Chilli................Survival of the fittest

[Veggiemama]

I sowed my chilli seeds last year on 16/2

I have my propagator in the kitchen all the time. Aftr planting out all seeds that germinated, it has just sat there in the kitchen ever since. I did notice one wee seedling in there, but i had enough and just left it. I noticed it several times throughout the year and over Christmas but thought it will surely die.

On looking today, getting ready for the seed sowing frantic time, there it is, still growing, healthy, although small It only had about 4 leaves when i last looked but now has around 12.

I havent watered it nor looked after it in any way, it has sat there for almost a year, inside the propagator uncared for with no heat, as i had turned it off.

I am amazed, truly amazed. I have no idea what type it is but most probably the Bhutt chocolate as they took ages to germinate.

so, i am off to pot it up and hope it survives me meddling in what it has essentially done all by itself.

I hope i dont kill it after it has survived this long.

Any other survivors out there that have been neglected so badly?

[skeggijon]

Well my OH claims to be neglected, but seems to be thriving

[Jay-ell]

Well Skeggijon, is your OH a little chili?

[Lisasbolt]

You can't let it die now. Care for it like a baby
Take some photos and keep us up to date.

[Veggiemama]

No!!!

I put my greenhouse staging at the backdoor beside the windown balanced on 2 boxes. It was quite safe there (or so i thought). Mr veggiemama and eldest son went to the garden to harvest some parsnips for dinner......opened back door to come in and guess what......the whole staging went flying over.

Trays of compost (thankfully no seeds in yet) and the propagator all over the floor, table and my computer

I have rescued the little guy and put him in a pot. The stem seems fine but it did loose several leaves.

I cant really get cross about it as it was my fault for trying to balance the staging right at the window and back door. ( and trying to balance it on 2 boxes to raise it up to get more light)

silly silly woman

It will definately be getting lots of tlc now

[Bacchus]

As long as the roots didn't lie in the sun for ages it should be fine Those super hots are a bit more "precious" than normal heat ones so it does pay to be quite solicitous to them I find.

[Kristen]

I would, reluctantly, chuck it. The stress it has suffered means it is unlikely to make a good, healthy, productive plant compared to a plant from some fresh-sown seed. Unless you don't have more seed of that variety, or maybe keep it a while (watered and fed!) until you are sure that your this-year crop is growing well.

Or grow it side by side and see how it gets on. An experiment of "one" is a bit of a small sample size to then decide, in future, based on the outcome, but I'd certainly be interested to hear how it gets on - if you have the sapce.

[Valleyman]

As a stocking filler a few years ago I got one of those packet of chili seeds in a mini terracotta pot things. I didn't have a green house and it sat there for the first twelve months, on a cold windowsill, as nothing more than a seedling. Ignored. Completely ignored, apart from the occasional second hand splash as other items were watered.

12 months later i up sized the pot, and watched. Nothing happened on the cold window sill. So it spent another 12 months completely ignored. No attempt to flower. Nothing.

Roll on spring 2014 and I have a two year old plant. By this time no bigger than my fist and quite woody. However, I am now in a new house with a greenhouse. So, thinking this little chilli plant is a dead duck I quickly pot it up again and throw it in the greenhouse to forget.

It's two year sulk ended the moment we gave it a little heat and it's pre-developed root system gave it a boost I could never imagine. The thing just grew and grew into a rather impressive specimen. In a little over four months it had grown into tightly packed bush around 40-50cm in diameter utterly covered in flowers, and subsequently fiery chillis (unknown variety). Looking in the kitchen we still have around 50 chillis air drying on string from that plant... and this is a plant i harvested in September, and I reckon we've used at least 20 chillis in cooking since then.

Chilli plants are tough little buggers that seem to reward you for unorthodox treatment.

[Python15]

Likewise Christmas 2013 my youngest daughter bought me some Habanero pots (they look like coire) so tonight I thought I'd give them a go. Didn't want to tell her they were probably a novelty gift so here's hoping. They're sat on my computer desk as I dont have a propagator and the desk gets nice and warm from the PC.