wk's 2008 chilli pepper corner

[whitekoohii]

the 2008 season is off (or in!) the ground. last year i traded seeds for over 150 varieties, hence selection has been cumbersome. the first batch of 15 non-annuum varieties is now sown in the heated propagator. here's a graphic growing list (powered by thechileman.org), together with the 2008 growing data i will be updating throughout the year. in the pictures, seeds soaking overnight in a chamomille diluted solution and the heated propagator.



2008 varieties
méxico: inayague (an), paloma (an/fr?), amashito (an), jalapeño (an), chipotle (an), poblano (an), manzano (pb)
guatemala: coban (an), diente de perro - pi555634 (an/fr?)
nicaragua: buena mulata (an)
panamá: ají chombo (ch)
perú: misquicho (ch), brown rocoto (pb), chinchi uchu (bc)
bolivia: quintisho (ch), birgits locoto (bc)
brazil: olho de peixe (ch)
argentina: putapario - pi560944 (chac)
suriname: madamme jeanette (ch)
jamaica: jamaican scotch bonnet brown (ch)
martinica: martinique (ch)
trinidad: trinidad scorpion (ch)
japan: santaka (an)
thailand: prik kee noo daeng (an/fr?)
vietnam: unknown (an?)
portugal: piri piri (an)

[Volitans]

in the pictures, seeds soaking overnight in a chamomille diluted solution and the heated propagator.

Does this chamomille solution really help sprouting? How much chamomille you use?

[whitekoohii]

hello volitans,

hard to say if it enhances germination ratios, it'd need a proper experiment. here's my 2007 data in case you can draw some comparisons. anecdotically, i am sure soaking reduces the number of trapped cotiledons during germination.

i use mark @ thechileman's method, brew a cup of chamomille, discard and brew a 2nd cup with the same teabag, cool down and soak. those recipients in the pic aren't very big, some of those are shot-like "down in one" glassess.

hope this helps.

[Bermann_7]

I also read the tip from theclileman.org...
Unfortunately, I had ran out of chamomille tea, so, I used green tea.
The results? hard to say. I had so few seeds afterall, about 30, but almost 90%of them germinated.

When you think about it it really makes sense to use some dilute chemicals (tea is a good source and its organic) and heat to speed up the germinating process. I had my seeds in a plastic bag with some green tea in it for about 2 weeks in 30 deg. celsius, and I'm happy with the results

[whitekoohii]

did you have the seeds soaking for two weeks in the plastic bag? how did you warm it?

[Bermann_7]

Firslty, sorry for the delay... I haven't been reading the english forum actively enough...

Now to your guestion:
There seems to be some weird typo, because I certainly did NOT have the seeds in a plastic bag for two weeks.... more like 2-3 days...
I kept the plastic bag warm by keeping it on a radiator or under a heat producing lamp. Actually, that heat producing lamp was just an ordinary lightbulp,; they tend to produce a lot of heat.... I also had some seeds I had already sown under the lamp.

[whitekoohii]

hello b7,

interesting fishtank-like method, definitely worth a try  

on the other hand, another report from the garden. growing two pubescens varieties this year, an unusual brown rocoto from peru (left) and a chile manzano from méxico (seeds from villahermosa, tabasco). they're both slowly growing tall and hairy. also, the chile de simojovel from chiapas germinated this morning.

[Bermann_7]

well, the fishtank-method (as you christened it ) seems to be working fine for me  :lol:  Of course, I have germinated only rather easy varieties so far, so I'm not sure how my method will affect the germinating ratio of a more difficult species.

just another day I got some red Habaneros from the green grocers, and I chucked some seeds to my notorious fishtank. heres hoping I'm eating habas this autumn!  

You got some interestin chiles, I noticed. It's my first season, so I didn't dare to go for anything outrageous, but I have to admit those hairy chiles seem very tempting!  :lol:  Good luck with your furry plants, and pictures are more than welcome.  

