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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: good_life_girl on September 22, 2003, 15:24:23
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I've got a couple of chilli plants indoors (no greenhouse and a bit chilly (hur hur!) outside), they're flowering like mad but once the flowers are over they just dry up and drop off so no fruit.
I'm guessing that this is because they're not being pollinated? So, aside from inviting in some local bees, what can I do? I recall reading something about paintbrushes, but when, how, where?!
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hmmm, I am no pollinating expert, but I believe once the flowers are fully open, just tickle the middles with a very soft paintbrush, so by moving from flower to flower you are pollinating them. I grow lots of chillis, and another reason for them shedding flowers is lack of water - they are suprisingly thirsty. Hope this helps. ;D
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I've just potted up 3 outdoor chillies and brought them indoors; they've loads of flowers, so I'll be tickling my plants, too ;D During the summer the outdoor ones were included in the Tomorite feeding schedule, & I plan to continue feeding them. Worth giving it a go. - Lishka
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Cheers guys... tried a bit of 'tickling' last night so will see what happens. Hadn't thought of feeding - I've got plenty of tomato feed left over, so will try that as well!
Goodness only knows what they'll be like if I succeed in growing any as the seeds were from a mixed packet with all the instructions in Italian!!
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I parlo the old Italiano, so if you ever need any help, just ask..cheers! Lishka
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multi-talented, that girl! - Tim
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Other causes of bud drop to take into account:- Cold (the pollen will die before it reaches the ovaries if the temperature is too low), erratic watering, underwatering, overwatering, high soil salt levels (don't feed them like tomatoes!). Additionally, and most importantly overwinter, light levels will drop so low that pollination will also fail to occur. As an illustration poor light levels in greenhouses in March can result in pollination failure. lLght levels in residences in January are going to be even lower. Alishka:- Green peppers are not truly ripe in the botanical sense. Harvest seed from peppers that are throughly coloured up in their final hue be it red, black, yellow etc..
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Thanks again, I think it's probably a combination of my erratic watering and a lack of pollination from no flying things inside a flat. This is my first year of trying to grow anything so I'm writing myself a long list of all the good advice I've been given to remember next year!
Useful to know we have Italiano help amongst us - I'll remember that for when I recieve next year's confusing consignment :)
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Regarding chillies - they're on my "what new to grow next year" list. Any suggestions on a good greenhouse variety that will tempt my taste buds. They will have pride of place on a bench if I can shift all my stuff over enough!!
Palefire
xxx
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are we green? - no, we've gone 'all-our-special-purple'!!
As Lishka says, why INdoors? - Tim
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Errmm.. I don't know - I just thought with our weather they may have to go inside - can I grow them outside, then?
Palefire
xxx
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I grew Apache outdoors this year, but hedged my bets and 4 plants were grown in pots just in case I had to bring them indoors, while others were planted straight into the soil. The pot ones did significantly better, and it's the 'garden' ones I've potted up and brought indoors. Stephan sent me the seeds...where is Stephan btw?...I'm sure I saw him registered here.
The Apaches got fed with tomorite along with the toms and I can't see how they suffered for it, John. They've fruited prolifically. The compost had a good helping of manure incorporated too. - Lishka
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Alishka:-The first time I ever grew peppers in soil was when I moved over here. My boss, at the time, grew peppers, along with tomatoes and aubergines, in black plastic. Prior to planting we mixed into the soil a handful of base fertiliser for each plant (rather than broadcast application before laying the plastic). The aubergines and tomatoes cropped excellently- the peppers more or less dropped every single bud throughout the season. This was on a mineral soil where the buffering would be low compared to a soil high in organic matter such as yours. After that digression I would explain that what I meant to infer was that if you are trying peppers in pots to not feed them as you would potted tomatoes due to the possibility of elevating levels of salts in the potting soil too far. This would be especially true over winter when fertiliser requirements are lower than in the summer.
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Thanks for that, John. My brought-indoor plants are doing well. All the flowers are now transforming into fruit, but I'm not expecting any further flowers to appear. Shall get a crop of about 18-20 small chillies before the plants get dumped.
How are yours doing, g-l-g? - Lishka
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feel quite bad about this because, after my diatribe about my crappy little bought-in chilli plant, a V kind person sent me some Apaches to try. Hence my query re using seed from frozen fruit.
Since then my, now, 18" X 18" thing has decided to give me some Jalapenos - and one is actually ripening. OK - I know that some purists only eat theirs green - but might that just be an excuse??
Whatever, 'they' will get their reward in - no, before 'Heaven' - Tim
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Buona sera Lishka sono qui-but am now Cleo-forgot I joined :-[
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Tim - your jalapenos were indeed heavenly - put the largest one in my arrabiata sauce, took a mouthful, and
saw...
stars
;D
Thank you.
Stephan, you are indeed un gatto matto - good moniker, if a little disconcerting..
Can you confirm that the green Apache seeds won't germinate, please? And can you reconfirm your offer of more seeds for next season (and some for Tim?) :-* Lishka
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Hiya :)
I grow loads of chillis in the greenhouse. Last year I bought 2 packs of mixed ripe chillis that had been reduced to 24p. They were from Israel. I left them to dry and in the spring germinated them , pricked out , brought them on and put them in the greenhouse at the same time as my toms and capsicums.
They cropped magnificently (and still are) . Habeneros, Scotch Bonnets, Ciscos, Jalpenos and the little Red Thai.
All to be used differently but all picked wearing gloves and with the Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets even in the kitchen.
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Hey Merv, what a bloody marvelous idea! My asda is always selling off the chillis cheap - I don't think the local population are into spicey food :-X! More for me! Now that I am going to do! Cheers Merv ;D
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Lishka-should be no problem letting you two have some seeds. I am not sure if unripe seed would work but remember that Appache is an F1 anyway so may not come true .
Stephan
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lucky old Merv - at the farmers' market the other day, they were 25p EACH! - Tim
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for a bit of fun, have you lot looked at www.chillies.net? - Tim