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Growing for heat or flavor?

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

I wanna say I was reading an interview with someone from Hippie Seed (nice folk BTW) but it was a while ago.  The discussion was the Butch T and how the speaker thought that the season might be dry enough for the pepper to take back the crown this year.  Much experts there.  Obviously moisture is a factor in cap production.  Maybe cap is a defense mechanism against drought.

I know from experience with many plants, that container grown produce does not taste the same.  Without the sensation of heat to mask it, this is very obvious in tomatoes.  Even when I have container grown in the same soil as I have field grown, the container grown tomato just dont have the same flavor.  Bell and sweet peppers are the same.  Grown in the ground, they just seem to taste better.

So I am wonder if the same things that contribute to an increased sensation of heat might not detract from the true flavor of a super hot pepper.  It does seem like the less we drought, the more flavor things have (tomato, sweet pepper, and super hots).  It also seems like the things I container grow in isolation for seed production, do not have the same flavor as the ones that are field grown.

Thoughts?  Is there a difference between grow techniques when you want to bring out the flavor more than the heat?
 
Both. Sometimes I want some spice other times its cooking with it for the flavor, all depends on the pepper.
 
With your theory, have you tried a blind taste test of the two fruits grown in different conditions? Perhaps if not and you have any available have someone go harvest one from each of similar color, size, and such and have them prepare them and provide you both separately. See if you can really tell?
 
But then you're probably right or may have tried that before
 
I grow for flavor mostly these days.  The supers just wreak too much havok on my insides :)  
 
iirc CAPCON stresses his plants on purpose to get them hotter.  I know the first year we were in this place was very dry, and even the jalas out of the garden were hot.  hotter than normal at least.  I can't say that container grown plants taste any different than dirt.  Then again most of the containers I use are 5+ gallon sized so plants in them get plenty of room to root.  
 
i believe  genetics plays into it some , reason being my red bbg7 that produced a few pods just sitting in the kitchen south bay window all winter was some HOT SH!T ! also was my yellow scorpion . i did nothing more but water once every 2 weeks , fertilized once in the middle of winter . and turn the ceiling fan on ( which be just about over them ) to circulated the air down at the base of the plants . 
 
This may be weird or not relevant, but it also may lead to some new thought. 
 
Consider your forehead. When it is in the middle range humidity, your skin is as normal as you are used to everyday. But when it is dry and windy, at least for me, I tend to be more greasy/oily.
 
Maybe the same can be said where additional oil production is required to protect from the arid environment.... Or maybe it is the same amount of oil, but less water volume making the oil higher percentage by total volume of the pepper....
 
 
Just throwing out some random stuff, enjoy
 
Container growing may result different flavor in the end if it is missing some essential nutrients, but I can not see how (horticulturally speaking) a plant grown in a container with all macro and micro nutrients and minerals readily available would taste any different than a plant grown in the ground (if not better, because in a container you can ensure everything is present).
 
I can say from experience that my container grown peppers and tomatoes taste phenomenal :)... but they are fed appropriately for being container plants (macro+micro nutrients)
 
 
 
From what I've read hotter temps and less watering will result in a higher heat.
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Both of which 'stress' the plant. It's probably a defense mechanism of the plant. Like say when magical cacti increase certain alkaloids when stressed. Same idea. 
 
Here is a study of interest:
 
"The goals of this research were to understand the effect water supply on the amount of capsaicin in hot pepper fruits, the activity of key enzymes in capsaicin synthesis, and the mechanisms that affect pungency."
 
http://ejournal.sinica.edu.tw/bbas/content/2005/1/Bot461-05.html
 
I have several Caribbean Reds(40+) growing this year in different areas in my yard, my raised bed and containers. Each area has different soil so it will be interesting to see the difference in the taste/heat of the peppers.
 
Student of Spice said:
With your theory, have you tried a blind taste test of the two fruits grown in different conditions?
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Yes but better.  Years ago my wife told me she could tell the difference between a container grown tomato and one that is grown in the ground.  I thought she was frigging nuts.  I thought it had to be the soil that made the difference.  So I container grew and field grew in the same soil  She could tell the difference right off and I was trying to trick her.  Then I tried the two and yep, there was definitely a difference.

