys I've got my chilli plant I bought from waitrose approx 6 weeks ago. It was flowering and produxing a good crop of chillies however it has now stopped flowering, I think I maybe over watering / over feeding. I'm feeding a every couple of days. Is this too much? I can see lots of flower buds but they aren't actually flowering. I'm thinking I'm going to repot tomorrow with fresh soil. Any ideas on how often I should be feeding g / watering?

 

[Gaverick]

I'm growing a few Carolina Reapers this year. I'm happy with how they are coming along on an East facing window sill.

This is my best one.

 

[PapaLazaru]

One of my Kashmiri Mirch is flowering already.

AJF's are looking good though.

 

[Mark A]

So guys I've got my chilli plant I bought from waitrose approx 6 weeks ago. It was flowering and produxing a good crop of chillies however it has now stopped flowering, I think I maybe over watering / over feeding. I'm feeding a every couple of days. Is this too much? I can see lots of flower buds but they aren't actually flowering. I'm thinking I'm going to repot tomorrow with fresh soil. Any ideas on how often I should be feeding g / watering?

I am no expert, but from what I have read and done in the past you want to be feeding them more like once a week with a half strength tomato feed. You can increase the strength bit once they have started to fruit.

With watering you want to let the top inch or so of soil dry out before watering again. I usually get a feel for when they need to be watered by the weight of the pot. When its hot you'll need to water more frequently, but at the moment mine have gone 4 days now without needing watering.

Doing this is supposed to reduce the risk of getting fungus gnats as well, but it doesn't seemed to have worked for me.

Are you sure it wasn't Vermiculite? That is much lighter and could blow easily, whereas Perlite is not likely to. Sharp sands might be problematic if they are not horticultural grade, as they will need a lot of washing. Gravel/Shingle would do.

Yeah it was the white perlite i used as it was suggested in one of the other chilli threads. I'll leave the sand idea then and maybe buy some gravel some time. I do have a pile of slate offcuts I could smash up and use if that would work?

 

[cactusweasel]

My Apache F1s are now in Chilli producing mode, got about 15 of them on the go between the 5 plants - can't wait for them to ripen so I can give them a try!

 

[cactusweasel]

edit. NVM