Growing Chillies

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I'm interested in trying this, but a few questions first.
Are there any species that do not grow too much? ie: I don't think I have room for a 90cm plant in my flat.
Any advice on a not too hot species?
I'm definately going to try this, shall I simply use some seeds from a supermarket bought chili?
 
$loth said:
I've heard that if you stimulate more dry periods then the chili's will be hotter, is this true?
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Not sure - I'd probably suggest the fruit is drier and smaller so concentrates the compounds.

On the other side, chillis are prone to drop flowers and so there's a big chance of less chilli (or none at all) if the plant is stressed. The drop in the number of fruits would also play a role too in how much nutrients the fruit gets.

Nothing bad about smaller chilli - it's better than if the chilli is blown up by water that many supermarkets do. Also the mass produced supermarket chilli are usually pumped full of chemicals to preserve the appearance of freshness during shipping and on the shelves.

The problem if the soil is waterlogged is that the standing water causes the roots to rot and organisms that don't normally thrive due to the oxygen then thrive compounding the problem and usually killing the plant.
The soil mix I use is free draining so it will last with enough moisture for the dry period but helps prevent over watering as the water flows out the bottom.
 
Leodido said:
I'm interested in trying this, but a few questions first.
Are there any species that do not grow too much? ie: I don't think I have room for a 90cm plant in my flat.
Any advice on a not too hot species?
I'm definately going to try this, shall I simply use some seeds from a supermarket bought chili?
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Yes there are chillis that can be grown in small window pots. There are also chillis that will grow in cooler conditions with less light.

Yes you can grow from supermarket chillis - my scotch bonnets are just that! If they're fresh rather than dried you'll have a very good chance of germinating the seed. The only down side is that it will not have a 'pedigree' but to be honest it's the chilli experience that counts ;)

You can get chillis that have been bred for flavour with only 800 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) heat which is perfect for your requirements. Nu Mex variety has some specifically bred for non-heat but full flavour - just read and make sure you select the cooler NuMex (there's a few hotter sub-varieties).
The SHU scale is pretty useful. For example:
Code: 
Variety	Scoville Units
Pure Capsaicin	        15,000,000 - 16, 000,000
US Police Pepper Spray	5,000,000

Bhut Jolokia            1,001,304 (Guinness world record holder)
Dorset Naga Pepper	923,000
Red Savina Pepper	350,000 - 580,000
Scotch Bonnet	        100,000 - 325,000
Jamaican Hot Pepper	100,000 - 200,000
Rocoto Pepper	        50,000 - 100,000
Pequin Pepper	        75.000
Super Chilli Pepper	40,000 - 50,000
Cayenne Pepper	        30,000 - 50,000
Tabasco Pepper	        30,000 - 50,000
de Arbol Pepper	        15,000 - 30,000
Aji Pepper	        12,000 - 30,000
Serrano pepper	        5,000 - 23,000
Hot Wax Pepper	        5,000 - 10,000
Chipotle	        5,000 - 10,000
Jalapeno Pepper	        2,500 - 8,000
Guajilla Pepper	        2,500 - 5,000
Tabasco Sauce	        2,500
Pasilla Pepper	        1,000 - 2,000
Ancho Pepper	        1,000 - 2,000
Anaheim Pepper	        500 - 2,500
Nu Mex Pepper	        500 - 1,000
Santa Fe Grande Pepper	500 - 700
Pimento Pepper	        100 - 500
Bell Pepper	        0

The key is - where does the chilli originate from? If, like the Naga, it's hot areas of Assam etc then it will need to be kept warm. If it originates from a cooler climate then it will work in england in summer or inside with the normal household temperatures.
Second point is that chillis need sun to get to the point they will fruit - more sun the better chance of fruiting.

If you are starting out I'd advise using jiffy pellets that you can get from places like B&Q that come with a plastic propagator tray thing. Then work from there.
 
