Chilli Plants

[The Chili Monster]

Shirlz wrote:

I've got flowers on my chili plants... wooohoooo

8)

[Martin]

me too - got three plants that are looking very healthy! A few white flowers - they seem to love this weather! 8)
Bought three plants at a boot sale a few weeks ago, nicked some of madam's potting compost, and bunged them in 9" pots - sunny windowsill, bit of water, and a spray of some natural organic soap gunk that got rid of whitefly - going like trains!

[Chickpea]

Can you grow chilli plants from seeds saved from a green chilli? Or are the green ones unripe? Is it worth starting them from seed this time of year if you keep them indoors, orwould it be better to save the seed until next spring?

[Cheezy]

Can you grow chilli plants from seeds saved from a green chilli? Or are the green ones unripe? Is it worth starting them from seed this time of year if you keep them indoors, orwould it be better to save the seed until next spring?

I've noticed on some chilli seed packets there are some varieties that need to be planted in September/Oct for the following year.

Perhaps CM can enlighten?.

[Ranter]

My first cherry bomb chilli is ripening, the cayenne & another whose name escapes me are also coming on well. Can't wait to harvest them, my very first home-grown chillis:lol:

Thanks again CM for useful info. I didn't get my plants potted on earlier in the year & was afraid to do it now in case I damaged the developing fruit. I'll add it to my To-Do list.

[The Chili Monster]

Chickpea wrote:

Can you grow chilli plants from seeds saved from a green chilli? Or are the green ones unripe? Is it worth starting them from seed this time of year if you keep them indoors, orwould it be better to save the seed until next spring?

Yes, you can grow seeds from green peppers. It's a myth that red peppers are hotter than green or that ripe chillies are always red in colour.
The Peruvian white and chocolate habaneros are hotter than the golden variety, for example.
Chilli peppers come in a variety of colours, although sometimes this is the result of genetic modification (mostly carried out in New Mexico, where the chilli pepper is the most important crop).
You can grow one this late in the year and overwinter indoors but there's a risk that the plant may become dormant and you may not get a crop until next year.



Cheezy wrote:

I've noticed on some chilli seed packets there are some varieties that need to be planted in September/Oct for the following year.

Quite simply, some types of chilli pepper takes longer to mature than others. For example, the fruit of scotch bonnets and habaneros take up to 120 days to ripen whilst cayennes typically take around 70 days. Jalepenos require 90 days although a "selectively bred" short-growing variey is available that will yield mature peppers after about 70 - 75 days.
In short, if you're into chinenses (Habaneros, etc.) then it makes sense in this country to start them off in about December at the latest.

[Chickpea]

Thanks, Chili Monster.

My dad lives in Ireland and wanted to make a recipe including green chillies, but couldn't get them anywhere (he lives out in the sticks and they have quite conservative tastes). I've posted him some, and suggested he could plant a few seeds so he can have his own green chillies when he needs them.

[Kitty Ballistic]

Just posting a pic of some of my chillies, as they look much prettier now that they've gone red.

[The Chili Monster]

Hi Kitty
they're cayennes.

[Han&Matt]

Hey Chilli fans,
My chilli plant (a jalapeno) survived outside despite occasional attacks and overwheming neighbours (bush tomatoes). I have lots of lovely fruit waiting to go from green to red, but they have all got black/dark patches on them over night - is this a period towards red that they all go through? Have they got a disease? It isn't very attractive but they don't feel rotten - just black. Bizarre - or a disaster?

[The Chili Monster]

My peppers go dark purple when exposed to direct sunlight, which I'm guessing is what is happening to yours. I've eaten them in this condition, and so have some friends, and we're still here. By the time your chillies turn red there's no evidence of purple on the fruit whatsoever. I think it's a natural occurence, since you can buy a purple chilli cultivate - what a rip-off!

[Wormella]

just wanted to say we're getting a 2nd crop out of the remaning pepper plants thats much better then the first.

Naturally we can't move for chillis now!

[Shirley]

My peppers go dark purple when exposed to direct sunlight, which I'm guessing is what is happening to yours. I've eaten them in this condition, and so have some friends, and we're still here. By the time your chillies turn red there's no evidence of purple on the fruit whatsoever. I think it's a natural occurence, since you can buy a purple chilli cultivate - what a rip-off!

Tum ti tum... I bought purple chilli seeds - I've got ONE small chilli growing that is a beautiful dark purple and I was all excited til I read this

Flowers are dropping off rather than setting fruit - got a few flowers on some of the plants but only the one chilli - out of 14 plants

[The Chili Monster]

Hi shirlz,

Sorry. I didn't make it clear that I was referring to the purple jalepeno cultivate. Other chilli cultivates of a purple persuasion (such as the Purple Prince) are meant to go purple when mature. Sorry!

I find that the flower stems need a fair exposure to the sun, otherwise they are weak - that is, turn yellow and fall off. I'm getting this at the mo with my habaneros -it's blowing a gale outside and so I've brought them back in for a few days. A good feed might help, but mostly I think it's down to UV rays.
You could try making a lightbox:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo_no ... php?id=116

[Shirley]

Phew!! Thanks CM.

They are on a bright window ledge but I will try making that lightbox thing anyway - just to be on the safe side. What a cunning plan it is... I've got some foil from chocolate bars etc :) What a great excuse to eat chocolate.