Your comments and tips

05 Nov 09, SP (Australia - temperate climate)

Could someone help me with this? I sow seeds of thin hot chillies 2 weeks ago in seed raising containers. they haven't sprouted yet. The same with bitter melon. I have them moist so they sprout soon. I also did soak them in the water before sowing them. I am happy to wait but i am not really sure whether it takes this long. Many thanks

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10 Dec 17, Hamsa (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I live in the cool mountains but I manage to grow chillies and bitter melon. It is best to start the seeds in a green house, if you don’t have one, cover the pots with plastic sheets but remember to water them everyday and when the plants are about 5 - 10 cm, you can remove the plastic sheet Soak chicken manure in water and water the plants for abundance of vegetables

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08 Dec 17, Alice (Australia - temperate climate)

SP- chilli seeds are best propagated on a heat mat. Good seeds generally germinate within 10 days on heat mat. Keep it just moist but not wet as this may rot the seed bf germination start.

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05 Oct 09, Chris (Australia - tropical climate)

Have grown Naga Morish in Darwin - hot aint the word. Bush approx 2 metres high - full sun and laden. Believe this chili goes under various titles - but one to be treated with respect. Also grown a round (ball shaped) chili was told was a thing called a 'Sweetheart' - not as hot as above - but gives a very pleasant flavor in salads.

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28 Sep 09, Sally (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I have just bought a Capsicum annuum or Thai Chilli Salsa plant and was told it was edible, I cant find anything on the label to say it is. Can some one please tell me before I use them. Thanks

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14 Sep 09, albert (Australia - tropical climate)

Is there any reason why some chili plants bear fruit despite its small stature while other larger plants bear no fruit. New to this pardon my ignorance. thanks albert

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05 Sep 09, kate (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Buzz - thanks for your comments and advice. As in most things in life, I probably just need to remind myself to be patient - Thank you!

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05 Sep 09, Ian.W. (Australia - temperate climate)

Take a tip and look for slugs and snails, they love chilli plants, Easy to combat too, just set out some shallow containers filled with BEER!, snails and slugs love it even better than we do, BUT, they don't know when to stop and so end up drowning in their own drink. Works a treat, and is not toxic to the environment or pets. and any leftover after setting out the traps is your reward if you so desire. I know, I have lost whole plants fruit and all overnight. Went looking at night and found the plants covered in tiny young snails.

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01 Sep 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Re possums, I've found growing plenty of other food the possums prefer to eat if the best way to keep them off my vegies. Apparently possums really like Plumbago and also young gum leaves, and I'm lucky to have plenty of gum trees and a huge plumbago which gets well chewed in winter when the gums have less new growth. I also have solar powered flashing fairy lights wound amongst the vegies which seems to help keep the possums away too.

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31 Aug 09, Buzz Killington (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

I don't mean to be rude, but would like to clarify a few things that have been said here, and give a bit of information. The Bhut Jolokia is supposed to be ~1.5 million Scoville units in heat and is realistically about 1 million, compared to a Habanero, which is usually ~300,000 Scoville units. The habanero is too hot for most, and the Bhut Jolokia is only for the diehard Chilliheads. Scotch Bonnets, Habaneros, and Bhut Jolokias are all Capsicum Chinense, whereas the standard chillies (pointy-ended ones) are Capsicum Annuum, and are usually alot more mild. Sweet Bell Peppers (Capsicums) are C. Annuum, and can cross-pollinate with other Chillies. Kate - Chillies are usually fairly slow-growing plants compared to things like Tomatoes etc. Right now, it may be too cold for them to be in full swing. The flowers are self-fertile, so will pollinate themselves, but you need to help them along by sticking pollen to the Pistil using a cotton bud or similar. Swirling your finger around gently inside the flower works too. When the fruit is pollinated, the flower will go brown, and drop off, and the fruit should start growing. Flowers browning and dropping could also be due to a poor feeding regime. On most (all?) fertiliser bottles you will see a NPK number set. N=Nitrogen, P=Potassium, K=Phosphorus. General vegetative growth (leaves/stems) is encouraged by high-N analysis fertilisers, and flowering is encouraged by high P/K analysis fertilisers. At this time of year, I have my chillies inside on shelves in front of a large west-facing window. Usually, I find that if the overnight low temperature drops below about 5 degrees C then they will stop growing/flowering. I would try and be patient with your Capsicums and Chillies. As they are already established, you should get a good head start this season. Good luck!

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