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Post by chrisg on May 31, 2014 18:51:38 GMT 10
Maybe we need a garden section I'm guess Mick is the go-to on this but.... I moved house last year and being I sold the old place to an Iranian family who loved the well established chilies I left them, was time for new ones anyway. First one I bought, do not recall variety, was busy, but it produced three good crops, just picked the last one, very prolific. It comes on with long skinny fruit that goes a lovely yellow, very little heat but a lot of flavour, have mostly pickled and dried them, adding to a lot of meals. The last crop revealed that the plant is going a bit spindly, dropping leaves but has good lower growth, it's in a pot and staying there. It's just wintering down I know but needs pruning. Any suggestions on how hard to go? I'm thinking take out about 50% and let it bush from the lower new growth, but one reference book I just pulled says cut it all back to about 4 inches of wood, seems excessive. I've not had this variety before and happy to just see how my plan goes, they are very hardy of course, but I've never cut one back more than 50% and always had good next year crops. Curious to hear what other growers would do Cheers
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Post by smokey on May 31, 2014 20:46:17 GMT 10
Great idea on the kitchen garden theme, We will add one to the new program? Re cutting back, I'd stick with your 50% . In the tropics it might be a little different but in the subs the bush still needs some leaves.
Cut it down 50% now and when it starts to shoot again! THEN cut out all the old hard wood down to 4 inches. If the plant is still alive it will bush up tremendously and give a far superior crop then it's first year from seedling.
So it's true that a live chili stump will produce an even and dence, heavy cropping bush.
Its just getting them over winter is the problem, Some just Kark it and some just get better.
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Post by percelq on Jun 1, 2014 0:07:29 GMT 10
So is it worth me popping my chills upstairs inside to try and get through winter, plenty of sunshine through the window, but no frost?
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Post by chrisg on Jun 1, 2014 13:15:08 GMT 10
Thanks Smokey, sounds like a plan. Cheers
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Post by smokey on Jun 1, 2014 14:50:21 GMT 10
So is it worth me popping my chills upstairs inside to try and get through winter, plenty of sunshine through the window, but no frost? If you can manage that, It should be ok. Like coffee plants, Chillies are a tropical rainforest fringe dweller that survives on dappled light. I think that is why they do so well up against a fence or rock wall, Half the days sun is cut out. It don't seem to matter what part of the days sun they get. They do fantastic under shade cloth so that might be an alternative. Some sort of shade / hot house up against a western or Northern facing brick wall. A simple lean to would work depending just how cold it gets in your area.
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Post by chrisg on Jun 1, 2014 15:01:36 GMT 10
My old place they were growing along a fence in a garden bed that was just exposed from the pagoda, they were incredibly healthy. Here they are just sitting out in the forecourt but the house shape is such they get about a half a day's sun, also seem to be doing well. Years ago I used to have several on a balcony in a long planter box mixed in with herbs. One year I was on an extended overseas trip and the mate who was looking after the place for me, also a chili grower, gave them a decent prune and just dropped the cuttings off the balcony onto a flowerbed below. Next year I had four new plants growing down there In short the WA climate seems to rather suit them Cheers
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Post by percelq on Jun 1, 2014 22:56:49 GMT 10
So is it worth me popping my chills upstairs inside to try and get through winter, plenty of sunshine through the window, but no frost? If you can manage that, It should be ok. Like coffee plants, Chillies are a tropical rainforest fringe dweller that survives on dappled light. I think that is why they do so well up against a fence or rock wall, Half the days sun is cut out. It don't seem to matter what part of the days sun they get. They do fantastic under shade cloth so that might be an alternative. Some sort of shade / hot house up against a western or Northern facing brick wall. A simple lean to would work depending just how cold it gets in your area. Thanks Smokey, I'd like to keep my habs/thaisand cayennes alive this winter, so they can fire in the spring/summer. I'll take some pics and see how we go
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