Is it possible to overfeed chilli plants?

June 7, 2020June 8, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / 3 Comments

Yes. End of post.

If you’d like to know more about how then read on.

It is true that supplementary plant food can support your plant being the very best it can be. However, it is also true that too much of good thing can lead to many issues. Just like in us humans.

Get your chillies’ basic diet right – something that contains good levels of the core nutrients. Only after that, add a little extra. Only if needed. Sometimes less is more.

You can overfeed your chilli plants in a number of ways:

Give them too much feed in one hit;
Feed them too often;
Not disperse built up of nutrient salts.

Lots of chilli growers favour a nutrient poor growing medium. This allows them to add whatever goodies they want, in the quantities they want, when the plant needs it. If you do opt for a more nutritious compost as part of your mix, remember that this will usually contain a general plant food that can last up to six weeks. Read the label to know what you are starting with before even thinking about adding extra.

After settling on your basic soil mix (this is our fave soil mix right now) how can you ensure you are giving the right amount of the right type of feed to your chillies?

Let’s start with the core components of a feed and then move on to quantity afterwards. If you want a clear guide to general fertilisers, the RHS guide is right here. Not chilli specific but well worth a read. Here’s The Birdhouse version with our precious chilli plants in mind…

Let’s get our heads around NPK

NPK, say WHAT?!

You know, check the back of that bottle of Miracle Gro liquid feed lurking on the top shelf in your shed – the one that has been there since 1994. See the ingredient list (NPK) next to some dodgy numbers (24: 8: 16)? That. That is the NPK number.

The NPK number can be interpreted and used in a few ways. It does not take a PhD to understand NPK but a little explanation goes a long way. The first thing is to know what N, P and K are and what they do…

N = Nitrogen Leaves are the powerhouse of the plant. They are packed full of chlorophyll, the green stuff. Chlorophyll uses the energy from sunlight to convert water and CO2 into plant sugar energy. A major component of chlorophyll is…you guessed it…Nitrogen. Boom! You want healthy leaves get some Nitrogen in yer plants!

P = Phosphorus- Tissue development is what Phosphorus is all about. A vigorous root system, strong supportive stems and full seed development all happen as a result of the right P balance. Phosphorus =Workhorse.

K = Potassium– In charge of transport and defence within the plant. This means levels of photosynthesis, uptake of nutrients from the roots AND removal of wastes are all reliant on the correct levels of potassium. Potassium also supports strong cell wall production, making plants better equipped to deal with infection, drought and pests. And it helps fruit set. You are our all round HERO, Potassium!

We have written previously about role of these macro plant nutrients in detail. Do look at at our blog post: NPK Values for chilli plants

A large percentage of feeds, fertilsers and magic cures for plants contain these three wonder nutrients. UK law says the quantity of NP and good old K must be stated on the label of each product.

Overdo (or underdo for that matter) any one of these core nutrients then your plants will not thank you. Get the balance right and you will have more chillies. Simple.

Ratio

The second way to consider the NPK number is as a ratio. The elements are always in the same order to avoid confusion. Ask yourself, are the N, P & K values balanced or imbalanced? Average chicken manure pellets have a 4:2:1 ratio. More nitrogen. Tomorite is 4:3:8, more potassium. A fertilister that contains a balance of N, P & K would have numbers the same or very close.

Just make sure you are looking at the correct percentages. You want the less obvious, pure element percentage – not the chemical compound percentage, e.g. Phosphorus Pentoxide 4.4% is actually only 1.9% Phosphorus. Granted this is a touch confusing but, using the same example, the true numbers are in brackets with their chemical symbol, e.g. Phosphorus Pentoxide 4.4 % (P 1.9%). Think you’ve got it? You can test your new found decoding skills on the labels below:

**Baby Bio**: the NPK declared as 10.6: 4.4: 1.7, this is the ratio of the compounds containing NPK. On closer inspection, the available elemental NPK is actually 10.6: 1.9: 1.4, less Phosphorus that the label would first indicate.

**Tomorite:** 4: 3: 8 is what the label says but if you want to know the levels of each macro nutrient ACTUALLY available to your plants look at the numbers in the brackets 4: 1.3: 6.6.

As a result of being able to crack the code of the NPK ratio, you can decide which fertiliser will suit your chillies’ needs at different times in their life. Growing first leaves? …choose feed that has a larger N number than the P and the K. Time to set fruit? …then perhaps opt for a K heavy ratio.

**Miracle Gro All Purpose Plant Food:** 17: 9: 11 is what they say. Look at the element % though and you are down to 17: 3.9: 9.1

Just don’t overdo it. Always better to be a little under what the labels say than to double up and hope for double the chillies.

Concentration

The third way of using NPK is the SIZE of the numbers…the 7s in Growmore’s 7: 7: 7 means 7%. The higher the number the higher the concentration of the nutrient within the packet. The lower the number the less of each nutrient is in there. Chilli Focus is 3: 1: 4.4, so a relatively low concentration. Some specialist feeds will have higher numbers, for example TopRose Gold 12: 5: 10.

If you’re interested in the NPK value of pretty much any kind of organic item you could use as a fertilser then check out NPK of everything chart from The Nutrient Company. From apple leaves, to bat guano to leather scraps to insect frass. It’s all right there.

Talking of organic, some fertilisers are synthetic chemicals and others are derived from organic source. It is up to you which you choose. The natural route can be the slower route as organic compounds are somewhat larger and take time to break down and release the nutrients required. Organics can be homegrown, homemade and as natural as your own style of gardening. You are less likely to ‘burn’ your plants with a ‘hot’ mix of organics than synthetic versions of the same chemical. However, synthetics are quicker to act, good for exact measurements and excellent as a remedy for a growth issue.

If you opt for a super high strength feed, watch out. It would be tempting and easy to make a mix that is stronger than it should be, expecially with small quantities. Perhaps invest in a measuring jug or syringe?

Now we know what the NPK number is, how should we administer them?

Before you pump up the volume on the feed, think about…

Checking the nutritional value of your soil. Especially important with potted chilli plants. Soil choice will provide your plants with their first foods. Baby plants need baby food, a low nutrient soil mix and dilute levels of fertiliser (if any) will give the best results.
Consider how long the existing soil nutrients will last before adding anything extra;
Think about what the plant is up to, does it need a higher percentage of one nutrient for this particular point of growth? e.g. is it flowering?

Once you are clear on the above you can add feed via the soil, watering, top dressing or as a foliar feed.

Feeding through the soil…

If you decide to use a low nutrition compost mix then a handful of a general purpose feed could be for you. Gromore, that sort of thing.

Depending on the plant growth stage (e.g. is it in vegetative or bloom stage) this can dictate the type of additonal feed a plant needs. When the plants are seedlings it makes sense that they would need very dilute amounts of general goodness, perhaps with an added boost of nitrogen to really get the leaves going. A light soil mix, with a careful handful of chicken manure pellets thrown in could do this. Gently does it for the baby plants though (can we say this enough?) Chicken manure pellets have an NPK value of approximately 4: 2: 1. Again, better to be more dilute than overwhelm the little darlings.

As the plants mature they continue to need feeding. The good thing about chillies is that they regularly need potting on. This gives you a chance to pop a little extra food (or none at all) in the mix if you feel they need perking up. Or to change the menu. A fish, blood & bone mix (5: 5: 6.5) could be useful with more mature plants. Remember that lots of compost bases (your own homegrown black gold, supermarket multipurpose, Jack Magic, John Inness Number whatever) all contain nutrition already so go easy on the added stuff.

Some growers stick with soil based feeding only but generally, soil additives will last six weeks or so, any longer and extra will be required. So, in their final growing medium it could become important to feed via other methods than mixing into the soil.

How else can we add nutrients?

Via watering, top dressing or a foliar spray.

We have been using Chilli Focus liquid feed (2.7: 0.4: 3.6) for the last few seasons. It is gentle (at the correct dilution); somewhat organic and has kelp for an all round boost.

