A thread for hot pepper-a-holics...

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by The Hollyberry Lady, Aug 16, 2009.

  1. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Thanks, Penny.


    Oh yes, I would love to see your pics Jan, and good luck with all your harvesting. How fun. Glad all the seeds worked out for you.


    : )
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2009
  2. redster

    redster Active Member

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    speaking of harvesting, im past due now...

    i figure since all the pepper lovers will look here first ill give yall first shot at guessing what these are. this isnt a game or anything, cause i dont have the slightest clue to the answer either.
     

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  3. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Last pic looks like some type of cayenne and middle could be black cuban or black scorpion tongue? Who knows for sure though, because peppers can look very similar to each other. Not sure about first pic - some type of chili.


    : )


    P.S. Let us know how they taste...
     
  4. redster

    redster Active Member

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    i guess i should have mentioned the first and last are the same pepper. i thought cayenne too, but it doesnt really look like any others ive come across before. this is the one i call thai, but it doesnt favor pics ive seen either

    the second cant be black anything, they dont turn black or purple or any other odd color. i dont know how that one pepper looks black in the pic, must have been the shade or something. they both go straight from green to red

    the "cayenne" is plain, not much flavor at all, with a medium/low heat, much less than tabasco for comparison.

    ill have to get back to ya on the other pepper, hadnt had much chance to do anything with them yet
     
  5. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Cayenne is usually full of flavor, and lots of heat too, so given your description, they don't sound likey to be cayenne at all.

    Oh well, I have types I don't know the identity of either, but they can be fun to grow and experiment with.


    : )
     
  6. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Just took this shot this morning, to show how my new pepper seedlings are doing. This is about half of them...


    : )
     

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  7. Claudia6

    Claudia6 Member

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    Wow HBL u sure have so many beautiful peppers, i am not a hot pepper eater but i sure am a lover now. :)
     
  8. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    SherMe, perhaps you are not germinating your seed at a high enough temperature. Pepper seeds germination, even under optimum conditions, can often be slow and irregular. The highest germination percentages (79.5%) occurs at 90 to 100F. At these temperatures about 73 percent of the seed should germinate in as little as 6 days. Some exotic varieties can take more than 5 weeks to germinate even at ideal temperatures. Peppers seeds need warmth, oxygen and moisture to germinate. The maturity of the pods at the time the seed is extracted greatly influences germination. To increase the germination rate and percentage, commercial growers soak the pepper seeds in gibberellic acid, a plant hormone, for 1 to 2 hours in a 100 parts-per-million (PPM) solution. - Millet (1,207-)
     
  9. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    Thank you, Millet, I guess I wasn't germinating them at correct temperatures. To the heat mat!
     
  10. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Yeah Zac, your temps are likely still warm, and so the heat mat might be over heating things just a tad. I only use mine in Fall and Winter.

    : )

    P.S. That gnat larvae too though can prevent germination, so hope you've ridden them.
     
  11. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Yes, some pepper seeds can take forever to sprout. I never give up hope, because they don't usually disappoint and eventually show themselves. I've even had some that came up in three months! I have been totally shocked to see them.

    Most of my varieties though, for those of you that have seeds from me, can expect germination within 2 weeks time. Most of my seeds are very fresh, and very viable.


    : )
     
  12. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    Well, the house temperature never gets above 80 degrees, and if it gets any colder like it has this past week, I must use the heat mat for other things any who.

    I chopped the pepper plant down further, leaving only 2-3 nodes for sprouting, and stuck the portion I cut off into soil outside. What are the chances of this cutting forming roots?

    I am cleaning the hydroponics system tonight! :D
     
  13. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    I have had pepper cuttings root fairly easily, using my heat mat and a glass covering opened a crack at the bottom to provide a bit of air circulation, so things don't get moldy or overheated. I use a mist bottle too, which can be a tremendous help in getting all kinds of cuttings to root quickly. It prevents moisture loss, so the cutting is able to focus on rooting instead.

    I just got a bay laurel cutting starting to root in 20 days! Not yours yet Zac, but I see how easy it is and yours shoud be rooting shortly also. This one is for Bob, to replace his dead one. I was shocked at how fast it rooted, but taking fresh green new growth, is another key to success in rooting cuttings. Older, woodier branches will not root as quickly, or at all if you are inexperienced.

    A good rooting hormone powder is also helpful. Not all cuttings will root in a glass of water. In fact some will rot before they will ever root! I am going to be receiving some fig cuttings very shortly, and I am told they will root nicely in a glass of water, so I will try this method with one of the cuttings.


    : )
     
  14. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    I'm rooting a pepper cutting in the hydroponics system, so it will never dry out, but the outside one is another story. I have rooting hormone though I didn't bother to use it on the peppers as it's mainly experimentation, but I'll pout some on the hydroponics cutting.

    Cool about the laurel cutting, no rushes on my future tree, your seeds which came in today should keep me busy. :)

    You can root pineapples in a glass of water as well! ;)
     
  15. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    So you got the seeds today?!!!


