Pepper/chilli plants flowering looking for advice

Outkast_IRE

I have decided to grow a variety of peppers and chillis this year, its my first project really , i have an conservatory so they get plenty of light/heat.

They were planted from seed at the end of feb and i now have 12 plants of different varieties

Heres where i need advice, some have grown nice and tall at this stage, i repotted them all as they grew and they are strong healty looking plants.

The tallest are 2 feet tall the shortest 1 foot.

The tallest are now beginning to flower which im fine with as they seem ready for it, however the shortest look like they might flower next week or two.

Im not looking to produce big yields or anything but want nice healthy plants, i have been reading that if you leave the small ones flowers and they fruit the plant may never grow as tall as the others ??

Should i prune these flowers off on the shorter plants and give them a extra few weeks to gain some height ? or leave well alone ?

Also would anybody be familiar with the availability of organic liquid fertilizers in woodies etc??

redser7

Some people say to nip out the growing point to bush the plant out and get a higher yield. But it depends on the variety. Sorry i cant be too much help as it's my first year too. I am just leaving mine to grow on and see what happens. As you have tall and short, why not leave them be and learn from this season? Maybe someone else can advise ...

yellowlabrador

It will depend on the variety. My suggestion is you look on youtube. There are many american channels there about gardening and they have a wide variety of different types of chillies. You sound to be doing great, I've never had them flower before end July. I'd give them a good tomato feed or else compost tea. I use comfrey and nettles for my tea.

Cardinal Richelieu

Some Chilli varieties don't grow too tall so expect to see a variation in height between varieties. I think the idea behind the pinching out of fruit is to cultivate large fruit, kind of like how the Asians do top fruit. Personally I never bother with the pinching out chillies/peppers as regular harvesting of the mature fruit will allow the smaller fruit to receive enough nutrients. A good tomato feed works but the main nutrient deficiency problem I ever had with Chillies/peppers was Blossom End Rot which upping the Calcium prevents.

Outkast_IRE

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Some Chilli varieties don't grow too tall so expect to see a variation in height between varieties. I think the idea behind the pinching out of fruit is to cultivate large fruit, kind of like how the Asians do top fruit. Personally I never bother with the pinching out chillies/peppers as regular harvesting of the mature fruit will allow the smaller fruit to receive enough nutrients. A good tomato feed works but the main nutrient deficiency problem I ever had with Chillies/peppers was Blossom End Rot which upping the Calcium prevents.

Thanks for that, as im not going for big yields i think i will leave most of my fruit to ripen to the red stage, I think im correct in saying this lessens yields?

But i do prefer the taste of the fully ripened red.

The plan is to tommorow go to garden center to source a feed, as i havent actually used any yet as they have been repotted to larger pots 3 times througout growth , and i read somewhere it may be false im not sure that if your doing the repotting theres no need to add extra feed if your repotting with good quality compost. And to start using the feed when the flowering kicks in to help give the plant a good boost from flowering to fruit.

I am also going to try and source some thing to add calcium.

The 3 varities are
Worldbeater bell peppers
Corno di torro rosso peppers
Cayanne chilli peppers.

Supercell

On a similar note my chillies were planted around February too and are out-growing the cold frame in the garden and I was wondering if I could just expose them to the elements proper now and move the cold flame over to another patch? During the daytime I'm currently leaving the lid off and closing it at night.

My wife is making grumpy noises about the ones on our bedroom window sill too, they are starting to take over a little , so the situation is getting desperate, save the chillies!

redser7

Supercell, I don't think they would do well in our climate. They really should be grown under cover (greenhouse/tunnel/conservatory or good window).

Cardinal Richelieu

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Thanks for that, as im not going for big yields i think i will leave most of my fruit to ripen to the red stage, I think im correct in saying this lessens yields?

But i do prefer the taste of the fully ripened red.

The plan is to tommorow go to garden center to source a feed, as i havent actually used any yet as they have been repotted to larger pots 3 times througout growth , and i read somewhere it may be false im not sure that if your doing the repotting theres no need to add extra feed if your repotting with good quality compost. And to start using the feed when the flowering kicks in to help give the plant a good boost from flowering to fruit.

I am also going to try and source some thing to add calcium.

The 3 varities are
Worldbeater bell peppers
Corno di torro rosso peppers
Cayanne chilli peppers.

