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How r ur peppers going in Perth west oz?

Nice work! My plants get sun from sun rise until about 1pm but even that was a bit too much today! They're all doing well though apart from my super hots still dropping flowers I always seen to get this.... So frustrating :-/ a couple of my weird crosses doing really well... The one I thought was jalapeño X cayenne has turned out its looking like jalapeño X Bangalore torpedo! I really hope the pods turn red like a jalapeño they'll look awesome if they do! Ill grab a pick now
Just tried my phone camera is no good in the dark lol will try get some snaps tommoro!
 
my chilies aren't minding this heat! no damage so far!  My pumpkins on the other hand aren't enjoying it! crispy dead leaves all over the joint!
 
My pots are suffering, especially the small pots, they're needing an extra watering in the afternoon.  Moved the overwinters under the shadecloth. 
 
But all this sun is having a good effect too.  I believe there might be some colour starting to show on a Dorset Naga pod :)
 
megamoo said:
Nice shadehouse that will diffuse any high winds and reduce the effect of the harsh sun.
 
Chilli plants can handle higher temps above the soil but not below the soil.  Having pots sitting on a wide area of paving is a bad idea in summer.  If you can stop direct sun from heating up the pot that might help.
 
 
Took you advice and have got some pallets to raise them off the paving, will monitor the temps in the pots and see how that goes before moving to another side of the garden as I love being able to look at them fom the bbq patio area.
 
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Also constructed this retractable shad cloth awning for a few plants that are going to ground.
 
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These are the same plants from earlier photos waiting out the heat before re-potting / going to ground...  Note: I have broken my promise to the wife (i.e. no more chili plants) and acquired three more seedlings (chipolte, peters penis pepper and a third Jalapeno).  
 
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The Habanero at the front was over wintered and has stayed this size for the past 4 weeks... its going to ground as I think it hates the potting mix its in.
 
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Would love to see more photos of other peoples grow sites, or do most of you upload to a glog like Moo?
 
Yeah been pretty stinkin hot here at the moment.
I have been putting up some shade cloth over my raised garden bed to try and help.
Here are a couple of piccies-
 
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All my pots have now got 2 layers of shadecloth too, they suffered pretty badly last season.
 
 
Happy Chilli Growing,
Micca
 
 

Looking great there too Rainman  :cool:
You are in for a fun season.
 
Micca
 
nemspy said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoi16mgQfzs&feature=youtu.be
 
Here's my "growing zone", such as it is. lol.
 
That's pretty cool... When that many plants get to full size will you be able to get onto that balcony?!
Micca302 said:
Yeah been pretty stinkin hot here at the moment.
I have been putting up some shade cloth over my raised garden bed to try and help.
 
Is your mix predominantly native Perth sand like in the corner of the bed, or is it different under the mulch?
 
Rainman said:
 
That's pretty cool... When that many plants get to full size will you be able to get onto that balcony?!

 
 
Some of the seedlings are "backups" that will be given away to friends.
 
I like the Dsatco Lupin Mulch which I am using in pots as well as in the garden. I also make my own compost, which I spread around as a mulch, out of kitchen scraps, soft garden waste, leaves and seaweed.
 
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This is my rather hot growing area which recieves about 6 hours of direct sun a day. I don't have the resources or the inclination to setup any sort of protection at the moment but the plants seem to be happy even after the third day of high 30's temperatures. The seedlings at the back are from seed collected from last years plants of which the remaining are the plants in the middle (7pot Primo, Moruga, Choc Bhut, Brainstrain). The plants at the front are mostly Wildfire (Douglah, Butch T and Jonah) and other purchases/gifts (Fatalii and Orange Hab), with all but the two on right having been "topped".
 
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Here is my second year Cheiro Goias growing amongst vegetables and herbs. It seems to be very happy and enjoying a cool root run provided by the living mulch of Dichondra.
 
Leafcutterbee - looks like a good collection and the Cheiro Goias looks great, you must be chuffed it over wintered so well.
 
I've not thought of using mulch yet.  Is the main benefit to prevent the soil from overheating?
 
I don't want to use it in pots. I think the pots heat more from the fact the pots are black. I want to use it to help retain moisture and create humidity around the plants. My soil if watered in the morning can be bone dry by the afternoon.
 
 
Rainman said:
Is the main benefit to prevent the soil from overheating?
 

Mostly to try and keep the surface from drying out too much. The Lupin mulch also has the added the benefit of having some nutrients. I'm also going to trial a few plants in terracotta pots, I'm hoping that there might be an evaporative cooling effect - that's if they don't dry out too much for it to work. I'd be interested to hear people's experiences with terracotta.
 
Rainman said:
 
Is your mix predominantly native Perth sand like in the corner of the bed, or is it different under the mulch?
 
The sandy soil is what the raised bed is made of. It is a bulk vege mix I got from Amazon soils(Richgro).
The soil is a couple years old now so I do put in some Manure etc in to improve it. I have also been using the Dsatco Piggypost and their Lupin Mulch on top that has been going well.
 
 
Hi Leafcutter to the forums. All looking good there.
 
Micca
 
You could always go down to the local markets and collect the old cucumber boxes, the styrofoam boxes, and use those to build pot enclosures to reduce soil temps. Its not the ambient temps which affect the plant, its the direct sunlight on black plastic pots. My pots are located in a way when the sun is on them, there is a shield blocking the pots so no sunlight ever touches the pots. I find it more crucial for smaller plants in smaller pots than larger pots.
 
I like "make shift" solutions rather than something already made / designed, that way its a little project / problem to solve as part of the larger project / hobby.  The styrofoam idea is cool.  I was thinking of getting some of the reflective car windshield things and making something to reflect the UV away from the pots.
 
The mulch was more for the ones I'm planning to put into the ground.  
 
I'm still really torn about the pot vs. ground issue as the Butch T and Douglah wilted again today and needed to come back inside to recover ... they both perked back up within 10-20 mins after a bit of water and shade.  I like the idea of pots as I can move them in when its so hot.  We are bound to have another heat wave like this in Jan/Feb if not before.  
 
Perhaps a 50/50 split of pot and ground is in order and I just treat this season as a learning curve?
 
Spray water around the base of the pot or try get water against the stem of the plant so it goes down to the center of the rootball, I've found it helps fix wilting pretty quick. My plants have lost alot of leaves due to wilting then crisping leaves. We had hotter weather in spring than we do at the moment in summer. Its just consistently warmer now.
 
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