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What is the perfect chilli growing weather?

ChilliNZ

ChilliNZ

So, what is it?
Does everyone else agree that the chillis from northeastern India/Bangladesh require more fertile, wetter soils with more humidity?
Whilst the Trinidad varieties etc prefer crappier, more arid soil with a drier climate?
I have been thinking about this lately - in the tropics there is the hotter, wetter season and then a more mild drier one - Do chillis prefer warmer and wetter temps when they are germinating and possibly growing normally then they fruit during the dry season? Cap. is hydrophobic - not that that probably makes much of a difference.
I can't believe the summer we are having in Auckland at the moment. You continental guys take it for granted but the amount of rain/cloud that can come from being a maritime climate.. Sigh.
But basically, it's been 50-60% humidity, 27/80 & 17/62 degrees for the past 6 weeks with that set to continue for the next couple of months and sunny as hell.
How does that rate?
If you wanted ideal, would you have it hotter? Warmer at night?
I guess I mean ideal short of living in Trinidad/Assam.
 
I would say that is ideal in terms of plant vigour balanced with low pest/disease prevalence. And I would also say that is ideal for an Auckland Summer!! Auckland is usually 15 seasons in one day!

Also just because something has evolved under certain climatic conditions it doesn't mean that these are its ideal growing conditions to reach its full potential.

Look at something like the Monterey Pine (Pinus Radiata) and in its native form and environment where it evolved it is gnarled and bent and twisted and slow growing.

Take that same species and place it in a warm temperate climate like New Zealand and select for desirable traits and you have some of the straightest and fastest growing softwood production timber plantations in the world.
 
Trippa said:
Also just because something has evolved under certain climatic conditions it doesn't mean that these are its ideal growing conditions to reach its full potential.

Look at something like the Monterey Pine (Pinus Radiata) and in its native form and environment where it evolved it is gnarled and bent and twisted and slow growing.

Take that same species and place it in a warm temperate climate like New Zealand and select for desirable traits and you have some of the straightest and fastest growing softwood production timber plantations in the world.
Click to expand...

Well maybe... sometimes species get stuck because of external conditions like glaciers or asteroids etc...

Also, with domesticated plants, you have to consider the human selection process which is a little different from weather selection... again, maybe a volcano exploding or a human bringing it from the amazon had more do with it than the fitness of the plant...

So, the best environment imo is a good and clever grower ;)

And for me with 18 degrees fahrenheit (-7.8 celcius) access to electricity...
 
Morning sun, afternoon rain 300+ days a year, grown in volcanic lume on the side of a mountain 2000ft altitude.........we are talking about Kona Coffee, right?.............oops
 
PIC 1 said:
Morning sun, afternoon rain 300+ days a year, grown in volcanic lume on the side of a mountain 2000ft altitude.........we are talking about Kona Coffee, right?.............oops
Click to expand...

Well that is almost Auckland's climate right there Greg!! Except for the 2000ft altitude but the volcanic loam is bang on and Auckland does have afternoon showers on a fairly frequent basis after sun in the morning ... not to far from the mark at all!!
 
ChilliNZ said:
I guess I mean ideal short of living in Trinidad/Assam.
Click to expand...

There is a range of climactic conditions where peppers will thrive. It depends on what your goals are, or in other words "ideal" to what end? Bhuts and scorpions are the way they are less because of weather and more because of humans selecting them over a very long period of time. Many domesticated plants cannot even survive without human assistance, no matter how "ideal" the weather may be. What wild animal besides humans are stupid enough to eat superhots ;)
 
Spicegeist said:
There is a range of climactic conditions where peppers will thrive. It depends on what your goals are, or in other words "ideal" to what end? Bhuts and scorpions are the way they are less because of weather and more because of humans selecting them over a very long period of time. Many domesticated plants cannot even survive without human assistance, no matter how "ideal" the weather may be. What wild animal besides humans are stupid enough to eat superhots ;)
Click to expand...
Birds ... but then again they have no heat receptors so they don't really count. Possums and Rats ... oh sorry didn't realise it was a rhetorical question ;) :D
 
Hm, birds eating bhuts? Seems unlikely, at least where I live:

IMG_20130125_152215.jpg
 
Are you wondering if your current climate is good or bad for growing chillies? or are you looking to tailor a greenhouse environment to growing?

Can't say about temps but I don't think chilli plants like too much humidity.

If you don't want to know for a greenhouse, or for somewhere to move to all you have to do is plant a whole lot of seeds of a variety and save the seeds from the one plant that does best. Repeat every year and you will get a strain that is better suited for your specific environment than what you started with. That's the beauty of gardening... if you have the patience.
 
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