Geek said:
I'm growing chillies this year. I do think the less spicy the chilly the easier it is to grow.
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I don't think it's related to spiciness - rather the climate the plant comes from.

If it's cooler - you don't need the majority of stuff. I use a cardboard box over the chillis at night (and switch the proporgator heater on) to keep the chillies warm (22degC and above). Other chilli plants may accept being colder during the night.
It all depends on the plant - watch the plant.. if it looks droopy then it could be temps are too cold etc.

You'll still need to learn a little about the plant and read a few pages on growing them - a good place to start reading is here.
The jiffy pellets will have all the food the plant requires for the first month or so as it's getting it's root system sorted. Then put into bigger pots with a mixture of potting compost, pearlite and vermiculite and the plant will continue growing.. if you want you can repot again into a larger pot.. etc etc.
Just keep the soil moist but not wet. Then when it's repotted for the first time - just add liquid feed once every two weeks (although the new compost will have food).
Give it sun light whilst keeping it in the temperature range (a cooler climate chilli helps with this) and in summer bob's your uncle. Simple!

The Naga is a hard chilli to grow. It's a pain to germinate, a pain to grow as it requires good light and grows large. Then to top it all off it stresses easily so is very prone to dropping it's flowers (hence no chillies!).. opening a door with a cold draught (ie 15degC) will cause them to stress..
 
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I started germinating my seeds, I bought a simple chili from the supermarker, the species was not really noted, it was called "Bird Chile" or something like that and it comes from Thailand apparently. It is quite hot tho... :( Don't really know where to find seeds otherwise, going to check other shops
 
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The nagas can grow to 4-5 ft, a small fan on the seedlings will help strengthen the storks to support the weight as they grow taller as well as helping air circulation :)
 
Gilo said:
The nagas can grow to 4-5 ft, a small fan on the seedlings will help strengthen the storks to support the weight as they grow taller as well as helping air circulation :)
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Yup my rationale for the fan is two fold - firstly to strengthen the plant structure through the movement of air and secondly to ensure that the air in the canopy and at the soil surface does not become too humid resulting in a mold breeding ground.
 
Two of my seeds have germinated today.

I've only got four plants, but past experience has shown this to be plenty.
The variety I had last year were quite short, stubby and full of seeds and weren't too great when dried.
These ones are supposed to be longer and a bit fleshier, so hopefully will be good.

EDIT: This is the variety I have, Medusa. The plants look quite cool
medusa2au.jpg
 
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NickK said:
Yup my rationale for the fan is two fold - firstly to strengthen the plant structure through the movement of air and secondly to ensure that the air in the canopy and at the soil surface does not become too humid resulting in a mold breeding ground.
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Looks like you allready have it all in hand lol. My Nagas have just started coming through. Setup not as technical as yours just a propogator on the windowsill sitting above a radiator. I'm sure I will get good results though, good luck with yours :)
 
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I started growing chilli plants last year (july) but am yet to see a chilli due to me planting too late.

So I started in season this time so hopefully there will be chillis in a few months!

I don't use any fancy stuff but get the same results in a more messy way :p

What you need:

1) Chilli seeds (any will do - I use seeds from a 'bog standard' chilli ;))
2) Plastic container
3) Cotton wool

Process:

To germinate the seeds, soak the cotton wool with water and put it inside the container. After that place the seeds into the container and seal it.

After you've done that put the container in an airing cupboard/somewhere it's warmish. This will keep the moisture inside the container and slowly germinate the seeds.

04/03/2009

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20/03/2009

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The seeds actually sprouted a 3-4 days ago, but been too lazy to take a photo. I'll plant them into a small pot and stick them next to the window sill in the next few days.
 
Hehe 5ingh - I've not seen the cotton wool germination trick but I've seen the kitchen paper towel trick.

This morning - as the light is building up after switching on.

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With a CD for size.

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So at the moment going ok!

I have a big tray thing just behind me but it's too big for the area - I'm thinking a bit of hot plastic work will make it fit.
 
