Chilies 2022

Thanks JWK,

It's more or less what I normally do. Let's hope we get better spring weather than last year to give them a good start but I know from experience that they usually catch up anyway.

Thanks for your advice.

Regards

Ademission

 

Hello Chili lovers,

I've finally got all my chili seeds planted. I decided that this year I would stick to culinary types and here is my list......

Bell Peppers
1. Bell Pepper (orange) from supermarket fruit.
2. Bell Pepper (red) from supermarket fruit.
3. Bell Pepper (yellow) from supermarket fruit.
4. King of the North.
5. Romano mixed.
6. Corno Di Torro Rosso.
7. Giant Bell Pepper.

Chili Peppers
8. Jalapeno.
9. Serenade from supermarket fruit.
10. Thai Birds Eye.
11. Curry Pepper (hot).
12. Chilaca.
13. Habanero (orange).
14. Hungarian Wax

I will plant 2 eleven litre pots of each type hydroponically, though 6 pots will be in soil (I have only 24 hydro pots). Of course this is all dependent on getting the seeds through the germination stage. I have planted 6 seeds of each type as I'm sure not all of them will make it.

Please let me know what chili types you are growing this year?

Ademission

 

Lovely greenhouse ademission.

My final peppers are

locoto
Jalapeno m
Serrano
Aji limon
Biquinho
Ring of fire
Orange pepperoncini
My chilaca seeds were too old and I did not manage to get any manzano rocotos to germinate.

 

Hanglow,

Thanks for the reply. Your peppers are quite advanced. Interested to hear if you have grown Chilaca in previous seasons. I'm growing them for the first time this year. By all accounts they are a favourite Mexican type used in many dishes.

It's likely to be a while before I get to use the big greenhouse as it's not currently heated (yet). First the seedlings have to spend some time in my heated growtent in hydro before they are transfered into the bigger Wilma systems in the large greenhouse. I also have a smaller greenhouse that is heated but it's full of Geraniums, Avocado and Citrus plants. No room for anything else until the weather gets warmer and I can take out my over wintering plants. Then it will be used for Tomatoes.

Anyway, keep posting photos of your progress. I'm always interested in different varieties that people are growing.

Thanks and best regards

Ademission

 

Hello Chili lovers,

Yesterday, I bought 2 more Wilma systems for growing this years chilis. This gives me 24 pots (16 x 11litre and 8 x 18litre).

For those of you not familiar with Wilma systems, I thought I would take some pictures and upload them to Gardeners Corner to explain how it all works. Under each set of 8 pots is a large tank of hydroponic fluid. The fluid is pumped into each pot for 15mins a few times a day. The clay beads absorb the water and the plant roots can take the water and nutrients as needed. The water that runs to the bottom of each pot drains back into the large tank. The advantage of the system is that it is relatively maintenance free. Its no problem to go on a 1 or even 2 week holiday providing the tanks are topped up first. Nutrient level and pH do however need to be monitored and maintained occasionally.


1. 8 x 11litre pots sitting on the fluid tank.


2. 8 x 18litre pots on the larger tank showing the clay beads.


3. Greenhouse layout. Mains timer above each system.


4. As picture 3.

I've used this system now for 4/5 years with great success. Yields of tomatoes and chilis are greatly improved. If anyone needs any information about Wilma systems then don't hesitate to ask.

Best Regards

Ademission

 

Very nice setup ademission! I've not grown chilaca before, bought some seeds about six years ago but never sowed them until it was too late


When I planted out my germinated seeds, I put one little pot of a jalapeno in my sun room as a test to see how it does with no extra lights. Just some foil behind it, it gets light from the south facing floor to roof high windows and also a skylight directly above. It has basically stopped at the cotlyledon stage compared to the ones under light. I expect it will still struggle until we start getting more than ten hours of light in a couple of weeks. I also think I need to change a couple of strips on the fluorescent lights, some of the leaves are a bit yellower than I'd like, doesn't look like it in the photo though

 

Hanglow,

Thanks for the pictures. Your chilis are coming along nicely.

This morning I checked my plastic bags for germinating seeds and was surprised that most had started to grow. I've transfered the growing seeds to the hydro tanks in the grow-tent under the lights (pictures below).

I grow my seeds in rockwool/netpots and cover them until the first leaves are showing. I use a little pinch of vermiculite in the hole containing the seeds.

Temperature: 26C
EC: 1100
pH: 6.2
LED lamp: Viparspektra


1. Sweet peppers and chilis


2. More of the same....


3. Enlarged view with cover removed.

Just waiting now for the Chilaca, Habanero, Cayenne and Corno Di Torro Rosso to germinate to complete the set.

Regards

Ademission

 

Has anybody tried, experimented with diurnal temperature variation; so warmer in the day and cooler at night, say 5°C. Thus mimicking natural conditions?

 

Hello NigelJ,

An interesting question!

I haven't tried this knowingly, but I guess by turning on and off my growlights, I am changing the radiant heat applied to the pots. It would be interesting to know the temperature difference with the lights on and off at the surface. The air temperature in my growtent is maintained all the time at 26C as is the base of the hydro tanks but I'm sure hot-spots exist due to the lighting.

Can I ask what would be the benefits of the night day variations?

Regards

Ademission

 

@Ademission I've come across mentions of this effect in various books over the years and there are a number of scientific papers on the topic. In Creative Propagation by Peter Thompson he shows some graphs of germination rates with different lighting and diurnal temperature variations. He says in a simple process there are abrupt cut off points above and below which there is little or no germination. In more complex processes more species than we realise respond to diurnal variation. Minimum effective fluctuation about 5°C preferably 7° - 10°C.
"Gardeners should avoid constant day/night temperatures such as a propagator provides when sowing seeds."
I have noticed that after a period of time in a propagator not all the tomato/pepper seeds I sowed have germinated; after pricking out and hardening off the plants and often the pots with the ungerminated seeds get moved to the greenhouse and inevitably after a week or ten days more seeds germinate, this could be coincidence.
Also in nature most seeds will experience some diurnal variation so will probably have evolved to expect it.
As to the benefit possibly an indication that the conditions/ season are right for germination.

 

Hi NigelJ,

Thanks for all the information in your previous post. I misunderstood as I thought you were referring to plant growth (and not germination). I typically germinate my seeds using the paper towel method. My house heating is turned off overnight and the temperature does drop a little from that of the daytime but maybe not as much as 5C and certainly not 7C to 10C. I do however have good success in germinating seeds. I would estimate 80% of my chili seeds have germinated this year (maybe more).

Thanks for the book recommendation (Peter Thompson). I will look for a download on Kindle and have a read.

Since posting the list of seeds that had not germinated, I can now say that my 2022 seeds have yielded all I need so it's full steam ahead.

I'll post some photos in a week or so.

Thanks very much for your help and keep in touch.

Ademission

 

@NigelJ I have that book. I only looked up subjects as I felt the need, not from beginning to end. I guess I'd better go back and look through it.

 

@CanadianLori I came across it on an RHS reading list and when I first got it I read it through, since then I have dipped in and out of it for specific plants, or when something catches my interest.