Another chance to hone your new found skills of plant food label interpretation. Certificate in the post.

Deep into the flowering & fruiting season, we still only feed about once a week, depending on the weather. We use a 10ml to 1L dilution for the feed, with water as needed in between. We always water and feed from the bottom unless flushing the soil through.

Too much feed will actually build up the nutrient salts to toxic levels in the soil. This could stunt growth, cause root burn or all manner of undesirable side effects. CAREFUL!

Eek! How do we stop salts building up in the soil?

Firstly, by adding less feed. On sunny days, the plant is working at full rate and doing everything it can to grow, flower and fruit. It is using the nutrients at the fastest pace then. A feed on a day like this is perfect. However, things slow down somewhat on cloudy days, especially earlier in the UK season when daylight hours are shorter. Ease up on the feed at these times, maybe less water too as everything is slower. Just feed tomorrow instead. Less feeding, less chance of salts building up.

Secondly, in the flowering season, it can be important to give plants a detox. Pick a super sunny day, where photosynthesis and transpiration rates are high and ‘top water’ the pots. Use a sprinkle setting on your hose, or a rose on the watering can and gently allow the water to trickle through from the top of the soil and run out of the holes in the bottom. This will collect and dissolve any nutrient salts that have built up earlier in the season, redistribute them into the soil and the plant can then resue them. Do not feed directly after this!

Err, just a sec, back to kelp…what is that good for?

It’s a wonderstuff. No, really.

Alys Fowler explains the benefits of a seaweed feed. And James Carr writing on Fine Gardening tells you all about the chemical composition of the average seaweed feed ‘A. nodosum contains at least 60 elements, including many of those known to be essential for terrestrial plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), boron, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, molybdenum, sulfur, and zinc.’

We like seaweed for its natural, gentle and all-round boost it can give our plants. We’d love to have a go at collecting, using and refining a seaweed mulch and feed ourselves but we’re not quite ready to go there yet. One day.

Foliar application of nutrients

A foliar spray can be used to apply certain nutritional boosts. Dilute seaweed extract can be applied this way. As can dissolved Epsom salts. Epsom salts are Magnesium Sulphate and are used 1tsp dissolved per litre to boost the ‘green’ in leaves.

Even Chilli Focus can be applied as a foliar spray as plants can absorb a large percentage of required nutrients into their structure via their leaves & stems. This is especially helpful in areas that have high pH soil and chillies are planted in open ground. High pH can limit the uptake of nutrients. However, for the general chillihead hobby grower, foliar sprays tend to be kept for remedies rather than general feeds.

A few words of caution for foliar feeding:

Timing and temperature Don’t cover your plants with a foliar feed in full, bright, hot sunlight, you’ll surely burn them as the droplets turn to lenses and maginify the sun’s rays. Ouch! Keep it to morning or evening (when stomata are fully open) and when the temperatures are under 27 degrees. Fast evaporation of water in full midday sun could also leave nutrient salts exposed on the leaf and ‘burn’ the plant chemically. Double ouch!
Humidity Spraying increases humidity. Super high humidity could tip your chilli plants into the danger zone. They might not be able to cool themselves effectively. Plant cooling down happens by transpiration: opening of the stomata (pores) on the leaves and allowing water out into the environment. If the surrounding air is very humid (nearly full of water already) this process cannot happen properly. Plants will overheat. Hardly the effect you are intending when applying a foliar feed or remedy.
Concentration Make sure the spray is a high concentration. This seems to go against everything we have been saying about low levels of feed but this is different. A spray that contains a lower concentration of the nutrients than found in the actual plant could end up drawing out the plants’ own nutrients…from the higher concentration to the lower. This is obviously not what you want to happen.
Spray size. The finest possible mist setting is the best one. You want to coat the leaves but not form large droplets. The finer the mist the quicker and more effective the absorbtion of the nutrients.

Leaf Health

Leaves are a wonderful indicator of health in chilli plants. A regular leaf check will give you an insight into what is going on. Take your time though. You might end up creating an unecessary secondary issue if you misdiagnose. For example: one sees cluster of crinkled new growth on one’s Scotch Bonnet. One might be tempted to grab a Cal-Mag spray and apply. Whilst this could be signs of a calcium definiciency it is just as likely be overwatering or a hidden colony of aphids. Take a day or so to diagnose before rushing in with extra nutrients. You could be the cause of an imbalance, rather than a knight in shining armour.

A very popular, handy graphic showing the symptoms of chemical deficiencies in your chilli plants

So NP & K are not the only tools in the kit then?

Nope, meet a few more of the team…

Magnesium- Chlorophyll could not do its crazy chemistry without the prescence of Magnesium. Cell division, protein production, enzyme activation and respiration all happen smoothly because Magnesium is there. As is the uptake, transportation and metabolisim of Phosphorus.

Calcium- cell walls just aren’t the same without the correct levels of calcium. It literally holds them together. Low Calcium can cause serious issues in every area of the plant: crinkled and distorted new leaves and buds; older leaves wilt much quicker and fruit is likely to get ‘blossom end rot’.

Sulphur – essential in the formation of chlorophyll (yes that old chestnut) It is a component of an enzyme involved in nitrogen uptake. Low sulphur = low nitrogen, even if it is available. It can be hard to tell a sulphur deficiency from a nitrogen one.

There are many more micro nutrients required for super plant fuction. Look for a feed that contains a good few of them to support your plants.

And finally, a quick word about…top dressing

It is unusual to top dress in pot grown plants, as chillies often are, but it can be handy to apply a general feed this way for chillies growing in open ground. Natural rain and watering from the top can cause nutrients to leach away from the plant quicker than in pot grown plants. Apply a granular feed around the base of the plant and water in thoroughly to disperse the fertiliser evenly. A good shower prevents burn from concentrated chemical fertilser on the leaves neat the soil surface or roots near the top. As always, do not be tempted to put extra grains of fertilser down.

A few of the symptoms of fertiliser burn can be found in this Gardening Know How article.

In conclusion YES, you can overfeed your chilli plants. Try not to.

It’s tempting to go nuts with plant food in the hope that more feed equals more chillies. But STOP, and consider whether your plants need that extra food, it might do more harm than good.

The Pros and Cons of Where to Grow Chillies in the UK

May 28, 2020May 28, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / Leave a comment

We have tried it everywhere: chillies indoors… chillies outdoors… chillies in pots… in the ground… even a hanging basket. In the kids’ flower patch… on their bedroom windowsills… in a milk bottle… greenhouse… polytunnel… grow room. You name it, we’ve tried it…well, not on a spaceship but we hear chillies do very well up there!

During late Spring in the UK we all do the dance of the chilli plants: in and out of the greenhouse, attempting to harden off whilst not melting the plants in sub zero night temperatures. Location is key and conditions seem to change on an hourly basis. The forecast fluctuates between nights of minus two and days of 25 degrees.

Where’s a plant to go?!

So, exactly where are we growing our chillies?

No straight forward answer, sorry!

Each location has general pros and cons. In addition to those, each location also depends on unique factors to do with one’s own set up. For example: Greenhouses … is your greenhouse heated? Is it in full sun all day? Is it under a massive oak tree (see final photo)? Does it have a cat that likes to chew your plants, then sit on them? Will you be planting in the ground or in pots? Does the neighbour use pesticides right next to the door? All these variables ALSO need to be factored in when considering if a greenhouse is best for your chillies.

So, first let us consider what chilli plants prefer for optimum growth & yield in terms of:

Light;
Temperature;
Humidity;
Nutrition and pH;
Support/protection/space;
Pollination.

And then think of how to provide these at each general location. By no means definitive but here’s a visual to help compare…

At the Birdhouse, our outdoor growing season for chillies is limited to mid May to mid October. This is just not long enough for many of the chilli vareties we love to grow and so we extend by using lighter, warmer, safer places for our plants at either end of the season: namely the house early on and greenhouse & polytunnel in Autumn.

