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Chilli Plants - is it too hot?

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newspud9:
Not sure the variety, but my chilli plants have been doing well and the fruits are about 1cm.  I keep them outside in pots with a straw mulch and lightly water them every other day...but they are beginning to wilt in the recent temperature which is only going to get hotter.  I have read that a stressed out chilli produces hotter fruit but I don't want to push them over the edge so have put them in the shade.  Should I have left them in the full sun?  Thanks for all the advice 

Deb P:
I’ve just moved quite a few of my plants into direct sunlight from my greenhouse and I was concert they were getting Kent’s of heat but perhaps not enough light as there were a lot of plants crammed in there! I put the pots on trays and leave some water in the trays in the morning, and after two days have seen a significant colour change on the unripe chillies, no wilting of the foliage.

I wonder if your plants need a good soak at least daily, or perhaps you could sit them on a tray or similar so they can draw up water in the heat to avoid the wilting?

BarriedaleNick:
My chilis have been out in the full sun all summer, temps up to 45c, with no issues other than it is a pain keeping them watered.  They do drop in full sun but perk up again at night - just a natural reaction.  It is said that stress will make more heat in the fruit - some of my padrons last year were d**n hot and they are not really supposed to be hot at all but that could have been down to watering..

Beersmith:
I would give priority to keeping the plants healthy.  If they need shade why not oblige?  That way you will have plenty of chillies even if they may not be quite as high up on the Scoville scale as a Carolina reaper. 

Is that really an issue?  To produce a curry or con carne or other spicy dish that has the level of heat that suits your taste the obvious answer is to control the number of chillies used.  I can't see any particular need to produce the hottest you can!

Obelixx:
If a chilli is wilting in heat it just needs more water.   Think about Bolivia, their country of origin, and the natural heat there.

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