Corno di torro rosso peppers are a fantastic Red pepper for flavour, some of the supermarkets sell them as Romano peppers. I would always feed peppers because like tomatoes they are very nutrient hungry plants so unless you get the soil nutrients spot on your going to get deficiency with your plants or fruiting problems.

langdang

Hey guys,
Growing some chillis too - first time growing anything.
Could ye put up some pics of yer chillis?
I'm growing from chillis I got in a garden in Portugal - they are quite tall/leggy and not like the chillis I see photos of elsewhere. TBH the plant they came off in Portugal looked the same as the ones I have so I don't think it's a light/heat issue.

To me it sounds like they are related to the Cayennes, I'd be interested in a picture - I'm guessing your Cayennes are the tallest and most advanced?

Oldtree

I try pepper seeds every year but dont have much luck lately with them but got 3 aubergines growing this year. I generally let pepers and aubergines just do their thing and see what happens, but I never seem to get a long enough of a season for them so watch carefully and take fruit off the plant at the end of the summer when it starts to get cold and damp as they get mouldy quickly.

Did well with West indian gerkins for a while until I ran out of seed. Growing sweet corn in polyt in pots this year for the first time.

Organic liquid feed here both concentrate and ready to use (for indoors no smell):

http://www.doffgarden.co.uk/organic-range

My local garden center was able to order a case of this as they didnt have it stocked, so I took the case.

I also add liquid seaweed to the feed to boost the micro nutrients available to the plants, seems to make for healthier plants.

Outkast_IRE

These are some pics of my various one, the two biggest were always ahead of the others, you can see some of the flowers on the bigger ones and i put in a close up, i have cross polinated the flowers with my finger and it seems to work.

redser7

They look great!

Outkast_IRE

redser7 wrote: »

They look great!

thanks i have nobody to compare it with, they have only got their first extra plant food today, up to now i just repotted with high quality compost as they grew.

langdang

Ya they look good. Mine are mad lanky yokes. Will throw up some pics tomorrow!

redser7

They dont look to leggy to me. Just start giving the ones with flowers tomato feed from now on, every week to ten days.

langdang

Yes, mine are a bit odd and leggy looking! I swear the mother plant, that I got the chilli's off, looked really spindly too - even in Algarve heat and sun.


P1000181


P1000182


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P1000184


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P1000189

Couldn't resist eating one the other day - burn burn burn!
It was pretty much full grown, but still green - will they mellow a bit as they grow to full size and ripen? Or will they get hotter?

Edit - habanero de Tesco there on the left of the first pic.
The last pic - should I repot to bigger containers or should I leave them alone at this stage?

redser7

Well you're getting plenty of chillis, that's the main thing! They might be competing and stretching as they are so close together. Also, they might appreciate more direct sunlight if you can give it to them. I have mine in the ground in the tunnel but reading up about it, when people put them in pots they usually put them in 8 - 10 inch pots. So I'd say the'd like to be potted up. All depends how much room you have. Don't forget, they can be over-wintered and restarted next year for earlier and lrger crops

redser7

They get hotter the older they get. But heat (as in sunshine) is what really maskes them hot. If you are low on light, put some matt white paper around the base of the plant and also around the back (where the light source doesn't reach). This will reflect light up to the plant and help it grow/fruit ripen

langdang

Cheers redser!
Not much more room but will foster some of them out maybe!
West by southwest facing windows so not ideal, but on a good day sun from 12ish til 7ish.

Yes, was thinking 8-10inch pots rather than the 5inch they are in now. Will definitely have to foster some out when I go to bigger pots.
I'll probably over winter a good few of them then just pick a smaller number of the strongest looking plants next year.

langdang

redser7 wrote: »

They get hotter the older they get. But heat (as in sunshine) is what really maskes them hot. If you are low on light, put some matt white paper around the base of the plant and also around the back (where the light source doesn't reach). This will reflect light up to the plant and help it grow/fruit ripen

What chillis are you growing out of interest?
Yes, I think I could DIY some matt white backing alright, thanks for the tip.

redser7

Just Jalapenos. Have a few chillis about an inch Started in Ferbruary and getting lots of sun in the tunnel. Not sure what i'm going to use them for to be honest but sure you have to grow them when you get a tunnel/greenhouse dont you

Outkast_IRE

does everyone use canes to support theirs ?
I havent bothered but may stick one in if theres going to be a load of fruit hanging off it.

langdang

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

does everyone use canes to support theirs ?
I havent bothered but may stick one in if theres going to be a load of fruit hanging off it.

