My P. peruviana (Schoenberg Gold) were unfazed by two weeks of nearly 100 degrees every day this past summer. We do have cool nights though. In my experience with a lot of Andean plants, high nighttime temperatures have a more negative impact than hot days provided the plants are already somewhat adjusted.
1 Like
Very interesting about Schoenberg Gold tolerating daytime heat. When it reaches 100 during the day, what is a normal nighttime temperature?
Schoenberg is the largest Peruviana I’ve grown and have a great sweet/tart taste! Have you also tried Lucie’s Goldenberry? Same great taste, a bit smaller, and 3 weeks earlier.
On the negative side, I’ve had severe destruction of fruit within the husk during the heat of the summer. Previous posters have described this too. Have you had insects devouring the fruit of Schoenberg Gold as it ripens?
1 Like
Nighttime lows are generally in the fifties during the summer. When we have a heatwave with daytime temps around 100 or more, it still gets down to the low to mid sixties at night. On truly exceptionally hot days where we get close to 110, nighttime lows might be in the high sixties.
I haven’t tried to grow any varieties other than Schoenberg. It was late to produce in its first year, but since then it has been fruiting nearly nonstop, so the lateness hasn’t been a concern.
The only major pest I’ve had are cucumber beetle larvae. Around May my plants were nearly defoliated. They ate the fruit and left empty husks as well. I’ve also noticed them on tomatillo plants in my area.
1 Like