Chillies - growing and overwintering 2017

[the big lebowski]

looking good maverick ,from what i have heard the stockier the better if you wernt using enough light the plants would be thin and leggy ,i think you should keep what your doing and give yourself a pat on the back for growing them ,cheers

[Mitzi]

I've already bagged some Sugar Rush flower buds in the attempt to prevent cross-pollination. Fingers crossed that they set pods!



For some reason I can't get the image to stand up instead of being sideways. It looks right in Photobucket.

[Mitzi]

Anyone given their young chillies the chop yet? I've got three 'Ring of Fire' that are about 8" tall, all have split into three stems at the top so I'm wondering if trimming/topping is necessary?

I've topped some of mine when they seemed to be going straight up without branching or flowering. I've also topped some which started flowering (and branching at the top, but not further down the stem) before I thought they were ready for it. I'm guessing yours are splitting at the top because they are starting to flower? So you just need to decide, are the plants big and strong enough to support fruit? If yes then I'd probably leave them to do their own thing. If not then you can decide either to top the plant to encourage more side shoots to grow from lower down, or just remove the flowers and/or any fruit which forms.

I did have one plant which split naturally at a very early seedling stage (about 2nd pair of true leaves) into two stems. I've left that one alone since and now one of the stems is forming flower buds but the other one isn't. Weird.

[Mitzi]

These of my superhots they have been growing under lights.

I find that because my lights are so bright they seem to grow squat and bushy, almost a bit stunted, I think next year ill halve the amount of tubes on

They look pretty good to me. They will soon start to stretch up, I'm sure.

[burnie]

No Jalepenos and no Lemon Drops, given up for this year, I need the space in the propagator. I've got 4 weeds(Cayennes) and a couple of sweet peppers to practice on and see if I can first get a crop and then maybe over winter.

[Ladyslip]

These of my superhots they have been growing under lights.

I find that because my lights are so bright they seem to grow squat and bushy, almost a bit stunted, I think next year ill halve the amount of tubes on

They look fantastically well....I'd say a decent root system abounds there......they'll make up super quick with the warmer longer days 😀

[Small pumpkin]

As everyone else has said, Maverick stop stressing ! your chillies are looking stunning.

[bario1]

I've topped some of mine when they seemed to be going straight up without branching or flowering. I've also topped some which started flowering (and branching at the top, but not further down the stem) before I thought they were ready for it. I'm guessing yours are splitting at the top because they are starting to flower? So you just need to decide, are the plants big and strong enough to support fruit? If yes then I'd probably leave them to do their own thing. If not then you can decide either to top the plant to encourage more side shoots to grow from lower down, or just remove the flowers and/or any fruit which forms.

I did have one plant which split naturally at a very early seedling stage (about 2nd pair of true leaves) into two stems. I've left that one alone since and now one of the stems is forming flower buds but the other one isn't. Weird.

As the three plants are almost identical, I might top one, trim one and leave one, to see which works best... but they really need repotting, should I do that first and let them settle again before I stress them? Or do it now and wait a while before potting on?

[the big lebowski]

i have topped some of mine mainly the larger leafed types (not sure on the types as i mixed up the lables but i think they are the super hots ) and they are really bulking up well ,if in doubt just do the odd one or two and see how you get on ,cheers

p.s mitzi how tall is the plant in your pic ? looks great

[Mitzi]

mitzi how tall is the plant in your pic ? looks great

Probably getting on for a foot and a half; not exactly sure. Bit more than a foot?

[Mitzi]

What does anyone think about this Growbag Greenhouse for chillies?

Gardman Growbag Growhouse | Charlies Direct

It seems to have some kind of wire mesh base to it so hopefully wouldn't just blow away. I would be using pots rather than grow bags.

Would it be any good?

[JusPotterinTim]

What does anyone think about this Growbag Greenhouse for chillies?

Gardman Growbag Growhouse | Charlies Direct

It seems to have some kind of wire mesh base to it so hopefully wouldn't just blow away. I would be using pots rather than grow bags.

Would it be any good?

I've got what looks to be the same model - same dimensions and looks the same. Mine definitely needed securing, I cable-tied it to a fence, and it's withstood 60-70mph winds no problem. It didn't come with any wire mesh base.

Some things I would recommend:

- Reinforce all the seams. I used a roll of clear reinforcement tape, this one: Extra Strong Polytunnel / Greenhouse Repair Tape | Polythene | Clear 38mm x 20m | eBay, and also stapled all the way along the sides of the zips, using a basic paper stapler. If you make holes for a rope or similar for securing the growhouse, reinforce around these too using the tape.

- The roof needs something to raise it to stop water pooling on it and it sagging. I have used bent coat hangers clippped over the frame to raise the roof into an arch, and covered these with bubble wrap to stop the metal chafing through the cover.

- I also made a 'skirt' from gaffa tape, this makes the growhouse almost airtight and stops cooling draughts. As I've got the tube heaters it helps to stop their heat being wasted.

If you spend a couple of hours tweaking the growhouse in this way it should be a decent piece of kit. As delivered it will blow away, probably tear, and the zip might come apart, based on my experience with similar growhouses previously.

Here's a picture of mine in all its glory, after fettling it, furnished with a grow rack, tube heaters, and some plants of course:

[Mitzi]

Great advice, Tim. Thanks very much.

[mic]

I have 1 Carolina Reaper came thru the soil yesterday, anticipating another any time now. Or seed didn't progress.

On another note, saw this jam today in a shop... anyone make jam with theirs at home?!

[Rosemary7391]

Those look different to what my mother makes - she used to make apple jelly flavoured with dried chilli flakes. Very nice it was too!

My peppers and chillis died - I think they weren't happy with the temperature changes on the windowsill and then I forgot to water them... Take two is now hopefully germinating - hopefully it isn't too late. The previous lot hadn't grown very much anyway.