So here we go, this is how we do it…

Light:

In the house for Germination: We germinate in a transparent propagator. Light is not a required element for actual germination of chilli seeds – although one of our hacks to get tricky seeds to germinate is to fluctuate light exposure on the seeds. We place our propagator right next to a window. The emergent seedlings are then tight little plants, not the leggy beasts created by some in a darkened airing cupboard.

Birdhouse Seedling Headquarters is set up in a spare room of the house. Our light kit comprises two items: a low-tech south facing sunny windowsill and a high-tech full spectrum grow light. The great outdoors is just too darn dark to even consider in January.

Germinate near a window to avoid leggy seedlings

Under Grow lights for seedlings: As soon as a seedling starts to show strong green cotyledon we move them to a paper pot under the a blue spectrum grow light for 16 hours a day. As they grow true leaves & eventually show roots from the bottom they progress to 9cm square pots under the grow light or on the windowsill. At this stage roatation is crucial as we only have one grow light and limited windowsill space. The plants will bend towards the sunlight so moving them around encourages them to bend the other way, strengthening their stems.

On the Windowsill for established seedlings: Space becomes limited as plants get bigger. Certain plants prefer to grow under the grow lights, Chinense types, especially. Others can cope on a sunny windowsill as long as they are turned to allow equal access to the light. In the UK the days are lengthening nicely in April.

Into the Greenhouse for growing plants: Once the plants are developing well they move to the greenhouse. Our greenhouse is next to a big oak tree but receives sun from 11am until sunset.

Young plants move up to the greenhouse. Protect leaves from direct sun as the raised UV light levels can damage them. Bubblewrap early on acts both as an insulator and light shade.

Paint-on shading can help protect leaves from scorching later on.

Spill out into the polytunnel to avoid overcrowding: the hardier types move out to the polytunnel when more space is needed. There are good light levels in there with the added bonus of built-in UV protection.

Planting outside: it is worth taking your time to harden the chillies off. This is for a number of reasons but, in terms of light, sunburn is an ugly thing that reduces photosynthesis. Just 10 mins in direct sun can scorch the leaves permanently. Make use of dappled shade, partially cloudy days or only put your plants in direct sun at the beginning or the end of the day. A week of this and they’ll be tough enough. Careful with the watering, droplets on leaves magnify the sun’s rays and will leave burnt patches.

Back into the Greenhouse for the last few pods: All outdoor light levels are subject to the time of year so that means that when Autumn approaches productivity drops off. We wait for the remaining fruit to ripen and then compost everything. No need for light there.

Temperature

Dans la Maison pour le Germination: Chillies like it hot. At germination stage we keep our seeds in a heated propagator between 25-36 degrees. This makes for pretty good germination rates. The propagator is heated at the base. We place our Chinense seeds down there and the others nearer the cooler top area.

Tourjours dans la maison pour les Petit Babies: Seedlings are kept on heat mats in our grow room, under the warm grow light. This really boosts their growth and stops the external temperature fluctuations affecting them too much. At this stage constant temperature stresses them least. We water from the base with warm water. They stay in the house until space runs out: windowsills, dining table, anywhere that keeps them out of the icy blasts of a British Spring.

A la Serre: Then it is off to the heated greenhouse. Our chillies are kept warmer than our children (probably better fed too, ha!) We only move them out of the house if we can keep the greenhouse at a minimum of 10 degrees at night. On the odd night it gets colder we feel like very bad parents indeed.

A heater with a thermostat is your friend here. Ours is placed under the staging as direct hot air can cause the leaves to wilt and ultimately die off. Our greenhouse is set on a raised pad of concrete slabs. These store warmth during the day to release at night. Every little helps.

Bubblewrap, an electric heater and a warm stone floor all help keep the heat in and warm the plants at night

Et les plantes adultes: As a rule, at flowering and fruiting stage, we do not like our greenhouse to drop below 10 degrees at night or head above 35 degrees during the day. Flower drop, leaf wilt and less fruit setting is the result of temperatures outside of this range. A healthy difference between day and night temperatures is welcome though. Most chilli plants seem to do better with a bit of a break from high heat.

The more hardy chilli types…pubescens in our case, are sent off to the polytunnel as soon as outside night temperatures are hovering near to 10. We did this at the end of April in 2020.

Light a candle, place a terracotta pot on feet over the top. The terracotta absorbs and radiates the heat and keeps the temperature up far better than a naked flame. Safer too!

In May, there can sometimes be a cold snap, at a time when you least suspect it. Not great for an unheated polytunnel so we have a paraffin heater and candles under terracotta pots to keep the cold at bay. These strategies have meant that our brave San Pedro Rojos and Turbo Pubes have recently survived a week of zero nights in the tunnel. Huzzah!

As Summer approaches, our priority moves towards cooling down, not heating up. A fan, ventilation through doors and windows and some shading will be options then. We generally leave the door wide open all Summer long. It still gets steamy in there but the air flow is better. This is our first Summer witha polytunnel but we fully expect to just roll up both doors and leave them there!

A la fin: As the evenings cool off we shut the greenhouse and polytunnel doors and only open up again during sunny days. Just long enough to keep those last few plants going to harvest their final fruit. Any plants still fruiting outside can be brought back inside to ripen off the last pods.

Humidity

Initially in the house: When germinating our seeds we pay special attention to the humidity of their environment. We soak seeds to give them an initial hit of moisture. We lay them onto an almost dripping paper towel inside a plastic takeaway container – no expense spared here! And spray. We click down three of the four corners down. This keeps the moisture in and around the seed but gives a little air flow. We regularly spray as the water evaporates.

Tea soaked seeds in almost selaed takeaway box

As the seedlings mature, they are placed into paper pots of warmed, damp soil. They are watered from the base and misted if need be. The grow light and fan can be drying so we have spray bottles at the ready. Seedlings can rapidly deteriorate when dehydrated and many never recover. Keep it moist!

Chinense varieties do like humidity a little higher whereas the other are fine at moderate levels. Indoors, a regular misting will allow you to tailor humidity to each plant.

Humidity for older plants: Once the plants are in the greenhouse and they are watered from the base and the humidity levels are high during the day. Perfect for the Chinenses. The polytunnel gets a real humidity hit early morning as that is when the sun is first on it. We open the doors up mid morning to get air flowing through. Better for the Baccatums.

Outdoors, the wind and the sun can really dry chilli plants out. A good drink in the morning will help plants stay hydrated all day. Annuums will be fine in this environment. Pubescens have hairy leaves to collect their very own ‘cloud’ around their leaves. Humidity sorted.

Nutrition and pH.

At each stage of growth the nutrition levels need to be right for the plant. Growing in any sort of container means essential nutrients have to be added by you. They won’t appear magically.

In containers: Too much feed can be detrimental so don’t think more is better. Minerals can build up in soil and cause all sorts of trouble. Follow the instructions on the back of the bottle and make sure you give the plants plenty of water in between feeds. If in doubt, give less. Don’t forget to consider the existing nutritional value the soil you are using. Homemade compost and shop bought multipurpose can be surprisingly rich. Check the pH of your growing medium. An optimal range would be 6.0-6.8. Slightly acidic.

Open Ground: If you are planting out into your garden, or even into open beds within a greenhouse or polytunnel it is wise to prepare the ground with a basic feed first and then top up as is needed. We like to add Birdhouse compost to ‘feed’ the soil, a sprinkle of blood, fish and bone mix. And, this year, a banana compost, hopefully to support good strong, drought resistant plants. Our local soil is chalky, well above pH 7.0, often closer to 8.0. Far too alkaline for chillies really. This can be corrected with an addition of sulphur in early Spring. Then we use Chilli Focus weekly to keep those chillies focussed!

Soil will need to be revitalised if you plant in the same place each year. A thick top mulch and a sprinkle of Sulphur dust in the Autumn will mean beds are ready for action the following Spring.

