I've heard that stressing your pepper plants can increase the capsaicin content of your chilies, I would like to know if you've personally found this to be true and what methods/techniques do you follow to increase heat?
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Plant stressing techniques
- Thread starter charlie5heen
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I don't know if it actually increases capsaicin content but stressing them by withholding water does make them taste hotter. I have noticed this in particular with jalapeños.
I no longer stress plants to make them hotter. If I want a hotter chile then I just grow a hotter variety. While stress does seem to me to make them hotter, I feel like they don't taste as good. I get the best tasting pods from plants that have been well taken care of.
I no longer stress plants to make them hotter. If I want a hotter chile then I just grow a hotter variety. While stress does seem to me to make them hotter, I feel like they don't taste as good. I get the best tasting pods from plants that have been well taken care of.
Some post stressing has no effect on the heat level of peppers, I usually trust Paul W. Bosland (http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/pes/paul-w-bosland.html) to give accurate info on pepper growing, http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H237/
The heat level in chile peppers is the result of two factors: the plant's genetics and the interaction of the plant with the environment. The genetic control of heat allows plant breeders to produce a chile pepper plant with a certain relative heat level. For example, the cultivar 'NuMex Joe E. Parker' was genetically selected to produce fruit of "medium" heat. However, environmental factors such as temperature and water influence the heat level. A mild chile pepper cultivar bred for low levels of heat will become hotter when exposed to any type of stress in the field. Conversely, a relatively hot cultivar given optimal environmental conditions will become only moderately hot. A chile pepper plant that genetically produces low-heat fruit will not produce hot chile peppers even when grown in a stressed environment. To produce chile peppers of a predictable heat, both cultivar selection and optimum stress-free growing conditions are important.
My method is to not water until plant is wilting.....
Stressed
Shortly after watering....
The heat level in chile peppers is the result of two factors: the plant's genetics and the interaction of the plant with the environment. The genetic control of heat allows plant breeders to produce a chile pepper plant with a certain relative heat level. For example, the cultivar 'NuMex Joe E. Parker' was genetically selected to produce fruit of "medium" heat. However, environmental factors such as temperature and water influence the heat level. A mild chile pepper cultivar bred for low levels of heat will become hotter when exposed to any type of stress in the field. Conversely, a relatively hot cultivar given optimal environmental conditions will become only moderately hot. A chile pepper plant that genetically produces low-heat fruit will not produce hot chile peppers even when grown in a stressed environment. To produce chile peppers of a predictable heat, both cultivar selection and optimum stress-free growing conditions are important.
My method is to not water until plant is wilting.....
Stressed
Shortly after watering....
So, I have to just say... I see the "stressed" plants that people mess with, and it always seems like those growers are sacrificing growth for the "possible" noticeable difference in heat. If that's your focus, OK, but I just want to point out that environmental stress will always give you something, at the expense of something else.
The New Mexico State University has researched this and published articles on-line. Off the top of my head I recall that there was virtually no difference in overall productivity between stressed and non-stressed plants. There was a difference in heat. That said the biggest difference in heat levels was noticed in mild and medium level peppers. The super-hots had the least amount of change due to stress.
Stressing for heat levels has implications for commercial growers. I can't imagine buyers would be happy in variation between crops - eg promised mild peppers, but receiving something considerably hotter and visa versa.
Neil
Stressing for heat levels has implications for commercial growers. I can't imagine buyers would be happy in variation between crops - eg promised mild peppers, but receiving something considerably hotter and visa versa.
Neil
Did they stress them by withholding regular waterings?
I'm not a commercial grower, but I have grown in sub-irrigated planters, and I really don't notice any difference in heat, but the plants sure grow a lot better than the ones that water manually, and produce better for me.
Not very scientific, I know.
I'm not a commercial grower, but I have grown in sub-irrigated planters, and I really don't notice any difference in heat, but the plants sure grow a lot better than the ones that water manually, and produce better for me.
Not very scientific, I know.
I don't really understand why anyone (excepting those going for a new "record") would want to do this.
Nov 14 Matt Simpson took the British record for growing the "Katie" chilli at 1,590,000 ... he supposedly shouted at it ... the article was in the Daily Mail newspaper .. I have just " Googled " it using "Katie chilli pepper stressed" and it is the top entry ... please forgive me my IT skills are poor so I can't link you to the article ... makes great reading and you have to like Matt's shirt
0th
Thanks for posting the blurb of the study.
That is rather consistent with my conclusions... And actually, the reason why I first mentioned it. (the photo that brought this to mind was a jalapeno, which in my own experience, have always grown and yielded much better with consistent waterings)Blister said:
Thanks for posting the blurb of the study.
I ran across this the other day.
http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/impact_of_drought_stress.pdf
The results are on around page 5 or the end of 4 if I remember right.
http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/impact_of_drought_stress.pdf
The results are on around page 5 or the end of 4 if I remember right.
TheWalkingPepper said:
the quoted article said:
Which basically makes my earlier point, that stressing the plant had a distinct impact on yield. But the few peppers that you get, are going to be hotter. (if that's what you are into - I am not, but to each, his own)
Like I said, give something to get something. It's almost a universal constant.
solid7 said:
That's what the OP asked, I'm sure he's happy you agree!charlie5heen said:
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
I'm sorry that you like to limit discussion, Mr/Ms. Passive-Aggressive. Since I'm not you, and you're not me, it's not fair for either of us to assume what somebody else may or may not want to know, should there be other facets to a particular matter, that they may or may not be privy to.
From here on out, we can have an agreement, where you are the authoritative truth, and I'm the tangent maker. If that pleases you, of course, your Highness... (and by "highness", I mean
)solid7 said:I'm sorry that you like to limit discussion, Mr/Ms. Passive-Aggressive. Since I'm not you, and you're not me, it's not fair for either of us to assume what somebody else
If that pleases you, of course, your Highness... (and by "highness", I mean
Name calling, condescension & accusations of drug use? I've been baited by much better than yourself...
A lot of douche baggery is beginning on this thread. Take that shit to Facebook.