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

Could you take me though your method of hand pollination please?
I would like to try some cross breeding this season.

 

Thank you for giving me some feedback on what fertilizer to use SANS sarcarsm or patronizing tone.

 

GO MILLET! GO MILLET! Science rules!!! Not methods that mirror the "ahhh, whenever I wash my car, it rains!" fallacy!

 

Lets try to keep this thread on peppers please. (As quoted)



PS.
Lets start posting pictures or something, and get it off this topic. (As quoted)

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Love this peppers, for person like me, who can't take the heat of hot pepper, but love two grow the plants. This peppers wings are sweet, but it get hotter at the top, this is the only pepper that i can bite (just at the wings :-)) and my husband can have the rest :-)

 

What is that pepper on the left ET2007, it looks pretty cool.
I love to grow peppers too, and i freeze alot of mine, to add to soups and stews in the middle of our loooooong winters here.
Keep the pics coming everyone,

 

PennyG, the pepper on the left of et2007 pictures is called Christmas Bell, originally from Brazil, one of the most unusual pod shapes of any chile pepper, shaped somewhat like a bishop's hat. Christmas Bell's are a low heat variety being quite mild. Mostly used for pickling or eaten fresh. Many people also use Christmas Bell peppers strung as a garland for a Christmas tree. - Millet 1,190-)

 

I just noticed the 'red mulch" posts.
i just started using some red wood chips on potted plants, is that 'red' enough?
I wonder if indoors you could make an LED array using mainly, or more, red spectrum lights than normal?

In Australia this is often called bi-bell. Kids often play jokes on other kids by muching on the cool bit and then giving the victim the hot bit to bite. My problem is i can never remember which end is hot and which is 'cold'.
I have grown a bush 2M high and a metre 1/2 wide with hundreds of peppers on the bush.

 

Michaelangelica, (great name) the red wood chips would probably be red enough alright, but how well they would work, all depends on the amount of the red light reflecting off of chips surface, and being received by the phytochrome sensor in the plant's leaf. A red LED light should work very well. As long as the protein sensor detects red, the plant "thinks" another completive plant is near. - Millet (1,190-)

 

Michaelangelica, asked..... "Could you take me though your method of hand pollination please? I would like to try some cross breeding this season."....

The hybridization technique is straightforward and easy to learn. Research indicates that chile peppers can cross pollinate up to 90 percent. Therefore, when making hybridizations care must be taken not to allow foreign pollen to fertilize the eggs. In hybridization, the breeder must transfer the pollen from the anther of the male parent, to the stigma of the female parent to make a controlled hybridization. Hybridizations can be made at any time during daylight, but the best time is between one hour after sunrise and approximately 11:00 a.m. To prevent self pollination, flower buds that are unopened, and where the anthers have not yet shed their pollen, should be chosen. The best flowers are 1 to 2 days from opening. These buds are plump and white. With forceps dipped in alcohol for sterilization, the petals are carefully removed to expose the reproductive organs. The flower is then emasculated by removing all anthers. The stigma is then examined with a magnifying glass for any pollen contamination. Pollen is then collected from the open flower of the chosen male parent with a small paintbrush or a bee stick, or by actually removing and using the anthers. The pollen is gently transferred to the stigma of the emasculated female plant. Be sure to label the pollinated flowers with a string tag. Record on the tag the mother plant, the father plant, and the pollination date. Then cover the flower with a small paper bag to prevent the possibility of contamination from foreign pollen if the plant is outside in the garden. After 5 to 7 days, the flower will fall off if the hybridization was not successful. Otherwise, the fruit will grow and mature and can be picked when it has reached its mature fruit color. Several flowers should be pollinated at one time to increase the chance of a successful hybridization. After the fruit ripens the seed is collected. If successful, you could possibly be the proud owner of a one of a kind never seen before pepper plant. - Millet (1,190-)

 

Back to the red mulch: well that's interesting re. using red LED light. As previously mentioned, I had bought a roll of red plastic mulch covering from Lee Valley.

Millet, does value or saturation of redness matter? The plastic mulch from Lee Valley was really red red, like fire engine red. Would that mean that I could paint any surface red (say using a piece of canvas/plywood, etc) and place in within range of my chilli plant?
That would be cool. If that's the case I'll do something like that outdoors for my chilli plants, tomotoes and strawberries!!

 

you know, theres a part of me that knows your right and agrees with all you said. then theres this other part that wishes you hadnt said it. its bad enough the thread was hijacked by said bookworms, but to not let this go, is just going to be the end of this thread. i know we all have opinions, i know we all right, and we all wrong, but if this dont end real soon its going to get really personal in here.


i hate to say this, but i vote to close this thread, or just let it die, its getting to be winter anyway, we can start this over in spring 2010...after weve all had some time to relax


red

 

After reading redster's above post, and understanding the friction cause by my postings concerning the general cultivation methods of peppers, I feel it would be best if I withdraw from any further activity. There is always a right time and place for everything, and my posting don't fit with the seemingly general format and intentions that were originally intended for this forum by its founder. Anyway, I wish all the very best . Take care. - Millet (1,188-)

 

GORGOUS PIC the yellow one I wish you make some montage laying them out in a sort of HOT artistic way :-) how about spelling the word "HOT" with peppers :-)?

