New member, looking for tips on growing hot peppers

Hello everyone,
 
This is my second year gardening. I grow hot peppers and tomatoes. I grow my tomatoes from seed, I failed at my pepper seedlings last year. I have a cat that loves eating plants and I could not make a proper set up without her destroying my peppers. Tomatoes work because they grow faster as seeds and seem less fussy. So given that I cannot take the time to grow the pepper seeds, I buy plants. I order from chile plants.com.
 
I tried to grow the following: 2 bhut jolokia (bought from local green house), 4 scotch bonnet (bought from local green house), 1 thai ornamental, 2 filius blue, 2 moruga scorpions, 2 red savina habanero, 2 mustard habanero, 2 chololate habanero and 1 yellow devils tongue last year. I had mixed results. My locally bought plants the 2 ghost peppers and 4 bonnets all grew great.
 
I had more mixed results from my online bought plants. However, I think I made mistakes as a begginer. I was told not to move plants once you put them in the ground. I moved some of them like 2 or 3 times. Also I may have over watered, my soil dries out in the heat in almost no time and when I saw my plants wilting from the hot sun I watered daily so they did not wilt. I know now after reading that it is best to let the pepper plant wilt and then water. I had bad problems with slugs eating plants up half of the summer too.
 
Anyway, here is why I ask for tips. The following never produced: 2 moroga scorpions, 2 red savina habaneros, 2 mustard habaneros, 1 chocolate habanero.
 
I had good results from my 2 filius blue, and my 1 thai plant. I also got 1 chocolate habanero and my 1 yellow devils tongue to produce by extending their grow by bringing them in before winter.
 
I am going to use a black plastic sheet to keep out weeds and I hear it helps maximize heat. Is there anything else I should know? I know now to not move a plant after I put it in a spot. All of my plants that never produced had tons of flowers but no fruit. I have been reading up on self polinating if you do not have the needed insects around.
 
I try to grow organic and I use Jobe's  organic Tomato fertilizer: http://www.easygardener.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=223
 
I know the fertilizer helped with my tomatoes. I had a monster cherry tomato plant over five feet in all directions. It was beautiful!
 
Sorry if this is long. I am ordering plants again soon and I just want to get a better result this time around. I live in Michigan, so my growing season is shorter than in other places. I was very bummed when I did not get any morugas, or barely any habaneros last year. I love habaneros, and I want to try the mustard and red savina. I am trying to grow thai, habaneros, morugas, and carolina reapers. Thanks for any advice you can give!
 
Dustin

Welcome to the Hot Pepper!
For peppers, I try to go easy on the fertilizer. I use some Tomato Tone or Garden Tone after the plants are established, and then use Neptune's Harvest fish and seaweed liquid throughout the season.
Wish I had some good advice for the slugs. This is my first year that I've had a problem with them, and it's amazing how much damage they can do.

A bit late for most peppers.
I start mine in late Jan---early Feb. and they went in the ground last week.
 
A good shake will self pollinate if it has lots of flowers, but many super hots like to drop them---often.
 
Over attention kills more peppers than any other reason, IMHO.

mlh5953 said:

Wish I had some good advice for the slugs.

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You can put some sand around the plants, or the entire area, the slugs will avoid this. OK, till first rain... I have read about a slug trap, but never used: put a jar in the groung, at the ground level, put some beer inside - will attract slugs, they will fall into the jar and no more be able to get out - never used, maybe you waste the jar and beer...
Or you can use chemicals, I just used (not around peppers, but other area), very good results, and those small pieces are water resistant.

It's only late for starting peppers if you're starting them from seed now. If you're ordering plants, as grither said, it's not too late. However, it's late for placing a plant order, so hopefully you'll get what you want. 
 
Yes, moving plants around (especially in the ground) can cause transplant shock, causing the plants to drop fruit, flowers, buds, and even leaves. However, they usually rebound after getting settled in. Using a starter fertilizer after moving helps reduce the shock and also stimulates root growth. 
 
http://www.weekendgardener.net/how-to/snails-slugs.htm <<< decent article on deterring snails and slugs.

rghm1u20 said:

You can put some sand around the plants, or the entire area, the slugs will avoid this. OK, till first rain... I have read about a slug trap, but never used: put a jar in the groung, at the ground level, put some beer inside - will attract slugs, they will fall into the jar and no more be able to get out - never used, maybe you waste the jar and beer...
Or you can use chemicals, I just used (not around peppers, but other area), very good results, and those small pieces are water resistant.

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           Rghm,you start laying beer in jars around this crowd and the slugs will have to fight us for it.

I'm an organic container gardener and when I plant, I put a fish head in the bottom of the hole and put the plant on top. I buy fresh fish or go fishing and keep the heads. Fish markets will also give heads to you. I fertize throughout the season with fish and kelp fertizer.

As for slugs, the beer idea works! Here are two more deterrents. I keep eggs shells.and crack them up and put them around the base of the plants. Slugs stay away because their bodies can't stand the sharp edges of the shells, and egg shells add calcium to your soil. Another deterrent is diatomaceous earth. Put it at the base or on the leaves. It has the same effect as the egg shells and can be bought at a nursery.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Thanks Nay Nay. I've got some DE that I was intending to dust them with this weekend.
I'll go ahead and try that, and save my beer for a higher purpose 

Michigan?
If you are in the UP, yup, too late for superhots to mature outdoors.
Unless the ones you are ordering are already a couple months old.
Cayennes and various annuums should do fine.

