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Any tips from successful Rocoto/Manzano growers?

filmost

filmost

I was doing some research about Rocotos/Mazanos on the forum and have deduced that keeping them cool is the main problem for growers in warmer climates. Would growing them in shade produce better results?
 
Yesterday while cleaning up the garden, I noticed the stark difference in temperature between the front and back of our house, and  have been thinking of moving my Pubes to the back. If I did they would get about 3-4 hours of direct sun in the early morning, then shade the rest of the day.
 
What do those of you who have had successful harvests of Pubescens think?
 
I don't know if I can say  anything that will answer your question as I am growing both for the first time this year. I have them in open sun, but it has also been a cooler year thus far. Mine are not huge by any standard, but are flowering. I am somewhat bewildered that a plant that produces such large heavy fruit would begin to flower when the plant could not even begin to support ONE pod.
 
Yeah the coolest place you got is best. It is quite surprising how little direct sun they need. the early morning sun is the way to go. If you have black plastic pots they can make the soil hot in direct sun and they don't like hot feet. Sometimes i shade my pots with cardboard on hot days to keep the roots cool. I had one ripen pods through the middle of winter when nights were low 30sF average.
 
i have no problem keeping them cool..... the only success i have had is in hydroponics. anything in soil has never produced and the cool weather appears to hinder their growth of fruit.
i have 2 red rocotos on the go right now, they were started last season. let's see what becomes of them, but if history proves correct, they won't produce and will die. so don't bank on cool, go for heat!
 
I have yellow and red rocotos and orange manzanos right now. am looking to acquire red manzanos as they have a significantly different taste then their orange cousins. I would grow them indoors but my grow room gets upward s of 90+ degrees when I run lights at 1000w. a little too hot I would think.
 
Burning Colon said:
i have no problem keeping them cool..... the only success i have had is in hydroponics. anything in soil has never produced and the cool weather appears to hinder their growth of fruit.
i have 2 red rocotos on the go right now, they were started last season. let's see what becomes of them, but if history proves correct, they won't produce and will die. so don't bank on cool, go for heat!
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I think your cold and my cold have a vast difference.lol
In my experience they can get real unhappy in direct sun over 80F. Mine survive OW outside here, Thats under my patio awning and close to the house for warmth. My lowest temp last winter was 27F and average nights were 35F.
 
Trust, indirect sun is your friend with these. Where temps are 80F+
 
Im not sure what the answer is, mike aka smokemaster has grown huge pubes in full sun all day as do the in mexico and some other places like Ecuador, but then those are usually manzanos, rocotos are from the Andes highlands, where it is cooler but they would probably get a lot of strong sun growing at higher altitude where the air is thinner, the only thing I can says is try both and see what works, because I've only had marginal luck with them so far, I can never seem to get more than a few pods at a time in full sun, partial shade or mostly shade, but they are delicious and o will keep growing them til I find just the right combination for my grow region!
 
hogleg said:
In my experience they can get real unhappy in direct sun over 80F.
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Wow! 80F=26.6C, it means I should shadow mine (first year growing). In fact I already have set some shadowing nets, but sometime I take them out, sometime I use them. Honest to be, I am using it more because I am afraid of hail, and want to pretect them with this net....
 
chile_freak said:
...I will keep growing them til I find just the right combination for my grow region!
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And then what? Quit??? :rolleyes:
 
Oh you Canadians lol. Like hogleg my heat and your heat are vastly different lol. Summers in my area are up in the 40+ C with on average 80%+ humidity between June and August. If temps were cooler, then I definitely think full sun would be best.
 
After reading all your replies, I went back and checked out the varieties I have going. Rocoto de Seda from Mexico, Rocoto Ecuadorian Red, and Giant Mexican Rocoto (pepperlover). If I pot up my last two plants, I will have two each of the de Seda and Ecuadorian Red, so I think I may experiment and move one of each into morning sun + shade and see how they do. The two Mexican varieties should actually hold up to the heat pretty well, but a quick Google search of Ecuadors temp range shows it tops out at about 26C give or take a few, and we have already topped that here, still climbing too!
 
