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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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Posted: Sun Mar 17, 13 6:23 pm Post subject: Chilli Geekery 2013 |
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Time for another year's chilli growlog. Having got rid of all my plants last year to try and beat a pest invasion I'm starting afresh. Last year I feel like I overdid the number of varieties. I want a lot of plants again this year but not so many varieties - the idea being I can collect the same (or very similar) pods from 3 or 4 plants - this worked well for me in my first years as a chilli grower only for the wealth of variety to lure me into chaos so.....
Annums.....
Broadly speaking I'm planning to grow 2 (or possibly 3) types of annum pepper - primitive wildtype pequins to feed the grinder and Jalapenos for poppers and maybe a green jalapeno fermented mash sauce. In the ideal world I'd be able to get fresh jalapenos from a market and not bother growing them but I can't so I will. Someday when my dreams of an autowatering monstrous chilli tunnel are realised this type of thing won't be an issue.
the grinder needs feeding!
C. annum "Armish Bush"
A nice productive pequin. 'nuff said.
C. annum "Calusa Indian Mound"
The info I have on this one is that it is "from nature center,Boca Raton, Fl., native Florida pepper thought to be extinct, found on an old Calusa Indian mound". As I'm a sucker for peppers with history I had to try this one even though it may be much the same as all other wild Floridian peppers. Supposedly it gets massive and is prolific which is good because the grinder needs feeding!
C. annum "Chiltepin Sonoran Orange"
A chiltepin variety from Sonora which ripens orange not red - self explanatory.
C. annum "Early Jalapeno"
This seems to be the preferred Jalapeno for most people in northerly climes on account of fruiting earlier than most others.
C. annum "Jalapenos Cracked"
This is a seed strain isolated from pods collected in Jalapa city, Mexico after which Jalapenos are named. It is supposedly hotter, sweeter and crunchier than most US varieties. It also corks (or cracks) vigorously. In Mexico corking is a mark of quality appreciated in peppers, in other countries like the US and UK it is often seen as a blemish to be erradicated. I want my peppers authentic and corky.
C. annum "Padron"
I want at least one dish of green grilled padrons and I don't trust waitrose to deliver.
C. annum "SuperChilli"
I want a single bush of a thai type plant for use in stirfries and so on. SuperChilli seems to be the variety everyone recommends.
Chinenses
I have two requirements from my chinenses this year - searing heat and fruity awesomeness in some pods and far less heat and even more fruity awesomeness in others.
C. chinense "Bonda ma Jacques" - a yellow hot pepper from St Lucia that a lot of you rate as the best of the hot chinenses. After trying and failing with the similarly highly rated Fatalii for a couple of years I'm hoping to see great things from this.
C. chinense "Tobago Scotch Bonnet"
A mild scotch bonnet - maybe something that's going to be usable for stuffing and poppers. I don't know much about this one but I'm hoping it will be to scotch bonnets as Trinidad Perfume is to habaneros.
C. chinense "Trinidad Perfume"
I love this pepper and will probably grow it every year I can. It is such a unique taste and so flavourful - I'd try to compare it to something else but it's really amazing. Grow and eat this pepper!
C. chinense "Trinidad Scorpion CARDI yellow"
Potawie, a grower I've a lot of respect for said "Its one of my new favorite chiles, I'd grow a field of them this year if I had enough seeds. Great flavor and heat, not crazy hot like other scorpions. Also very productive for me" That's enough to get me growing.
So my plan for next year is to use 5 Quadgrows. I realise I could probably shotgun together a similar system but growing as I do in my conservatory the neatness of the quadgrows really appeals and I doubt I could produce something so neat or self contained. I've just potted up the first 3 Quadgrows.
Without further ado I proudly present.....
The Pequin Quadgrow:
1 X C. annum "Armish Bush"
2 X C. annum "Calusa Indian Mound"
1 X C. annum "Chiltepin Sonoran Orange"
Amish Bush is flowering massively already. I think this would probably make an excellent plant for both window and bonchi cultivation. I'll be interested to see how big it ends up in the quadgrow.
Calusa Indian Mound looks like it'll make a much bigger plant. I have two of these but one is either a twin embryo or 2 plants that came up very close to each other and fused. Again I'll be curious to see how that works out. I toyed with nipping the weaker one out but decided to see how it turned out
Sonoran Orange went in slightly later than the others. I toyed with keeping it under the lights for a bit longer but decided that, as it's an annum I'd just pot it on now and let it go.
and now, introducing......
The Jalapeno Quadgrow
2 X C. annum "Early Jalapeno"
2 X C. annum "Jalapenos Cracked"
Early impressions are that Cracked is vastly more vigorous than Early. It depends to be seen how it fruits of course but it has germinated faster and better, grown bigger and is flowering already.
Cracked:
Early:
Finally for now I bring to you........
The mild chinense Quadgrow
2 X C. chinense "Trinidad Seasoning"
1 X C. chinense "Trinidad Perfume"
1X C. chinense "Tobago Scotch Bonnet"
Trini Seasoning has gone off like a train. Massive lush leaves and a few flowers....
Tobago Scotch Bonnet has done similarly well
Slightly worried about Trini Perfume - I have two seedlings both displaying this mottling. I'm hoping they are just displaying a deficiency and not a virus. We will see.
Seedlings for the other 2 quadgrows are still too small so are under the lights for a bit longer. They look good though! |
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DorsetScott
Joined: 23 Oct 2011 Posts: 500 Location: Bournemouth
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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Marches
Joined: 13 Dec 2011 Posts: 171 Location: Nr Peak District, England
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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Treacodactyl Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 25795 Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45389 Location: Essex
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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murdrobe
Joined: 03 Jun 2010 Posts: 189 Location: Blackburn, Lancashire
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tai haku
Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 472
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