Container gardener here. Everything I’ve read is that more water and more fertilizer = less hot. This year most of my cayennes are as mild as a basic red bell pepper, altho I’ve watered and fertilized them the same as the seranos, which are still perfectly hot. (I like hot).
A few years ago there was a wonderful young man who sold bushels of Tabasco peppers at the local Farmer’s Market. The heat was perfect - very hot, but not so hot to obscure the lovely flavor of the peppers, and when he moved away I tried growing my own Tabascos. Tabasco peppers are small, so my first ripe one I chowed it down … and nearly lost consciousness - had to lie on the floor for a while, and needed a towel to wipe sweat from my face and body.
WTF ?? Maybe his large yields were due to lots of fertilizer and watering ??? he’s gone, so I can’t ask him. I gave my seeds and plants to a neighbor who generally uses too much fertilizer, and he was also astonished by the heat.
When I grind mine there’s no problems until I dump them in the jar. It’s all good until I open the grinder then the fumes are coming. Cough cough. I always do it outside. If I was going to give instructions to a newby I would say use a P-95 mask(it’s good for oils), goggles and latex gloves.
@Steve333 Your lucky I like them hot. Unless I’m growing bells. I gave up on all the seeded packs or starters in the nurseries unless it’s the peppers in know are hot. I believe the hotness is genetics as mentioned above. I just buy the NewMex Orange Jalapeño and they come in at 80,000 scoviles which is perfect for salsas and pizzas for me. They taste like a normal green jalapeño too. I love them.
I’ve experimented a lot with watering and sun besides with size and yield plus that didn’t seem to make a difference with heat. A few different large scale pepper farmers I asked from Mexico said it was in the soil. I fed mine heavier this year and they seemed very hot though. Even the Black Cobra and Shishitos. I haven’t figured it out yet though.
I have a friend that grow peppers professionally to enter into hot pepper contests. Are your peppers grown as annuals or perennials? My friends grow them in a greenhouse to mimic zone 10 to 11 conditions. This way, as the plants mature, and year after year the older the plants get, the spicier the pepper. The three things they told me are acidic soil, water stress, and aging plants for the spiciest peppers possible
, as the plants mature, and year after year the older the plants get, the spicier the pepper. The three things they told me are acidic soil, water stress, and aging plants for the spiciest peppers possible
Well, hmmm. My first container plant is (was) a serano seedling I bought at the local Farmer’s Market. I’ve had her almost three years now, and she HATED being transplanted both times, and for the past few months, could have been an award winning Frightful Haloween Creature. She is stunted, but more fruitful than her seed-saved offspring. Altho both plants produce equally lovely tasting and hot peppers.
Her offspring from this year is twice as tall as her, altho she (mom) has produced more peppers than her daughter. The cayennes and serano daughter are definitely trash in a few weeks, and I was going to trash “mom” too … What proof does your friend have that an older plant produces hotter peppers? I live in the Houston/Galveston area and it is beyond a HUGE hassle to bring plans inside for the few devastating cold spells we have.
As for acidic soil - what does your friend do for that?? I got some sulfur pellets, but they don’t reduce the acidity below 7. Questioned the supplier’s website (groworganic.com) about that and they claimed ignorance about activating the sulfur. A few months ago after i-net research I tried watering with a mix of 1/2c apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 gal water, and instantly all my nightshades feigned death and destruction, and still haven’t forgiven me or fully recovered. HOW does one acidify the soil for nightshades ???
And everything else too, I’m SO frustrated, yesterday I found spider mites on my tomato plant, GRRRR!