My pots btw are black fabric pots, so I am hoping that helps keep the soil cool a bit regardless of where I put them. Thanks for all the responses btw! Hope others chime in too!
 
rghm1u20 said:
Wow! 80F=26.6C, it means I should shadow mine (first year growing). In fact I already have set some shadowing nets, but sometime I take them out, sometime I use them. Honest to be, I am using it more because I am afraid of hail, and want to pretect them with this net....
 
And then what? Quit??? :rolleyes:
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of course quit sheesh, what fun would it be to get huge plants that produce tons of tasty pods! are you insane! :rofl:
 
filmost said:
My pots btw are black fabric pots, so I am hoping that helps keep the soil cool a bit regardless of where I put them.
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I think black is black, will heat up (just like you wear a black or a white T-Shirt). I have some bougainvilleas in black pots, and want to cover them in aluminium foil, to protect from heating. BTW, the Chupetinho feels good in its white pot :-)
 
Black fabric and black plastic differ quite a bit in that the fabric breaths being able to exhaust hot soil much better. but black is still black and absorbs the heat.

chile_freak said:
Im not sure what the answer is, mike aka smokemaster has grown huge pubes in full sun all day as do the in mexico and some other places like Ecuador, but then those are usually manzanos, rocotos are from the Andes highlands, where it is cooler but they would probably get a lot of strong sun growing at higher altitude where the air is thinner, the only thing I can says is try both and see what works, because I've only had marginal luck with them so far, I can never seem to get more than a few pods at a time in full sun, partial shade or mostly shade, but they are delicious and o will keep growing them til I find just the right combination for my grow region!
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 I wanted to ask Smokemaster to join this thread but I guess he's signed out. I don't Know where SM lives but I suspect Its closer to the coast than I am.
Now mind you these are just my theories
 
I've spent some time studying the climate in California Trying find a place that could support year round pubes. I suspect it is possible from sonoma co. south to san luis obispo co. within fifteen miles of the coast aprox. This is because it almost never freezes in winter because of the warmth of the pacific ocean. And summer days are frequently overcast and kept cool from the pacific ocean and rarely over 80F. Not the facts just my theory
 
I should also mention mine have been fine and happy in full sun in 55-60F in the winter time.
 
My first couple of attempts with pubescents  (red and orange manzanos) ended in failure, But I haven't given up.  I realize now that I had piss poor potting soil when I first started out.   It definitely could not compare with this years mix I'm using.   
 
I located some Locoto seed from a successful grower in Florida.   His climate and mine are quite similar save for his area getting an extra 2 feet of rain per year than mine.  I figured seed from a successful US gardner should give me a better chance of success.  Also will be trying Semillas Seed I.e. San Sidro and Mini Rocoto as well.    Will give it another go come this Fall.   
 
I am growing 6 varieties this season and they are doing great so far.  I actually have pods on my orange Manzano which is a huge success for me as this is its first season.
 
I had all but given up with Pubescens from my previous growing experience - 2 years before getting any pods and then a limited harvest at best.
 
So, I decided to diversify and try several varieties.  I have Rocoto Peron, Brown Rocoto, Locoto, Orange Manzano, Yellow Canario, and Red Rocoto - all of which I grew from seed from an Australian friend.
 
I have these plants in an area that only gets sun in the afternoon as I have found that they do not like full Florida sun.
 
So far, they're doing quite well.  But, it's not even summer yet so we'll see!
 
willard3 said:
I have no trouble with manzanos in full sun.


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Yeah? where you at, whats the temps it deals with. Looks likes its about 8ft away from the trunk of a large oak tree. Full sun ? Your plants a beaut though.
 
I was under the impression manzano was better equipped for heat than other pubescens. Is this incorrect? I was planning on adding a pubescen to next season and picked manzano for that reason. I live in Sacramento and the temps here are practically 100+ all summer [sometimes 110+]… Can I grow these here? Would it be better to put them in a really shady location or in full sun with shade cloth?
 
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