Pepper_Rancher, all I can figure is water and moisture content.  Maybe how moisture acts on nutrients.  I dont know, but I tried to stump my wife and I couldn't.  I even gave her two tomato from the same plant.  She told me they were both container grown.
 
pepper_rancher said:
ajdrew, are you using dirt from your field as the soil in the containers?
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Normally no.  When I tried to trip up my wife, I did use the same soil.  I keep trying to figure out what is different and I usually come back to the rate at which the soil dries.  Just now I thought of something else.  I wonder if insects and worms can make a considerable difference.  Maybe worms either migrate out, not to find their way back, or die when the container gets too dry for them and they can not go elsewhere.

I think it was at THP where I had a conversation about growing tomato upside down.  Might have been a more general gardening forum.  Lots of folk said they dont taste the same.  I was floored by that too.  Folk had the opinion that using the same potting soil, the tomato would taste different if grown upside down.  I am without even a guess on that one.

BTW: On micro nutrients: Bravo!  I cringe when I hear people say they bought Miracle Grow for their tomato.  Seems like letting a child eat nothing but mac n cheese.  Ye, it will keep them alive and maybe even get em fat, but they wont be healthy.
 
 
ajdrew said:
BTW: On micro nutrients: Bravo!  I cringe when I hear people say they bought Miracle Grow for their tomato.  Seems like letting a child eat nothing but mac n cheese.  Ye, it will keep them alive and maybe even get em fat, but they wont be healthy.
 
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Well to be fair to miracle gro, it does contain several essential micro nutrients:  Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, and Zinc.
 
Its the folks that feed their tomatoes only 10-10-10 that is like feeding them only junk food  :P
 
My beef with Miracle Grow is multi layered.  Mainly because they are kind of a middle of the game thing.  Not organic, not chemical.  Probably my main beef is that they assume the grower is using some form of soil that contains the things it does not but they promote it as the only thing a plant needs... a miracle.

1. It is a chemical fertalizer that requires bacteria to work, so uh...ye
2. Much of its nitrogen is from urea, so it can seriously screw with your PH
3. Lacking calcium, magnesium, sulfur, molybdenum, and zink.
4. Lacks chlorine, but I am guessing that is a good thing because people who buy it usually use chlorinated water.
 
What they seem to be aiming for is something for indoor house plants to look all green and lush, but not much attention to flower or fruit.  Problem is first time growers don't know that, after all it is a miracle.
 
All my selections this grow season put flavor as #1 priority. I researched this extensively by reading an absurd amount of threads here and messaging members about flavor. My preferred heat range isn't super hot because I tend to dice up whole pods and put them directly in individual dishes. Might change when I start sauce-making and such.
 
For now I find it most applicable to my life to grow below super hots in heat and target flavor. I also share a lot and cook for others so having a low and medium heat selection is ideal for that. Most people think standard orange hab from super market is way too much lol. Which cancels out many of the awesome peppers we all grow. Save for powders and sauce form.
 
ajdrew said:
My beef with Miracle Grow is multi layered.  Mainly because they are kind of a middle of the game thing.  Not organic, not chemical.  Probably my main beef is that they assume the grower is using some form of soil that contains the things it does not but they promote it as the only thing a plant needs... a miracle.

1. It is a chemical fertalizer that requires bacteria to work, so uh...ye
2. Much of its nitrogen is from urea, so it can seriously screw with your PH
3. Lacking calcium, magnesium, sulfur, molybdenum, and zink.
4. Lacks chlorine, but I am guessing that is a good thing because people who buy it usually use chlorinated water.
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5. the PRICE is ridiculous!  Esp. for a urea based nitrogen source (the cheapest nitrogen to synthesize).  I guess that's what advertising allows you.
 
I agree with you on all points except for information's sake I will point out that it does contain molybdenum and zinc.
 
And don't get me wrong, I would never recommend miracle gro to anyone!  (well... maybe I would if I didn't like them...)
 
No, I dont think so.  That was always their gig that they had a more complete nutrient than the other over the counter fertilizers (i.e. 10-10-10), and since the average person doesnt know about plant nutrients, they branded it as a "miracle" product, and charged accordingly.
 
 
PS
 
Lol, i just read that box you linked to:
 
Grows bigger, more beautiful plants!*
*vs Unfed plants
 
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