2016 Chilli Growers Thread

NickK · 16 Sep 2016 at 08:38

valve90210 said:
All the leaves have gone really limp and the stems have gone brown.

Any thoughts on what may have caused this and has my plant completely died?

Could be a couple of things.

a) cold draught at night could have caused it to go into winter mode early.. If the plant has been used to warmth and sudden cold draught for a period. Typically the leaves just fall off though.

b) Bacterial infection that has taken time - if the stems go squishy you know. This causes the plant to be fine one minute and the next minute everything just dies off as the bacteria destroy the stems etc. Overwatering can cause this.

c) struck by lightning

given the thunderstorms last night near us!

Stan_Lite · 16 Sep 2016 at 09:16

Orange Habs:

I think it's nearly time for another batch of "Bigstan's Habanero Hot Sauce™".

Street · 16 Sep 2016 at 11:08

My habs have finally started to ripen this morning. I can see a few have started to turn.. I've got hundreds on the plants though!

Stan_Lite · 16 Sep 2016 at 11:31

Street said:
My habs have finally started to ripen this morning. I can see a few have started to turn.. I've got hundreds on the plants though!

I had one plant a couple of years ago that yielded over 350 Habs. I still have some in the freezer yet.

Here is the plant in the background with my 6' Scotch bonnet in front.

topgun06 · 16 Sep 2016 at 11:46

Some impressive plants there.

I think I'm going to give string drying a go with some of my chillies. It looks cool too!

R.O.S.S.I · 16 Sep 2016 at 12:25

Think its time to harvest mine now. Finally one of the jalapenos is starting to go red!

Blackjack Davy · 16 Sep 2016 at 14:32

Got some decent peppers finally got a sweet pepper the size of an apple sitting on the desk and chillis are coming along.

valve90210 said:
Any thoughts on what may have caused this and has my plant completely died?

Pot plant on the left looks really dry? Tried knocking the plant out and taking a look at roots? Seen any black beetles around? Could be vine weevil big fat white grubs in the pot would be a giveaway. Fusarium or verticilum wilt would be strong contenders too.

valve90210 · 16 Sep 2016 at 15:12

Blackjack Davy said:
Pot plant on the left looks really dry? Tried knocking the plant out and taking a look at roots? Seen any black beetles around? Could be vine weevil big fat white grubs in the pot would be a giveaway. Fusarium or verticilum wilt would be strong contenders too.

Plant on the left was some samphire I tried growing but it wasn't happy and died and I've just left it there.

Not had a look at the roots or anything as yet, I shall have a bit of time over the weekend though and shall report back anything I find. Looks lik it's dead though doesn't it?

Skillmister · 19 Sep 2016 at 10:31

I want to be a part of the 2017 chilli growers thread

Plan will be to grow something to freeze and/or make hot sauce from, possibly scotch bonnets/habeneros for something with a lot of flavour not just heat?

I struggle for space in a tiny house so I'll probably only want 1 plant to grow properly but I'll start a load off and work out what to do with any spares later

.

When do I need to look at starting? My dad grew scotchies for years and reckons starting in December but is that too early?

#Chri5# · 19 Sep 2016 at 12:17

Been away on holiday for a week, so spent a bit of time on Sunday morning harvesting. Bit of a naff photo but still loads of peppers and super chilies to pick :cool:

Already have a tub full in the freezer.

We had a BBQ on Sunday, so did some skewers with the peppers, courgette (home grown as well) and halloumi - very tasty.

#Chri5# · 19 Sep 2016 at 12:19

Skillmister said:
I want to be a part of the 2017 chilli growers thread

Plan will be to grow something to freeze and/or make hot sauce from, possibly scotch bonnets/habeneros for something with a lot of flavour not just heat?

I struggle for space in a tiny house so I'll probably only want 1 plant to grow properly but I'll start a load off and work out what to do with any spares later .

When do I need to look at starting? My dad grew scotchies for years and reckons starting in December but is that too early?

My seeds this year came from South Devon Chili Farm

https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/how-to.../growing-chilli-plants/

When to Sow
We mainly sow seeds during February and March, but you can leave it later. There is a great variance in the number of days taken for a particular variety to reach maturity. Some can produce ripe fruit in 60 days from sowing and others take as long as 120 days.

