Growing Chillies

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hmmm..quick question! i've actually just sown some prairie fire windowsill chilli's in my house, but i fear i may have sown them too early...(not being an avid gardener i actually didn't read the packet :rolleyes:) i guess they wont grow will they? I have them sat in the same room as air con which is set to 22c throughout the day, and switched off at night.

when the seed is in the pot, do I need to keep it in sunlight or do i just need to keep it moist untill the green shoot comes out?
 
Germination normally requires a warmer spot but that depends on the variety. Nagas for example require 28-30 degC for germination. All that requires is you place the pot in a bag and then put it in a warm spot. The bag stops it from dehydrating.

Light plays no part on germination, just temp and moisture.

Once they've sprouted then they'll need the light.
 
NickK said:
Germination normally requires a warmer spot but that depends on the variety. Nagas for example require 28-30 degC for germination. All that requires is you place the pot in a bag and then put it in a warm spot. The bag stops it from dehydrating.

Light plays no part on germination, just temp and moisture.

Once they've sprouted then they'll need the light.
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cheers for the quick reply. i dont think it will germinate :( i dont keep the air con all night so the temp might drop a bit.

ah well. is it normal to only get one seed when buying a mainstream packet of chilli seeds??
 
Usually you'd get 10-20 seeds, depending on the variety and cost. It's usual that the number of seeds is quoted.

The next problem is that not all the seeds will germinate and some will take longer than others. So I would just keep going and see what happens - they're in the soil now so you may as well just keep going! You may find they grow slowly or stop at a certain size until the days grow longer again.

There's a guy on the Chilli Galore forum that has started his seeds for next year's season. I believe he'll use a lightbox over the winter months so that in spring he has plants that are already or about to flower.
 
ok, i'll see how it goes, i doubt it ever drops below 20c in my kitchen anyway. i have given it a few drops of water each day to keep it wet too.

it said there was supposed to be 25 seeds in the packet but i only got one which i thought was a bit odd, anyway, i had thrown the receipt away lol so there was nothing i could do about it. :p

might check this chilli galore forum out :) cheers for that!
 
Sorry for resurecting this thread and although I guess the answers in the 30 odd pages but I need to ask a couple of questions.

Firstly, how hardy are Chilli plants ? My Mrs wont have plants in the house so my two plants live on the patio. They are still strong though and I am still picking fruit once each week but they not making flowers any more not that there are any insects about to pollinate them.

Secondly, I been drying out some fruits to preserve them. Never used dried chilli in cooking before and was wondering if they retain there heat after being dried and do they need to be rehydrated first ?

And finally, had quite an excess of fruits and thought of making Chilli sauce. Figured on sweating a finely chopped onion with a little garlic, adding finely chop chilli and cyder vinegar boil then simmer to reduce then pulp with liquidiser cool and bottle.
Does that sound okish or does anyone have an alternatative receipe ?
 
Typically they don't like cold and certainly won't like being frozen/frosted. However people have left plants out over winter with snow and they've survived.

Yes they will retain the heat when dried. I would keep the seeds, dry them and then grind them to a powder and store that instead.

I'm not an expert on bottling :(
 
My seed order from The Chilli Pepper Co. arrived today \o/
Ordered last Friday so pretty fast service.

On the menu for next year:-

Red Savina
CPI Bhut Jolokia
Assam Bhut Jolokia
Raja Mirch Nagaland Naga Morich
Chocolate Bhut Jolokia
Chocolate Habanero
Fatalii
Mustard Habanero
Yellow Scotch Bonnet, (Big Sun)
Ring of Fire (Free with orders over £5)

Time to fire up the propagator. :D
 
Yes i appreciate that....
As the moment, they feel like paper - is that as "dried out" as they will get?
 
I planted some chillis about a month ago, they took a couple of weeks or so to germinate but they got there in the end. They're just starting to get past being a stick with two leaves on at the moment. The issue I'm having is light, they seem to be quite tall which I assume is them struggling to get to the light, which obviously there isn't much of.
 
Well my chillis have taken to their new position really well, which has surprised me a little. They're sat on the bedroom window and get watered once every week or two.

Firstly the chilli that has always been a vigorous grower has thrown out a few leaves and has even started producing flower buds!

IMG_1448.JPG


The other two have settled down and produced a small amount of leaf growth without budding.

IMG_1446.JPG
 
Just thinking - all the seed I have is from the fruit of that vigorous grower.. so next year could be an interesting experience :D
 
DavieCramb01 said:
Im not sure with chilis but some plants wont fruit if the seeds are from a certian way. for instance stick an orange seed in a pot and let it grow you wont get oranges
Click to expand...

The seeds are identical to the original seed and with chilli plants you can continue using the seed. AcidHell got a couple of my Jalapenos and used the seed from them.

The key is to ensure that the seed has matured enough. Usually giving the chill fruit enough time on the plant once it's ripened to increase the energy store in the chilli is also advisable.
 
My smaller plants fruited, tiny chillies, orange, and hot as hell!

But the plants that bore them are withering up now... the other same plants that didn't fruit are still fine, and my larger plants fruiting slowly with jalapenos are fine.

Any idea why the fruited plants are drying up?

And when/how should I cut the plants back for the winter?
 
I was going to ask the same question, Krooton. Its leaves are drooping, and it looks a bit like there's far too many on the stalk. Do I have to cut anything off?
Chilli%20002-1024.jpg


Also, while I'm thinking about it, it seems to be producing tiny little flies, as someone mentioned earlier in the thread. Did anyone find a solution for getting rid of the little buggers?

Cheers,

Karl.
 
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