Some questions about aji / baccatum chillies

[Mitzi]

1. I fancy growing some baccatum chillies e.g. aji lemon drop (it sounds lovely) and possibly others, but I've read somewhere that they make large ungainly plants and I will be growing on the windowsill. Does this apply to all baccatums (e.g. bishops crown, brazilian starfish) or are some more compact than others? Any that you can recommend for windowsill growing? Or any hardy enough for outdoors with no protection in the Pennines?

2. Has anyone here tried the Sugar Rush ajis? Do you know where I could get seeds?

3. Do baccatums prefer high humidity or a dry atmosphere? As a sweeping generalisation it seems that chinenses like high humidity and annuums prefer a drier climate, so I’m going to try to get a different microclimate in different rooms. Which room should the baccatum go in?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Chris11]

Baccatums generally will be large plants and not ideally suited for indoor growing.

You could try and limit the plants by pruning to encourage more compact bushiness, but yields will probably be down compared to growing in more space, or compared to a more naturally compact variety.

I've grown the Bishop's Hat, and you can see where I've pruned them to limit the height to about 2ft. They definitely would have grown bigger.

[sparrow100]

I've grown both Lemon Drop and Trepadeira Werner and their size can be controlled by the pot size to an extent. You won't have as many chiliies if you prune the plant, or keep it in a small pot, but it is possible to grow them indoors if you really want to. The plants seem to bush out from the base. To manage them a bit further you can use canes as supports and tie the main branches to these, encouraging growth upwards rather than outwards.

[Zelenina]

Aji Omnicolor is the most compact one I've grown. I have some in quite small pots that were outside until recently but are now on my windowsill. They have bushed out nicely at the top and are still developing new fruits. Lemon drop is bigger and less neat, but not huge. It tends to spread out sideways rather than growing tall. Mine were outdoors in the ground, but they could do well in flower buckets. Aji Crystal is another smaller type and worth trying too. Bishop's Hat, Peppadew, Dedo di Mocha and Brazilian Starfish grew much taller and rangier. They are all easy to overwinter.

[vixylix]

My lemon drop has done well outside in yorkshire (in an abysmal summer) - but it is a large plant, not impossible for a windowsill, but possibly ungainly. If you've got enough seeds / space you could always try one outside?

[Scarlet]

I wouldn't grow a lemon drop inside. They can be huge, in the GH they can easily get to 4/5ft and if you train outwards that's a big plant. Remember when they are grown indoors with the lack of light and constant warmth (compared to outside/GH growing) they can become leggy.
I would try outside against a warm sunny windowsil. They overwinter really well so the second year you'll get a much bigger crop if you are willing to wait. Mine is in a big pot, cut back hard to get it to fit on my windowsil for overwintering, depends how big your windowsils are?

Even chopped down it fills the window ledge...
You can restrict its growth by keeping it in a small pot but personally I'd look for a smaller variety of chilli rather than have to keep cutting back a plant to make it fit.

[Mitzi]

Thanks for all the advice. Sounds best to try them outside (in pots) against a south facing wall and hope for a hot, sunny summer. I've just received some omnicolor seeds so I could try that indoors.

[Chris11]

Have grown two C. baccatums this year.

Aji Pineapple and Bishops Hat.

Very happy with both of them

[Mitzi]

I forgot I'd posted this!

In the end I grew four types of baccatum:

Aji Melocoton - I've had hardly any pods from these plants (two, both outdoors in pots.) One plant is forming lots of tiny pods now but it's far too late for them to ripen. The other plant has just a few larger pods which are just ripening. Plants are quite tall and lanky.

Aji Pineapple - main plant outside has lots of pods but they are only just ripening now. I've had a few pods already but whether I get more depends on the weather. I tried to grow one inside but it really wasn't feasible, the plant grew too big and toppled off the windowsill, it seemed to be an aphid magnet, so that one ended up outside too but lost most of its leaves due to aphids so I cut it hard back, it's regrowing well but no pods. If it survives the winter maybe it will crop next year.

Sugar Rush Peach has been fantastic. Not as leggy as the previous two and heavy cropping. All three plants had an initial crop when they were indoors in pop bottles on windowsills. The one which got potted up first (now outdoors) is dripping with pods which are ripening now. The other outdoor one has a smaller crop, but was potted up much later. A third plant which remained indoors in its pop bottle doesn't look particularly healthy but has still produced pods, which are ripening now - once I've picked them, it will go in the bin.

Aji Omnicolor - an absolute superstar. If these don't survive the winter then I will definitely grow it from seed again next year. One plant I took to work and it was widely admired as it has a very attractive spreading shape with creamy coloured "candles" all over the canopy which eventually turn red. It grew and cropped relatively happily indoors. Other two plants (both outdoors) are very productive, I've had quite a lot of pods already and more are ripening now. Pods are quite small, but juicy with quite a kick. I know some people eat these raw / whole, but they are too hot for me to eat like that (I haven't managed to get my heat tolerance up very well.) They are very usable in cooking.

[Mitzi]

Oh and in summary, I think they have all done better out of doors than indoors, even though I don't have a greenhouse / polytunnel and most grew too tall for the blowaway mini greenhouse. We had an absolutely lousy summer here in W Yorks and presumably they would do better in a warmer, sunnier summer.

[Chris11]

My dedo des mochas still haven't ripened yet but seem perfectly happy. Still haven't got round to bringing inside but quite mild still here.

Guessing you mean Dedo de Moca? How would you rate/compare it to the more commonly grown Lemon Drop?

[Chris11]

Mitzi, interesting that your baccatums did better outdoors. I only had a couple of plants so kept them in the greenhouse. Had a C. pubescens outdoors, and it didn't do as well as the one in the greenhouse, but it wasn't a fair comparison in other ways and can't base a judgement on so few plants.

Will probably grow more baccatums/pubescens next year, and keep at least some of them outdoors as an experiment perhaps.

Have left some Aji Pineapple pods on the plant as long as possible for maximum ripeness and seed viability. They've further ripened/matured from a golden rich buttery yellow to a creamy white.

[Mitzi]

Mitzi, interesting that your baccatums did better outdoors. I only had a couple of plants so kept them in the greenhouse. Had a C. pubescens outdoors, and it didn't do as well as the one in the greenhouse, but it wasn't a fair comparison in other ways and can't base a judgement on so few plants.

I don't have a greenhouse, though, so I'm comparing outdoor plants with houseplants. Your greenhouse plants will get more light than my indoor plants and most likely better air circulation and more room too.

Have left some Aji Pineapple pods on the plant as long as possible for maximum ripeness and seed viability. They've further ripened/matured from a golden rich buttery yellow to a creamy white.

That's really interesting. I've picked mine as soon as they've turned yellow and I haven't saved any seeds from them. Has the taste changed?