The Heat is on!!!! 2013 chilli growing thread

mattyfez · 22 Jul 2013 at 14:34

Kobi said:
Ho ho! Looking good!

OK, here's a question. I buy gardening mags now and again and in one of them (Grow your own) it has a tip. "Pick your chillies while they're still green. Instead of pouring energy into ripening the crop, the plants will produce more fruit". Now does anyone do this? Obviously I take it they will ripen over time.

I have heard this increases production, but not sure how different it would ripen 'on the vine' as opposed to picked, as I've also read they get hotter if you leave them to mature on the plant longer.

topgun06 · 22 Jul 2013 at 14:34

You can harvest your chillies at any time I've done it in the past. But I've never left them to see if they ripen.

Noxia · 22 Jul 2013 at 14:59

Ok, so my Naga's are looking healthy, very big leaves albeit not very tall, absolutely no sign of flowers though.

I forgot what breed the other plants are but they grow quite tall and I'm finding a few buds, the floppy one I have since tied to a cane.

HazardO · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:05

Those pots look a bit small to me, I'd consider re-potting into larger if they aren't already pot-bound.

Noxia · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:08

I actually just re-potted them as they were in 3" pots and those are 5", sorry but what does pot bound mean? I cannot see any roots appearing at the bottom yet.

The Naga's are in 5" pots but the others are all 3".

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:22

Transferred two to big pots, need todo the rest.

Look at the colour difference, malnutrition yellow, vs chili focused up dark green ones.

Daytrader · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:22

I dont think your see any ripe naga chillis from your plants this year myself, but over winter them for early start next year

mattyfez · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:23

Noxia said:
I actually just re-potted them as they were in 3" pots and those are 5", sorry but what does pot bound mean? I cannot see any roots appearing at the bottom yet.

The Naga's are in 5" pots but the others are all 3".

Extreme example : http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BGeZdq-xPfk/TSo_db3Ek_I/AAAAAAAAAVE/sY4vXHsOFz4/s1600/root%2Bbound1.jpg

Pot bound/ root bound basically means there's no room in the pot for further root growth which stunts over all growth.

Noxia · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:40

Daytrader said:
I dont think your see any ripe naga chillis from your plants this year myself, but over winter them for early start next year

Ah ok that's a shame but I know I started late, I'm worried I wont be able to keep them warm enough over winter though. I grew all my plants from a seed so at least I'll have a better start next year providing they survive.

mattyfez said:
Extreme example : http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BGeZdq-xPfk/TSo_db3Ek_I/AAAAAAAAAVE/sY4vXHsOFz4/s1600/root%2Bbound1.jpg
Pot bound/ root bound basically means there's no room in the pot for further root growth which stunts over all growth.

Thank you. Some of my lanky ones looked that way when i potted them into the 3" pots, but they have all shot up so I guess I got away with it. All a learning curve for me anyway.

Daytrader · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:51

There be great plants for next year, just keep them in any window in your house for the winter.

Noxia · 22 Jul 2013 at 15:56

Yes they will be in a bay window which has a radiator by it so hopefully ok!, if it got really bad I can always get a large heat mat I guess. The other plants which seem to be progressing a lot quicker but maybe they aren't as fussy. I cannot recall the proper name but on Thompson and Morgan they are either Heatwave or Demon Red both just say Capsicum anuum on the description which I'm pretty sure just means it's a chilli.

Daytrader · 22 Jul 2013 at 16:34

I just over winter mine in any windows in house, no heat mat either, you should get chillis from your annum's no problem, im growing tropical heat from T&M, there chinese hots, i did buy some heatwave also, but not grown them this year.

mattyfez · 22 Jul 2013 at 22:58

I know apaches' are known for being good producers, but I think both my neighbours and me will not need to buy any chilli peppers from any shops this winter!

The are spewing out baby peppers like they just don't care! and there's loads of immature buds and flowers, they must be some kind of GM monster! :eek:

mattyfez · 23 Jul 2013 at 10:34

The forcast here is heavy rain for about a week.. My chillis are in pots outside, but does anybody think I should take them inside to stop the getting water logged as it's not as if it there's much light are the mo?

TheDean · 23 Jul 2013 at 10:40

mattyfez said:
The forcast here is heavy rain for about a week.. My chillis are in pots outside, but does anybody think I should take them inside to stop the getting water logged as it's not as if it there's much light are the mo?

I'm interested in this as well...as I just potted mine up to 5L jobbies

topgun06 · 23 Jul 2013 at 13:19

I'd probably take mine inside. I accidentally left an aubergine outside overnight. This morning it was looking very sorry for itself.

Noxia · 24 Jul 2013 at 09:46

Something is making pin ***** size holes in my leaves and had a good nibble today. Anything I can do? I don't want to use chemicals really but if they don't go into the flowers/fruits then I don't mind.

Shelster · 24 Jul 2013 at 09:55

I got me a Naga plant for this year and all seemed to be goign well when I checked on it.......but convoluted but it is at my mates house in Plymouth where I will be moving too in a month or so......and when I asked him for a sitrep the other day, he said that there appears to be flowers forming, but these are dropping off and I don't believe he means petals dropping but the whole flower head.

Any reason this is happening and what can be done to remedy the situation?

topgun06 · 24 Jul 2013 at 13:36

Flowers usually drop of if the plant feels that they can not supported at the current time. So lack of water, food, light etc

mattyfez · 26 Jul 2013 at 09:37

Well temptation got the better of me and I sampled 2 chillies last night, they were green, about an inch long (think this breed grow to a bout 2 inches).

No heat at all, no even a bell pepper like taste... anyone know how you can tell when they are ripe? I guess they turn yellow then red eventually, but I know you can eat them green too.. anything to look for?

Thanks