Support/Protection/Space

Each chilli plant will need to be given enough space to be its best self. This is actually one of our (many) chilli failings. Too many plants, crowded in together. We’re trying really hard this year to pot up into the biggest pots possible – incrementally of course. A larger pot footprint then gives each plant more breathing room to do its own thing. Already the size and balance of the plants looks far healthier this year.

Some plants really do require support: stakes, frames, string, wires, whatever. There is nothing more heart breaking than a full branch of chillies being snapped off. A cane in the right place at the right time will help plants stand up strong. This is particularly important for chillies planted in the ground with little else around them.

And then protection…depending on where you have chosen your chillies’ final growing place, you may need to fend off unwanted visitors (strong sunshine initially, wind, birds, greenfly, slugs & snails, weeds, diseases, pets, frost and children) This is especially true when planting outside.

In a greenhouse the greenfly is omnipresent…ready to pop out thrips at an alarming rate. It is up to you how you choose to deal with them. We are squishers here. Ladybird farmers too. And later in the season, we encourage as many hoverflies as possible. And if all that fails, a night or two out in the open for an infected plant will generally clear the greenfly off and stop other plants being infected. Other folk try neem, Bug Off and soapy water. Up to you but be warned. You will have a greenfly in a greenhouse. Fact.

And eventually, back to the original question of where we grow our chillies?

Given the UK climate, growing undercover gives an extended season. Warm and light seems just right. We like to grow in pots as Birdhouse soil is be predominantly chalk, with an extra sprinkle of flint. For more infomation about our potting soil mix check out our previous blog post:

The Quest to Find the Best Soil

Here is where we will be growing our chillies at the Birdhouse this year:

Where will you grow yours?

Results of topping chilli plants

April 13, 2020April 28, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / 3 Comments

It was March 28th when the Big Snip occurred. The tops of the seedlings were unceremoniously chopped off and they have been nursing their wounds ever since. All in the hope that new side shoots would appear and make bushier, sturdier and more productive plants.

That was two weeks ago…what do the plants look like now?

Here they are, in all their glory: tight plants with side shoots a plenty. A bit awkward, in the teenage phase if you will, but their small leaves will soon catch up with their big leaves and all will be bushy and well.

2020 selection of chilli plants two weeks after they have been topped

What’s next?

The plants need to have a good space around each of them. They are currently wedged together on windowsill trays and under a grow light in our study. Not ideal. There are now some critical issues:

Shortage of compost: many plants need potting on but compost is in short supply. We are reusing last year’s spent compost, mixed with extra perlite and garden compost. No grit this year as it is too expensive and difficult to get hold of.
Over crowding: by not potting on yet we have larger plants in smaller pots, with less gap between each plant. Light, air flow and good space is what each plant needs to grow to its full size potential. All those new side shoots will grow leggy if they are over crowded.
Pot bound root ball: yet again roots are starting to be seen from the bottom of pots. If they are not potted on the roots poking out will wither and the ones inside will become pot bound.
Space indoors is running out: an entire room has been taken over by chillies. This is not practical anymore.

Solutions are coming.

A 900L bag of compost is on the way (there are also tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, beans to consider you know). A 3m x 2m poly tunnel is ordered, staging is being prepared. Perhaps within this week our plants will be heading out into the great outdoors (heated poly tunnel).

Guide to Topping Chilli Plants

March 28, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / 1 Comment

Do you want bushy chilli plants? Strong & sturdy, multi stemmed, eventually laden with fruit?

Early Red Primavera Habanero from 2019. Topped in April to encourage extra branching and more fruit. Ripe from in late July.

Well of course you do! But maybe your plant are not quite there yet. If not, then look no further than The Birdhouse Miracle Cure!

How do we achieve the ideal chilli plant?

Some plants are just born this way but others need more help. Some will just do their thing regardless of how you tend them but there is nothing wrong with encouraging them in the right direction.

By applying The not-yet-patented Birdhouse Miracle Cure – otherwise known as topping – we can encourage side shoots and bushy growth which lead to strong, multi stemmed, hopefully super fruity plants later on.

In addition to resulting in a good strong, bushy plant, topping will nip out any very early flower buds from the single growing shoot. These buds often drop and do not set fruit. Even plants that do set early fruit can be negatively affected and fail to produce any more flowers. Topping may well avoid flower abscission entirely.

Is there some sort of science that can convince me topping works?

Plants have hormones. These hormones make different parts of the plant act in certain ways. In this instance, we are messing around with the growth hormones, auxins and gibberellins.

These hormones work together in the top growth shoot of a chilli seedling, causing cell elongation and increased cell division resulting in a rapidly growing shoot.

By removing the lead growing shoot we are sending the hormone concentration out to other areas it can be effective, namely the leaf axils where buds can develop. The hope is that each axil will produce axillary buds that eventually turn into extra branches. Thus creating a bushy plant with many growing shoots rather than a single stem.

In previous years topping has largely been very successful. And so we repeat the process this year. However, what occasionally happens is that just one of the axils produces an axillary shoot and that in turn just becomes a new single lead shoot, rather than a larger number of new side shoots. Resulting in a lop sided and unstable plant. Not bushier, not extra flowers or fruit. Just top again!

2019’s results can be seen here

But HOW do we top the plants!?

Patience. Start by selecting appropriate candidates for treatment. Look for plants that are all or most of the following:

Tall;
Leggy (not necessarily that same as tall) Leggy means ‘larger than desirable gaps between leafs sets’;
Single stemmed – best to treat them before they have split to the classic Y ;
No side shoots naturally forming;
Have 4 or more pairs of true leaves.

Annuum plants are often perfect for topping treatment at this stage in the season. They can take an early top and maybe even another in a couple of weeks. A second top may be necessary if one new axillary shoot becomes dominant.

Chinense types are usually a bit slower to grow to start with. They stay shorter too. Good results come from topping but make sure they have enough true leaves before attempting. Keeping in mind that Chinense take longer to produce ripe fruit you don’t want to top too late either.

Chinense type chilli plants ready to top

Baccatum are often sprawling, branched plants. An early top could help them to produce even more branches.

Rocoto chillies have branched plants. Catch them before they split to the first Y and topping can help reduce the spindly nature of their initial growth.

Come on now, how do we DO this thing?

OK, like this.

Put on your brave pants, this could get scary;
Gather the tools: clean, sharp scissors in one hand (we like embroidery scissors or tiny snips for bonsai work);
Take the selected victim in the other hand;
Carefully position the scissors to snip out the growing shoot, leaving behind at least four good true leaves.
And breathe out. Honestly, within a week, probably five days, new buds of side shoots will have appeared in the crooks of the remaining leaves.

Are there any reasons not to treat the plants this way?

Topping will check the production of flower buds as the plant will concentrate on producing more growing spikes. Too late in the season and you risk not achieving fully grown and ripe chillies.

Some plants natural form side shoots, grow short and bushy, are covered in fruit anyway. No need to top. Let them get on with the job themselves.

Slow growing chillies – often Chinense types – do not need further excuses to take longer to flower and fruit. Consider if the extra fruit you might gain is worth the longer wait or even the risk of the first frosts arriving before your chillies are ripe!

Any cut is a possible introduction of infection to the plant. Ensure scissor are clean and each plant is checked for signs of disease.

And there we have it, a seemingly crazy attack on our precious babies, all in aid of more hot pods at the end of the season.

Good luck!

How and when to pot on chilli seedlings

March 17, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / 1 Comment

Here we go again. The seeds have germinated, true leaves are growing. All seems well. And then, suddenly it dawned on us that these precious babies might need a bit more than a teeny tiny pot and seed compost. What next?

Have a look

A seedling that is ready to pot on for the first time will be showing certain key signs:

It will actually be growing. Smaller leaves becoming bigger leaves. The plant will be getting taller. New leaves green up. Plants just sitting there, existing with two seed leaves, sulking, are not ready for a bigger pot yet.
The water is being used up quickly in the first pot. Another sign the plant is growing well and using what you give it.
Maybe a root or two are poking out of the bottom. Chillies like to be potted on incrementally. Not straight into a whopping great 20L pot. The surest sign they’re ready to move home is little white roots peeking out underneath.

