Topic: Ripening chillies

[Squash64]

Thought I would post a few pics of my ripening chillies.

Little Elf
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Naga Morich
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Naga Morich
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Basket of Fire
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Pretty in Purple
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[Jayb]

They look great Squash, Little Elf looks a really cute plant, is it a hottie hot?

[Squash64]

They look great Squash, Little Elf looks a really cute plant, is it a hottie hot?

Little Elf is a very compact tidy plant, perfect for a sunny windowsill.  It is fairly hot but I think Basket of Fire is a bit hotter.  Nobody has tried the Naga yet!

[Jayb]

I really like the look and size of both those two from your pictures  :) I had a google, think maybe a bit hot for me  :'(  but they are pretty enough to grow to look at  :)

[plotstoeat]

any tips on ripening them? I have a lot of green ones? Will they over-winter okay indoors?

[goodlife]

any tips on ripening them? I have a lot of green ones? Will they over-winter okay indoors?

You can place few ripe bananas nearby your plants and the gas coming out of them will help ripening of the chillies..and..this time of the year it pays to be bit 'tight' with water, you don't want to your plants to put anymore growth so even if the leaves don't look their best, keeping the plants on dry side will slow formation of the new growth and the plant puts its energy for ripening instead.
I've also kept the GH windows closed little bit longer in the morning or not opened the windows at all but keeping the door in small gap instead...keeps GH that tiny bit warmer.
You can over winter chillies indoors but before you bring them in..give them good 'hair cut'..more you cut, less there is falling leaves later on and possible pest lurking amongst the foliage and you also have to let the compost to dry almost 'bone dry' and keeping it so over winter so that your plant doesn't produce any growth..or hardy so until the light levels increase in spring. You will see new buds forming on the now woody 'trunk'..increase the watering slowly over few weeks.

[plotstoeat]

Very useful advice Goodlife. The bananas (well just the skins actually as my wife scoffed the bananas) are in place already around my Scotch Bonnet. I over wintered a capsicum plant last winter and the peppers are just turning a lovely deep red so I will try to keep some chillis alive this winter. It gives the plants a head start over new plants. Thanks.

Ken

[cestrian]

any tips on ripening them? I have a lot of green ones? Will they over-winter okay indoors?

You can over winter chillies indoors but before you bring them in..give them good 'hair cut'..more you cut, less there is falling leaves later on and possible pest lurking amongst the foliage and you also have to let the compost to dry almost 'bone dry' and keeping it so over winter so that your plant doesn't produce any growth..or hardy so until the light levels increase in spring. You will see new buds forming on the now woody 'trunk'..increase the watering slowly over few weeks.

Good advice on over wintering. I might try this to get a head start next year. Do you not water at all over winter? Do you think they will survive in the shed?

[plotstoeat]

My scotch bonnets are turning red! Must be the banana skins. 

[pumkinlover]

I've pulled up the chillis on the plot as they were outside having outgrown the temporary shelter I built in the spring.
I'm hoping that they will ripen now off the plants.
It was sad to pull them because they all came from folks on here and  I felt that I'd let them down by not getting lovely red chillis but the weather and lack of space did not help, still got a good quantity and hopefully they will ripen?