C. baccatum and extreme heat

[Eephus Man]

Just wanted to bump this thread and confirm that all of my baccatums but one fruited over the summer (though very lightly), which is not true of any chinense species here, and very few annums.

These things take the heat very well, and I will grow more next year.

 

[windchicken]

Cool, thanks. I was just thinking about this thread a couple days ago. My experience may be a little different than yours, but I suspect it's caused more by my getting many of the C. baccatums in the ground later than the C. chinense, after the heat wave had already set in. I got the C. annuums in last of all, in late June, and they are doing okay, but I believe that's because they are in the lowest part of the garden, where all the water flows to...

Next year I will plant out everything in the same 1-2 week period, in order to keep as many variables as I can constant...

It seems to me that hot weather vigor varies more between individual varieties of any given species of Capsicum than it does between the species themselves. In my garden Aji Limon and Guampinha de Veado are growing and producing exceptionally well in the Heat Wave of 2011, while Aji Amarillo always seems to droop in the middle of the day, and has yet to produce one pod. In the little C. annuum patch, the New Mexico chiles are struggling every day, while Thai Chile hardly seems to notice, and NuMex Jalmundo just keeps bushing out, reaching for the sky, and pushing out chunky, juicy peppers. As for C. chinense, everything I've got is growing and producing well through the heat and the drought, with the exception of Trinidad Scorpion, which, while growing quite tall (6 feet) and bushy, have produced a total of 10 small pods from 4 plants...

Probably the biggest lesson I've taken away from this summer's garden is, for my particular little plot, and it's true across all varieties and species: To ensure healthy, productive plants through the extreme midsummer heat, be ready at plant-out time with big, robust transplants, with large root balls and lush leaf canopies. And do the plant-out as early as possible, not so much as to be the "first guy with pods," but to ensure that the plants have as much time as they can get growing in the temperate weather, to establish even more roots and leaves to defend themselves against the oncoming hot and dry brutality of the Southern Summer....

 

[Eephus Man]

Great advice, wc. And my single Thai this year is the same as yours. It's about four feet high and rising, and shows no sign of wear in the weather.

My chinenses are all growing fine, but they aren't fruiting.

Good to know on the Jalamundo.

I did plant out all at the same time (roughly), and there is nothing better than a nice foot-tall seedling to put in the ground in mid/late March. I always get at least *some* chinenses in May/June each year. Gotta love that!

 

[windchicken]

March plant-out, nice!

I'm in Zone 8, which is supposed to have a nice, safe plant-out date of April 1, but lots of people around here are planting their gardens in March now, with the climate changing and all. If I had an extra 4 weeks of growth on the front end of the season it would make a ton of difference...

Next year I'll be ready on March 1!

 

[Eephus Man]

March plant-out, nice!

I'm in Zone 8, which is supposed to have a nice, safe plant-out date of April 1, but lots of people around here are planting their gardens in March now, with the climate changing and all. If I had an extra 4 weeks of growth on the front end of the season it would make a ton of difference...

Next year I'll be ready on March 1!

The last few years I've been tracking our last 'danger' date and it seems to be no later than March 17th. I do occasionally have to cover for some 40s, but it's been rare lately, as you've noted. And usually the first frost isn't till late December or first week of January. Came a bit early last year.

 

[AlabamaJack]

I am in Fort Worth and have had no luck with baccatums....at all...ever....they grow but the heat seems to inhibit flowering/fruitset...you may get some pod set when the weather cools but then you have to wait until first frost to get fruit.....and I think if you will look, Kevins climate is cooler than ours is...our AVERAGE temperature for this summer has been 90...an all time record...with 57 or so days above 100...10 degrees makes a lot of difference because when you get to that 93-94 threshold on a daily basis with nighttime temps above 80, chinense and baccatum just stop producing even flowers...

you may not be experiencing the hot dry summer we are here but if you are, that is your issue with the baccatums...this is of course my opinion...

 

[Eephus Man]

I am in Fort Worth and have had no luck with baccatums....at all...ever....they grow but the heat seems to inhibit flowering/fruitset...you may get some pod set when the weather cools but then you have to wait until first frost to get fruit.....and I think if you will look, Kevins climate is cooler than ours is...our AVERAGE temperature for this summer has been 90...an all time record...with 57 or so days above 100...10 degrees makes a lot of difference because when you get to that 93-94 threshold on a daily basis with nighttime temps above 80, chinense and baccatum just stop producing even flowers...

you may not be experiencing the hot dry summer we are here but if you are, that is your issue with the baccatums...this is of course my opinion...

