khachaturian 29 Posted December 22, 2021 Welcome to Khachaturian's pepper grow log 2022. A small introduction may be at place: I live in the coastal lowlands of Chiapas, Mexico. We have a tropical climate with a pronounced rainy and dry season. The rainy season begins at the end of May and lasts until All Saints' Day (Tutti i Santi). Almost all of the annual precipitation (up to 4000 mm) falls during this period. Temperatures are lowest in winter (20ºC at night and 30ºC during the day) and highest in April-May (36-38ºC during the day). What does this mean for the cultivation of peppers? In theory, peppers can be grown all year round. With temperatures rarely falling below 20ºC (at night, that is), I don't have to fear my plants will freeze to death. The rainy season can be a difficult period because of the many (especially fungal) diseases that proliferate in the humid environment. The beginning and the end of the dry season can also be difficult times because of the many pests that arrive on the scene: mites, thrips, mealy bugs. Pest pressure is relatively low in the period December-March. I cultivate peppers in grow bags on a roof terrace. The terrace is protected by a metal roof, which means that my plants are protected from heavy rainfall but also from the sun. I place my plants along the edges of the terrace so they can receive as much light as possible. It is not an ideal situation, but it works. My grow bag cultivation medium: 2 parts compost, 1 part coco fiber, 3 parts perlite. I like a pepper garden with many pepper varieties. I personally tend to prefer superhots, but I enjoy heatless peppers as well. In the end, it's the taste - and not the heat - of the pepper that is more important to me. 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted December 22, 2021 Let me introduce the first plant: Hangjiao 10 "After Glow". This plant developed quite fast and is about 50cm high now (can become 1m apparently). The following photos were taken on December 10: The peppers look like big cayenne peppers. I harvested them a few days later (1. (non) KS White Thai / 2. Peppadew / 3. Peri peri "African Devil" / 4. Hangjiao 10 "After glow"): I snacked a fresh pepper and its taste was good, with a faint hint of sweetness. It was very mild (~10k SHU). I ate the remaining three peppers two days later and I found that their taste had improved. They were sweeter but also milder. The plant is flowering again, so I'll prepare for a more bountyfull harvest soon 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted December 23, 2021 Black Ghost, a cross between Bhut Jolokia and Pimenta da Neyde. I obtained seeds from Chilli Seedz (Australia). Germination was good (3/4) but resulted in two seedlings with a green and one with a purple stem. I selected one seedling of each type. Both plants transplanted to their final grow bag (Black Ghost "green stem" at the left and "purple stem" at the right): Black Ghost "green stem" Black Ghost "purple stem" Let's see how this turns out 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Batigolle 1,044 Posted December 24, 2021 Good cultivation ! 🌶️ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapace 9,606 Posted December 24, 2021 I wish you a great pepper season Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vincer 4,756 Posted December 25, 2021 Have a nice chili pepper season!!! Ciao Vincenzo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted December 30, 2021 (edited) Most of my adolescent pepper plants are chinense peppers. A new batch of plantlets is developing rapidly and will soon have to be transplanted to a bigger grow bag. In the photo below are Aji Ahuachapán, SRP Stripey, Peppadew, Aji Margariteño, Scotch Brain, Blot, Criolla de Cocina, Bih Jolokia Caramel and a local pubescens. It is generally said that pubescens do well in colder climates and not in the hot tropics. I will try to grow one plant and see how it responds to my local conditions. More varieties have been sown from 11-26 December. Some have germinated, others are still testing my patience 😬 I usually sow two or three seeds, occasionally four. Two more sowing batches will follow (Second half of January and second half of February). Edited December 30, 2021 by khachaturian grammar/vocabulary 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted January 1, 2022 Annum novum faustum felicem MMXXII. Good luck everybody in the 2022 pepper season Many of my "adolescent" pepper plants are flowering, although the plants still drop a lot of flower. Naga Dorset Tshololo Big Sun Habanero, with its first pepper. My Peri Peri "African Devil" is nearly one year old and is preparing to flower abundantly after a light trim. There even are a few small peppers. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nipotastro 1,341 Posted January 2, 2022 Could you show us your "local pubescens", please? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted January 3, 2022 18 hours ago, nipotastro said: Could you show us your "local pubescens", please? Of course! The following two photos were taken this morning (3 gennaio). I selected only one seedling. I first want to see how this plant behaves in my hot tropical climate. Seeds were sown 21 nov. and the following photo shows the situation on 2 dic. I never counted the number of seeds... There is small market in the city where small communities gather every two weeks to sell their produce. These communities are often from the Highlands where pubescens grows well (nights are cooler and humidity is lower than in the coastal area where I live). Sadly, this market has been temporarily suspended because the park where it was organized was invaded and occupied by migrants. I read that the National Immigration Service "relocated" the occupants a few days ago, so I hope that they will organize the market again soon. Also, this market is organized by Social Services and intends to improve the social situation of the local communities. Every vendor is accompanied by a social worker that assists in the process. Some vendors don't understand Spanish well or have problems with counting. I browsed through the image archive of my cell phone and found several photos of peppers bought on this market. Prices vary: smaller peppers usually M$1/pepper, bigger ones M$2/pepper, sometimes M$10 for 6 peppers (currently €1 ~ M$23). The large fruit is a cacao pod. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nipotastro 1,341 Posted January 4, 2022 Thanks! How do you use the cacao pod? How is inside?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L0rdn40 3,590 Posted January 4, 2022 @khachaturian your regional Rocoto are wonderful! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted January 4, 2022 54 minutes ago, L0rdn40 said: @khachaturian your regional Rocoto are wonderful! Thank you! 5 hours ago, nipotastro said: Thanks! How do you use the cacao pod? How is inside?? The inside contains the seeds and a white pulp. The seeds are used to make cacao, but the white pulp is edible as well. In some regions, a sweet drink is prepared from the pulp but I eat the pulp without any type of preparation. It can be very sweet and its taste has little in common with cacao. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nipotastro 1,341 Posted January 6, 2022 Really thanks! Seeds are grinded as they are or need to be roasted (or cooked in any way)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vincer 4,756 Posted January 6, 2022 On 1/4/2022 at 6:01 PM, khachaturian said: The inside contains the seeds and a white pulp. The seeds are used to make cacao, but the white pulp is edible as well. In some regions, a sweet drink is prepared from the pulp but I eat the pulp without any type of preparation. It can be very sweet and its taste has little in common with cacao. Very interesting! Ciao Vincenzo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapace 9,606 Posted January 6, 2022 You are cultivating very interesting varieties. Some of them are quite 'common' also among italians pepperfriends, while some others are quite 'rare' here. Can you tell us something more about Aji Margariteno and Blot ? Are they sweet peppers ? How are you using them ? Maybe you already notices we have a 'recipes section' here in pepperfrieds.... you could add something typical from your region if you like Here's is Recipes Link 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChilliCrosser 835 Posted January 7, 2022 13 hours ago, Rapace said: Can you tell us something more about Aji Margariteno and Blot ? Are they sweet peppers ? How are you using them ? I'm guessing Blot is this sweet pepper, I'm growing it for the first time this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
khachaturian 29 Posted January 8, 2022 On 1/6/2022 at 10:23 AM, nipotastro said: Seeds are grinded as they are or need to be roasted (or cooked in any way)? The seeds are fermented and sun-dried, after which they are toasted and can be ground into a powder/paste. On 1/6/2022 at 1:00 PM, Rapace said: Can you tell us something more about Aji Margariteno and Blot ? Are they sweet peppers ? How are you using them ? @ChilliCrosser is correct about Blot. It is the sweet pepper of the link he posted. I'm growing them for the second time. These plantlets are grown from my own seeds, but last season I purchased seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. They are juicy and sweet, look nice and give decent yields. In my climate, Blot peppers were elongated but not blocky. I used them as bell peppers and liked them enough to grow them again. It is the first time I'm growing Ají margariteño. It is a chinense from the Isla de Margarita, Venezuela. It has low pungency. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
