I have two Leutschauer paprikas (maybe 200-500 Scoville is all) I planted in a 5 gallon bucket which has never been outside. They have given 7 or more fruits already & have four more started since Christmas.
Having never tried this before, I am pretty pumped.
Peppers are nice to grow inside because they are so easy. They just take time. From seed I typically estimate 1-2 months to germinate and another month to first leaf, I started. some Grenada seasoning and pimento Trinidad seasoning peppers around December 28th and they are just now getting first true leaf. I planted some super hots in mid January and they are just now germinating.
I have never waited that long for peppers. That length of time is not really typical. I start mine March 15 and plant out in May. Have pods forming by then. I also never had to hand pollinate. Plenty of fruit on them. I do keep fans on seedlings to strengthen stalk. Hots do seem to take longer to germinate but only a few days
From my understanding germination time depends on temperature. In the winter my house is at 68 degrees. Some will use a heat mat and can germinate super hot in a few days. When I am giving these times I am not giving a plant out date. Outside you do not need to pollinate because nature will pollinate. I am stating what dates you are looking at and how to fully grow them inside.
I guess you all should know I started my pepper seeds mid-way through the year, so had no thought of getting fruit in the usual time frame. Since these were to be captive in-house plants which I hope to retain over 5 years, they succeed if getting even one fruit ripe before the first Christmas. My focus has been on Leutschauer (from Baker Creek) & Czech Black (Fedco Seeds). Two L. have done nicely; neither Cz. Black have ripened a fruit, although one is still hanging without change of color.
I donât hand pollinate, at least not yet. I tried a layer of spent tea leaves on each pot by way of mulch, which held in moisture & broke down slowly. It also brought in wildlife in the form of a small fly by the hundreds, breeding in the tea mulch. Once I realized the likely connection, I removed most of the mulch. The flies have nearly disappeared. They may have done the pollinating for me so far.
Like I said grown fully inside hand pollination will help but if taken outside insects will pollinate. Issue is if you take them outside and then inside you can be bringing in pests in an environment that does not have predators. That was my issue. It seemed like every time I brought them outside towards the end of summer they would get an aphid issue. Outside ladybugs and lacewing control it but inside they donât. Are you sure those fly going around were not fungus gnats? I have gotten them in soils that tend to retain moisture inside because fungus gnats like to breed in wet soil. That is why you always hear about fungus gnats with miracle grow soil. It is so much peat in miracle grow soil it gets a moisture control problem even with the succulent soil. It also happens to be the only soil my local Costco sells often times.
Back in the day I had fungus gnats when I used fertilizer on house plants according to the amounts fertilizer marketers push. Once I learned the value of distilled water for potted plants & backed off use, especially October through February (47.6° north), of fertilizer, the gnats died out. These look a lot like the flies that pollinate lilac: short antennae, all dark & smaller than fungus gnats. No longer a problem.
I have lost several flowers & other potted plants by taking them out- and later back inside. I found several kinds of wildlife that found opportunity without predation. So, these peppers will remain indoors. We get plenty of light 6 months of the year & these appear able to survive or go dormant in the cold months. Theyâll teach me.
I never knew about flies pollinating lilac. I knew flies and beetles pollinated pawpaw. Lilac smell so good that I would not have thought of that. We pick a bunch of lilac from a plant that overgrows into a path we walk because it smells so good.
probably fungus gnats. or not, guess i should have read down the thread before replying. theyâre bad news. the larvae eat roots and spread damping off and other diseases to tender plants. they can be hard to get rid of. mulch and inside potted plants is a bad combo, as i found out the hard way once upon a time
I forgot what you guys are doing. I do use heat, forgot about that. I would not want to not use heat after your germination lengths! Wow!
I would use a fan for pollination. Itâs just easier. A fan will also strengthen stalk. Less chance of breakage from fruit load.
I hand pollinate a lot for breeding, itâs not easy getting pollen in the ovaries. I myself definitely have to dry the pollen first. Itâs way too sticky when fresh and wonât come off the brush. I canât see that well either, which doesnât help. When dry pollen darkens more. I can see it better.
Even just shaking the plant will help pollinate. Using a brush on the flowers would help too. No need to collect pollen and brush on. Luckily these plants pollinate very easily.
I think if you have a humidity dome and heat even super hot peppers like Scorpion or Carolina Reaper will germinate in 3 days. I hear the best temp is 80 degrees. I just have always preferred to wait and if growing inside time does not matter as much as it is equal climate all year around. During summer we will see a 6 degree temperature increase inside going from 68 to 73. If I was growing to get it out for summer I would certainly invest in a heat mat though.
Here is an update on hand pollinated my Thai hot pepper with a small paint brush. The pepper plant are loaded with peppers.
Tony
Forgot to ask ⌠Are you crossing 2 different varieties? Think thats what you said earlier. Seems like one of the parents is Thai hot pepper. If so, what is the other parent?
I am not sure of the name. I bought them both at the Asian Market.
