Growing Chillies....advice needed

[raleighnut]

[QUOTE 4867537, member: 45"]We got those bugs with a shop-bought plant, which then went on to infest my own plants. A spray sorted them out and the chillis were fine.[/QUOTE]
Spidermites?

 

[raleighnut]

[QUOTE 4867650, member: 45"]Dunno. I just sprayed them and they died. Didn't realise they were superheroes.[/QUOTE]
Nasty little beggars,

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...r_mite&usg=AFQjCNGBHqtjWS3mWVzP-zWy573mXOtGrg

 

[Dave Davenport]

Another grower/freezer here. If you want to maximise the heat keep them a bit stressed i.e give them just enough water to survive.

 

[Paulus]

Another grower/freezer here. If you want to maximise the heat keep them a bit stressed i.e give them just enough water to survive.

Similar thing with tomatoes. Keeping them damp enough to grow, but let the pot almost dry out occasionally concentrates the sugars in the fruit.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

My supermarket chilli plant is doing well and producing lots of fruit. It was a bit feeble until I bought some chilli plant food. It gets enough light on the kitchen windowsill.

 

[nickyboy]

He's repotted them. I've dug out some Baby Bio type stuff....is that going to be ok as feed?

 

[I like Skol]

When shall I come around for the inaugural meal?

 

[MossCommuter]

He's repotted them. I've dug out some Baby Bio type stuff....is that going to be ok as feed?

View attachment 360493

Tomato plant feed

 

[nickyboy]

When shall I come around for the inaugural meal?

I'm thinking Thai Red Curry

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

He's repotted them. I've dug out some Baby Bio type stuff....is that going to be ok as feed?

View attachment 360493

Baby Bio is fine but probably the expensive way to buy your feed

 

[Jody]

I grow chillies every year. If you want a decent crop then they all need a larger individual pot and a good amount of light. If you want to increase pollination then give the pot a tap when the flowers are open as they self pollinate. If you don't have a specific chilli food then give them half strenght tomato food every couple of weeks. Water only when the pots are drying out as they don't like wet feet. The pots are better on the dry side than wet.


A couple of last years crop. Scotch Bonnets top, Lemon Drops in the middle and Fatalii at the bottom.

 

[Jody]

He's repotted them. I've dug out some Baby Bio type stuff....is that going to be ok as feed?

Too much Nitrogen vs Potassium in Baby Bio for chillies. It will grow a lovely plant (Nitrogen element) but wont give it the right stuff for fruit (Potassium) NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphur-Potassium) rating of Bio is 10-4-1.7

Tomorite or equivilent is more set up for fruit so NPK ratio is 4-3-8

Nitrogen for plant growth
Phosphur for roots
Potassium for flowers/fruit

PS @nickyboy Less is more. You would be better with one or two plants max in that container. Too much competition will lead to smaller plants and harvest.

 

[Jody]

Is there any hope for these? We bought them as a young plant from the garden centre and had them indoors but they still got invaded by some kind of tiny white fly. Now growing outside since the heatwave started a month ago. The flowers have done their thing without any help from us and now have a good crop of worryingly blotchy chillis and one evil purplish one!!!

That won't be the flys causing discolouration. Its usually food or sun related. Nothing to worry about at all and the fruit is still edible. The plant looks fine

If you want to get rid of white fly try something like Bayer ultimate bug killer which is systemic and is taken up by the plant after being sprayed. Larvae then feed on the plant and die. Safe to eat the fruit 3 days after treatment. If it was spider mites your plant would be decimated and would show a lot of webbing.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

You will need the correct tool for the job.

 

[Jody]

View attachment 360655

You will need the correct tool for the job.

It's not cheap but is really good stuff.