[Closed] I bought a chilli plant

Keep it like that, neither too dry nor too wet: that's the difficult bit. Watch for greenfly, they may hide under leaves, spraying with soapy water should fix them. Having it stood in a permanent puddle in a tray or saucer is not kind.

probably put it in a bigger pot now.
then use the one you have, put a couple of chilli stalks in, face down, and water. they'll rot down and the seeds within will likely sprout.

Tomato feed is good for big juicy chillies.

For milder chillies, pick after a good watering.
For hotter ones, make the plant suffer a bit before you pick 'em.

Should I pick the red ones that look ready?

Pick them as you can use them.

If there are lots looking ready, pick them, string them up and dry them.

Pick the red ones, leave the others, make sure it gets plenty of direct sunlight and keep watering it. Yum, good luck with your plant, last year I had three, this year it's 12

Much easier to grow than tomatoes.

I picked up a plant three years ago from Waitrose. No idea what variety it is but it keeps kicking out fruit.
Just moved country so left it with my sister in the uk 🙁 however, took some dry ones with me and now have five new plants about 6 inches high ( 2 months old )

Easy to look after and super tasty. Ideal man plant.

No idea what variety it is but it keeps kicking out fruit.

When you buy them as plants from the supermarket its a bit hit and miss how productive they'll be in years to come. A plant is only good for a few years - if you grow one from seed you'll maybe only get 3 or 4 years of good crops from it.

I suspect some of the one the supermarket sell are already a few years old (they've usually been pruned back) and have probably already had a profitable life growing the chillis for sale on the next shelf- they can still belt out a decent crop of chillis that year but its hit and miss whether they'll be up to much the following year.

If the plant you've bought continues to flower you'll get more fruit if you pollenate the flowers yourself (as in move pollen from flower to flower - not actually impregnate the plant with your own gametes). Picking the chillis as they ripen will encourage it to flower/fruit more too. It should be possible to get 40-50 or so chillis over the course of the summer

If it's in a small pot it's probably root bound, which will limit it depending on species.

Repotting is not a bad idea. General rule of thumb if the size of the the plant is equal to the size of the pot, it needs a bigger pot.

Pick them when they're red and freeze them in a tupperware pot.

Thanks maccruiskeen. That's a really helpful post.

The new seed grown plans are doing well so hopefully my fruits will be pleantyful and hot 🙂

Also you can freeze them and use them whenever you like then.

You can chop the chillies that are ready up and keep the chopped ones in a jar with white wine vinegar, just add the amount you want to pan and the vinegar cooks off.

I've gone a bit mad this year with Jalapeno, red and yellow pepper plants. Have grown them all from seed and now have a greenhouse full, need to get shot of most of them 🙂

Like others have said easy to grow.

If you shop around for seeds you can get interesting stuff that can be more useful for cooking than you find in the shops.

I grew a nice mild variety of Habanero - usually they're sufficiently hot that you wouldn't just throw one in the pan with whatever you're cooking, you'd need to turn them into a sauce or salsa. But the mild version still has the habanero flavour without requiring so much care with dosage. Pretty too - the fruits either turned yellow or purple on their way from green to red.

The only tricky bit with chillis from seed is getting them to germinate - they need an extended period with an ambient temp consistently above 20 -25 degrees to think its mexican spring time. In a 200 year old stone built house with floor to ceiling single glazed windows, at altitude, in scotland, thats not easy - but once they've germinated they're dead easy to grown and give you ample warning if they are suffering from being either over or under watered and rally quickly when you rectify it.

Whatever you do, don't have it on the windowsill and open the window on a breezy day. Killed my Waitrose plant instantly!

I've grown from seeds (Simpson's seeds I bought from as recommended on here a while ago) and my kitchen windowsill has about 20 40cm high chilli plants growing on it. They're still too immature to grow chillis, but I'm suspecting a bumper crop on it's way sometime in the summer! Either that or just 2 mtr high skinny things with big leaves clogging up the place.

(Got them to germinate by keeping in the airing cupboard. 2 trays, 1 germinated completely, the other spawned zero. No idea why.)

Oh yeah - the chillis are called wrecking ball and (I think) bishop's hat. Should be interesting!

