2014 Chilli Growers Thread

Noxia

Noxia

Noxia

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As suggested I have created the new thread. I shall start with a few pictures. This season I am trying to grow Moruga Scorpion and 7 Pot Brain Strains.

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This is what happened to my beastly Naga plant when I tried a wintering method suggested by another member, sadly it obviously didn't work. I don't think this one is coming back again :(

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This is the other Naga plant I applied the same method to, no idea why this one is healthy(?) but I gave it to a friend so I'm happy it's alive.

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Using the kitchen roll method, this worked form e last year which I should also mention was my first ever attempt at growing Chilli plants.

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Probably can't see but one already has a wee shoot coming from it :) Once they get to about 1cm they will go in a heated propagator.
 
randomshenans said:
Put anything else on the kitchen roll? Just water? I had real germination probs last year :( I have a ton of seeds. TON!
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No nothing at all. I'm actually a bit worried as the conditions are a bit different to last year. Last year I planted later on in the year so the heating wasn't on as much and thus the airing cupboard wasn't so warm so the paper rarely dried out.
Currently the towel is drying out so I have to water it once in the morning and when I get home, I don't know if this will affect the seeds but as one has started I'm hoping they all will.

ash_scotland88 said:
Noxia, seen your reply in the other thread. UHm, quite spicey. If I make something spicey I like other flavours to come through. I'm tempted by tobasco chilli's, make my own sauce that way. Already looked at some recipes and there's some quick recipes out there.
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It's all personal preference of course but I find Habaneros have a great flavour/heat combination. I would recommend those for sure but I cannot comment further as I've not made much (any) produce with the fruits from last year.
 
Glaucus said:
Zips lock bags are good. I don't bother with that method any more and just go street to soil in a heated propagator.
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Got some of those luckily. I did consider just going straight to soil in the propagator but as I had success with this method I was too afraid to try something new. I do actually have some spare seeds of the ones I'm growing so I could set them off in a tray I guess and see what happens.
When I first did it I was reading so much about all these fancy methods and soil and additives, all I did was kitchen roll, normal compost and I got an abundance of plants. Either beginners luck or it's not as scientific as some make out.
 
Had 4 sprouts so decided to put them all in the propagator. Fingers crossed something emerges in weeks to come.
 
What advantage does the light give to the seedlings? I may not be familiar with the terminology but to me the seedling is before it sprouts out the top of the soil so I don't see what advantage that would give as it's underground.
PS: Always snigger on 'moist.
 
Sheff said:
Hello all,

I received a kit for Christmas which included Cayenne, Scotch Bonnet and Jalapeno seeds, compost and 3 small pots.

Would an office that is kept at around 20 degrees celsius with a south facing window be good enough to start the seeds off in pots straight away or am I best using one of the other methods described in the thread?
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I'm not qualified to answer this but I think they'd like to be closer to 25 than 20 and they would also need to be warm at night. I don't think you can go wrong germinating with the paper towel method personally.

Regarding my plants, I am not a home owner yet so I have to make do with those little PVC greenhouses, had great success with them last year though and they are relatively cheap.
This year I have purchased a 3m PVC 'Poly tunnel' as I need more floor space than I do height and this is plenty big enough for my 12 plants (hopefully). Just have to hope for some good weather.
Also, today I have a sign of life on 2 seeds :)

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Getting quite annoyed now with the Sciarid flies, had loads of plants last year indoors and didn't have any, then around winter they started to appear. They are in the soil and I'm slightly worried they will eat my seeds roots but there is nothing I can do about ti from what I've read. It's actually putting me off growing this year because they will fly on to my phone screen at night if it's the only light on and are rather annoying.
I have some natural pesticide that contains Pyrethrins and it does seem to kerb them a lot but I don't really like spraying it into the soil on something I shall end up eating.
 
neil_g said:
i had a problem with small black flies until i re-potted and started watering from the bottom (i.e. into a dish under the pot) and not letting the soil get too damp.
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Aye, I'm hoping that I can get rid when they are ready to transplant into pots, I'm going to try putting some of that moisture retaining stuff on top, always forget the name, and getting more dishes so I can water from the bottom as you said..
The soil has to be moist at the moment as I'm cultivating the seeds in the propagator.
 
Herman Gelmet said:
Also you can try adding a covering of perlite to the top of the plant pot, as the pests don't like it. 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 chemical pesticide.
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Thanks, that is the thing I was thinking of.
 
Perlite can be mixed in the soil as well I believe and can be layered on top. Not sure how it differs to vermiculite.
 
Herman Gelmet said:
Perlite is for adding drainage for plants which don't like it wet
Vermiculite is for retaining water for plants which don't like it too dry

The use of perlite as fungus gnat / beastie repellent is nothing to do with the water drainage properties. Mix up compost as you like (vermiculite or perlite, if required) and put a layer of perlite on top.

Vermiculite can also be used in the same way (a layer on top) to deter slugs/snails, as they don't like the fact that it sticks to them.

Neither perlite nor vermiculite is required for growing chilli's, but it can be beneficial depending on the type of compost you are using.
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Thank you. I shall get a bag of each because it can't harm to have it.
 
Well I have two off to a flying start and no signs of life from the other 10. Think I'll start my emergency backup seeds off mid-late march if no developments.
 
Herman Gelmet said:
I think the seeds you chose (superhots) are typically harder to germinate. Make sure you check they have enough heat and moisture, and be patient as they can take as long as a month. I would put the backup plan in action now though, as too much delay is a problem for a short season like ours.
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Interestingly, the ones that are flourishing are the Morugas. Last year I grew some Nagas quite late and they produced fruits in October (full ripened). Those plants were massive though and I had to give one away, and I tried to chop mine and it died. Flourishing is a actually the wrong word, they have simply grown .
I'll get the kitchen roll back out as per your advice :)
 
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