Ready to be potted on. Leaves being produced and getting bigger, roots starting to show, needing water more often.

Get prepared

The seedlings will wait a couple of extra days whilst you prepare their new home. Get the next size pot in from the cold shed/garage/backdoor step/unheated greenhouse. Bring in any soil that is going to used and let it warm up. Prepare your work station, table coverings, labels, pens, dibber, watering can, chilli feed, trays, capillary matting. It’s like preparing for the arrival of a new baby. Get all the kit sorted in advance. We all have our preferences but make sure you’ve got all your fave tools to hand. We like a teaspoon and a chopstick at this stage.

Preparations for potting on. A fine selection of tools and soil nicely warming in the house.

Your pot of choice will depend on your preference and circumstance. We have been collecting and reusing 9cm square pots at this stage for some years now. These suit us for many reasons: they come to us via purchases at a favourite nursery (West Kington Nurseries name check)… friends and family give them to us…they fit together with no spaces… they fit well on the trays we use on our window sills in the Winter months… easy to stack and store… easy to keep clean… good to write on with chalk pens for labels… discourages roots from going round and round…durable and last for a number of years. Some of our pots are easily seven years old, if not older. Virtually family.

Pick a pot that works for you.

Ahh, but what type of soil?

A free draining soil mix will suit chilli babies

Much has been written about soil type. Lots of advice is out there. Last season we spent many hours researching, sourcing, combining, mixing and using a very special Birdhouse Mix. It all seemed very important at the time. You can read our 2019 soil post here:

https://birdhousechillies.com/2019/02/06/the-quest-to-find-the-best-soil/

But this year, we are doing things a little differently. We have saved and are reusing the Birdhouse Mix soil from pots last year. *Gasp* I hear you all draw breath. It is not the done thing according the the Wise Growing Elders. And it is certain that some of you will just plain disagree with our actions. No problem, we all garden our own way. However, in this day & age of recycle, reuse and reduce, it surely makes sense to reuse the soil we so lovingly created. So we are.

If we’re not convincing enough then why not listen to Alys Fowler, gardening extraordinaire.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/may/18/how-to-reuse-old-compost-alys-fowler

So how to ensure the old compost is put to good use…and is actually good for our chillies?

Check the texture. Is it good and friable (best word EVER)? Rub through any clumps as if making pastry. The baby chilli roots need air around them and need to be able to push through the soil to spread out. Fluff the soil up nicely for them.

Check the content. Are there pests, seeds, twigs, berries, fungus, or other microbes that could cause harm to the new plants? If so, discard. Pick out any old roots. Our soil store is directly under a gargantuan Holm Oak tree. Great volumes of waxy leaves fall into the soil. They too have to be picked out. Grrr!

Check your intentions. Do you intend on feeding your plants? (Yes!) A liquid feed is perfect for reused compost. If not then you may need to add a general fertiliser or want to consider a more nutritious soil to start with.

Check any supplements. Some people add water retention beads. You may want to add grit, perlite or vermiculite (or cat litter, Alys). Good drainage is best for chillies. Our soil mix has plenty of grit, sand and perlite already so we just added a 10% of peat free multi-purpose compost, just to add bulk and a touch of all round nutrients for the next few weeks. We also add a layer of horticultural grit at the bottom of each pot to avoid the roots sitting in anything too wet.

Are we ready to pot now?

And now you can pot on. This is how we do it:

Select your first seedling, check which variety it is and label its new 9cm square pot. We use chalk pen.
Put a layer of horticultural grit in the bottom of the pot, followed by a layer of lightly damp, warmed soil.
Our seedlings are in newspaper pots. Then can just be popped on top of the soil layer.
Back fill around the pot. If the seedling is leggy then top the soil up until just under the seed leaves. Gently not to damage the stem as that could cause weakness later on.
Pick up the pot and gently knock it on a surface to settle down the soil without compacting it. Top up if need be.
Place the pot on a tray lined with capillary matting.
Water with a weak feed. Warm water, from the base.

Presenting the Class of 2020 in their new pots

Of course a chilli head’s work is never done. Here are the rest of the Class of 2020. Chinense on the right, gradually putting on bulk. On the left are the late germinators. Mostly Annuums so they should be fine. All too little for new pots yet.

Keeping chilli seedlings under a grow light

February 5, 2020February 7, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / Leave a comment

We’ve got a light! Just one mind you… but it may multiply. Let’s see if it makes a difference to last year’s au naturel efforts. We have the Phlizon 1200W LED Full Spectrum grow light. Father Christmas did a lot of research and selected this magnificent glowing product. Good work Saint Nick!

Phlizon 1200W is currently strung up with a Heath Robinson style pulley & rope system between bookcase and curtain rail. Dangling 24 inches from the seed leaves of the chilli babies, it gently whirrs in the corner of the room and the seedlings gaze lovingly up at it.

Why do we need lights?

When us chilli growin’ Brits want to make full use of the heat and light of our limited Summer months, we have to start planting way back in January – especially with those tricky Chinense types. The UK climate certainly presents some challenges when starting this early. Long, dark nights and cold, grey days are certainly not the perfect environment for chillies.

To replicate what a chilli likes, we use a number of techniques that hopefully give our plants a good start in life. One of these techniques is to use a grow light: replacing or supplementing the seemingly absent sun with an artificial source of light. This instantly deals with the lack of daylight hours in a drab Hampshire Winter.

It’s not just replacing like for like either, an artificial sun can be much, much more. You can tailor the wavelength range of lights to suit the particular phase of growing your plants are in. Briefly, green plants (including chillies) need a range of solar radiation (light) of wavelength 450-700nm to grow to their potential. This is known as Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) and happens to correspond to the spectrum the human eye can register.

Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) range that stimulates plant growth corresponds with the spectrum visible to the human eye

For early growth and strong roots the plants need a wavelength range of 450-495nm. This is the blue light range. Imagine a chilli plant in the wild, early in the growing season (Spring and early Summer) sunlight is naturally more in this range.

Later on, during the flowering and fruiting stage at the end of Summer, early Autumn, sunlight has a more red tone, 680-750nm. We can replicate this by switching to the BLOOM light range. Red tones increase flowering and photosynthesis rate.

When producing chilli plants under artificial light we can replicate and enhance what Mother Nature tells us to do.

What types of lights are available?

Fluorescent lighting

This is a good cheap start-up option. Bulbs are readily available in stores and online. The bulbs and units are relatively small and can be fitted well into grow tents. They don’t get super hot and so no need for fans or large distances between light and plants.

High Intensity Discharge lights: Metal Halides (blue spectrum) and High Pressure Sodium (red light)

These are a serious bit of kit. Probably a bit too full on for a home grower like us but something to aspire to if things scale up.

The lights produce a significant amount of heat, which can be a good thing for chillies but will also come with additional tasks and risks. Extra watering, fanning to keep cooler air circulating and greater space to keep the light further away from the young plants are all necessary. The results can be damaging if you get this type of lighting wrong.

So we opted for LEDs…

OK, not cheap to buy a unit but cheap to run. Yes, you have to wade through vast quantities of overseas sellers and their Amazon reviews but once installed they are simple to use, safe for beginners and not too bulky. Better for the environment with low electricity required to run them, long bulb life and minimal heat output.

The Phlizon 1200W is a full spectrum unit which has a VEG switch (to turn on blue and white lights), a BLOOM switch (red and white) and both switches can be used together. Not sure if we will end up using the BLOOM phase light option as the plants will be in the greenhouse by then. Mr Birdhouse is hoping to use the blue phase for his tomatoes, squashes and cucumbers so the chillies may never experience the rosy glow of the red bloom light. Perhaps separate lights for each phase would have been better?

How much light?

We’ve covered why we use additional lighting and what types of lighting are available. Now to think about how much light is required.