They had cheapy canes and wire in Tesco there last week. Mine would support themselves, (even though they look like they wouldn't) I only added the canes recently. Before I got the canes I bodged a few plants with tubes for holding bulk computer chips :pac: Mainly because on warm days I throw them outside for a bit of fresh air, but they wouldn't stand up to strong gusts of wind.
A few of them needed straightening too.

langdang

redser7 wrote: »

Just Jalapenos. Have a few chillis about an inch Started in Ferbruary and getting lots of sun in the tunnel. Not sure what i'm going to use them for to be honest but sure you have to grow them when you get a tunnel/greenhouse dont you

If you've a photo of them I'd interested to see!
Ah you'd use the Jalapenos alright if you liked mexican food.
I love BBQing a bit of chicken piri piri Portuguese style, been using Nandos sauces all along but hopefully I can make my own later in the summer...

redser7

Cheers. I reckon once they are pickable I'll look into ways to use them. Good thing about grow your own, doesnt stop at the growing Have a new found interest in cooking too.
Will take a couple of pics if I ever remember to bring camera up to the plot, keep meaning to.

david75

Mine are in pots which i thought were quite deep enough but they seem to have stalled somehow..should i take them back inside? theyre outside and in pots, just curious as to why they've stalled..

redser7

When you say outside, do you mean in the elements? They need to be under cover (greenhouse/polytunnel/well lit conservatory or window.

Outkast_IRE

david75 wrote: »

Mine are in pots which i thought were quite deep enough but they seem to have stalled somehow..should i take them back inside? theyre outside and in pots, just curious as to why they've stalled..

Well mine didnt grow too much this past week or so anyway, i think the weather and light are so poor most days. And mine are inside in a conservatory, so if yours are outside i cant see them doing well in this last weeks conditions.

redser7

They shouldn't be outside in this country at all really. Unless you're moving them in and out on really nice days.

Outkast_IRE

Update:

Have decided to nip one or two of the flowers on the smaller plants, as i think its early in the summer yet and concentrating on another bit of plant growth would do them well.
This is backed up by the fact i think the plants are on ther verge of their serious growth spurt where they gain serious height in the space of a few weeks. As one of the shorter plants has shot up a good few inches this week alone id imagine the others are goin to follow.

Anyone have any general idea of timescale from flower being pollinated to edible fruit ?

langdang

I've had green chillis now for 3 weeks I think for some of the earliest.
Depends on the type of chilli I suppose, and depends whether you want to know "how long to fully grown" or "how long to fully ripe". Is ripe the right word to use for chillis?
Mine will turn red when they are fully mature/ripe but they are fine to use green I'd say. (seriously hot as is eeek!)
Mine started showing a chilli 3-5 days after the flower wilted, and seemed to be final size within 3 weeks of the flower wilting.
Unless we get an amazing july, I'd guess 6-8 weeks for red/orange or whatever in Ireland?

Outkast_IRE

yes ripe is the correct word for chillis , well at least i have seen it used a lot on the net regarding them.

A quick question i got sent some scotch bonnet chillis today, would it be possible to take and plant some seed from them this late in the year?
I wouldnt be expecting to harvest a crop but maybe to have a strong plant to keep over winter ready to produce next year has anybody tried this?

redser7

I've definately read of people doing that. And the plants apparently (if they make it through the winter) are really strong because the first growth happens during summer when the conditions are best. I did that with strawberries last year and they are producing great.

Outkast_IRE

redser7 wrote: »

I've definately read of people doing that. And the plants apparently (if they make it through the winter) are really strong because the first growth happens during summer when the conditions are best. I did that with strawberries last year and they are producing great.

Might do that so, any ideas on if you need to do anything else extra with the seeds before planting ? would just sticking them in a bit of compost do the trick i only ask as the ones im currently growing were from a pack of seeds and just needed planting , whereas im wondering is there any tricks when taking it directly from the fruit.

redser7

not that I'm aware of. They need to be warm to germinate, but you know that already

Cardinal Richelieu

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

yes ripe is the correct word for chillis , well at least i have seen it used a lot on the net regarding them.

A quick question i got sent some scotch bonnet chillis today, would it be possible to take and plant some seed from them this late in the year?
I wouldnt be expecting to harvest a crop but maybe to have a strong plant to keep over winter ready to produce next year has anybody tried this?

Over wintering is the term. It suits better crops like strawberries and other fruits that require so many cold hours. Perhaps you should email the below people for tips on your scotch bonnet.

Southdevonchillifarm

Overwintering
Most chilli plants can be treated as perennial house plants, but will need some pruning in the winter. Some varieties are better suited than others, smaller hot varieties like Serrano and Twilight, and Prairie Fire do better than the bigger fleshy plants such as Poblano and Anaheim.
http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/info/growing-chillies

Outkast_IRE

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Over wintering is the term. It suits better crops like strawberries and other fruits that require so many cold hours. Perhaps you should email the below people for tips on your scotch bonnet.

