2018 Chilli Growing thread

mid_gen said:
Will they loosen up and come free easily when they ripen? First time growing chillis.

Guy at work grows loads and gives some away each spring. Our apartment is great as they live on the east-facing balcony in the sun all morning, then I move them over to the west-facing sill on my lunch break. With these temperatures they've been wilting every day by the time I get home from work to water em, but I've heard that's not a problem? They seem to perk up fine.

Tempted to move them to bigger pots as they've grown pretty rapidly, or is it better to do that after growing season and let them fill out their roots over winter?
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Personally I snip mine off with scissors. The sort of umbrella shaped bit that attaches the chilli to the main plant will get thicker as they grow.
Technically yes they will just fall off when fully 100% ripe, but we really want them not quite 100% ripe.

Chillis cope well with lack of water, as long as the roots don't utterly dry up.

You can repot now I would say, if your over wintering some will trim back the roots anyway. Good luck with this :)


azibux1 said:
Awesome. Just repotted and they came out very easily and like you say loosened them up a bit and then watered with tomato feed.

Fingers crossed they perk up a bit.

I've read about over watering... But watering every day in this heat (plants in direct sunlight) is a must surely? They end up looking very dry otherwise.
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Overwatering Chilis is the same as any plant. You do not want the roots to be fully submerged for a sustained period of time, as they will basically rot. They need oxygen as well.
Its only really an issue if you have them in something that will not allow the water to drain away in my experience.
Also consider that allowing water to drain away will also wash away the food in the peat, so try to only water what the peat/mud etc will be able to absorb.

My biggest cayenne last year was about 1.25 meters. It produced around 75 chilies, when I pulled it out at the end of the season it had a rootball about the size of my fist.
Chilies are used to harsh conditions, they will cope fine in poor soil, with dodgy watering, and low nutrients. You can max all those out, and get a bigger crop as long as you don't go crazy on any.
I probably watered my chilies more last year than ever, even twice some days and got my best ever crop, but they were in my poly which would hit 45 degrees so its a hard comparison.
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Overwatering Chilis is the same as any plant. You do not want the roots to be fully submerged for a sustained period of time, as they will basically rot. They need oxygen as well.
Its only really an issue if you have them in something that will not allow the water to drain away in my experience.
Also consider that allowing water to drain away will also wash away the food in the peat, so try to only water what the peat/mud etc will be able to absorb.

My biggest cayenne last year was about 1.25 meters. It produced around 75 chilies, when I pulled it out at the end of the season it had a rootball about the size of my fist.
Chilies are used to harsh conditions, they will cope fine in poor soil, with dodgy watering, and low nutrients. You can max all those out, and get a bigger crop as long as you don't go crazy on any.
I probably watered my chilies more last year than ever, even twice some days and got my best ever crop, but they were in my poly which would hit 45 degrees so its a hard comparison.
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Cool thanks for the info! Will stick to a 'sensible' amount of water then.

What about tomato feed? Once a week? Twice a week? I assume every day with tomato feed is too much
 
Likewise, feed back once a week with chilli focus and they're pretty happy.

Rest ofothe container veggies also get a feed once a week with good tomorite and respond well.

Just check the instructions on whatever you're using to get the right measures.
 
Oh god its important you dont over feed as well.
Two reasons, firstly, too much will burn the roots, secondly if they have to much food they will likely go for a larger size, and you do need to get them fruiting in the uk (unless you will be keeping them inside in the autumn)

There is no perfect feed.

Let me find the best guide I have seen on what to look for

Edit, here you go
this tells you the benefits of the relative levels, and lets you aim for the one most suited to your growing conditions.

http://chilliguru.uk/cultivation/fertilizer.html

I also add blood and bone to my growing site early on
And recently, I have been putting used tea bags around the stalks. they slow release and will basically rot down over time, Added benefit of weed supression, but thats not so much of an issue for people with pots of course.
 
Just for reference chilli focus is 3:1:4 which would be very high nitrogen
I would say the real benefit would come from the other additions rather than the high nirrogen, you can do this a lot more cheaply with the fruit gardeners go to blood, fish and bone
Its a bit smelly but its very good

I go for 1:1:2 now personally with added materials and blood fish and bone, I am aiming for the middle of the link I posted above as mine are in poly tunnels.
 
Thanks guys! Great stuff. Might get chilli focus next year. Gonna start at the right time and do some more research for next year. This was just a bit of an impulse buy at a garden centre lol.