Growing some Apaches (nice amount of heat) from last years seed, started them off in Feb but didn't repot the into a big pot (12" diameter - found a video suggesting this was a perfect size, getting no bigger if planet directly in the ground) until last month, as it was still too cold out for them and I couldn't have that big a pot in the house. They're growing fruit already but haven't reached the size they normally do in these pots.. so not sure what going to happen. Still got crap loads of frozen/dried chilli's from last years so hardly worried though. They are an easy plant to grow, though we have a greenhouse that catchs the sun.

What's the symptoms of being overwatered?

I've got 2 in a mid sized (1.5-2l) pot with an inch of gravel in the bottom, both plants about 50cm high and seem happy, they're in the conservatory so consistently 25-35C in the daytime and I usually feed them a pint of water (enough that the water starts to run out the bottom of the pot and fill the bowl inderneath) a day to keep the soil saturated and plantfood once a week. I kinda assumed that as long as they weren't sat in a puddle of water they wouldn't be overwatered, they certainly drink it all.

I'm not sure supermarkets use plants for more than one season..

You can grow a 1m tall plant covered in chillies within around 16-20 weeks, then yeild drops each subsequent season. Plus, you need to cut the root ball and vegetation right back to encourage new growth. I'd be surprised if thats the route many growers go down rather than just grow fresh from seed/cuttings.
I've not had a chilli plant last more than two crops and I grow most seasons.

For anyone interested, I have a decent seedbank of rare and super hot chilli's. Maybe start up an exchange?

Ach, I have a batch of seeds I'd completely forgotten about (possibly ghost pepper, I can't actually remember). I suppose it's too late in the year to be planting them now?

Plant em, they'll be fine. They like warmth and stillnes

..s.
[i]
I usually feed them a pint of water[/i]

Mine just get the dregs from the bottom of my commute water bottle. Pint a day sounds a lot!

Cheers.

I've never done anything like this before. Is it just a case of wedging them in some soil? (Yeah, I should just google it, I know.)

Ach, I have a batch of seeds I'd completely forgotten about (possibly ghost pepper, I can't actually remember). I suppose it's too late in the year to be planting them now?

[i]Is it just a case of wedging them in some soil?[/i]

Google's rubbish, I tell thee.

Mine went in a propagating tray, on thin layer of compost and compost sprinkled over em and water in the tray underneath. They get long thin roots that reach down to the water, so you have to keep it topped up. (Amazing, I let mine dry out and they looked dead, I added water and they stood back up again!)
Then you repot when the leaves start to show, before the roots get too long.

Do they have to be grown indoors if you have no greenhouse

Do they have to be grown indoors if you have no greenhouse

They need to be germinated indoors, then you can move them outdoors when the weather cheers up. They don't like the cold - freezing is obviously a no-no, but it doesn't need to get that cold for them to suffer.

My wife planted 1000 Carolina reapers and ghost peppers.

100 germinated 50 grew,.we killed 42 and are.left with 8 fungus ridden plants.

I've.fot another 2000plus to plant, what are we doing wrong

My wife planted 1000 Carolina reapers and ghost peppers.

100 germinated 50 grew,.we killed 42 and are.left with 8 fungus ridden plants.

I've.fot another 2000plus to plant, what are we doing wrong

I bought a bunch from a grower/ seller, including some super hot (reaper, ghost, etc). From what he said, it sounds like the hotter the chili, the more difficult it is to get it to germinate. Not only do they take longer to germinate, but also they're more picky about how wet/ dry the soil is - too wet and they get overrun with fungus and don't germinate; too dry and they just don't germinate.
So I'd say it sounds like the soil is too wet for them.

^ bloody monsoons for you

Back in February, I planted mine in some of those dried peat pellets, transfered to fibre pots when the roots started showing, kept in a propogator (I let them dry out a bit when mould started appearing). Then 3 inch pots, to be able to keep them in the house longer as it was still cold out, then finally they moved to 12" pots in the green house. All started from a very dried out pepper, I'd air dried last year, as I'd been let down by the heat of mail order seeds. I water them every day (green house is in a very sunny spot), but won't let them sit with water in the dish & do intermittently let the peat dry out a bit

Bump!
Chillis like green bollocks are appearing on my plant... how do I know when they is ready to pick??

