Chilli Plant Update - 26th May 2023

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, the show is about to begin! All of the chilli plants were re-potted into their final pots just over a week ago (on the 15th and 16th) and have now been moved into their positions for the growing season. Everything is coming along nicely and the weather has been very kind to us as of late. All of the outdoor plants are now fully hardened-off and can take direct sun without burning, which is just as well because it's been quite hot here over the past few days. As of writing this the temperature in the walk-in plastic greenhouse is 96F and the temperature in the porch is currently 82F.

Puno Pica Orange Rocoto - 16th May 2023

Aji Charapita - 15th May 2023

The varieties growing outside in the garden are Aji Largo x2, Cap 1445 (C. chacoense), Cap 500 (C. eximium), CGN 19198 (C. eximium), Cumari Pollux (C. praetermissum), Aji Crystal, El Oro de Ecuador, Sukanya Rocoto, Puno Pica Orange Rocoto and Guatemalan Orange Rocoto. Living amongst the tomato plants in the glasshouse I have Scarlet Lantern and Orange Habanero, and indoors I have Aji Mochero and Malawi Bird's Eye x1 living in a kitchen window, Jalapeño M x2 living on the lounge windowsill, Fatalii, Chocolate Habanero, Caribbean Red Habanero, Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet and Prairie Fire x2 living in the porch, Ring of Fire x2 and Malawi Bird's Eye x1 living on the landing windowsill and Dwarf Chiltepin, Aji Largo x1, Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero, Peruvian White Habanero, San Isidro Rocoto and Aji Charapita living in the bedroom windows. We're now fully booked for this season, but if you'd like to book a spot for next season then you'll be able to do so in a few weeks. 😁

Chilli Plants in the Porch - 25th May 2023

Chilli Plants in the Garden - 18th May 2023

Here are a few photos that were taken last week showing some of the individual tribe members that you've met before. Some varieties I'm growing this year are not new ones for me, but the seeds were purchased and not saved from my own plants, so for that reason I'm going to treat them as if they are new varieties and I won't be posting any photos of them until later in the season when I know for sure that they're true to type.

Aji Largo - 18th May 2023

Aji Mochero - 18th May 2023

Cumari Pollux - 18th May 2023

Fatalii - 18th May 2023

Guatemalan Orange Rocoto - 18th May 2023

Jalapeño M - 18th May 2023

Malawi Bird's Eye - 18th May 2023

Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet - 18th May 2023

Peruvian White Habanero - 18th May 2023

Ring of Fire - 18th May 2023

Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 18th May 2023

I received some granular fertilisers last year but I've not yet had a chance to try them out. Something I did recently was measure the EC and pH values of each of the fertilisers at quarter strength, half strength, three-quarter strength and full strength doses in my source water. Then I made a concentrate of each fertiliser by dissolving three tablespoons of it in 500ml of deionised water. Now all I have to do when I want to make up some feed is add a sufficient amount of a given concentrate into any given volume of my source water until I reach my desired EC value.

I find it much easier doing it this way. Sometimes I may only need 300ml of fertiliser for a small plant, but depending on how strong I want the feed to be, the minimum amount I can normally make when using granular fertiliser is about 1.25-litres. The remainder normally ends up sitting in a plastic bottle in the porch until it's needed. I always make my water up to the same EC, and if I want to know what EC value any of the fertilisers adds to the water at a given dosage then all I have to do is deduct the EC value of my source water from any of the EC values that I have recorded for the fertilisers. Now that I know what EC value each of the fertilisers adds to water at a given dosage then I can apply the same method to any source water if need be. The only thing I'd need to know beforehand is the EC value of the water I was adding them to.

Would anyone like a bottle of WKD? "Der Richie. I'm in the pube with the holiday monkey. Run, run, run!"

Fertilisers - 26th May 2023

Anyhow, I've just received word that demons are attacking the nun's chapel, so to mark the special occasion I've made myself a chocolate and chilli ice cream. The following track is taken from Azazel's latest masterpiece titled 'Aegrum Satanas Tecum', if anyone is interested. 😈

All hail the Chilli Gods.