Chillies originated in places where there are longer hours of daylight. Perhaps they still remember this and will grow rapidly if this is replicated? 12-16 hours of light seems to be a pretty good amount. Too much of a good thing can be bad for them though so remember to switch the lights off. Keep to your routine and they will reward you with strong growth. A plug timer will help with this (next month’s purchase). A ratio of 16:8 hours on:off seems to be just about right for our growing chillies.

Potting on chitted chilli seeds

January 30, 2020February 5, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / 3 Comments

Having soaked our chilli seeds in tea; chitted them on warm, damp kitchen paper until they germinated; and sung sweetly to them… it is now time to plant them in some actual soil and let them do their thing.

Soaking, warming and germinating chilli seeds

The beginning of the new year is a cold, dark and lonely time for a seedling in the UK. We look after our chilli babies the best we can to stop them being affected by the January Blues.

So what exactly do we do?

Paper pots

Careful preparation is the name of the game. We make newspaper pots using a wooden pot maker. Each germinated seed gets popped into a warmed paper pot for the next stage of its journey

These pots are perfect for us because…

they are free,
made from recycled materials,
can be potted directly into a bigger pot, with minimal root disturbance
can be composted at the end of the season
No labelling mix-ups, just write on the outside of the pot.

Ok, so they take time to make and are a little flimsy. They can dry out quickly, especially on a heated surface or in direct sunlight but we love them and they work for us.

Paper pot production goes into overdrive as we attempt to keep up with the number of seeds that are germinating. 50 is our goal today, must get rolling!

The pots are simple to make and use discarded newspapers

Seed compost

The seedlings need very little to start of with as they are still being fed from the endosperm (food stash from within the seed). Use a dedicated seed compost as it is low nutrients, good drainage, small particles. All good for little roots trying to develop.

Warmth

Gently warm the paper pots filled with seed compost BEFORE the seedlings are put in the soil. This means there is no shock to the system and they should continue to grow as if nothing has changed.

We place our pots on plastic windowsill trays. Lined with capillary matting. These tray conveniently rest on top of our radiators. Soil stays warm. Chillies LOVE it!

In addition to keeping the pots warm we use warm water when giving the seedlings a drink. Water from the base every few days. Careful not to overwater as waterlogged soil can check growth. Keep an eye on the outside pots as they will dry out quicker than the inner ones.

Light

Make sure the seedlings get as much natural light as possible. We started in January last year, grew under only natural light and had a pretty amazing harvest. We just had to rotate a lot. The light keeps the plants from getting too leggy in the early days. Consider a set of grow lights. We are about to embark on this journey with our first set of lights: The Phlizon 1200W. More will be said about this at a later date.

Feed

After a week or so, once the seed leaves are unfurled and looking a good strong green, we start to feed a weak solution of Chilli Focus. Not too much, or the roots can burn, just enough to keep the wolves at bay. 5mls to litre of warm water should do it.

And there you have it, a simple but tested way of looking after your precious babies at this early stage of the game.

Early Summer chilli plant progress report

July 11, 2019 / BirdhouseChillies / Leave a comment

Having sown most seeds in January it is just lovely to watch the plants flourish and fruit. We pickled our first jar of jalapeños last night and they are nearly finished already. That’s how it should be.

Everything is looking pretty fresh and green, despite recent erratic weather patterns. Lots of flowers on display and plenty of young pods. All protected, populated and pollinated by a veritable army of ladybirds partnered with a daily fly by from the hoverfly squadron. A few Annuums are dropping flowers, a few are giving up flowering now they’ve produced a pod or two but on the whole all is well in the Birdhouse greenhouse (and now surrounding area).

Time for an update on each plant.

The Originals…in order of flowering

Golden Greek Pepperoncini

These have been very quick to mature, flower, fruit and ripen. The chillies are ripening to a vibrant orange The first round of chillies have been picked and ripened in the fruit bowl. They are almost glowing orange. The next flush of chillies are still on the plant, ripening in the sun. This is a slower process and includes a chocolate brown stage. Not sure where the ‘golden’ comes from, maybe another stage of ripening?

They are planted in 10L flower buckets from our local Co-op. Each plant is about 60cm high and will hopefully still keep flowering and fruiting. Tasty little chilli with very little heat, even with the seeds left in. We used them to freshen up a guacamole and ended up adding a hotter chilli for heat too.

Sweet Banana – is this really a chilli?

They really do look like bananas. They have as much heat as a banana too. Not that they are meant to be spicy really. The plants are outside in 10L pots. The first pods have been removed to encourage further flowering. Not much second round flower action yet.

Jalapeno – an oldie but a goodie

Known to endure cooler temperatures better than lots of other types of chillies, our Jalapenos are situated outside the greenhouse and have been for some time. They are currently on the second batch of pickings. And are now in a brief interlude before fulfilling their potential in 10L buckets – we hope.

Poblano – a dark beauty

Another early to fruit type. The trouble with leaving the very first few flowers on is that once they set and start to grow no more flowers are produced. The first couple of fruit from each plant have been picked and a new round grown and picked already.

Contrary to many chillies’ tastes, the Poblano plants do not like the heat and are quick to wilt in protest if they are even a little dry or above 20 degrees. The first Poblano fruit to set was scorched through the greenhouse glass. They too are now growing outside and seem much happier. The nighttime temperatures are well above 5 degrees these days so no real problem there. It would be nice to think they plants would grow bigger and more tree like. They are in 10L pots so have space to bulk up. The pods could bulk up too.

Padron – get that frying pan hot and ready!

The Padrons have been growing, flowering, fruiting and repeating for some time now. They were the first plants to move outside and the first into the 10L buckets. They are looking really settled, no sign of flower drop and are casually leaning on the outside of the greenhouse, just hanging out, doing their thing. Best pan fried with a crush of sea salt, perfect with paella.

Espelette type -a favourite in the house so far

We are loving these plants. Tall and covered in the largest white flowers. They have stunning heart shaped leaves. The first few fruit have been picked already to encourage the plants to produce more flowers. No ripe pods yet.

They are planted into 5L pots and are heading towards a metre in height already. Might pop them in the 10Ls and feed them up a bit to encourage roots as well and fruits. Can’t wait to see how they end up. We’re hoping to dry and grind these into a tasty paprika.

Guajilo – bigger fruit than expected

The plants were amongst the first to flower and fruit. Again, the first fruit have been removed to encourage further flowering. These chillies can be eaten green and so it is fine to keep picking. One surplus plant has been planted out into our eldest daughter’s garden. It seems to be loving life there. Most of the greenhouse plants are nearing a metre high and are in 7.5L pots.

Cherry Bomb – da bomb!

The Bombs are certainly da bomb! There are currently residing in 5L pots and are a whopping 75cm full of flower and fruit. Their flowers are white and profuse. Not too many of them have dropped. They just seem to get taller and taller.

Last year we grew Big Bomb and their final pots were only 3L. Aiming for a bigger crop this year as the whole family love these sweetie chillies. Can’t wait for them to ripen so we can get pickling.

Aleppo – Nigella’s fave

A speedy deliverer. And yet, not as good as anticipated. The plants are smallish, 30cm in 2L pots. Roots are only just peeking through the bottom so they have not been potted up. Flowering has slowed now 3-5 fruit have set on each plant. The fruit is turning black in the sun, it would be great to see some red showing through soon. Might try potting on to 3L to see if that gives them a new lease of life.

Cow Horn – crazy curls

These plants were super quick to mature to the point of flower and fruit. We have picked one round of crazy curled pods already. Again, this strategy is to encourage further growth and flowering. At the moment there are very few flowers. It seems after 3-5 fruit have set no more buds come along. Hopefully some will grow now the first fruit have been removed.

It was so exciting to see the first flowers this year that it was just too heart wrenching to remove them. Perhaps next year we will be brave enough to pick off the first few buds to allow the plants to mature before concentrating on pod production.

