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Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Thursday, 16th June 2011
Just picked up two chilli plants for 20p each- so happy about that- they are about 4 inches tall in small pots at present and suffering with neglect.
Will pot them on when they have perked up- has anybody got any tips for growing these -they will be in a cold greenhouse with the tomatoes.
Thanks
Geoff
I also bought a chilli plant today, 75p 12 inches tall, with flowers, I need a head start as I am new to veg growing.
Any gems of advice please.
A cold greenhouse is fine!
What you will have to be careful of is that they don't become root / pot bound.
I guess you won't know the variety so you will not know its potential height.
At 4" tall I would pot them up into a 5"-6" pot which in most cases is all they will need.
If necessary pot them up to an 8" pot later.
Have a look at this link regarding larger varieties.
Geoff, treat them basically the same as you would your toms. They just take a bit longer in my experience.
Thanks both of you for your replies-all potted up- just need a bit of warm weather!!
Geoff
I bought a chilli plant from B and Q for 2 quid. Its got 6 big chillies on it. I heard a few years ago to be a bit mean to chilli plants.Not so much fertilizer and water up to 4pm each day. I have mine in with the toms so they will get fertilizer regularly. I think it was Gardeners world who made this suggestion. Have a look at Monty Dons advice on chilli growing. I wasn't mean with mine last year and had no chillies at all.
Thanks for that - he repeated on this Friday's GW about the 4pm watershed- I only bought these on a whim as they were dirt cheap but still hoping for something!!
Geoff
Hi Geoff
Chillies like to dry out between waterings, unlike tomatoes and sweet peppers. You can let them go dry enough that they droop their leaves slightly. Also, don't feed too heavy - eg if using Tomorite use 1/2 strength.
Do you know what variety you have? Just out of (possibly morbid!) interest.
Hi Geoff
Chillies like to dry out between waterings, unlike tomatoes and sweet peppers. You can let them go dry enough that they droop their leaves slightly. Also, don't feed too heavy - eg if using Tomorite use 1/2 strength.
Do you know what variety you have? Just out of (possibly morbid!) interest.
Ìý
No- just says chilli pepper - got them from Wilkinsons- whose idea of plant care is to water plants when they are dead- these are now ok - makes me feel like someone who has adopted a sick puppy and nursed it back to health- thanks for the watering tip-aren't there some very nice people on here?
Geoff
Shame you don't have the variety - it'd give some idea just how hot they will turn out to be.
If they're small and wrinkly (like me) may I suggest you keep a glass of milk handy!
Shame you don't have the variety - it'd give some idea just how hot they will turn out to be.
If they're small and wrinkly (like me) may I suggest you keep a glass of milk handy!Ìý
Now I have been very mean to my plant, as instructed, it has produced lots of chillies and one is now turning red.
The leaves are starting to go yellow, what next please.
Let's hope that Geoff's plant has produced plenty otherwise he will really have the sulks.
Kit
Have done a pepper inspection and have some green ones about an inch long-my depression is starting to lift
kate, if they're the lower leaves it's common for them to yellow and fade away.
It is the top leaves that are yellow.
Are they in the ground or pots?
Pots.
Okay. If there's no sign of fungal disease - spots with halos, etc - it could be watering or nutrition. What has your "tough love" regime consisted of in terms of water and food?
I have been really mean just water when it drooped.
That's fine. Water when they need it. The best test is usually to wait to see what happens after the sun goes down. If they're still dropping, water. If they've perked up again, they're fine.
It can be a fine line with pots, though, because with such limited soil, they're totally at your mercy. Plants in the ground have all that soil for the roots to ferret around in for moisture and nutrients.
The plant's obviously healthy because it's producing. It might just be running out of steam, or it might want a bit more water (it can't want less), or it might need a feed with a dedicated tomato fertiliser. Plants in pots lose nutrients via leeching every time you water.
Sometimes these things are trial and error. Has it had any fertiliser recently? If not, next time you water, give it a feed in the recommended dose. See what happens.
Italophile
Thank you for your advice and patience, when I bought it I potted it on in lovely fresh compost, then read the treat them mean comments, so I have not added fertiliser, but I will start to give it a little now.
Thanks again.
Kate
A-ha. It probably needs a feed. A dedicated tomato fertiliser will do the job. Chillies and toms are virtually brothers/sisters in that they're treated in almost exactly the same way.
Now I have 3 red chillies but the rest are staying stubbornly green. They are inside on a window sill(it would be sunny if there was some sun), any advice?
Just be patient, they will ripen. I bring mine in later in the year and always still have chillis ripening at Christmas!
Can you overwinter them indoors? I have one a friend gave me that haven't come to much yet.
Ah I was so interested when I came across this post. I buy loads of Chillies and have been thinking I would have a go at growing them my self (I've had the same idea about garlic) and this thread seems to have all the advice I need once I've started growing so may I just ask.....
When is the best time to start?
Is it best to start from seed on buy already established plants?
Thank you
I bought an established plant on the 16th June and now have 3 red chillies, I have very little veg experience but have received lots of advice I do not have a proper green house so growing from seed would have been difficult for me.
, in reply to message 27.
Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Saturday, 27th August 2011
Most varieties need an earlier start than other things like tomatoes I've even started as early as February this years began in March.
Just follow the basic advice on the back of the packet, I'm just starting to get my first red ones now.
Ok thank you so I am right in understanding that if I am going to start with seed I should sow about Feb-March but seed is best grown in a green house? Is any variety easier to grow than others?
I don't have a greenhouse but do have one of these plastic covered mini green house things or would they be better in the conservatory?
I presume if I wanted to grow ready established plants they will be available a little later in the year?
, in reply to message 30.
Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Sunday, 28th August 2011
That's all I have Tattannia the little plastic greenhouse thing and the window sill I start them indoors then pot them on and then into their final pots when they reach the appropriate size, last year I successful ripened them out side in pots easily.
There are just so many different kinds in the world, the best thing is to go through the catalogues and pick out the ones that will suite what conditions you can provide.
Some will ripen quicker than others, I usually grow two or three different varieties and buy the odd one from garden centres as well, I made the mistake of on a wave of enthusiasm growing Scotch Bonnet then I read somewhere they can't be ripened in this country. They have got fruit on already so we'll see
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