What about the chillies that are growing... How do I know when they're ready? I saw something about 60-90 days but I think that's from when the plant starts growing? Or is it the chilli itself? Seems long.
 
60-90 from the point the chilli forms. Ie you notice you actually have a chilli
Some are even longer. The hotter the longer they take to mature within reason

They grow quite quickly but take some time to actually mature. Plenty are sold green that would have turned red, eg jalapeno

Most if not all chilies are useable when not fully ripe. But they wont be as hot
Most will change colour when ripe, they will also typically get a little softer if you gently squeeze them

When you pick them if the seeds are more milky looking they aren't ripe.
 
how do you know if a chilli is forming and it's not just more flowers? i thought i had chillies but it was buds lol.

the weather has now gotten worse and i can't really put them outside. i may try this weekend for a day when i'm at home to keep an eye on them. my pots are water tight. so i can't let rain get to them they will overwater with no drainage and kill them.

i'm currently just giving them half a glass per week and that is for 3 plants in the same pot.
 
The chilis will almost always start to form in the base beneath the flower, but if they don't get pollinated they will fall off.

They will also fall off if lack of water or nutrients btw. If the plant lacks resources it will not produce as much fruit as if its getting all it needs.
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
60-90 from the point the chilli forms. Ie you notice you actually have a chilli
Some are even longer. The hotter the longer they take to mature within reason

They grow quite quickly but take some time to actually mature. Plenty are sold green that would have turned red, eg jalapeno

Most if not all chilies are useable when not fully ripe. But they wont be as hot
Most will change colour when ripe, they will also typically get a little softer if you gently squeeze them

When you pick them if the seeds are more milky looking they aren't ripe.
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Good stuff thanks! Shall leave them for a while still and hopefully get some nice hot chillies! :D
 
Repotted all mine into some decent size pots, should be good to grow as large as I want them. Mixed a lot of gravel stuff into the soil so there's plenty of drainage, and got some tomato food.

Weather has shown no signs of breaking, it's been ~28C pretty much since May, they are loving life. Still can't get the 7-pot or Thai to fruit though, despite them growing great and flowering regularly. Think I need to be getting jiggy with the paintbrush more....
 
bee population up here seems to be very thin.

put my plant outside today for the first time ever. hope that is enough to get the job done. flicking the stem tons of pollen has been falling out of them.
 
Will take some pictures later but my crops are looking very good in the greenhouse. Ring of Fires are a good size, just need to ripen. The little purple ones (called Pretty Purple now I check) look really good, again just them to ripen (purple > yellow > orange > scarlet according to the packet).

Picked the first ripe tomatoes last night and we had 5 ripe cucumbers at the weekend.
 
One of my bonnet plants has been fruiting well so far. Its far ahead of my others.

My ghosts have just one lonely chilli growing so far...

 
#Chri5# said:
Will take some pictures later but my crops are looking very good in the greenhouse. Ring of Fires are a good size, just need to ripen. The little purple ones (called Pretty Purple now I check) look really good, again just them to ripen (purple > yellow > orange > scarlet according to the packet).

Picked the first ripe tomatoes last night and we had 5 ripe cucumbers at the weekend.
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Also have my toms and cucumbers fruiting in bulk now! Panzanella and greek salads are a staple on the menu during the summer months...

Back onto Chilli's - I've been picking these up from the local Asian supermarket for a few years - they're listed as 'Frenk Chillis' on the ingredients but I've not been able to find them anywhere...


For now I've got the hot wax and pepperoncini and will be pickling both of those and would appreciate any suggestions on brine recipes.
 
Thought id upload a quick shot of each type I've got going this year now they all have chillies growing

Jalapeno
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Aji Limon
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Ring of Fire
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IT'S HAPPENING!

Random cayenne type chilli finally ripening. In the back you can see the Red Habanero that's fruiting nicely. The 7-pot burgundy on the right has finally decided to fruit as well, and I'm hopeful the mystery plant on the left has some fruits from the abundance of flowers recently.
 
I got some super hots on the go.
Not as many as I'd like though, maybe only about 15 in total.
Dunno whether that's just how little that super hots grow or if it's got something to do with a whitefly infestation that's stopping new ones coming (grrrr).
Anyway....
Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpion and I think there might be some kind of 'jigsaw' variety in there.

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