[whitekoohii]

roughly along the thrid month mark, just carried out the long overdue repotting. while transplanting and in order not to disturb the roots, i took the chance to cull the weaker looking plants (originally had two plants per pot) and i have ended with 34 pots corresponding to 31 varieties. now it is time to slowly increase their sun exposure day by day before permanently moving them outdoors.

[Bermann_7]

Are you planning to use some protective cloth at first, or do you just increase the exposure time gradually? or both?    Or, do you have some special technique?

[whitekoohii]

hello b,

2nd option, they do quite well indoors behind glass. any time i can i take them out and leave them for a while until i can see they start drooping (sometimes that's too late as sunburns appear later... :? ). after a few days they can be moved out permanently no trouble.

wk

[whitekoohii]

i became aware of the buena mulata variety through jeff nekola's heirloom archive and got seeds through a trade from denmark (malusrustika). john f was kind enough to provide some information about the variety from the book 100 Vegetables and Where They came From by ww weaver:

american folk artist pippin found the pepper for my grandfather in the 1930's. although no one knows exactly where it comes from, oral history places it in nicaragua...its best uses are in colorful salsas and in one of the secret flavoring ingredients of nicaraguan cookery: vinagre de buena mulata, made with white wine vinegar, buena mulata peppers, garlics and cilantro. a delightful addition to soups, sauces and dressings. it is also good in marinades for goat....[ he goes on to talk about a similar pepper being illustrated in a 1542 book but that pepper ripened green to red but another ripened black to red] so we may assume that such color shifting must have existed since pre-columbian times. buena mulata is probably a selected strain of this type of mutation, a real pepper mulatto in its robust blend of colors and a true rainbow of flavors as well.

[NaokiSoma]

Beautiful flower! Waiting to see also beautiful colored pods :wink:.

[whitekoohii]

acclimatising is finally over. soil was drying out too quickly hence roots needed a new abode. carried out a major repotting and plants will from now on move outdoors permanently. to avoid a bit of work i have repotted from 14cm pots into 26cm ones, avoiding intermediate 18cm-22cm stages, see how it goes. now it is time to wait for the bugs to move in...

[Bermann_7]

heres hoping we're facing a looooong and boring time waiting..  

To date, I've only seen some fruit flies buzzing around my house, and thast the way i'd like to keep it.

I think I should also move my plants out soon.. I think they are beginning to get used to sun and wind... One lemon drop took some sun damage, I was "hardening" it a bit too hard....

[whitekoohii]

despite the indoors-outdoors shifting, a couple of plants got sunburnt but on their way to recovery. i have started to spray the chilli vodka to test its usefulness as insect repellent. so far no bugs.

on the other hand, the first 2008 season chilli will be a buena mulata. it has been raining for the last few days, notice the new growth yet to be exposed to the sun is free from purple anthocyanin skin build up.

[Bermann_7]

Vodka?!  :shock:

You spray your plants vith spirits? I guess it keeps the bugs away, as long as it's not too sugary, but, umm, doesn't it cause other problems? eg. curious neighbours licking the "repellent" off your garden?  :lol:

The pod looks nice! you can actually see the saw-shaped transition from green to purple!  

[NaokiSoma]

Vodka?!  :shock:

You spray your plants vith spirits? I guess it keeps the bugs away, as long as it's not too sugary, but, umm, doesn't it cause other problems? eg. curious neighbours licking the "repellent" off your garden?  :lol:

It's Naga-vodka :wink:, see here:
http://whitekoohii07.blogspot.com/2008/01/chilli-vodka.html

[Bermann_7]

OK, I stand corrected.. NAGA-vodka.      

I guess that makes sense. Capsaisin is more soluble to EtOH (ethanol) than to pure water... But does it repell insects, I have no idea, but I'd surely like to know. Just one more interesting characteristic for capsaisin.   :roll:

[whitekoohii]

the lore says it does... the plants have been outside for a while and have just started spraying recently. so far no sight of creepy creatures yet they haven't had the time to develop any significant civilisation....