Chilli Seeds...How Long

[Nubber]

I posted on here before I never have successfully grown a single chilli pepper, they usually fall over without putting out any real leaves. well I sowed 30 chilli seeds, and it seems I got 2 which have actually produced some leaves, and they are growing. (planted them at the start of last month) the plant hasn't grown, only the leaves have, how long am I looking at before it becomes a tall and healthy looking plant

[veggiechicken]

Where are you growing them? They need good light and warmth this time of year.

[Nubber]

they got an artificial light and a warm house....they seem to be doing well, im just wondering how long they take to grow into bigger plants ? if that makes sense

[Zelenina]

Hi Nubber. It's good that you've had some success this time. This isn't the usual time of year for sowing chili seeds, so growth is probably going to be very slow through the winter, unless you can provide them with sufficient heat and artificial light. But if you can keep them alive until the spring they could do ok. There isn't a simple answer to how fast they will grow. It depends on what temperature you're growing them at and how much light, water and nutrients they are getting. Peppers generally grow more slowly than tomatoes, and speed of growth also varies with different varieties and species. Can you tell us which ones yours are?

Oh, I see you added some info while I was writing. But I think some of my answer is still relevant.

[Nubber]

I have no idea what chillis they are, i was given seeds and told they are from inside a chilli pepper ha. they are grown indoors under a light, and i have Tomorite, i was told its a good feed for chilli's. i just wondering in general time line, because this is my first time success getting them to put out leaves, and the two which have grown have put out about 5 leaves, and they are growing pretty quick, but i have a slight fear they will grow to big and tip the plant over.

[jackarmy]

Hi Nubber, Zelina has pretty much nailed it there.
The most important factor for them now is light and a temp ideally above 15c.
Most of us amateur chilli growers dont normally kick off until january , what are they ?.
As Zelena mentioned, chillis ( in general) are a pretty slow growing bunch so unless you have a mega light set up your best bet would be to put them on an east/south facing window and keep them warm.
The last thing you want is for them to grow to big so no dont feed
you will have to put them into bigger pots eventually if they survive but for now just try and keep them alive

[Nubber]

I have to ignore the previous comment, I was brought up to always ignore the advice of a jack , never trust a Swansea fan, haha. Ah right, thanks all, to hear they are a slow grower eases my concern. As I said I have never succesfully had a seed sprout and get to the stage where they put out proper leaves. I have no idea what chilli they are from, but they are kept in my house, under a grow light.

[spamvindaloo]

I have no idea what chillis they are, i was given seeds and told they are from inside a chilli pepper ha.....

I'm not sure I'd take the (potential waste of) time unless you have some idea what you are going to get. If the seeds are from a supermarket chilli they may be F1 fruit which might you mean get little or no fruit (but then there's always the possibility you may get something awesome, just not very likely). That being said, probably the most productive chillies I ever grew came from an Asda birdseye chilli.

If you really want to grow then then I think I'd only try one or at most two plants as you might not get any fruit from them. I'd then buy some 'known' seeds from a reliable supplier and sow them next year. I think you'd be very disappointed if you took the time to grow the plants and then you got no fruit...

[jackarmy]

"I have to ignore the previous comment, I was brought up to always ignore the advice of a jack , never trust a Swansea fan, haha."

Ah i see , maybe you should have put South East Wales down as location then id have ignored a Bluebird post .

Anyway, regarding your chillis, if they fail, try again in january/february. cayenne seeds are cheap as chips to buy, easy to grow and hugely productive if grown in a greenhouse or if you have a suntrap outside.