[img] http://tinyurl.com/sflo52y [/img]

Probably be when they turn red, which will be a while off yet judging by their size and greeness. Give it 8 weeks (guessing).

Dez B - is your plant getting enough light? It looks a bit leggy.

looks just fine, they look good man, let them be for a bit longer though, wait for a colour change, do you know what type of chilli it is? Scotch Bonnet maybe?

It looks a bit like this, lobes in stead of one long fruit.

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not this

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Leggy? I tell you, they are so damn tall! Is that why, cos not enough light?
They're in the lightest place they can be, not a lot of choice really!
Still, chillis are appearing so I'm happy with em.

They're either friar's hat or wrecking ball, depending which packet they came out of. Wrecking ball, I'd guess by the look of em.

Top tip:

Use a cotton bud to pollinate flowers. Keep one or two by the plants and dampen slightly with water from the pot dish/saucer/tray. Move from flower to flower, then back to where you started. It really does work and will increase your yield. Every flower should produce a chilli

Note, the dish/saucer/tray wasn't always full of water I used to do this just after watering.

Look like bishop's hat to me:

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Great for peri peri chicken.

Great to add to pickle onions too.

5 different variety of plants this year.

How do you string them to dry? Airing cupboard or pantry??

Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of white fly? I have tried some generic insecticide stuff which has done nothing. I have tried very diluted washing up liquid. I have also tried moving the plants outside in the hope the white fly would be blown away or eaten but still they persist.

I found that covering the soil with a half inch of sand helped a bit to control them, but you need something that will kill them off as well. General insecticide should work, but so should soapy water.

Last year I tried growing my Chillis in the conservatory. The white fly absolutely decimated them. Tried spraying with soapy water, leaving outside on nice days. Nothing apart from manually removing them helped.

My chillis this year are back outside in one of those cheapo frames with a plastic cover type greenhouse thing and the white fly is minimal.

Move from flower to flower, then back to where you started. It really does work and will increase your yield.

You're only doing it properly if you say 'buzzy buzz buzz, buzzy buzz buzz' as you tickle each flower.

You're only doing it properly if you say 'buzzy buzz buzz, buzzy buzz buzz' as you tickle each flower.

Glad to know I'm doing it right 😀

Ok chilli growers. My plans are loaded with fruit so they need picking.
Do you cut stem or pick the fruit ?

No photo?

our Cayenne are finally turning colour
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but the Scotch bonnets are still way off ready to pick
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A month on and my friar's hats are still not changing colour!
[img] http://tinyurl.com/yb9e9h9q [/img]

meanwhile up in the North I have some flowers on some of the chilli plants!

Mine are laden, loads of pods, plenty of flowers, bushier than David Bellemy wrestling Brian Blessed in a rhododendron.

Can't believe how different a shape my plants are from CheesyBeanZ's

I forgot to report mine so it's a poor crop. 😳

Can't believe how different a shape my plants are from CheesyBeanZ's

My other SB is a single stem with a wide canopy type top not short n bushy like the one in the pic .

bushier than David Bellemy wrestling Brian Blessed in a rhododendron.

😆 😆

I forgot to report mine so it's a poor crop.

Just click the link underneath, mate.

Cut the stem or snap them off where the stalk joins the plant

Do you cut stem or pick the fruit ?

Scissors or secateurs wearing nitrile gloves and bolle safety glasses .
😉

I planted some seeds & am STILL waiting for them to germinate!

Happy to report I have 1 chilli (out of approx 30) that is showing signs of redness 🙂 It's a big 'ol friar's hat so should be interesting!

I've got a good number of ripening fruits on my plants now...

I was excited about my little ripe Komodo Dragon fruit. Despite it being waaay smaller than the other dragon fruits it was the only one that was red so I thought I'd pop it in and give it a munch...

Which was a very silly thing to do. I knew these were supposed to be pretty hot but had forgotten just what I was letting myself in for. Remember that this thing was only the size of my thumb-nail where most of the other unripe Dragons are around 3cm long, I'm bloody glad it wasn't one of the bigg'uns that I tried. Immediate, instant burning, eyes watering, an explosion of full-on heat and regret. I'd only bitten the main fruit off its stem and not started to munch on it properly and was already aboard the pain train, direct to Infernoville. Anyway, like a trooper I continued to chow down, giving it a chomping like a cut scene from Born Free. Which didn't improve things. Within seconds I'd had to rethink my strategy, I lunged for the fridge, milk gave slight respite, as did noshing off a Tiger loaf.

