Dry River Chillies

How to care for your chilli plants

We sell our chillies in 7cm square, 1 litre or 3 litre pots. When you get the plants home make sure they are well watered but do not waterlog them. The plants will do better in a big pot unless you are restricting the size of the plants. The plants have been raised in poly tunnels so may need a bit of hardening off, for the first week bring the plant inside at night until they are accustomed to their new home.

Although some plants are sold as ornamental chillies are are still very edible and make very good additions to any cooking, also they are great to look at and make the perfect present to anybody who enjoys cooking with chillies. If you have a couple of chilli plant on your windowsil in the kitchen then you will never have to buy another supermarket chilli.

Chilli Pest Control

If you are having problems with pests such as aphids on your plants then if you only have one or two then the most green way of getting rid of the blighters is to quash them or brush them of. It is also possible to spray them of with water and a small amount of washing up liquid using a sprayer. If you preferred you can also buy a solution or sprayer from your local garden centre, we have used a solution called SP Plant Invigorator

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How to Grow Chillies Successfully

Please download one of our special growing instructions to get the most out of your chillies.

Planting in the ground

Pick the spot where you want to locate your Chilli plants. This should generally be a spot that receives lots of sun, and is in a well drained. A place where the plant will receive some late afternoon shade is also fine. Dig a hole larger and deeper than the plant you will be transplanting. Add some organic matter (compost, well rotted manure) to the soil that you just removed from the hole and mix together. Put that mixed soil back into the hole. Place the Chilli plant at the same level or slightly deeper than how it was growing in the pot. Backfill with more of the same loose, mixed soil, and when done tap down the soil down around the stem. Place some sort of mulch around the plant as well, which will help keep the soil cool and moist.

Keeping the plant in the pot

Chillies look great in containers on the patio or in greenhouses or as house plants. Plants are usually sold in either 1 or 3 liter pots. Generally the larger the pot the bigger, and more productive the plant will be. Some small dwarf varieties will do fine in their original size pots. Keep an eye on watering, it is acceptable to let the top inch or so to dry out between watering. Test the soil with your finger, if dry then soak the plant well, do not leave plant standing in water.

When and How to Water Your Chilli Plants

After transplanting, the plants will need to have consistent soil moisture to nourish them as they start making new roots into their new environment. Depending on the weather, the soil, and the location, this could be daily watering. So for the first few weeks, keep a keen eye on your plants. After that time, keep the plants moist, but not to damp. Mulch is a good idea around the plants. To test the soil moisture, scratch away the mulch and feel the soil a few inches below the surface. Water the soil, not the foliage. Once the plants have established, it is better to water heavy and infrequently

When and How to Fertilize Your Chilli Plants

We use Maxicrop seaweed extract, organic water soluble fertiliser and pellet chicken manure on our plants. For the first few weeks we fertilize every week to promote good root growth, and then we fertilize every 3-4 weeks thereafter. A high Nitrogen feed promotes strong growth and good deep green leaf colour, use when the plant is young. A high potassium fertilizer promotes good root growth, use after the first flowers appear, not to much nitrogen. Also a balanced feed every so often help to promote healthy plants. A good tomato feed will probably do a good job of keeping your plant looking in tip top shape. Make sure you do not over do it with the feed as you will end up with a plant looking green but with no fruit!

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Over wintering Chilli Plants

Contrary to popular belief Chile pepper plants are perennials and can grow for many years if over wintered successfully. Over wintered plants can give you a great head start for a new growing season, as mature plants will quickly produce flower sets and very early crops in year 2.

If your plants are positioned in a warm and light position in your home them your plant may well thrive throughout the winter months, much also depends on the winter light levels.

Unfortunately over wintering plants can prove to be a very fickle & frustrating affair. Highlighted below are some of the common over wintering problems and we aim to provide a few ideas to improve your chances of success.

Control growth & manage dormancy

The trick to over wintering is to control growth or manage dormancy. Dormancy, the process when your plants effectively 'hibernate' and can kick in when natural light levels fade and the temperature falls back below 50oF. Dormant plants may shed leaves and show no signs of growth, however they are not dead. Dormant plants should be cut right back leaving only a small stump just a few inches above the soil line. Leaving dying vegetation encourages pests like whiteflies and also disease. Even after the most severe pruning, dormant plants will sprout new vigorous growth when the warmer spring weather returns, assuming of course they have made it through the winter.

Watering regimes also has an influence on over wintering success or failure. Chile plants hate getting there feet too wet, particularly when there is not enough climatic heat to drive the process of transpiration (the evaporation of water from both the plant's leaf and the soil). You should keep watering to a minimum; maybe as little as every other week rather than every other day although never let plants soil completely dry out.

Conclusion

You can improve your chances of success by

• Improving climatic conditions by bring plants indoors
• Removing ripe pods before over wintering
• Cutting back woody stems and removing dead or diseased growth to keep pest & disease at bay
• Controlling water regimes

If you are not successful and you really love a particular variety you can always grow them again from seed from the parent plant. Even if the seeds are not true (they have crossed with another variety), you could have a very interesting 'new variety' on your hands.

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© Dry River Horticulture, 2007.