    : O


    Well, what did you think? Did you like the surprises? I hope you liked the selection...


    : )
     
  16. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    ShearMe, once you germinate your pepper seed at the proper temperatures, the next step is the production of flowers. Pepper flowers are self fertile, meaning that a pepper plant does not require another pepper plant to cross pollinate. Pepper flowers are complete flowers, having both the male and female parts. A pollinated pepper flower (pollinated either by insect activity, or by a yourself using a fine hair brush) will set fruit pods *IF* the nighttime temperature is in the range between 55 and 80F, and the daytime temperature does not exceed 95F. I noticed just yesterday morning, that I had a lot of pepper seeds germinate. - Millet (1,206-)
     
  17. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    Yes, HBL, the seeds are wonderful! I put some of the herbs which weren't labeled with 'full sun' into some rock wool last night to let them stew. The oregano, basil, and chives are all getting ready to pop. Do you think that lavender would be ok under the florescent light? I really should get something stronger.

    Yes Millet, I have gotten flowers on the plant in the hydroponics system, they just wont set fruit due to lack of enough light. My tiny florescent just wont do the job when it comes to peppers.
     
  18. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Another reason causing peppers to drop their flowers without setting fruit, is from being fertilized by fertilizers to high in nitrogen. - Millet (1,206-)
     
  19. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Experiment and give the lavender a try, Zac.

    Yeah a fluorescent light is generally not strong enough for a decent crop of peppers. A number of herbs though, grow great under a fluorescent light - basil being one of them.

    What about just adding another fluorescent or two, for more light? This might help matters - especially for growing pretty hot peppers, etc.

    I know I've told you before about proper fertilizer, so I doubt high nitrogen is the problem. Fluorescent lights are just not that strong for growing produce, unfortunately. They are low intensity. You need a high intensity bulb to do the trick.

    I think many of your herbs will grow well however. I have grown both basil and oregano under a fluorescent and they turned out amazing! You will be happy.

    Change your bulbs every 6 months - no matter what the instructions say. New, fresh bulbs, are wonderful and you will see the difference in how your plants grow...


    : )
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2009
  20. ShearMe

    ShearMe Active Member

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    Maybe I should refrain from adding flora-grow to the nutrient solution?
     
  21. Eve von Paradis

    Eve von Paradis Active Member

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    Hello all,

    I'm wondering if you guys grow the edible chilli peppers indoors in the winter? If so, is it difficult?

    Thanks!
     
  22. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Not if you have a bright, warm, and sunny window, it isn't difficult. I have been doing it for years!


    Welcome to UBC Gardening Forum, Eve.


    : )
     
  23. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Since we were talking about seed germination, it is important to insure that the seed planted will produce the pepper variety that is desired, and that the seed is true to type. Home grown pepper seeds are almost always a hybrid, if more than one pepper variety is grown in the same garden, and therefore will not produce a true variety. When two or more pepper varieties are planted close together in the same garden, bees and other insects carry pollen from flower to flower, cross-pollinating them. This produces a hybrid seed that will no longer produce a true variety. Seed from commercial seed producers is generally reliable, because the companies safeguard the genetic purity of the cultivar. Each pepper variety grown for seed production by the major seed companies are planted a mile apart from any other pepper so that no cross pollination occur. Further, commercially grown seed comes under federal law, and the federal pepper regulations are as follows: seeds with a germination percentage below 55 percent CANNOT be sold; seeds with a percentage between 55 and 85 percent must have the percentage listed on the seed packet; and seeds with a germination percentage above 85 percent need not have the percentage listed. - Millet (1,205-)
     
  24. The Hollyberry Lady

    The Hollyberry Lady New Member

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    Interesting info, but wow - way too much information, enough to send a beginner running for the hills. Keep it simple.


    Eve Von Paradis, you asked if you could grow edible peppers in the winter, indoors, and if it was difficult. Yes, you can easily grow them in the Winter time indoors, and no, it is not very difficult. Don't let too much technical information scare you away.


    Besides, growing peppers indoors is an excellent way to always ensure that your seeds will be true to the parent plant, because no pollination takes place inside - if you are even concerned about collecting seed that is.


    Do you have a sunny south window?


    : )
     
  25. Eve von Paradis

    Eve von Paradis Active Member

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    Thanks for the welcome! :)

    I do have 2 south facing windows. However, the roof eaves kinda shade them somewhat; and for privacy reasons, we tend to leave the blinds partially or fully close most of the time.

    I was considering setting up an artifical light source, perhaps above my fridge in my kitchen. What do you think?

    I am completely lost with chillis and usually just eat the store bought fresh thai chilli peppers and of course, a whole gamut of hot sauces (both asia and western)!

    But I grew some habanero peppers 2 summers ago, and I was astounded by how good they are.. but my yields were very low. :( I'm resolved to plan better for next summer with planting my chillis in the hottest possible spot in my garden.

    I'm glad to encounter this thread, Hollyberry Lady, as it was keep me motivated and inspired to grow my chillis better, and perhaps, attempt to grow some indoors too!!!
     

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