Chillies - growing and overwintering 2018

[darraghb]

darraghb - Those plants look fantastic! Well done
What is the pot to the left in your last photo? The plant is quite flat looking; have you recently pruned it or is that the natural shape?

Hi Philthy. It the exact same as the one beside it. Bhut Jalokia. I started them early. 1st of January I think, in a heated propagator and kept them inside until May. They were tiny up until recently so I never took the chance of cutting them back or pruning. I wasn't really expected much as I tried them last year as well and got no pods so pleasantly surprised.

[Mitzi]

Made my first powder last night! Well, that's not strictly true, I've done a cayenne powder by air-drying the pods then hand grinding with pestle & mortar previously. Too much like hard work.

This time I've used my dehydrator for the first time ever, then ground in a coffee grinder that I've had for years but only just rediscovered since moving house. Yellow scotch bonnets. I dried some from fresh and some straight from the freezer. Halved them and removed the seeds first. Expected the fresh ones to dry quickest but it was actually the frozen ones - they seemed to give up the water more readily.

Had a tiny taste - seems like good stuff. Now I don't know how to store it. I don't have lovely jars like SP so what should I put it in? The little baggies I use for seeds aren't specifically food grade.

[Scarlet]

A sterilised screw top jam jar would be OK? Just wash it in the dishwasher.

[Mitzi]

A sterilised screw top jam jar would be OK? Just wash it in the dishwasher.

I'm hoping to make single-variety powders and I won't have enough pods to make large quantities of each, so jam jars would be a bit large / optimistic!

Hubby suggested these, which look really pretty (ideal if I can bring myself to give any away):

https://www.therange.co.uk/cooking-a...ass-spice-jar/

Or if I can make 16 different varieties (again, rather optimistic!):

https://www.therange.co.uk/cooking-a...ce-rack#467106

[Scarlet]

I use the tiny jam/honey jars - the ones you can get with clotted cream teas/breakfast in a hotel? ....perhaps it’s only me that has a garage full of jars

[Scarlet]

You can get apothecary jars on @mazon, or small jars like these would work?
https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-tw...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Mitzi]

I use the tiny jam/honey jars - the ones you can get with clotted cream teas/breakfast in a hotel? ....perhaps it’s only me that has a garage full of jars

I did say to my other half that those would be perfect, only I don't have any! SP's jars look a bit like those.

[Scarlet]

These are lovely!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/40140381604...3D401403816048

Only 2inch high!

[Small pumpkin]

I use these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/45ml-Mini...r=501944570867

[4Shoes]

Started a thread on plants stopped growing today. Then discovered that I had 2 bush tomatoes with blight in one corner of the polytunnel. Can't see any issues with chilli and sweet peppers at the moment.

Are they likely to get infected? Got about 60 plants and if risk, would sacrifice tomatoes to reduce



advice please


Link to other thread.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ing_97572.html

[4Shoes]

How much chilli feed is everyone going through?
Just interested really. Don't care if you using proper chilli feed or tomato feed, home made what ever it is.
Just interested in quantity.
I'm needing to order more soon. I've got about enough left for 1 maybe 1 and a bit feeds. That will be the end of 10lt

When do you stop feeding?

Leaves starting to fall from Scotch bonnet, Aji Pineapple and a few others. Pods just turning. Still feed or reduce water to help them along?

[Small pumpkin]

Usually don't stop feeding till end Sep to mid October. Depends on temps and what the plants are doing.
I don't usually water often any way. I only upped the watering this summer because we actually had a summer. Back to normal now water once a week (maybe twice), feed once a week.

[Philthy]

^^ Ditto. As long as the plants are still growing i.e. pushing out flowers and new shoots / leaves, I maintain feeding, which for me is a once a week soluble feed, and top up of BFB in the pot surface soil every 4-5 weeks during high summer, maybe longer if it stayed hot. I wouldn't feed excessively beyond mid September as I'd expect the plants to naturally begin winding down by October.

[4Shoes]

Philthy / SP -
Only flowers I've got are on the Red Scotch Bonnet and the Aji Pineapple. They are also the 2 varieties with yellowing of leaves. Seem to remember that Scotch Bonnet yellowed leaves last year, but I put that down to me not being here most of the time.

All other plants look healthy - They are all C. annuum.

It was a little hot last week. I was away and temperature hit 55C over weekend of 5th August. so temperatures look to be ok. There was a cold snap overnight this last weekend

.

Will see out the open bottle of feed and take it from there. Also have seaweed open so can be a back stop if they are still growing.

Thanks for advice.

[Philthy]

I was away and temperature hit 55C over weekend of 5th August. so temperatures look to be ok

That is VERY hot 4Shoes!
But you say everything else besides these two looks to be doing well, so hopefully no real harm done. Probably a good idea to get some additional ventilation going if you can to safeguard against future temperature spikes; from my own experience I've found hot is desirable but too hot say with temperature above mid 30C can affect flowering and fruit set. Excessive heat also causes wilting and twisting in the short-term but plants usually recover from this over night.

Leaf drop is most commonly a symptom of over watering. If you're anticipating hot weather it's fine to top up trays and saucers in the morning to prevent drying out later in the day, if you can't be there in person to monitor. Ideally though it'd be a measured amount that you know would be absorbed as needed and not left still standing in the tray going into evening. Tip out any excess.

Leaf drop also occurs as a reaction to big temperature fluctuations in relatively short periods of time e.g. oven one weekend, fridge the next. Best you can do in that regard is keep an eye on the local weather reports; ventilate during the day as much as possible when it's hot, and also overnight so that the early morning sun takes longer to be felt, but close up those same vents at night when the mercury is predicted to fall away. When it's cool in the day watering needs to be eased right back on.

Without seeing the current setup it's difficult to offer much more than that but maybe it helps