The 2010 Chilli growing thread - it's scorching!

Total noob here but i've just bought myself some nagas and bhut jolokia seeds... any tips from anyone? Got a nice windowsill to put them on but i'm thinking im going to have problems keeping them warm, should i get myself a heat pad to put under the propagator?

Also is it worth getting a grow lamp? if so any recommendations only after a small setup.
 
was in wilkos against yesterday and couldnt resist spending more money :(

they had some plugs that looked as though they must have been pretty fresh of cheyenne chilli peppers so i bought a box (1.48 for 4 plugs each with around 6-8 leaves)

another 10 litres of vital earth compost
3x 9 inch pots
3x 7 inch pots
5 litres of vermiculite (because they had non last time i was in only perlite)
tomorite
wilokos own brand concentrated liquid seaweed plant food (cant even remember what i need it for now but seaweed is good for something maybe my cucumbers :S)

so easy to burn through the best part of 15 quid!

i repotted everything ive got just so i could mix vermiculite into everything but a lot of stuff needed repotting anyway and those that didnt really need it ended up in final pots so meh.

gave everything a bucket drenching aswell seeing as its suposed to encourage deep roots.

the plugs havent wilted at all over night btw they just look as perky as when they were bought, my first time with plugs ive heard some right nightmare stories about them but as they looked really healthy i thought i would chance it
 
arknor said:
so easy to burn through the best part of 15 quid!
Click to expand...

LMAO, I know what you mean, I've spent a fair bit now and I'm still going to need tonnes more compost for all these seeds I've just received through the post.

I've just been buying grow bags from Focus as they're only £1.60 for 27 litres and the stuff with some peat content seems pretty decent. Also bought my pots from ebay as they worked out a lot cheaper, £4 odd for 20 12.5cm pots, which would have been double that at Focus.

Still, once i have a stack of pots etc it should be cheaper next year and will be well worth it in the end.
 
n3x said:
Total noob here but i've just bought myself some nagas and bhut jolokia seeds... any tips from anyone? Got a nice windowsill to put them on but i'm thinking im going to have problems keeping them warm, should i get myself a heat pad to put under the propagator?

Also is it worth getting a grow lamp? if so any recommendations only after a small setup.
Click to expand...

With Nagas/Jolokia you'll need to keep them in a stable temperature to stop them getting stressed. For germinating you'll need a good warm place (germinating doesn't require light) in a sealed box with some damp paper towels/soil.

Once they've germinated then you'll need to ensure they're in pots and in the sunlight. They'll remain sensitive to the cold until they've got their first set of leaves. Then slowly bring them into normal temps.

Grow lights (I'd recommend CFL rather than HPS/HiD) are good and will result in them having enough light but at the expense of 250W for a few hours or more each day (depending on how you use them).
Are they needed - well that depends on the weather and if you want to keep them fruiting when the days get shorter later in the season.

Both those varieties of chilli will grow over a meter high and two meter diameter canopy if you let them..
 
CALAMITY

My seedlings got to 3/4 inches so I potted them on into 3" pots and have been popping them outside during the day to harden off.
Forgot to bring them in last night (beer) and them rotten ******** slugs wiped the lot out despite the pots being up on a table. Totally consumed they were, only one had a couple of mm of stem left.
Back to square one now, not sure if they will get enough growing time to produce fruit now :(
 
Im no expert eddie, but get some more started they should still fruit. A hate slugs last year they wiped all my veg out!
This year i have loads of slug pellets down!

On another note, the naga seeds Nick sent me had been sat on my window sill in damp kitchen roll inside a plastic tub for nearly 2 weeks no signs of life.....
Last night i popped them ontop of the sky box, thismorning 3 of the 4 seeds have germinated :)

Jay
 
NickK said:
With Nagas/Jolokia you'll need to keep them in a stable temperature to stop them getting stressed. For germinating you'll need a good warm place (germinating doesn't require light) in a sealed box with some damp paper towels/soil.

Once they've germinated then you'll need to ensure they're in pots and in the sunlight. They'll remain sensitive to the cold until they've got their first set of leaves. Then slowly bring them into normal temps.

Grow lights (I'd recommend CFL rather than HPS/HiD) are good and will result in them having enough light but at the expense of 250W for a few hours or more each day (depending on how you use them).
Are they needed - well that depends on the weather and if you want to keep them fruiting when the days get shorter later in the season.

Both those varieties of chilli will grow over a meter high and two meter diameter canopy if you let them..
Click to expand...

Cheers for the tips nickk!

So once propagated I can pot and put on the windowsill... sounds like a heated pad may be needed then, will a bog standard one do or is it best to get one that i can adjust the temp on?
 
eddie_slovik said:
CALAMITY

My seedlings got to 3/4 inches so I potted them on into 3" pots and have been popping them outside during the day to harden off.
Forgot to bring them in last night (beer) and them rotten ******** slugs wiped the lot out despite the pots being up on a table. Totally consumed they were, only one had a couple of mm of stem left.
Back to square one now, not sure if they will get enough growing time to produce fruit now :(
Click to expand...
give wilko a try my local was selling healthy looking chilli plugs cheyenne and something else 5-8 leaves on each plug

quite suprised because every other time i checked out the plugs in the vegetable rack they were all wilted/looking like they would be dead soon

if you leave any outside next time suround the pots with salt :D any slugs that touch it will melt/burst open
 
Slugs are an absolute nightmare in my garden. Get loads of huge orange ones. Makes growing anything very frustrating.

I try to be as organic as possible so I don't use salt or pellets, instead I use the hands on approach after dark and piles of bricks as daytime traps, quite effective but not for the squeamish.

Also find that if you get stuck into the little blighters early in the year you tend to eliminate the breeding stock so have less grief later.

But ................ nature finds a way :(
 
arknor said:
give wilko a try my local was selling healthy looking chilli plugs cheyenne and something else 5-8 leaves on each plug

quite suprised because every other time i checked out the plugs in the vegetable rack they were all wilted/looking like they would be dead soon

if you leave any outside next time suround the pots with salt :D any slugs that touch it will melt/burst open
Click to expand...

Do they sell Nagas or any other hot chillies?

Also, apparently used coffee grounds spread over the compost in the pot deters slugs. Might be the organic answer you are looking for :).
 
n3x said:
Cheers for the tips nickk!

So once propagated I can pot and put on the windowsill... sounds like a heated pad may be needed then, will a bog standard one do or is it best to get one that i can adjust the temp on?
Click to expand...

Once they've got a few sets of leaves they'll be fine as long as they don't get a cold draught. They will sulk for a day or so initially when you move them.

You'll probably be fine without a heated prop to be honest. Just use a non-heated one and at night just close the vents so that the heat remains inside. They'll quickly outgrow a prop in a month so with a little care you'll not need one.
 
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Depends on the temperatures (day and night) and the species unfortunately. Nagas probably won't like the current night temperatures at the moment.
 
Some pics :)

Current kitchen window sill;

Left to right are strawberries (23-3-10) peppers (06-04-2010)
and naga chilli's kindly given by nick. Out of the 4 seeds 3 had germinated and i potted them this morining :D I started to geminate them on 16th april;

DSCN0070.jpg


The three soon to be naga's;

DSCN0071.jpg


and the first signs of life of one of the naga's :)

DSCN0072.jpg


Jay
 
planted in november(ish) but they struggled for a long time because i moved into a house with no central heating or double glazing, and we had a rubbish winder.

since i gotthe central heating installed they have come on leaps and bounds.
 
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