An update!
I bought a larger tray which allows them to be spread out. Even still they're going to be big.. The Naga little'ns have leaves the size of CDs now. In addition the Jalapenos have started flowering.

Earlier this week the first flower started whitening as expected (I think this was wednesday/thursday):
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Then by today I have four flowers- three of them on this plant:
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Time for Nick to act the insect with a cotton wool ear bud..

The tray has helped spread them out a little but there's still too many for the space. Especially as the Naga's haven't even got to their 4-6 foot.. they're about a foot at the moment. So here's the motley crew..
IMG_1129.jpg


The grow light has been moved up yet again. This is about as high as it will go. Compare this with the previous location (back un the thread) and you can see that it's a lot higher than it was initially.
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I have some friends visiting today. She's a bit of a wiz with plants - she's the only person I know that's managed to get Avocados to grow in soil - they're about two to three foot high on her kitchen windowsill! The plan is she'll take one of the Jalapenos off my hands as he likes good spicy food. Sad to see one leave.. and I hope it survives the change in climate from it's pampered existence at the moment!
 
Wow, good job Nick :cool: The plants have grown really fast! Are you manually pollenating due to the unpredictable weather? Do you plan on putting them outside when it gets warmer?

I have to take a photo of my chilli plant that survived the winter (kinda hibernated it as it didn't grow). It looks nothing like yours though I must admit :P
 
5ingh said:
Wow, good job Nick :cool: The plants have grown really fast! Are you manually pollenating due to the unpredictable weather? Do you plan on putting them outside when it gets warmer?
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They've only been under the growlight for a month! I think I'll keep with the MH bulb for the time being as they're still young and my thought is if the plants are creating lots of flowers then it's their way of demonstrating they're happy.
I'll use a cotton bud. The flowers already have a lot of pollen.

Unfortunately I don't have a good location - my old place used to have a perfect back garden whereas this place is a stop gap till I get my own place. So these will probably remain indoors. The Naga doesn't like cold so the 4degC nights we've been having would certainly kill it. I'd say they like temps down to 18degC at night and will survive 32degC during the 'day' although they wilt they spring back over night. Perfect temp seems to be 20-27degC.

5ingh said:
I have to take a photo of my chilli plant that survived the winter (kinda hibernated it as it didn't grow). It looks nothing like yours though I must admit :P
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I'm guessing it looks like a stick of wood at the moment? Given some warm weather it'll sprout green shoots.

I have some large pots I'm considering moving the naga's too (they grow larger so they should develop a larger root system) and I'll use the pots for the next set of seedlings.
 
NickK said:
They've only been under the growlight for a month! I think I'll keep with the MH bulb for the time being as they're still young and my thought is if the plants are creating lots of flowers then it's their way of demonstrating they're happy.
I'll use a cotton bud. The flowers already have a lot of pollen.

Unfortunately I don't have a good location - my old place used to have a perfect back garden whereas this place is a stop gap till I get my own place. So these will probably remain indoors. The Naga doesn't like cold so the 4degC nights we've been having would certainly kill it. I'd say they like temps down to 18degC at night and will survive 32degC during the 'day' although they wilt they spring back over night. Perfect temp seems to be 20-27degC.
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That seriously is impressive. I guess it is worth investing in lights then. Maybe I will do so next season :)

I put my one outside a few days ago when it was nice and sunny. A few hours later it looked sick :p

I'm guessing it looks like a stick of wood at the moment? Given some warm weather it'll sprout green shoots.
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It's not wooden yet :(. It has about 10-15 leaves at the top but none in the middle or near the bottom. But it is sprouting there but in a veryyyyy slow process compared to your bad boys!
 
I bought some little Chillies while at the garden centre today-all down to being inspired by this here thread:D never thought about growing them before,but they are now sitting on the window ledge in little pots ..look forward to sampling them eventually !
 
Woot - one of the Naga's has sprouted little flower pods overnight!! Mwahahaha - should be two weeks until flowering occurs.
 
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