Rocoto – home grown

So pleased that we decided to plant these home produced seeds. The plants behave in such a different way. They are hairy sprawlers with flowers all over. There are far more pods than you think. They are sitting in 3L pots at the moment. The will be planted into larger boxes that currently have first early potatoes in them. Dry weather = slow potatoes. Not long now my purple beauties! The plants could really rocket once they are in their new homes.

Habanero Primero Red – first of the Chinenses

What an excellent plant. They are in 3L pots (although they may be potted on on today as more soil/root while we are away will be better for them) 30cm high but also 30cm wide. They are sprawling, branched and laden with flower and fruit. Must give them a little blood, fish and bone in the compost mix to keep the whole plant going. Lots of Potassium is all very well but there are plenty of growing days left in the season, it not all about the fruit quite yet. Looking forward to tasting these when they are ripe.

Scotch Bonnets – or are they?

So, these prized plants are not what we thought they were. Our 2018 Scotch Bonnet were just the best: so glossy, nail polish perfect scarlet, fragrant and hot. Right up our street!

There were no plans to repeat any of the same plants from 2018 to 2019 but on the 7th of January we gave in and ordered a solitary pack of Red Scotch Bonnet seeds from the South Devon Chilli Farm. We had already placed an order with them. Extra P&P was paid but we didn’t care. We were thrilled to think that after nearly a full year of growing we would, yet again, have these wonderful fruit in our lives. Hands were rubbed in anticipation.

Not to be! Look at those flowers: Baccatum if ever there has been one. Look at those pods: Bishops Crown, that’s what they are! Fuming doesn’t even begin to describe it! Funny, checking records, these seeds germinated in five days, whereas all our other Chinense types took nearly twice that. The signs were there but we missed them. Should have ordered another pack of SBs from elsewhere at that point. Note to selves: always source two pack of Scotch Bonnets, from two different sources!

Being true chilli heads, we are keen to see what the Bishops Crown brings to the party. Mild is what the forum says. Hurumph is what we say. They’re in 5L pots, about 75cm tall, branched and they have about 10% flower drop.

Bubblegum 7 -such different flowers

The plants are showing chinense characteristics: determinate plants with branches covered in lime flowers. These flowers have very stubby little petals. Fruit looks like it is setting. In 3L pots but will soon be into a final 5L.

A kindly neighbour took pity on me and gifted two 7 Pot Yellow plants. These are just about showing clusters of buds. Perhaps they will have the same diddy petals?

Tobago Seasoning – only just figured out that ‘seasoning’ means ‘not hot’

Growing well. They were chitted 10 days later than everything else so are therefore forgiven for being 10 days or so behind. Flowers are popping out all along the stems. Nice. The first few pods are longer and thinner than I had imaged but no worries.

Trinidad Perfume – slowly does it

A true Chinense type, slow growing, almost to the point you think something is wrong, maybe you offending these plants somehow? But no, eventually the buds appear and then a flower or two open. And that’s where we’re at. The new growth is pale, lime green. Nothing wrong though, it’s just the way they are.

These plants are really only just getting going. They are still in 3L pots, and may stay there for the season as there are no roots showing through the holes. The plants are just approaching 50cm tall.

Madame Jeanette – pretty lady!

She lives in 5L pots and she is really putting out those flowers. No pods yet but it won’t be long. No flower drop. One of the five plants has speckled variegated leaves. Very pretty indeed.

Serrano – freebie seeds

Residing in 3L pots, approximately 60cm tall, the Serranos are casually doing their thing. The seeds were sent as a freebie and so far they are doing A OK. We have three plants, one is really tall, dark and hairy. One is very bushy, covered in flowers and little fruit. And the other is nowhere near as advanced in height or maturity. It just goes to show how each plant is a little different.

Mustard Habanero – the sole survivor

Hang on in there Colonel Mustard, you can do it! At the chitting/germination stage these seeds were left without water too long and dried up. Only a couple survived. They then got their roots enmeshed with the capillary matting they were resting on. And then there was one. Only in a 2L pot and 25cm tall it could have done without me dropping another plant on top of it (it’s crowded in the greenhouse these days!) It’s been a rocky road but he’s surviving – just.

Lots of tiny buds dotted along its remaining stems. Interested to see the pale purple, yellow, white and mustard fruit stages.

Orange Habanero – must grow more of these next year

Another victim of the roots/capillary matting issue. Only one survivor. Covered in flowers and we cannot wait to taste that wonderful fruity fragrant heat. Bring on the pods!

The New Collection…

Err where did these all come from?!

Birds Eye – perfect for The Birdhouse, surely?

It would have been just plain rude to offload surplus plants onto a neighbour without reciprocating and adopting a few extra chilli babies. Birds Eye is one such adoptee. Planted a little later than our chillies it is yet to reach flowering stage but the teeny tiny buds are already visible in clusters a top the good green foliage. It is currently 50cm in a 3L pot.

Kashmiri – classic choice

Another gift from our neighbour. Looking good in its 3L pot. Lots of small leaves. Ready to bust out some buds any minute now.

Ring of Fire – quick to flower

Given that this was a gifted chilli, sown a month or so later than our early chillies, it is already smothered in white flowers. 50cm in 3L pot. You go girl!

Carolina Reaper -of course we’ve got one

We’ve had a bit of crinkling on new growth, perhaps aphids, perhaps stress, who knows! Tiny buds formed and ready to grow, grow, grow. Leaves are a slight pale colour. 3L pot and about 25cm tall. Expecting each ‘branch’ to elongate and fill with flowers pretty soon.

Bhut Jolokia – super hot!

Healthy, glossy leaves. Strong growth spikes, filled with small buds. All good. 25cm in 3L pot.

Naga Morich – completes the set of super hots

A lovely pale green plants with lots of potential. Ready to pop out a load of buds. POW! 3L pot, 25cm tall.

Dedo de Mocha – one from my mother

My mother is a very good plantswoman, her allotment thrives and we all eat well from her hard work. However, when it comes to chillies she has got the kiss of death. I received five sorry-looking Dedo de Moca plants from her. Planted in soggy, multipurpose compost, Their four leaves were streaked yellow from malnutrition and they sulked. Oh, how they sulked.

This was months ago and they have finally perked up. From Internet research I see they are Baccatum and meant to branch, potentially reaching four foot and be prolific. We shall see. Given their rude start in life they may not fulfil that potential.

They are showing signs of good flowers and healthy green growth though. They were topped so are bushing out slightly. The flowers should be lovely looking, maybe with green or ochre spots. 2L pots for now but will attempt to get them into something larger.

Gogorez – what even is this?

Another inherited pepper plant from my mother. Is it a chilli? Did the pack of seeds come free with a magazine? Has she labelled it correctly? Have I labelled it correctly? Ah, Google. It is a sweet pepper with a climbing habit. Might send it outside to climb up the shed then! No room in the greenhouse for your types Signor Gogorez.

Machu Pichu – a garden centre rescue

When visiting our local garden centre Machu Pichu potted chillies were being sold for £4 each. They were tempting – as all chilli plants are. We left them behind. A couple of weeks passed and we returned (more potting grit required). There they were, on the bargain shelf, looking decidedly sorry for themselves. £1 each said the label. We decided to risk three. When we got to the till the lovely lady offered us a further discount of ’50p for all three’ as they were looking so rough. Crispy, dirty leaves. Sodden compost and virtually no new growth nodes. We’ll take them!

They’ve all been topped and one is showing signs of growing well. The others are surviving but I’m just letting them doing their own thing. Hopefully they’re dealing with the roots first and once that is under control they can start to take on leaves and maybe even flower. I know they say stress can be good for chilli production but we’re not holding our breath.

Another quick Google and we find out they are large chillies, medium in heat, smokey, fruity and chestnut brown in final colour. 70-90 days until chilli time. An OK promise for 50p.

And there we have it…

The full compliment of Birdhouse chillies in all their glory. A further update will ensue at harvest time.

NPK values for chilli plants

June 26, 2019June 9, 2020 / BirdhouseChillies / Leave a comment

We humans are fussy eaters. Chillies are not. Chillies will take whatever meal you throw at them and, feast-or-famine, they will still grow, flower and fruit. Mostly.