Southdevonchillifarm

From doing some research today Keeping them nice and warm seems to be key as well as keeping a fierce eye out for any bugs/mites/flys during this period. My conservatory has a rad but there are defo warmer places with good light in the house that i may consider overwintering them in.
Im debating it at the moment as obviously the conservatory is best for max light, but it wouldnt be as warm as rest of house all winter, although it would never freeze due to a rad working in there.

A lot of people saying they see mixed results from pruning a lot back in the winter, some saying it works others saying the plants never fully recovered.

I guess im going to have to wing it and see what happens i might move half to a different room in the house and leave half in conservatory and see.

langdang

Upgraded all my large plants to 7.5L black plastic planters, not very decorative but cheap and functional.

Outkast:
All my plants are from seeds taken from chillis - the piri piri were taken from 3 chillis I was given out of a garden in Portugal. They are very thin walled so were pretty much air-dried by the time I got home. Took the seeds out and made sure they were fully dry when I got home (left em near a rad for over a week).
Come January/February I put them in between two sheets of moist kitchen paper in a sealable lunch bag and waited for them to germinate, then planted to seed trays in a cheap heated propagator.

The Habeneros from Tesco I didn't have so much luck with but I didn't give them the same care and attention either. De-seeded a few chillis as I was cooking and followed pretty much the same process as above but no time in the heated propagator for them. The hotter chillis really need the heat to germinate and get going!

Edit - forgot to say I left the seed germinating bags near a rad aswell. Altho the heat of the sun might do this time of year.

yellowlabrador

Aldi are offering large veg plants in pots tomorrow. I'm sure I saw a mention of peppers among them. I'm going to try and get one. The past few years have been quite miserable so I'm still hoping this year will be better.

Outkast_IRE

I marinated the chicken with the scotch bonnets today and fried it up to go with a little sweet and sour sauce :eek:

Man those scotch bonnets pack a punch, i wouldnt even eat one, the chicken from just being marinated and fried with them packed a lovely punch, they are quite different to other chillis i have tried , i would call their flavour almost sweet/fruity, it actually went well with the sweet and sour sauce.

But i dont think i would add them to a curry the sweet/fruity flavor could ruin it for me, im currently reseaching jamaican jerked chicken recipes

Heroditas

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Anyone have any general idea of timescale from flower being pollinated to edible fruit ?

It can depend on the types of pepper.
From my own experience, it can be about a month to two months.

I had got an Aerogarden for Christmas and grew 7 plants in it. I transplanted them two weeks ago and put them outside. The front of the house faces south west so they receive plenty of sunlight.
It's interesting to watch them struggle to survive. They not only had to put up with the shock of being transplanted from a hydroponic kit to pots but also now have to contend with the elements. They seem to be hanging on in there, despite the awful weather we're having this summer. If they can hold on for the next week or two, I reckon they'll be fine.
One of them is starting to show a huge amount of fruit at the moment. I'm stunned!

Also, I appear to have successfully got a couple of Scotch Bonnet seeds to sprout up in the attic by half burying them in compost in a couple of packages you get in the supermarket. They are placed near my latest Aerogarden project (herbs) so are benefiting from the light spilling off it.

Last, but by no means least, I got a Naga Jolokia "grow in a can" kit in Florida last year and managed to transplant it to a large pot a couple of months ago. It yielded one chili from it in January after I started to grow the plant last June.
However, now it's starting to flower again and the fruit are gradually getting bigger. They're also getting a lot more potent! I'll stick up some pictures later.



That kit also sprouted another two plants a couple of months ago - they appeared practically overnight in the pot!! I've transplanted both of them - one is growing ok outdoors and the other is now in the office!

Outkast_IRE

Heroditas wrote: »

It can depend on the types of pepper.
From my own experience, it can be about a month to two months.

I had got an Aerogarden for Christmas and grew 7 plants in it. I transplanted them two weeks ago and put them outside. The front of the house faces south west so they receive plenty of sunlight.
It's interesting to watch them struggle to survive. They not only had to put up with the shock of being transplanted from a hydroponic kit to pots but also now have to contend with the elements. They seem to be hanging on in there, despite the awful weather we're having this summer. If they can hold on for the next week or two, I reckon they'll be fine.
One of them is starting to show a huge amount of fruit at the moment. I'm stunned!

Also, I appear to have successfully got a couple of Scotch Bonnet seeds to sprout up in the attic by half burying them in compost in a couple of packages you get in the supermarket. They are placed near my latest Aerogarden project (herbs) so are benefiting from the light spilling off it.

