Hi Katemac, I'm growing those two varieties from the free seeds this year too. Do you 'top' your chilli plants? I started doing that a couple of years ago after seeing The Mother Cooker on instagram do it and it's made a huge difference. If you haven't done it it’s probably too late now but I would definitely recommend trying it next year. hi Maria - top, do you mean pinch out?
Yes, do you already do that? I do it when the plants are still very young. My plants went from having very few buds to being covered in them doing it that way. I just need to find a way of stopping the slugs getting to them!
I do have chilies procured from online. Habanero Chocolate Hot Pepper, Yellow Carolina Reaper and Purple Hot Capsicum. However sowing them all together from different seedling trays with growing medium soil composed of 1 part peat moss, 1 part Carbonized rice hulls, 1 part vermicast and 1 part cow manure. After 10 days, the purple Hot Capsicum had sprouted. However, it wasn't bushy and really weak. to save them, I transferred them to the respective pots. but as soon as they reached the vegetative stage, a fungal attack had spread to all of them. They call it "espetus blight disease". Where the burning part is from its new leaves going down to the stem. I didn't have a choice but to uproot and burn them so it won't infect other plants. sad and tragic experience with beautiful varieties of chilies. So if this thread had posts from experts, I really need a hand growing those chilies purchased from amazon.
I really don't have a Good backyard. But used my balcony as container Gardening place. No stopping from my passion.
I've no idea where you got the idea for such a strange mix of compost - especially something containing cow manure for seedlings, it's just too strong for them.
Just get a bag of ordinary multi purpose compost and use that. It will contain enough nutrients for about 6 weeks, so don't feed them at all at this stage. If you want to improve it a bit, add about 20% by volume of John Innes No2 to give more substance to it and about 15% perlite to improve drainage.
As your plants grow you can continue to use the same mix for repotting as they grow. No fertilizers are needed until the first flowers form. Then use a high-potash feed (e.g. a tomato feed) weekly. They don't like wet roots especially overnight, so ideally water in the mornings and only when the compost feels a bit dry. They need lots of sun and heat to do well.
Some of your varieties may be more difficult than others as they may take a very long time to ripen so sowing seed early is key to success. I sow mine in mid-late Feb in a heated propagator. Sowing earlier would likely need a grow light. I've found some of the easiest to grow are Apache, Jalapeno, Superchilli, Hot Wax (there are several varieties), Scotch Bonnet.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Not grown them this year, just kept x3 over winter. Those were grown as @Pete.8 peat free compost + perlite around 15% perhaps a little more. I don't trust bought stuff too much so added a pinch of John Innes base (no idea if it does any good, but it didn't kill them. Poinsettia
& Basket of fire (BOF), seeds from Amazon planted last week in March in doors of sunny windowsill, first fruit was picked red 26Aug22 and still getting loads from both types. Prior to that (pre 2022) I bought "Medina" plants from a well known seed company, expensive, okay plants and turned out very successful chillies (hot enough for our taste).
Yorkshire, ex Italy and North East coast. Growing too old for it!
I've no idea where you got the idea for such a strange mix of compost - especially something containing cow manure for seedlings, it's just too strong for them.
Just get a bag of ordinary multi purpose compost and use that. It will contain enough nutrients for about 6 weeks, so don't feed them at all at this stage. If you want to improve it a bit, add about 20% by volume of John Innes No2 to give more substance to it and about 15% perlite to improve drainage.
As your plants grow you can continue to use the same mix for repotting as they grow. No fertilizers are needed until the first flowers form. Then use a high-potash feed (e.g. a tomato feed) weekly. They don't like wet roots especially overnight, so ideally water in the mornings and only when the compost feels a bit dry. They need lots of sun and heat to do well.
Some of your varieties may be more difficult than others as they may take a very long time to ripen so sowing seed early is key to success. I sow mine in mid-late Feb in a heated propagator. Sowing earlier would likely need a grow light. I've found some of the easiest to grow are Apache, Jalapeno, Superchilli, Hot Wax (there are several varieties), Scotch Bonnet.
thanks for that wonderful eye opener advice. I was growing Red Capsicum since 2018 with the same mixture and I never had a problem with cow manure added to my growing medium. Its only when a weird blight fungal attack came in this year. and affected all my plants (not only the chilies). But anyway thanks for giving me an idea. maybe I need to evolve in my planting medium. I still have the red chilies survived and blooming again now.
I really don't have a Good backyard. But used my balcony as container Gardening place. No stopping from my passion.
Hi Pete.8... Here is my potting mix (1 part Vermicast, 1 part Carbonized Rice Hulls, 1 part Peat Moss and 1 Part Cow Manure). and the Yellow Carolina Reaper just sprouted. I had no issue on my potting mix. its just that some blight disease attacked my plants. Seeds also purchased from Amazon.
I really don't have a Good backyard. But used my balcony as container Gardening place. No stopping from my passion.
Interesting, but I'm not sure why you make such a complicated mix that may contain all sorts of pathogens. Seeds are best sown in something reasonably sterile to give them the best chance of survival which is why most people would just use bought compost. It's reasonably sterile and designed for the purpose. Chili seeds need no special treatment other than warmth and good light once they've germinated and a free-draining compost that provides the nutrients they need. It's what I've used for the last 30+ years for chillies and I always get way more chillies than I can use. I just use the mix I described above.