Remember that varieties such as Habaneros take 100 or more days (3 1/2 months) from potting on to reach maturity. So these need to be started in good time or the fruit will never ripen.

Probably worth getting a propagator if you don't already have one.

Street · 23 Sep 2016 at 12:53

As the missus is getting annoyed at my chillies taking over porch and making excessive condensation, I've been tasked with looking at greenhouses for my chillies for next year. Anyone used any or got any recommendations? They all seem pretty expensive although I'd probably only need a couple small growhouses instead of a full on greenhouse.

NickK · 25 Sep 2016 at 12:27

Could make mini's out of old windows and breeze blocks (painted)?

Mark A · 28 Sep 2016 at 12:35

Street said:
As the missus is getting annoyed at my chillies taking over porch and making excessive condensation, I've been tasked with looking at greenhouses for my chillies for next year. Anyone used any or got any recommendations? They all seem pretty expensive although I'd probably only need a couple small growhouses instead of a full on greenhouse.

I remember in the last chilli thread in La Cuisine (i think) someone was having good results with one of the reinforced pvc cover greenhouses. I dont think they are too expensive and you can get them in all shapes and sizes. I had a couple of the cheaper ones with just clear pvc covers, but they were a bit too small and didnt last long.

Another option is to keep an eye out in your local buy and sell or freecycle type sites. Loads of people get rid of greenhouses and give them away free.

How are your dried chillies coming along by the way? Do the £40 dehydrators get the job done? I think that will be my next purchase for next year as its a pita using an oven.

Boycie · 30 Sep 2016 at 07:39

Street said:
As the missus is getting annoyed at my chillies taking over porch and making excessive condensation, I've been tasked with looking at greenhouses for my chillies for next year. Anyone used any or got any recommendations? They all seem pretty expensive although I'd probably only need a couple small growhouses instead of a full on greenhouse.

I bought a 6x4 PVC greenhouse from Wyvedale Garden Centre clearance for £50. Does the job absolutely fine and you get 2 6ft shelves as well. Here's what I did with mine:

NickK · 30 Sep 2016 at 08:17

hydroponics I see~!

I could pump water from the pond around the that loop (I have a veggie filter on a koi pond).

Tuppy_Glossop · 1 Oct 2016 at 14:05

Latest chillis:

Scorpions, 7 Pot, 7 Pot Chocolate:

They are all frighteningly hot, as you would expect. The scorps have a thick, oily layer of placenta that entirely covers the inside. They hurt.

Detail pics:

Sauce and chutney made.

Psycho Sonny · 2 Oct 2016 at 10:00

Is there any point trying this in scotland where its a good 10 degrees colder all year round? All the posts seem to mention needing heat. We get above 20 degrees possibly 2 weeks of the year :mad:

Could i stick them in the hot water cylinder tank cupboard and wire up a led light or do they need a proper uv light which draws 100w?

I have a plastic greenhouse but its surrounded by trees plus the cold at night i imagine would kill them outside.

Mark A · 2 Oct 2016 at 14:34

You should be able to grow low to medium heat chillies ok on a window cill that gets the most light. I live in the north west in a valley that is pretty much always cloudy and can grow Cayennes quite easily. I grew scotch bonnets and nagas one year, but the flowers just dropped off due to lack of strong sun. I think if you're lucky and get a good few days of strong sun at the right time it could work out, but for me it was a waste of time.

I'm not 100% sure if you can use led bulbs as a permanent grow light, but I used one to start my chillies off in the winter one year. I used table lamp with a GU10 led bulb in cool white and it got them to a good size before it was warm enough to move them to window cills.

Street · 2 Oct 2016 at 16:19

Mark A said:
How are your dried chillies coming along by the way? Do the £40 dehydrators get the job done? I think that will be my next purchase for next year as its a pita using an oven.

Well worth the money in my opinion! I've used the oven in the past but this was so much easier, plus you can use it for jerky.

That 6x4 green house looks like it will do the job. I've used the small plastic ones in the past but they kept blowing over, hopefully a bigger one would be a bit more substantial. It would definitely be easier than me building something.

2016 Chilli Growers Thread

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