Eventually the heat died away, strangely there was no burn in my throat or stomach, all concentrated in the mouth, which was nice... Anyway, the Komodo Dragon very much fulfills requirements, heat, taste (similar to a scorpion, but less overwhelming) abundant fruit and very easy to grow.

Anyway, there you go, I've got a good crop of Dragons, Scotch Bonnets and Cayenne on the way, I'll not be guzzling Komodo Dragons again any time soon.

@giantalkali.. LOL! That reminds me of a mate at work who'd do almost anything for a bet (he once ate an Oxo cubed sized piece of prison soap in front of C wing staff, just for a bet)
Another staff member had some 'Dave's Insanity Sauce' & said to Richie, 'here Rich, try a tiny bit of this', so Richie said, 'naa, give me 1/2 a teaspoonfull' (tiny plastic spoon).
Richie knocked it back alright but was ill for 3 days.

Richie's crazy!

Get a load of my low hanging fruit! The shape of that top Scotch Bonnet is bloody awesome, though the couple below are less classically shaped they are at least ripening nicely.

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How are the rest of you doing? Updates goddamit!

A couple of scotch bonnets picked last week

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A selection, Hungarian on the left, Scotch bonnet And a Komodo dragon

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Chili products coming soon...

I've eaten most of mine! They're not very spicy though, so next year's batch need to be selected by flavour.

Didn't get any planted this year. Will sort some seeds soon to sew after Christmas.
Thinking some variety of Habanero again (Chocolate Habs were ace), and definitely want some Lemon Drop chillis. Nice lemony flavour, not too lethal. Think I have some Jalapeno seeds that really need using up.

Some funky looking peppers up there.

DezB, to get more hotter chillis, use poor quality sandy soil and don't water them much. Putting them under pressure concentrates the flavour

Interesting! Cheers. Mine were definitely over-cared-for, the big fairies. 🙂

I grew 4 x finger chillies (disappointingly not very hot as they were meant for Indian cooking) and 4 x jalapeños. Weirdly the jalapeños haven't fruited whilst the fingers did - they were planted together (grown from seed back in Feb/Mar) and sat next to each other in identical grow bags and looked after the same so I am struggling to understand what happened – there are a few flowers now appearing but I doubt it's going to be hot or sunny enough to make them do anything?

Short bushy scotch bonnet has produced loads of good hot fruity chillies
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Cayenne has produced loads of hot hot chillies
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Tall scotch bonnet just starting to colour up , not tried any yet .
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Only used rain water and fed with tomato food once a week , much better crop than last year .

Colouring up nicely this week .

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Last pick over of the season for me , hows everyone else's doing ?

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CheesybeanZ - Member
Last pick over of the season for me , hows everyone else's doing ?

Do you eat hot food everyday? 😛

You should sell them or barter trade them with something else.

As a kid my mum use to grow plenty kinds of chilies in the far east to supplement our income. Sold very well as we eat chilies everyday in the far east.
😛

I had a great crop overall, so far I have made about 20 bottles of Komodo dragon fired apple and chilli sauce that all sold to colleagues, proceeds to cancer research. I'm gonna start on a new batch tomorrow using cayenne and scotch bonnets. There's still a good number of Dragons left so I'll whip up a final batch of epic heat proportions at some point.

I also selected just the greenest peppers to make a special edition sauce. It looks like pond water but has a good kick, not too much crazy heat, nice drizzled across a fajita.

I love to drizzle my special sauce over a fajita.

Do you eat hot food everyday?

Pretty much eat chillies in one form or another most days .
I make quite a lot of chilli jam/ pickles , about to do a Christmas one to sell on a friends farm shop stall .

The cayenne had the best crop and is still flowering !

Got a decent crop from a superchilli and a masquerade on the window sill. Made some Jam based on this http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8257/sweet-chilli-jam but with more chilli which turned out well.

giantalkali willing to share the apple and Chilli sauce recipe? Got a good mix of seeds I plan on growing next year and interested in recipes that would go well with habeneros and scotch bonnets etc.