So I was wondering if one could bump up the heat of a pepper by feeding it a capsaicin extract, then I trying to work out how to make it available to the plant, since it isn't water soluble. I immediately thought of alcohol, so I did a quick search on the effect alcohol has on plants and came across this article -
http://cornellsun.com/node/17453
It made me think that my theory is worth a crack. What I didn't expect to see is some of the results mentioned in the article, there was one line that really piqued my interest -
So even without my crazy capsaicin theory, the faux watter stress in its self would be enough to bump up the heat without pushing the limits of your watering regime.
I'm still going to feed my sweet peppers capsaicin extract in diluted alcohol, totally worth a try.
http://cornellsun.com/node/17453
It made me think that my theory is worth a crack. What I didn't expect to see is some of the results mentioned in the article, there was one line that really piqued my interest -
Although research hasn't confirmed it yet, Miller said one theory behind the alcohol's effect is "water stress" - essentially, diluting the actual water in the solution so that the plant stays thirsty.
So even without my crazy capsaicin theory, the faux watter stress in its self would be enough to bump up the heat without pushing the limits of your watering regime.
I'm still going to feed my sweet peppers capsaicin extract in diluted alcohol, totally worth a try.