 

Well, I took to heart what Redster said about starting over with the pepper thread and attempted to start a new thread on pepper, but it was actually deleted on the grounds that a similar thread (this one) existed. Oh well.

Regardless of everything, all this talk of growing peppers indoors HAS moved me to grow one. So as I said in my vvvey short-lived thread, i will be heading to the local nursery this monday to buy my very first pepper seeds!!!

 

Oh, re. satanic looking pepper, that's just hilarious, Vicarious1 !!! I hope you do find a pic of it.
So what kinds of peppers have you grown?

 

Thank you. Will try to remember next time.

 

PennyG, at the greenhouse they marked "balloon pepper". I do freeze for my husband, it doen't last long, can't understand how he can bite and eat the peppers just like other food :-)

 

When transplanting, I would suggest much higher phosphorous content. Maybe 15-30-15. More importantly, as mentioned, it is critical to pollinate.

 

The wings are sweet, the upper part at the stem & seeds are hot. Wow, that a lots of peppers, as you can see, i grown my in a very small pots and that all peppers for the summer :-) Do you have a pic. of your pepper bush?

 

Oh wow really, they are definetly a unique looking pepper though, thanks :)

 

Here is my Aurora plant again, it is turning many colors. This is my all-time favorite ornamental/edible hot pepper plant, and it grows better in a small pot than an oversized one.

When you grow many Aurora plants stuffed into the same pot, the rainbow effect of the ripening process is astonishing! They are such a happy and cheerful little plant, and they taste delicious as well, with lots of heat.

An excellent choice for a beginner! I have shared tons of Aurora seeds with many people across this forum - even some people in this thread, and some have shown me gorgeous pictures of their growing and producing little plants! A very easy and low maitenance plant...


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Here is my Aurora today, so you can see the difference from a few days ago. The colors are always changing.

Looks like I will be having a couple of red ones for dinner tonight. I use a pair of scissors to cut little rings into my food. Aurora is an especially flavorful and hot variety.

I am willing to share seeds, if you're willing to pay the postage, anyone...


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I would like to share some simple and easy-to-understand information for new people just learning about gardening and particularily about growing hot peppers...


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What a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors of peppers that are available to home gardeners! Decide from short and chunky, long and skinny, cone-shaped, round, or crumpled - in nearly all shades of the rainbow. Choose flavors from mild and sweet to sizzling hot and pungent. Use them cooked by themselves and with other foods, or in salads and appetizers.

As garden plants, peppers are easy to grow, and well worth the lack of effort! Besides a sunny location, fertile soil, ample moisture, and protection from strong winds, peppers also like warm days, and slightly cooler nights.

Hot peppers thrive when daytime temps are between 21 & 29 degrees celcius (70 and 85 F). If night temps fall below 16 C (60 F) or stay above 24 C (75 F) blossoms often fall and fruit-set can be poor. However, this can depend on the variety as well.

With flavors from mild to searing hot, hot peppers range in sizes. They are used for making sauces, for pickling, eating fresh, freezing, and for making dried seasonings.

You can select some varieties by degrees of hotness; for example, there are 'Anaheim Mild' and 'Anaheim Hot' varieties. For a really hot pepper, try 'Habanero' ~ it is said to be 50 times hotter than 'Jalapeno'.

Some hot peppers, such as 'Hungarian Wax Hot' and hot cherry peppers, look just like their sweet counterparts. Read labels carefully at planting time to avoid confusing hot and sweet peppers, or you'll be in for a big surprise at harvest time!


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Many small-fruited varieties look appealing and charming stuffed into containers, and provide an abundance of colorful fruit, prolific bloom, compact habits, and tasty edible goodies! What more could you ask for in a plant?!!!

To harvest all kinds of peppers, cut them from the plant with pruning shears.


Type of Vegetable: Annual; warm season

Edible Parts: Fruits

Best soil: Fertile, well-drained, pH 5.5-6.8 (but you don't have to be fanatical)

When to plant: (all year, if you're like me!) For Summer crop, set out plants in Spring (1 week or more after last frost, when temps have warmed. Sow seeds in flats indoors 6-8 weeks before you intend to set the plants in the garden.

How to plant: Set out plants 6"-24" apart, depending on size of plants at maturity, in rows spaced 1-3' apart.

Yield: 5-18 pds. per 10' row!

Care: Keep soil moist, especially during flowering and fruiting. Wed regularily.

Pests and diseases: Aphids, armyworms, corn borers, mite, and white fly.

When to Harvest: 60-95 days after setting out plants, but some much sooner. Pick when full size and still green, or wait until they turn yellow or red for richer and hotter flavor.

How to Store: Keep cool and damp for 4-6 weeks. To preserve, can, freeze or dry.


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P.S. Picture shows my "Explosive Blast" indoor ornamental/edible pepper plant - just starting to ripen up for me since last week...