Last, but by no means least, I got a Naga Jolokia "grow in a can" kit in Florida last year and managed to transplant it to a large pot a couple of months ago. It yielded one chili from it in January after I started to grow the plant last June.
However, now it's starting to flower again and the fruit are gradually getting bigger. They're also getting a lot more potent! I'll stick up some pictures later.



That kit also sprouted another two plants a couple of months ago - they appeared practically overnight in the pot!! I've transplanted both of them - one is growing ok outdoors and the other is now in the office!

Very interesting do stick up the pics, the sunshine today has helped my plants a great deal, between my two largest plants they have 6 chillis growing and loads more flowers opening they appear to be the cayanne chillis at this stage . I will post photos soon

Heroditas

OK, here's a few pics.
The first few are of the Naga kit.



25th June 2011




21st August 2011




11th September 2011




22nd June 2012


Baby shoot from the same Naga kit that I re-potted a few weeks ago:




The next two photos show the roots from the plants I took from the Aerogarden and also the re-potted Aerogarden plants. The Aerogarden plants are all the ones in the pots on the concrete.






The plant in the top right hand corner of the last photo seems to be really thriving outside and I must have counted about 15 chillies starting to sprout on it yesterday!

redser7

Do you mind if I ask where you are from? Havn't seen sunshine like that around here in a long time

Heroditas

redser7 wrote: »

Do you mind if I ask where you are from? Havn't seen sunshine like that around here in a long time

It may be hard to believe but that photo was taken on the morning of the June bank holiday Monday three weeks ago!

Heroditas

Final few shots for the time being.
The first one is a close-up of the chilli plant in the top right hand corner in the previous post. In it, you can see all the chillies starting to grow.

The second shot is a close-up of my "propagating pods" in the attic.
Nothing fancy, just the chilli/tomato/veg containers you get in Superquinn with a bit of fertiliser in them, lightly watered once and the chillies placed in them.
What I found helps is if you place the seeds with the "round" part of the seed facing up and the "pointy" end down in the dirt.
Also, I don't completely cover them. That way, they can benefit from the light on them.

The third photo shows the Aerogarden in the attic. Two of the pods didn't work in the latest herb kit so I took the dead seeds out (front right and front left) and replaced them with two little shoots of the Scotch Bonnets from the propagating pods.

The Bonnets and Aerogarden kit were placed up there three weeks ago so even with minimal warmth the Bonnet seeds have sprouted. Good quality light helps a huge amount.
Also, the seeds weren't from a packet or a kit - they were simply seeds I took from a chilli I bought in the shop!

To be honest, all you really need to get chilli seed to sprout is to stick them in some sort of container, keep it moist and then have a fluorescent light shining on them for about 15-16 hours a day. A bog-standard fluorescent bulb you use in a lamp would probably do the trick!

redser7

Fascinating, thanks

langdang

Heroditas, that Naga is amazing! Never thought they would grow like that in Ireland!

My tall plants are starting to grow some side branches now, wish we had more sunny days like yesterday.
Think I might move 2 of mine outside in a mini-plastic-greenhouse. See how they do versus the others keep in higher average temperatures but less light.
I have one smaller plant in the office, about 4 feet away from a 4 tube fluorescent light. Really bad aircon here so great average temps for chillies (bad for working in though), but I think it needs more light - it had a few flowers but no pollen.

Heroditas

langdang wrote: »

Heroditas, that Naga is amazing! Never thought they would grow like that in Ireland!

The window faces south/southwest so the plant gets loads of light streaming in on it, even during the winter.
Also, I occasionally gave the room a blast of the central heating over the winter to keep it going.
The fruit are still quite small on it but they're absolutely lethal - they give a good decent burn for about 10mins when you eat them. Then again, I have a very high tolerance at this stage so they may affect others a lot more.

langdang wrote: »

but I think it needs more light - it had a few flowers but no pollen.

Can you place it near a window? That'll give it adequate light.

langdang

Heroditas wrote: »

Can you place it near a window? That'll give it adequate light.

Naw, if it's not on my desk anything could happen it.

What type is that chilli you have growing so well outside in the corner? Looks like it does well in Irish conditions. Do you have some outside permanently, or is it just on good days?

I've just sent an advance party outside to a cheapo mini plastic greenhouse, lets see how they do...

redser7

Be careful to ventilate with those greenhouses. Temps can rocket up very quickly. And condensation can build up overnight so let it clear in the morning. And weigh the frame down with blocks or it will fly away with your plants inside!