Growing The World's Hottest Chillies

Hi,

I am fairly new to growing chillies, and am looking for a bit of help.

Last year, i tried to germinate some Bhut Jolokia's, but they failed to germinate, in a basic, ordinary propagator. This was around March time, so i had time to get some pre-grown plants from a specialist website. Some plants grew a couple of chillies, but a lot of my other varieties such as Naga Viper and Butch T didn't.

This year, i want to get it right by using an electric propagator, to provide the extra heat, which in my opinion is what was missing last year. I haven't ordered any seeds yet, but i will when i decide what other varieties i want.

When i sow the chillies in the electric propagator, what date should i do this? I live in Leicester in the UK, so weather/temperature is unpredictable at times. The other thing i needed advice on was transferring the chillies after germination. When they are big enough to come out of the propagator, where do i put them? I ask this because if i sow them at the end of January for example, and they germinate within a week, where am i going to get the constant propagator temperature to keep them going until summer comes?

I don't have a proper glass greenhouse, just two big plastic ones. They are fine for the job, but I'm not sure if i can put a paraffin heater in them in-case it would cause damage. When i grow my tomatoes, they are fine in the earlyish temperatures in my greenhouses, as i just cover them with fleece or bring them indoors overnight, but the hottest chillies i grow couldn't take the drop in temperature.

Thanks.

 

I never use an electric propagator for my seeds. What I do is to pre soak them for 24hrs in warmish water and then discard any floaters. Submerge any still floating with your finger first as some may be floating due to tiny air bubbles on the underside, the ones that continue to float after this are not viable seed.
I then sow them, put the pot in a small plastic bag and place in a warm bright spot.
I'm a firm believer in pricking out when the first (embronic) leaves are open as this reduces root disturbance. Transplant into plug trays which are cut down to fit inside a ziplock bag - gradually leave the bag open for longer as the plants grow until after three weeks or so the bag can be discarded.

My experience of the super hot chillies is that they need more light and heat, so would have struggled last year anyway.

Go to the Devon Chilli Farm website - lots of info and often a guide as to time to maturity too.

 

Will do as you say Longk ,I never have great success with chillies, either just the odd plant germinate and never produce much.... great link

 

Ive just started the first batch of chillies, which Ive put on top of the boiler to germinate - I should get the propagator in from the garage really, but its still a bit early ! Im going to grow them on under the growlight for a month or two until its safe to move them out into the greenhouse, but you dont have to, just leaving them on a sunny windowsill should be enough for them to get established even if they dont do much growing.

I rarely have problems getting them started, but as Longk sez its all about heat & light, and last year there just wasnt enough to get a decent crop without a proper greenhouse & a bit of luck. Hopefully this year will be better ! Chillis Galore forum is an interesting read, more information than you can use on there !

Have to say I dont bother with the really hot ones, seems like a lot of effort for something that I wouldnt really be able to do much with, so Im focusing on tasty ones to cook with this year.

 

Chillis Galore website.

Registered on there , the answer to the question of year is 1990 ,you cannot register without correct year.

 

Too much heat improves the speed of germination but can lower the germination rate. I tend to go for the lower end of the scale (20°c) for this reason.

 

No answer for you Dale, but just wanted to welcome you to GC forums

As you can tell from the posts above, we're a friendly bunch and if we don't have the answers, someone is always able to point you in the right direction.

Looking forward to hearing more about your gardening experiences and any other questions you may have

 

Hi all,

Thanks for the informative replies and friendly welcomes.

OxfordNick, i think that is a good idea on the growing lamp. I never really thought of that one. Will have to try and see if i can find a cheap one lurking about. I understand what you mean about not growing the hot ones, as they are a pain to grow for what its worth. But if you can get it right, its very satisfying.

I do enjoy growing the less hotter varieties as well, as i cook with chillies all the time. If you have any good flavorsome one's to recommend, please let me know them.

I see a few of the replies are advising me to soak the seeds beforehand. I have heard of this, but have never tried it. What is the process of this, i.e temperature of water, length of soaking time etc.

I spent quite a lot on gardening last year and felt like I'd lost out due to the disastrous summer being to blame. But this year i want to get it right. I know this thread is supposed to be about chillies mainly, but last year i grew brandy-wine beef tomatoes for the first time, and they were useless. They didn't ripen as there was not enough sun, therefore i had to ripen the few that grown in a bowl with a banana to help them.

Along with my chillies which i am still ordering, i have my eye on a specific tomato variety called 'San Marzano', which are in a lot of peoples opinions the best tomato you can get for cooking. I have never grew them, so if anyone on here has, let me know how you got on.

Thanks,
Dale Weatherby

 

I will be starting my Chillis next week . As Longk I soak the seeds in a very weak tea solution for 24 hours and discard the floaters ( we had a thread on floating seeds last year ) , but then like Nick I put my mini props into the dark airing cupboard and germinate at around 30°c , I bring them into the light as soon as they germinate after 7 to 14 days . germination I find is 10% to 90% As Nick I dont grow mad hot ones , I try and select types between 5k and 10K scoville - lovely for chicken kebab marinades and hot garlic prawns on the BBQ !

Found it.............
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/floating-seeds-good-or-bad.31324/

 

Hi,

Yes, that sounds good. Ill look up soaking the seeds.

Some people online recommend getting a grow tent with artificial lighting, similar to what you would grow cannabis in, for after germination. They are quite expensive, but if it was to be used long term, I'm sure it would be worthwhile.

Thanks,
Dale Weatherby.

 

Dale I dont think you need to go to the expense of grow lights at the moment . If you can negotiate a warm , light window sill this should be fine for growing them.
There is a huge amount of Chilli info on GC , this is a current one in the Edible section........
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/chilli-growing-for-2013.48685/

 

I'll try that with my next batch!

 

Taking notes.....

 

The soaking in weak tea is something I have read on a few Chilli sites . Now wether it has any horticultural merit or is hocus pocus I don't know. I use the teabag after making a cuppa and dunk it in the tepid water until its the colour of pale ale . Then in go the seeds for about 24 hours !

 

I grow 'San Marzano', have done for the last 2 years and will do so again this year, I'm still waiting for that perfect 'tomato' summer but have had reasonable results.

I've had better results with 'Big Boy', a giant of a tomato and a great all-rounder, worth considering Dale.