Hi Guys,

It's that time of year again when this hapless chilli grower is needing assistance.

I managed to over-winter my orange Habanero plants (x3) successfully with only a mild prune needed in January. The plants are budding, flowering and producing fruit now and other than my inability to keep up with pollenating every flower they seem healty enough. I am getting plenty of flower dropping but I am not overly concerned as they are producing so many flowers it is unreal.

What I am a little concerned about is the fruit. They are ripening very quickly and not getting anywhere near the size they should be. Many are ripening when not much bigger than a pea with the largest one only getting to raspberry size at best.

I am keeping them watered very few days if needed and using a chilli focus feed every other water but I am clearly doing something wrong?

The plants are kept in my conservatory without any additional heating but with the typical British weather the temperatures are all over the place.

Can anyone advise on what I could do to yeild larger fruit?

Thanks,
Stevie

In article ,
Stevie wrote:

Can anyone advise on what I could do to yeild larger fruit?

Pollinate less of them, perhaps. Pick off excess flowers. I'm no chilli
grower, but as a general rule, for the same plant, if there are fewer
fruit, the fruit are larger (within the range of size that plant
produces.) I see no particular reason that would not be true of Chillis
as anything else.

Temperature-wise, I think they want to stay above 10C/50F at night or
they are likely to sulk.

Depending on how effective your pollination is, limited/partial
pollination can also have a negative effect on fruit size/shape.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

Stevie wrote:
Hi Guys,

It's that time of year again when this hapless chilli grower is
needing assistance.

I managed to over-winter my orange Habanero plants (x3) successfully
with only a mild prune needed in January. The plants are budding,
flowering and producing fruit now and other than my inability to keep
up with pollenating every flower they seem healty enough. I am getting
plenty of flower dropping but I am not overly concerned as they are
producing so many flowers it is unreal.

What I am a little concerned about is the fruit. They are ripening
very quickly and not getting anywhere near the size they should be.
Many are ripening when not much bigger than a pea with the largest
one only getting to raspberry size at best.

I am keeping them watered very few days if needed and using a chilli
focus feed every other water but I am clearly doing something wrong?

The plants are kept in my conservatory without any additional heating
but with the typical British weather the temperatures are all over the
place.

Can anyone advise on what I could do to yeild larger fruit?

Thanks,
Stevie

It's too cold, they think they are about to die so they make fruit and ripen
ASAP. You are going to much trouble for little result, it would be simpler
to grow them as annuals. I suppose it depends on whether you grow things
for the challenge or the product.

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Stevie wrote:
Hi Guys,

It's that time of year again when this hapless chilli grower is
needing assistance.

I managed to over-winter my orange Habanero plants (x3) successfully
with only a mild prune needed in January. The plants are budding,
flowering and producing fruit now and other than my inability to keep
up with pollenating every flower they seem healty enough. I am getting
plenty of flower dropping but I am not overly concerned as they are
producing so many flowers it is unreal.

What I am a little concerned about is the fruit. They are ripening
very quickly and not getting anywhere near the size they should be.
Many are ripening when not much bigger than a pea with the largest
one only getting to raspberry size at best.

I am keeping them watered very few days if needed and using a chilli
focus feed every other water but I am clearly doing something wrong?

The plants are kept in my conservatory without any additional heating
but with the typical British weather the temperatures are all over the
place.

Can anyone advise on what I could do to yeild larger fruit?

Thanks,
Stevie

It's too cold, they think they are about to die so they make fruit and ripen
ASAP. You are going to much trouble for little result, it would be simpler
to grow them as annuals. I suppose it depends on whether you grow things
for the challenge or the product.

David

You may want to fertilize a little more often than normal for the next 6
weeks. With warmth, water, and nitrogen, they should settle back into
vegetative growth instead of flowering.
--
Remember Rachel Corrie
http://www.rachelcorrie.org/

Welcome to the New America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg

Stevie wrote:
....
What I am a little concerned about is the fruit. They are ripening very
quickly and not getting anywhere near the size they should be. Many are
ripening when not much bigger than a pea with the largest one only
getting to raspberry size at best.

likely needs more heat and light. trim off the
flowers as they appear. see if only leaving a few
makes them bigger. if not, then wait until there
is more light and heat.


I am keeping them watered very few days if needed and using a chilli
focus feed every other water but I am clearly doing something wrong?

might be too much nitrogen.


The plants are kept in my conservatory without any additional heating
but with the typical British weather the temperatures are all over the
place.

Can anyone advise on what I could do to yeild larger fruit?

patience until it gets warmer and has more
sunshine.


songbird

In article ,
songbird wrote:

Stevie wrote:
...
What I am a little concerned about is the fruit. They are ripening very
quickly and not getting anywhere near the size they should be. Many are
ripening when not much bigger than a pea with the largest one only
getting to raspberry size at best.

likely needs more heat and light. trim off the
flowers as they appear. see if only leaving a few
makes them bigger. if not, then wait until there
is more light and heat.


I am keeping them watered very few days if needed and using a chilli
focus feed every other water but I am clearly doing something wrong?

might be too much nitrogen.

Nitrogen (too much will kill the plant), with sufficient water, warmth,
and 8-12 hr. of sunshine would suppress flowering. The plants respond
to shorter days by setting flowers.




The plants are kept in my conservatory without any additional heating
but with the typical British weather the temperatures are all over the
place.

Can anyone advise on what I could do to yeild larger fruit?

patience until it gets warmer and has more
sunshine.


songbird
--
Remember Rachel Corrie
http://www.rachelcorrie.org/

Welcome to the New America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg

Brilliant advice guys, I will cut back on the feed a little and trim off some flowers so I can concentrate on more thorough pollenation.

I will wait for the warmer weather (ha ha) and see what happens.

Cheers again!

Stevie