paulr

Hi, the last two years I've had a go at growing chillis. I start from seed in April, then transplant to pot once they are 4 inches tall. Then into the greenhouse in June. Last year though, the plants were huge, but the chillis were small.
I'd like it the other way round. Small plant, but large chillis.

Any advice.

SJ_Skyline

My plants live on a sunny indoor windowledge. I use a mix of tomato feed and potash sulphate to encourage fruit and I've had some great chillies from them.

Jamie

I know one female that grows them and they are great pm/mail me and i will help you out.

Jamie

You have a message

carpboy

iTrader: (2)

Hi there grow loads myself.in a greenhouse and outdoors .

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I have a few out in the garden, and they seem to be doing ok, got some flowers on at the min, I did them from seeds I took out of some Scotch bonnets I got in jamaica, and some others I got in India, so hoping they will be good but obviously this is the first year for these so it's suck it and see at the min, i've given them a feed recently and they and my tomatoes seemed to like it, but it's 30 degrees here most days so no shortage of sunshine, I just have to remember to keep watering them a lot.

Big plants and small fruit usually means they are stretching for the light, and all the energy is going into the plant as opposed to the fruit, so maybe look at your location and see how many hours they are in direct sunlight, at least that's what I was told and it made sense to me when I heard it so I always plant mine in a spot that gets the sun pretty much all day.

paulr

Thinking that myself. I have about 8 plants, so last night i moved some around.

2 in the garden
4 in the greenhouse
2 in the house

Bit of experimenting. I've also left some in small posts, and some in large. Apparently a large pot encourages the roots to grow, all the energy going into the roots?

urban

iTrader: (1)

I had a go a growing chilli plants once, but to be honest I thought it was far less hassle just purchasing the damn things

Turbohot

Good thread. I'd like to grow chillis. I like eating them. The problem is that the kitchen window-ledge plants (tomatoes and chillis types) I have ever had die without fail in winter. If I keep my house hot, green finger peeps tell me that the heat is the reason for them to die. If I don't put the radiator on in the kitchen, people say they are dead because it was too cold in there for them. I simply can't win. The best idea for the likes of me is to just go to the shops to buy chillis and tomatoes, and stop wasting money in buying home growable plants.

I even had an orange tree once. I really looked after it, but it croaked it on me. I give up.

I admire the ones that successfully maintain these plants. Next door ladies (both sides) are very skilled at it.

Bristol98

Chillis hate being replanted once they are "established" and you also need to cut them right back at the end of the year.......

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Not the same principal for the roots, it's better to have a bigger pot than is necessary so as to avoid them becoming root bound, plenty of healthy roots means a good healthy plant, also it helps to give them a good flush to maintain a healthy PH in the soil and improve oxygen to the roots with plenty of stones in the pots.

Jamie

So just admit it swati you are crap at growing things

Turbohot

Of course, Jamie. I'm hopeless when it comes to looking after plants. I spent fortune on beautiful indoor plants over the years, but they all died on me. I even got a spray thingy because people said- " Swati, it's the watering of plants that is killing them. Just use a spray thingy, because they absorb water through their leaves". Needless to say that it didn't work either for me.

I have decided that plants don't like me, and that is disappointing. But hey, I'll live.

Jamie

So it's not just me then

scooberuni

I have a couple of chilli plants in with the tomatoes at the moment, the only thing that I was wondering about though was how do you know when they're ready? With tomatoes it's obvious because they turn red but if you're growing green chillies then they're obviously always going to be green. Unless they drop off when they are ripe or something?

Jamie

Ready to harvest 75 to 90 days from transplanting.

Jamie

Pick one and eat it you will know if it's ready for your bowel movement

Bristol98

I think I read somewhere that raw green chilli is toxic? Or am I going mad?!

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

your going mad, well actually your not, i'm sure they are actually poisonous which is why they burn/ heat your mouth up, same like magic mushrooms the effects are actually your body reacting to the poison.

But if they were that toxic there would not be a billion Indians.

Turbohot

Correct.

Not sure about the poison, but they say in India that chillis have Vitamin C, because everyone starts making sounds like when you utter the letter 'C' as see............see............after eating chilli.

paulr

I find it much easier going into the greenhouse when i want a few, than trapsing down to the supermarket.

paulr

Have you successfully overwintered them?

Cut right back, how much. Where do you put them?

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

im currently growing some chocolate habernero's,serrano peppers and ghost chili

i tried growing ghost chili last year but they failed.my plants are now in the mini greenhouse standing between 4"-8" high,they were transferred about 3 weeks ago

paulr

How about an end of season seed swap.

shooter007

Currently growing:- hot wax..a nice yellow colour at the moment, some jalapenos, just turning red, scotch bonnets, and some Trinidad scorpion butch T which are proving difficult, plenty flowers but hardly any fruit.

Bristol98

Um, this is my first year growing them, read up a bit and that is what was said. Got five fruits on my first plant already! Might just be beginners luck, have to see how they turn out next year if at all!

paulr

Noticed my first chilli yesterday. About 8. Plants in total.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

After taking part in this thread I went out to take a look at mine, not needed to water them for a few days as it's rained a bit.

LOADS SA CHILLIES.

cster

Anyone know a good way to kill white fly on Chilli plant without poisoning yourself in the process?

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Not sure, but a couple of drops of washing up liquid in a spray bottle and sprayed all over after taking off anything you can see by hand usually puts most things off, just dowse the leaves in it.