However, the subtle science of feeding chilli plants well is a true art form that takes many a Summer to perfect. The variations of an ever-changing, seasonal menu for your chilli babies are as endless as Annabel Karmel recipes for troublesome toddlers. A good diet will hopefully produce a bounty of flavoursome, aromatic & glorious chillies to make your friends go oooh and ahhh. Much the same effect as when your young child selects an olive instead of a chicken nugget in front of an audience of NCT peers.

What does a chilli like to eat?

Let’s stick with the core ingredients for now: NPK, or Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium to the uninitiated. Pretty much all feeds, fertilisers, composts, sprays, granules, enhancers, hydroponic potions contain these wonder components. As do most soils around the world. These macronutrients are the backbone of a good chilli plant diet. The most basic of fertilisers will provide an NPK ratio on its label. But just what are they and what do they do?

Nitrogen (N)

Why is Nitrogen necessary?

Think healthy leaves.

It is a key component of chlorophyll, the green stuff in plant cells. Chlorophyll uses sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars as plant energy. Nitrogen is also a major component of protoplasm, the sappy contents of plants cells. Protoplasm is the vessel which holds trace minerals throughout the plant.

What does the correct supply of Nitrogen do to your plants? Healthy, green, lush plants. Strong stems and perky leaves. Speedy new shoots and flower bud formation.

What does the wrong balance of Nitrogen do to your plants? Too much Nitrogen will cause rapid growth, causing the plant to over commit. High Nitrogen feeds will inhibit flowering. Not enough Nitrogen and growth will be slow and the plant will end up stunted.

Traditional growers will add Nitrogen to their plants through blood meal, composted manure, composted coffee grounds. Blood meal is high in Nitrogen (12%).

Phosphorus (P)

Why is Phosphorus necessary?

It’s all about those roots and fruits baby!

Phosphorus is essential for plant cell division and development of new tissue. Think about when your chilli seedling is just getting going. All those new leaves, all that stem and root to grow, maintain and look after. Phosphorus is the ultimate support partner. It is in charge of seed development and as a result, timely flower formation, good sized and uniform fruit development and maturity.

What does the correct supply of Phosphorus do to your plants? Get the phosphorus levels right and you can expect strong early growth; plants reaching maturity earlier and roots showing through the bottom of the pot quickly. When potting on the first time, a good root system will be visible. It can also stimulate tillering, shoots springing from the bottom of the original stalk. making bushier plants.

What does the wrong balance of Phosphorus do to your plants? An excess of phosphorus in chilli plants can cause leaf issues, ending in leaf death. Too little Phosphorus and the plants may just not mature. In a few more detailed trials, it seems that less capsaicin and less fructose was found in plants that grew and fruited with lower levels of phosphorus. Not what is intended at all!

Bonemeal is high in Phosphorus (18%). Hoof and Horn is even higher (29%) Phospohrus is tricky to uptake, especially at low temperatures, low pH or in conditions with excessive iron in the soil.

Potassium (K)

Why is Potassium necessary?

Hearty growth and protection is the name of Potassium’s game.

Potassium regulates the closing and opening of stomata, and so can affect the amount of CO2 supply to the plant. CO2 is essential for photosynthesis and energy production. Low Potassium=low energy. Potassium plays a major role in the regulation of water movement within plants, in the roots and again the stomata. Essential transportation of nutrients, water and other minerals are also dependent on Potassium. Potassium is also a major player in cell wall thickening. This means that stems are stronger and all cells are less susceptible to disease.

Potassium has been proven to increase the likelihood of fruit setting in chillies. Not more flowers but definitely more fruit set.

What does the correct supply of Potassium do to your plants? Generally healthy plants with good tolerance to changes in environmental factors. Good drought and cold resistance in chillies. Allows fruit to develop and set well.

What does the wrong balance of Potassium do to your plants? A sad, stunted, yellowing plant will be on your hands if it is lacking in Potassium. More susceptible to drought, cold, pests as it will have thin cell walls. Less likely to grow quickly with strong stems. Waste products are not removed well, with yellowing of the leaves, ultimately ending in leaf drop. When seedlings first emerge they are vulnerable to damping off. Correct potassium levels at this stage can mean more seedings survive.

Potassium is linked to many growth enzymes in plants. Get the balance wrong and growth can be stunted. Too much Potassium may inhibit uptake of Nitrogen and Phosphorus as well.

Seaweed is a traditional plant treatment containing high Potassium. As is a more modern banana tea.

Is that it? Get the NPK value right and the chillies will be perfect?

Well, yes. And, no. Getting the NPK values balanced correctly for the plant’s needs at key points in the growing season is a huge, important task. BUT there are other factors too though. Other macronutrients (Sulphur, Magnesium and Calcium), micronutrients (Iron, Boron, Chlorine, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum and Nickel), micro-organisms, micro rhizomes, humidity, pH, pests, light levels, leaf quantity and size, pests, electronic conductivity of water, air flow and music choice.

The factors are myriad. Plenty more Googling to be done.

Homegrown Jalapeno chillies, the first of the season — Homegrown jalapeños, the first of the season

The science of feeding your chillies is in your hands. Maybe that weekly slosh of tomato feed needs rethinking?

If you found this article useful, then check out our guide on whether it’s possible to overfeed your chilli plants …

Time to shed some light on the chillies

May 28, 2019 / BirdhouseChillies / Leave a comment

It’s that time of year where the sun is lovely & warm and the nights are not too chilly. We’re racing towards longest day: action stations everyone.

The Birdhouse greenhouse is brimming with leafy specimen. No longer a cocooned sanctuary from the Night King but a claustrophobic bubble isolating the chilli babies from the real world. Time for the babies to grow UP and for the bubble wrap to come DOWN. It has served its insulating purpose well but now it is shading a little too much; stopping the auto ventilation window doing its thing; trapping pollinators and taking up precious ceiling height. Roll it up for next year.

Suddenly, the whole space is flooded with clear light. Wonderful.

Bubble wrap before
And after
All clear

The light issue continues…

A quick stock take reveals that we are seriously running out of space. How this has happened is beyond us but it seems to be a phenomenon known well to Chilliheads across the land. Each season we go through a number of cullings. Precious plants are sorted into ‘keepers’ and ‘the rest’. And yet, despite this harsh practice, there still seem to be more pots than ever before.

We sorted at chitting/germination point. Some seeds just didn’t look right and didn’t get potted up into wee paper pots. The compost heap was the destination for these leggy seedlings. The next couple of rounds of sorting happened at potting on stages. Weedy plants, non-thrivers or just varieties where we had too many plants were all thinned out.

The thinnings will populate our local school Summer Fete’s plant stall. They have been potted into non-conformist pots that we do not wish to keep for re-use; kept outside in temperatures of nearly zero; unceremoniously plonked into multi-purpose compost and barely kept alive on a lean diet of fresh air and rain water. They are, however, tall and flowering away, so all is good. They should sell well!

And now, we should be at the point where the perfect number of plants has been achieved. And how many do we have? 110 to be exact. We couldn’t possibly manage with less that that number of plants.

But hang on a mo, there STILL doesn’t seem to be space for them all in the greenhouse. We are having to utilise the floor for trays of plants. This is not ideal as the light levels are lower down there. Rotation of plants is tricky but absolutely necessary. On top of the overcrowding issue, lots are yet to go into their final (bigger) resting pots. So after all that sorting there are still too many plants.

Family, neighbours and friends beware, you will have to adopt some chilli babies…Momma’s about to get mean.

Meanwhile, in happier news, some of the bigger, earlier fruiters are just getting on with their thing. Golden Greek Pepperoncini is smothered with flower and fruit. Oh, and the roots are out the bottom again. Time to reach for the soldering iron and make some holes in the bottom of those flower buckets because potting on is in the diary for the weekend AGAIN.

Golden Greek Pepperoncini…
…the first of his name