I've used Sluggo to good effect this year on deterring slugs.  Applied twice so far this season and it is OMRI approved for organic gardening which is nice.  Haven't seen any slugs or damage from them since before the first application.

grither55 said:

 
I had more mixed results from my online bought plants. However, I t I made mistakes as a begginer. I was told not to move plants once you put them in the ground. I moved some of them like 2 or 3 times. Also I may have over watered, my soil dries out in the heat in almost no time and when I saw my plants wilting from the hot sun I watered daily so they did not wilt. I know now after reading that it is best to let the pepper plant wilt and then water. I had bad problems with slugs eating plants up half of the summer too.
 
I am going to use a black plastic sheet to keep out weeds and I hear it helps maximize heat. Is there anything else I should know? I know now to not move a plant after I put it in a spot. All of my plants that never produced had tons of flowers but no fruit. I have been reading up on self polinating if you do not have the needed insects around.
 
I try to grow organic and I use Jobe's  organic Tomato fertilizer: http://www.easygardener.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=223
 
 

Click to expand...

For slugs, I've tried everything. I've done traps, egg shells, sand, etc. The best results I've found was with Natria (Bayer) Snail & Slug bait. The active ingredient is Iron Phosphate. It makes the slugs feel full so they don't eat. It attracts them...and murders them. I have pretty bad slugs/snails because I use raised beds. This works wonders! (egg shells from what I read don't deter slugs and don't add any measurable nutrition to soil)
 
As for the plastic, be careful. If your soil dries out quickly or if you live in a hotter area, it can bake the roots, especially if you water midday or when it's extremely hot. Have you tried raised beds? They cool faster at night and heat up during the day. You start out almost weed free! Pick your own soil that drains well. You could also do a raised bed with partial native soil and nursery bought. Start a compost pile!
 
I've had GREAT luck with Jobe's veg/tom organic as a side dressing and soil supplement. 
 
I use my finger or a Q-tip to gently pollinate my plants. Jus rub from one flower to the next. 

Hello everyone,
 
Thanks for the tips and welcomes. I live in the lower penninsula of Michigan. I know it is way too late for seeds. I am ordering from chileplants.com. Great site, they have so much to choose from. I love their store. I think it was user error with my plants last year. I had my morugas, and habaneros all big with tons of flowers but never produced. I chalk it up to my inexperience at the time.
 
I want to actually get them to work this year. I know it is not the climate, as I got the big and full of flowers last year.
 
Farmers Jones, I think a raised bed is a good idea. I would do that in the future. I have my girlfriend's dad help me put up a green fence around my garden to keep rabbits out. I am not sure if I could build a raised bed, I am not a builder type of guy. I think if I could buy one or have someoen help me make it then it would be a different story. Should I not use the black plastic on the peppers? It gets very hot here for about two months. We have a lot of rain now, but usually by June it will dry out and get muggy. My soil dries out super fast, every day it is bone dry. Do I only need to worry about the burning roots in more sourthern states?
 
Gotrix, the plants I got last year by chile plants.com were pretty much pretty mature. I know they have 500 varieties and the plants were quite big. Actually bigger than from my local green house. I have an extra month or two of warm weather on the UP. I am downstate in the thumb of the lower penninsula, by Flint if that helps.
 
Geeme, thanks for the article! I will read it. I did some dumb things last year, I foolishly moved them two or three times. I noticed the plants that did not produce were the ones that were moved a few times. My ghost pepper and scotch bonnets came through great. I did not move them. I first planted them all and did not like how I settled my morugas, and habaneros. So being the inexperienced begginer I was I planted them higher. Then for some reason I did it again. I will not do that again, I will leave them as they are. And I have a pretty good selection on the site now, 40 percent off too. I am getting some 3 thais, 1 red peter, 2 mustard hab, 2 red savina hab, 1 pumpkin hab, 1 carolina reaper, 1 moruga scorpion and 1 yummy orange. I am not sure of my chances with the reaper and moruga. I was massively bummed with the moruga not coming in last year. I have good faith in the rest coming in though anyway.
 
EliteMcScruffin, I will consider that product. I have a big flower bed by my garden area. I anticipate a problem with slugs again. At least this year I know it is them. I did not know till July cause it was my first garden experience. So they had a month and a half to mess my plants up before I caught on.
 
Nay Nay, I will try some of those suggestions and keep an open mind to those. Never hurts to try something once at least!
 
mlh5953, thanks for the welcome! I only used one bag of Jobe's last year. This year I ordered two just in case. One bag on my garden is basically a dose for each plant. It is granular and you apply it with the roots when you plant it. Or on top, then water into the soil. The Jobe's tomato ratio is 2-7-4, is that good? I know it helped for my tomatoes. My cherry tomato was on steroids it got so huge.
 
Thanks everyone.

I don't know much about Jobe's tomato fertilizer, but I assume that it's slow release, which is fine.
As for the ratio, I believe that it's ok too.