Here are a few I picked the other day Jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet
I do add farmyard manure as part of the mix when I put them into their final pots but by then they are sturdy and mature plants.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Well thanks Pete.8! I'm greatly motivated. as chilies are my favorite food spice. especially purple capsicum.
Your experience shows the best practices in gardening. you've been growing multiple times of years compared to my years of experience. Anyhow, my potting mix was from may grand parents generation that was passed on to my Dad (not lots of pathogens, because the manure is totally composted. it has only 1.24% Nitrogen, 0.58% Phosphorus, 1.1% Potassium and I swear I have it tested several times with the Bureau of Soil Research and Testing). So it might seem weird but I just adopted it from them since I was a kid. I finally got my own home last 2015 and I started my own container gardening. It's just so happened this year, I experienced the Blight disease of neither my Grandpa nor my dad is no longer around for me to ask what to do.
I really don't have a Good backyard. But used my balcony as container Gardening place. No stopping from my passion.
I've never tried a purple variety - I may have a go next year. If your grandparents mix works for you then that's great. But there are alternatives.
I've not heard of blight before with chillies, but the usual cause is too much humidity and a lack of airflow. Blight spores are around us all the time throughout the year it's only when weather conditions provide an ideal environment for the spores to develop that problems occur.
There was a website that would send an email if a Hutton Period was forecast (i.e. perfect conditions for blight to take hold). That doesn't seem to be available any longer as the website is now for sale. These sites should give you a bit more info- https://archive.ahdb.org.uk/blightspy https://www.syngenta.co.uk/blightcast
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I’m fascinated to know why people grow chillies other than
to eat them? Although I have to admit some I’ve seen (including those purple
ones here ) are lovely plants and fruit to look at. We devour lots of chillies,
having them with just about every meal, but 2-3 plants are more than enough to
last us all year. With garlic (grow 50-100+) per year and herbs, chillies are
our most important (favoured) crop.
Yorkshire, ex Italy and North East coast. Growing too old for it!
Posts
Just get a bag of ordinary multi purpose compost and use that. It will contain enough nutrients for about 6 weeks, so don't feed them at all at this stage.
If you want to improve it a bit, add about 20% by volume of John Innes No2 to give more substance to it and about 15% perlite to improve drainage.
As your plants grow you can continue to use the same mix for repotting as they grow.
No fertilizers are needed until the first flowers form. Then use a high-potash feed (e.g. a tomato feed) weekly.
They don't like wet roots especially overnight, so ideally water in the mornings and only when the compost feels a bit dry.
They need lots of sun and heat to do well.
Some of your varieties may be more difficult than others as they may take a very long time to ripen so sowing seed early is key to success.
I sow mine in mid-late Feb in a heated propagator. Sowing earlier would likely need a grow light.
I've found some of the easiest to grow are Apache, Jalapeno, Superchilli, Hot Wax (there are several varieties), Scotch Bonnet.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Seeds are best sown in something reasonably sterile to give them the best chance of survival which is why most people would just use bought compost.
It's reasonably sterile and designed for the purpose.
Chili seeds need no special treatment other than warmth and good light once they've germinated and a free-draining compost that provides the nutrients they need.
It's what I've used for the last 30+ years for chillies and I always get way more chillies than I can use.
I just use the mix I described above.
Here are a few I picked the other day
Jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet
I do add farmyard manure as part of the mix when I put them into their final pots but by then they are sturdy and mature plants.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Your experience shows the best practices in gardening. you've been growing multiple times of years compared to my years of experience. Anyhow, my potting mix was from may grand parents generation that was passed on to my Dad (not lots of pathogens, because the manure is totally composted. it has only 1.24% Nitrogen, 0.58% Phosphorus, 1.1% Potassium and I swear I have it tested several times with the Bureau of Soil Research and Testing). So it might seem weird but I just adopted it from them since I was a kid. I finally got my own home last 2015 and I started my own container gardening. It's just so happened this year, I experienced the Blight disease of neither my Grandpa nor my dad is no longer around for me to ask what to do.
If your grandparents mix works for you then that's great. But there are alternatives.
I've not heard of blight before with chillies, but the usual cause is too much humidity and a lack of airflow.
Blight spores are around us all the time throughout the year it's only when weather conditions provide an ideal environment for the spores to develop that problems occur.
There was a website that would send an email if a Hutton Period was forecast (i.e. perfect conditions for blight to take hold).
That doesn't seem to be available any longer as the website is now for sale.
These sites should give you a bit more info-
https://archive.ahdb.org.uk/blightspy
https://www.syngenta.co.uk/blightcast
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I’m fascinated to know why people grow chillies other than to eat them? Although I have to admit some I’ve seen (including those purple ones here ) are lovely plants and fruit to look at. We devour lots of chillies, having them with just about every meal, but 2-3 plants are more than enough to last us all year. With garlic (grow 50-100+) per year and herbs, chillies are our most important (favoured) crop.