Tips for growing in Central-South Florida

[phreak]

I'm pretty new to growing the hot peppers I've become addicted to. It seems Florida, especially central to south FL seem to have unique growing seasons. I've searched and searched the forum for a thread dedicated to FL growers with no luck. Maybe we can use this thread for tips, tricks, techniques...Like is there a way to get your plants to produce during the summer? Part shade or cooling techniques?

I know I can't be the only one struggling with this so hopefully some of the pro's can chime in and help some noobies out!

 

[romy6]

There is no special trick. When the temps start hitting 90 and above your plants are gonna struggle. Using larger containers will help as well. Another thing we encounter more than most is bugs. Since we never really get cold enough to kill them off it is a never ending battle. What you feed them is up to you. I have tried them all and they all work. I still get pods all year around but fall and spring is when I get my best harvest and premium pods. If you a couple spare days check out my grow log . I pretty much tell and show all that I do. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[millworkman]

I'd like to know your average winter/summer highs and lows. Mainly so I can get jealous that you guys get all winter to play around too.

 

[phreak]

I'd like to know your average winter/summer highs and lows. Mainly so I can get jealous that you guys get all winter to play around too.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USFL0438

There is no special trick. When the temps start hitting 90 and above your plants are gonna struggle. Using larger containers will help as well. Another thing we encounter more than most is bugs. Since we never really get cold enough to kill them off it is a never ending battle. What you feed them is up to you. I have tried them all and they all work. I still get pods all year around but fall and spring is when I get my best harvest and premium pods. If you a couple spare days check out my grow log . I pretty much tell and show all that I do. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Your glog is a great start romy6! I have a few plants in the ground (a dozen or so) on the south side of my house. I was thinking about a mesh overhang for the summer to help give shade and reduce the torrential rains we get. Ever see someone successfully do something similar? Or would I be much better off getting them in pots and moving them to shade?

 

[millworkman]

Those temps are AMAZING!!!!

If it was me, I would plant in ground and put some shade structure over them for the warmest months, With those temps you are sure to be growing year round.

 

[romy6]

I think your best bet is to move them into the shade during the summer. Try to only get morning and late evening sun. But come winter and spring shoot for as much sun as you can possibly give them without drying out to fast. My biggest inground plant (that is almost 2 years old) only gets a few hours of morning sun. And a couple hours in the evening and pumps out pods all day and night. The older plants build a tolerance for heat but the young guys are the ones you gotta keep an eye on.

 

[phreak]

Great info, thank you.

 

[WalkGood]

There is no special trick.

Only lots of hard work

When the temps start hitting 90 and above your plants are gonna struggle. Using larger containers will help as well.

Great tip on larger containers, while my Jamaican’s produce year round I get the largest peppers near summers end. Not sure if they like the sun but they can take a full day easily and sometimes I wonder if more would help, I just don’t know the science like you guys do.

Another thing we encounter more than most is bugs. Since we never really get cold enough to kill them off it is a never ending battle.

Don’t get me started, that’s why I said lots of hard work above, lol. Maybe there’s a trick or chemicals others use but aside from my soapy home brew I raise mine naturally so maybe that’s why I’m constantly battling the bugs :/

What you feed them is up to you. I have tried them all and they all work. I still get pods all year around but fall and spring is when I get my best harvest and premium pods. If you a couple spare days check out my grow log . I pretty much tell and show all that I do. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

I’ll check your log out, thanks for the tip

 

[phreak]

Don’t get me started, that’s why I said lots of hard work above, lol. Maybe there’s a trick or chemicals others use but aside from my soapy home brew I raise mine naturally so maybe that’s why I’m constantly battling the bugs :/

Can you give your soapy home brew recipe please? I've tried blasting with water, and the tomato leaf extract deal and neither seem to help for more than a day or two.

 

[WalkGood]

Can you give your soapy home brew recipe please? I've tried blasting with water, and the tomato leaf extract deal and neither seem to help for more than a day or two.

Sure, what I use is no secret and to be honest I'm constantly experimenting with the ratios by increasing the amount of soap or peppers used. Just make sure to mist within 15 minutes so the leaves don't get burned. I do this process once every two weeks or once a month as needed. I also run this through the soil if I suspect any nematodes or bugs under the soil and it drives them out.

I keep a few empty gallon jugs that I chop up around 6 or more pods per jug (the fuggly/imperfect ones), I leave them this way till I need a new mix and refill them once empty. With this water strained, I mix in 1 oz. of dish soap per gallon of water right in the spray bottle and spray the bottom of my leaves, wait 15 minutes and I mist off the soapy water. Sometimes I mix them much stronger but be careful as the soapy water can damage your plants if you leave it on too long, oh and I do this process just before sunset or early before full sun. That said if you want to experiment with weaker mixing and leaving on the soap as I've read before I would recommend testing on your worst plant as I've never found a way to leave this on and not damage the leaves.

On another note, you say that you see pests again within a day or two, what kind of pests? If it's aphids, check for ants and you'll have to get rid of them, as they will constantly try to plant them under your leaves. I've yet to battle mites on mine but I think the soapy water should kill them, good luck ...


Edit: 2 points, as romy6 said “we encounter more than most is bugs,” so keep an eye on them. And if you are experimenting with different ratios, I would keep a test plant that you don’t mind it dying if the test goes wrong. One year I had some nematodes in a potted plant and I went as far as soaking the whole pot in a large bucket of chlorinated water. While that worked, I’ve found my soapy solution is better as I can leave that in the soil and it keeps them away for good. I’m still not sure how they get in there but from what I’ve read they seem to be everywhere in FL :/