chillies

nokiatom

flowers everywhere on the cayennes and the jalepenos are improving a lot too

Gloomtastic!

Came back from holidays to find both my plants dead due to lack of watering!

Harvested all the fruit - green and red, and dried them out, low and slow, in the oven ready to make a load of chilli oil.

We'll try again next year.....

nokiatom

Sorry to hear that....suuch a pity. Mine are drinking water like hell. Every two days they need water. Gloomtastic how do you make the oil ?

Gloomtastic!

nokiatom wrote: »

Sorry to hear that....suuch a pity. Mine are drinking water like hell. Every two days they need water. Gloomtastic how do you make the oil ?

No idea yet! I do know you need dried chillies and will Google a recipe when I've found enough oil bottles.

AndyBoBandy

After I had the lone chilli on the plant for about 6 weeks, and the plant looking like it was dying, with no more flowers turning into fruit, It suddenly sprung to life!!

Came home from holidays yesterday (my mother came to water my plants) to find a good few fully mature chilli's (below beside an iPhone 5 (for reference)) on the plant and about as many smaller ones growing as well.

I took the larger ones off to allow the smaller ones to get all the attention!

even the jalapeño has 3-4 fruits growing on it now!!

nokiatom

my cayenne chilli are flying at the moment

nokiatom

jalepenos are doing good too

paddylonglegs

Any more thoughts on this chilli oil then?

Bumper crop this year so I think is the way to go. What temp in the oven if drying them out does anyone know?

Gloomtastic!

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Any more thoughts on this chilli oil then?

Bumper crop this year so I think is the way to go. What temp in the oven if drying them out does anyone know?

I just topped them, left them whole with the seeds in.
On grease proof paper on a baking tray in 100c oven with the oven door left ajar (just open enough to let the oven heat up but let the hot air escape.)
I left mine in for over 4 hours. If you halve them and deseed them then you should get away with a couple of hours. You'll know they're dried out when they're hard and brittle. Any give and they're still not ready.

Technophobe

I pickle mine or freeze them..

fred funk }{

I have plenty of fruit but none have ripened yet. This my worst year yet growing chillies. I picked a few and have them in the house and one or two have ripened but so far it's been a bad year.

gucci

Still no fruit on my guys, we were recently away on holidays and I was so excited coming home to check them but nothing!!
Didn't help that I was in holiday in Southern Italy and it was tomatoes and chillies hanging bloody everywhere!!

Gloomtastic!

gucci wrote: »

Still no fruit on my guys, we were recently away on holidays and I was so excited coming home to check them but nothing!!
Didn't help that I was in holiday in Southern Italy and it was tomatoes and chillies hanging bloody everywhere!!

Have you had flowers? If so you need to pollinate them with either some honey bees or if you haven't any of them, a little paint brush that you tickle the stamen (is that the right word?) with. No pollination means no fruit (really brings home the importance of bees).

gucci

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Have you had flowers? If so you need to pollinate them with either some honey bees or if you haven't any of them, a little paint brush that you tickle the stamen (is that the right word?) with. No pollination means no fruit (really brings home the importance of bees).

Thanks for the advice, but I have had no flowers either! I thought i was getting buds before the holidays, but they have just shooted into more leaves. I will take a picture of them later and show what they look like.

nokiatom

I read somewhere that if chillies don't get enough sunshine/heat or enough water they will not produce flowers, instead the growth goes into producing more leaves. also pollination is very important, I do it every day

goose06

nokiatom wrote: »

I read somewhere that if chillies don't get enough sunshine/heat or enough water they will not produce flowers, instead the growth goes into producing more leaves. also pollination is very important, I do it every day

Over watering them can cause this as well, how often are you watering them?

Shemale

My habaneros are a staggering 4 inches high now.

They are only in small pots, could they survive winter if I put them in the house under a cloche?

goose06

http://www.hotpepperseeds.com/OverWinteringPeppers.asp

gucci

Update.....we have 1 opening flower....!! So hopefully the buds on the other plants follow the trend!

nokiatom

goose06 wrote: »

Over watering them can cause this as well, how often are you watering them?

I water them every second day. I lift the pot to check the weight. The cayenne's seem to demand more water as they are really thriving. Every sixth day I give them tomato food. I'm really amazed at their progress as this is my first attempt at growing them and the seeds were set only in mid May

goose06

nokiatom wrote: »

I water them every second day. I lift the pot to check the weight. The cayenne's seem to demand more water as they are really thriving. Every sixth day I give them tomato food. I'm really amazed at their progress as this is my first attempt at growing them and the seeds were set only in mid May

I'm assuming they are indoors, how big are the containers and how much fert are you putting in?
I'd hold back watering to every 3/4 days as you'll get more flowers by stressing them a little as it kicks in the reproduction cycle and only use at most half of the recommended fert.

nokiatom

goose06 wrote: »

I'm assuming they are indoors, how big are the containers and how much fert are you putting in?
I'd hold back watering to every 3/4 days as you'll get more flowers by stressing them a little as it kicks in the reproduction cycle and only use at most half of the recommended fert.

Yes they are indoors on a south facing window sill. I too use only half the recommended tomato food. 7in and 8in pots they are in

goose06

nokiatom wrote: »

Yes they are indoors on a south facing window sill. I too use only half the recommended tomato food. 7in and 8in pots they are in

similar enough to mine so, hold back on the water and even let it wilt a little before watering and you should be rewared with hotter peppers by doing this!

nokiatom

My jalapenos are heading to the dehydrator.....3 trays of them

Shemale

nokiatom wrote: »

My jalapenos are heading to the dehydrator.....3 trays of them

They look great, fair play.

How long will dehydrated ones last?

paddylonglegs

Mine finally started turning red, at last! Thought all was lost with the cold weather coming in.

nokiatom

Shemale wrote: »

They look great, fair play.

How long will dehydrated ones last?

I haven't dehydrated chillies before but I reckon minimum six months to a year. Having them totally dried is the key factor

nokiatom

last of the cayennes heading for the dehydrator

iainBB

Anyone over wintering their best plants. i have done a few 2 weeks ago and going to do the rest this weekend. ( just get the last of the fruit off them).

This is my first time overwintering them. so hopefully some will survive.

nokiatom

iainBB wrote: »

Anyone over wintering their best plants. i have done a few 2 weeks ago and going to do the rest this weekend. ( just get the last of the fruit off them).

This is my first time overwintering them. so hopefully some will survive.

I've never done it but intend trying it. What I would like to know is where is the best place to store them.