Chili Plants

Heroditas

I couldn't find a thread regarding growing these and hopefully this isn't a stupid question.
Anyway, I've been growing a chili plant for the last few months and it's getting quite large now. There are loads of flowers blooming on it and these have been flowering for nearly three weeks now.
The plant is indoors and is getting loads of sun through the window and I water it a lot too.
The question is: when can I expect to see chilies starting to grow? Should that be within the next week or two? Typically how long do the flowers last before the fruit appears?
If it's any help, I'm growing ghost chilies.
Thanks in advance!

magicbastarder

do chillis need to be pollinated? you may find it's a bit late for them if the fruit hasn't started to appear yet.

vibe666

is it from the pack that aldi/lidl were selling a while ago?

i was growing mine in a hanging basket outside and there's a good number of small chilli's on them now, but the ones on the outside are starting to go black, so i reckon its time to bring them inside and re-pot them in something as little bit more indoor friendly.

Heroditas

magicbastarder wrote: »

do chillis need to be pollinated? you may find it's a bit late for them if the fruit hasn't started to appear yet.

Seems to be a conflict of opinion regarding this. Some say they are self-pollinating, other say they need to be pollinated. However, I have tried to pollinate them by running a small brush across the flowers.

vibe666 wrote: »

is it from the pack that aldi/lidl were selling a while ago?

i was growing mine in a hanging basket outside and there's a good number of small chilli's on them now, but the ones on the outside are starting to go black, so i reckon its time to bring them inside and re-pot them in something as little bit more indoor friendly.

No, I got them in one of these in the USA earlier this year. I only opened it at the end of May and shoots appeared around the end of June.



It came in a pot the size of a can similar to those Schweppes tonic cans. Just pull the top off it and then water it.
since then, I've transplanted it into a much larger 1L/1.5L pot and the plant is about 18 inches high.
The pot absorbs about 500ml of water every two days without any seeping out the bottom. It's a very hungry plant!

I actually think I might have given it too much plant feed! It's starting to take over the bedroom and a couple more shoots have sprouted in the last week or two.

aerosol

I've only ever grown chillis n peppers from seed,starting usually in jan/Feb.

The growing season is long for them so its doubtful if you'll get any fruit now.I'm growing about 50 plants in my tunnel and only about 50% will of ripened fully before the weather is hopeless.Its not been the best of years:rolleyes:

If you have a warm spot on a south windowcill or a conservatory it is possible to 'overwinter' chillis.It gives you fruit very early the next year.

redser7

Make a reflective 'shield' with carboard and tinfoil and stand it behind the plant. Tht way it will get some light from all sides. They need LOTS of sun.

fred funk }{

You're running out of time if you want to see ripe fruit. This year I grew about twenty different types of chillis, some types like the Chinese variety need a really long season and others much shorter.

As someone else said, this year was a poor year for chillis and tomotoes. I've had mixed results from the greenhouse, some of the plants have grown to over six foot tall and produced tons of fruit and others haven't done so well and produced little.

It is not necessary to pollinate the flowers yourself. Insects normally do it or the wind blowing the branches does it too. What I normally do, just to be sure is just give the plant a good shake every so often to help it along. I have yet to have a plant not produce anything.

If you really want to see some fruit go down to your local 'Head shop' and buy a CFL grow light. That'll do the trick.

Heroditas

The plant is indoors though and gets loads of light from about 9 in the morning until 7 in the evening.
I might just get the grow light though.
We have a Garda living next door. This could get amusing!

fred funk }{

Heroditas wrote: »

The plant is indoors though and gets loads of light from about 9 in the morning until 7 in the evening.
I might just get the grow light though.
We have a Garda living next door. This could get amusing!

The light is fading outside fast. It's just not enough for the plant. The grow light will work or else you could 'over-winter' the plant so next year it will have a good head start and you'll have a bucket load of chillis next summer.