flowers on chilli plant?

[chilli_grower]

Hi all,

Please see attached pics of a Fatalli chilli plant.

Is that a flower forming?

If so, any ideas how come? They are only 6 weeks old!

What should I do if it is a flower?

Thanks.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, it looks so to me.

Nip off the first flowers, so that the plant is encouraged to put out even more (more flowers = more chillies)

[chilli_grower]

ok, no problem.

But how come it is flowering now?

It is a habanero, and they should take AGES!

I dont get it! Chillies should not flower until May/June????

Thank you

[Two_Sheds]

Plants will flower for a number of reasons, one of them being that the plant is dying or starving, and is trying to reproduce before it dies

[chilli_grower]

hmm, that's it!

This is one of the ones that had 'Edema', recently....

[Two_Sheds]

Mine are in perfect health.



mostly because I haven't sown them yet .

[chilli_grower]

THat sounds good.

Ahh, thats why!!!!

[Two_Sheds]

You've got more seed? Sow some more chillies a bit nearer the start of summertime: the plants will struggle less and be stronger for the extra (natural) light


I don't like growing chillies in the house: they get plastered in greenfly. My overwintered ones haven't started putting out new leaves yet, so the seeds are staying in the packs

[chilli_grower]

Yes, plenty of seeds.

I will sow more as you suggest.

I am very lucky with the lack of greenfly - so far!

My overwintered ones have no greenfly, and have lots of new little leaves on them.

[Spunky]

Chilli grower did you use artificial lights?

[rustylady]

I really don't like the idea of trying to force plants to grow outside their natural seasons. It stresses them too much and causes all sorts of problems.

Sow a LITTLE early by all means, and provide frost protection.

[Two_Sheds]

He's got his Hab this far though, so he wants to keep it alive. He may well decide that early was too early and too much faff, and do it later next year.

CG, where are your chillies going to spend their summer?

[chilli_grower]

Yes agreed, planting very early is a load of hassle.

However, I have a few books on growing chillies, and I have done some googling, and everywhere states that it is best to start Jan/Feb time, providing supplemental lighting is available.

Last year I planted Mid March. And in my opinion that was too late, mainly because of the crap summer we had. Resulting in lots of unripe chillies. And I wanted them ripe.

So, I have lighting available and decided to start early this year. The theory being that they will all ripen up even if we have a rubbish summer again.

I have planted several varieties and they are all doing very well indeed. It was only a few Fatalli plants that seemed not be doing so great.

Most of the plants are now on windowsills, and some of the others are still under lights.

When it gets a bit warmer, they will all go into the conservatory, and then eventually into the greenhouse...

Later sowing would be much easier. But Habaneros take ages to ripen up....

[Two_Sheds]

Habaneros take ages to ripen up....

I ripened all of mine indoors, during October 2012

It was the extra warmth that triggered ripening: they'd sat in the unheated gh all summer being green. Once I moved them onto a south-facing windowsill (light, not sunny, but warmer than the gh), they all turned orange

[chilli_grower]

no south facing windowsills for me!

And my sills can only accommodate 5 inch pots!