Chillies - growing and overwintering 2018

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Had most of mine in a bath of feed today!



Looking good!



Now gunna give em a rest from the lights n start to harden off now the weather is eventually warming!

Now to pot on the "Stragglers"

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Just potted on my Padron as they have grown fast in this last week but were a bit leggy compared to the rest. Prairie Fire still a bit small but onto its third pair of true leaves. Apaches doing good. I've given them all a very weak feed of Chilli Focus.

[4Shoes]

Chris11 Challenge - April Update

Just capturing the pictures and data for the April Blog update. Will update blog next few days.



Some good growth this month. Ordered pots by height. Will pot up over next day or so, and perhaps start feeding next month

Top Picture 4/4/18, Bottom Picture today 21/4/18.
Table shows growth for last month 21/3/18 to 21/4/18

[annie8]

Ooh just found this thread. I tried growing chills last year with limited success, but am trying again this year. Sounds like we have some experienced growers on this thread. The jalapeños grew ok but seemed to run out of time before it got too cold in my greenhouse. Tried white, orange and lemon habaneros and struggled with germination, eventually got 4 to grow and they are still alive. One looks like it had a few buds. Just reading through some of this sounds like a really need to feed them. Haven't been doing that. Will try and work out how to send a picture.

Have planted a few lemon and orange habaneros again this year and they are doing well so far, although growing really slowly. Have got a few into wee pots now and they are enjoying time in the greenhouse during the day. Jalapeños are doing well and growing a bit faster.

[Small pumpkin]

Ooh just found this thread. I tried growing chills last year with limited success, but am trying again this year. Sounds like we have some experienced growers on this thread. The jalapeños grew ok but seemed to run out of time before it got too cold in my greenhouse. Tried white, orange and lemon habaneros and struggled with germination, eventually got 4 to grow and they are still alive. One looks like it had a few buds. Just reading through some of this sounds like a really need to feed them. Haven't been doing that. Will try and work out how to send a picture.

Have planted a few lemon and orange habaneros again this year and they are doing well so far, although growing really slowly. Have got a few into wee pots now and they are enjoying time in the greenhouse during the day. Jalapeños are doing well and growing a bit faster.

Habanero's do grow slower than the jalapeño. It's nothing to worry about. Rule of thumb is the hotter the chilli the slower it grows / a longer season it needs.
That's why some crazy people start sowing hot chilli seeds quite early in the year.

Well done for over wintering your habs from last year. I've not had much luck with over wintering.

You're chillies will really appreciate a feed. Lots of people use chilli focus.

[annie8]

Will order some I think. I grow peppers too. Thanks.

[Small pumpkin]

Your peppers will like chilli focus to

[4Shoes]

I'm also new to the chilli game. I've been using Tomato Food on the over wintered plants, but looking at packet, chilli focus, has "the extra magnesium, sulphur, cobalt and nickel needed by chilli plants"

Chilli Focus NPK 3.1.44, Tomato feed 4.2.6

[darraghb]

Chicken manure pellets seemed to work well for me last year. They do stink though so I wouldn't recommend them until you have potted on and moved your plants outdoors.

All my chillies have gone outside at this stage. Once I potted on I didn't have the room to keep them indoors so they are toughening up outside. Its a fairly sheltered south pacing patio so baring a sudden frost they should be ok. I had hoped to get a greenhouse this year to feed my obsession but not sure if it will happen in the next few months.

[Chris11]

Chilli Focus: I know there are plenty of positive reviews, here and other places, although these reviews are usually only anecdotal. It's rare to see somebody say they fed half their plants chilli focus, half their plants tomato feed, then monitored the results. And if they did, most people don't grow enough plants to make any meaningful comparison when taking into account all the other factors.

Personally, I'd be interested to know more of the science behind Chilli Focus to justify the claims, as it's certainly not obvious from the formulations. I've done a comparison of the NPK+ formulations of Chilli Focus and several widely available tomato feeds, and Chilli Focus is typically 3-4 times the cost, and roughly half the concentration in terms of NPK+, so in effect it's roughly 6-8 times the cost. Obviously if you feel it is a better product, then it might be money well spent, but I'm not yet convinced.

And chilli growers often think their plants need more Magnesium, but the Chilli Focus people don't even list the amount of Magnesium in their formulation.

PDF copy from Chilli Focus of their formula here: Growth Technology Chilli Focus

[Small pumpkin]

I prefer this stuff.



I've only used one bottle of it. I thought it was fantastic stuff.

Unfortunately finding it in the quantities I need or finding someone who will deliver it, is close to impossible.
So I use chilli focus until I find better.

I use nutrigrow in my chilligrow.

[4Shoes]

Perhaps a little Alchemy - Tomato Feed and Epsom Salts is required.

Foliar Feed
Put 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt into 2 cups of water. Mix well. Spray in morning both to both upper and under leaf until dripping monthly

[annie8]

Well have bought some Chilli Focus and put some on my seedlings and last years habaneros today. Since I haven't fed them at all am guessing it'll do them some good. The seedlings from this year are doing quite
well - am putting them in the greenhouse during the day and bringing them back in at night.

[Small pumpkin]

Chillies enjoying a day in the tunnel. All back in Area 51 now.
Looking forward to them being out there permanently and in their big pots.

[Philthy]

Looking good, SP. I've opted to keep mine where they are indoors for time being, even during those few hot days mid April. But then again they're not quite as advanced as yours just yet. It's pretty chilly down here again - imagine it's cooler still where you are though!