It's so weird that mine are the only plants fruiting, AJ. Now, those that *are* are in the shade more than about half my total plants. But in particular the Kaleidoscope, Aji Omnicolor, Criolla Sella and BAC593605 are all still (slowly) rolling out fruit.

I've always wondered how folks standardize fruit set dates (short, medium, long, extra long season), and now I wonder even more how much individual soil, sun, watering, humidity and seed stock vary.

 

[windchicken]

I am in Fort Worth and have had no luck with baccatums....at all...ever....they grow but the heat seems to inhibit flowering/fruitset...you may get some pod set when the weather cools but then you have to wait until first frost to get fruit.....and I think if you will look, Kevins climate is cooler than ours is...our AVERAGE temperature for this summer has been 90...an all time record...with 57 or so days above 100...10 degrees makes a lot of difference because when you get to that 93-94 threshold on a daily basis with nighttime temps above 80, chinense and baccatum just stop producing even flowers...

you may not be experiencing the hot dry summer we are here but if you are, that is your issue with the baccatums...this is of course my opinion...

Good to know, thanks. Yes, it's been pretty hot here, too, just south of Shreveport. Right now we are at 42 days above 100ºF.

So the rest of the south doesn't have quite the nuclear summers we do...Even Las Cruces was in the 80s the last time I checked, when it was 108ºF here.

Also, it seems to me that the taller, leggier baccatums like Aji Amarillo and Birgit's Locoto struggle more in the heat than do the short, bushy types like Aji Limon...I wonder if anyone else has noticed this?

It's so weird that mine are the only plants fruiting, AJ. Now, those that *are* are in the shade more than about half my total plants. But in particular the Kaleidoscope, Aji Omnicolor, Criolla Sella and BAC593605 are all still (slowly) rolling out fruit.

I've always wondered how folks standardize fruit set dates (short, medium, long, extra long season), and now I wonder even more how much individual soil, sun, watering, humidity and seed stock vary.

Interesting you should say that—There are some variables I just can't account for...I've got an Aji Amarillo in a 22-inch container on my patio at home that is dark green, tall, and beautiful, but the in-ground Amarillo plants at the company yard are pale, stumpy, and struggling every day just to stay alive, even though they are in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of nutrients...

 

[Torno]

I agree with AJ, this year has been a harsh one on peppers in the DFW area. All of my plants had to be moved into 100% indirect light due to soil temps getting extremely hot and also the leaves going from a nice big healthy green to a green crisp in literally an hour or two depending on how bad that day was. If we were having a normal summer, there is no doubt things were be going very different right now but this year has been record setting in more ways than one, which I would gladly give up. The baccatum I do have will produce flowers off and on but nothing sets. Right now I am in survival mode just trying to keep these guys alive long enough until it cools down. Not to mention we are in a drought, which again, is breaking records. Best thing I can tell you is just ride the heat out and wait until the cooler weather kicks in. I plan on pulling inside a handful of plants to keep them producing and overwintering the rest.

-J

 

[Eephus Man]

I agree with AJ, this year has been a harsh one on peppers in the DFW area. All of my plants had to be moved into 100% indirect light due to soil temps getting extremely hot and also the leaves going from a nice big healthy green to a green crisp in literally an hour or two depending on how bad that day was. If we were having a normal summer, there is no doubt things were be going very different right now but this year has been record setting in more ways than one, which I would gladly give up. The baccatum I do have will produce flowers off and on but nothing sets. Right now I am in survival mode just trying to keep these guys alive long enough until it cools down. Not to mention we are in a drought, which again, is breaking records. Best thing I can tell you is just ride the heat out and wait until the cooler weather kicks in. I plan on pulling inside a handful of plants to keep them producing and overwintering the rest.

-J

Amen, brother. And I'd've killed for the rain y'all DID get.

It's an ugly year. Even uglier than '09. Last year we were all very lucky. I'm afraid there's more of this in the future. Can you say GREATER Chihuahuan?

 

[Eephus Man]

Preaching to the choir in this thread, but holy mother of...

I was reading my copy of Hobby Farms today, and was extremely amused by the article written by a Montana gardener about keeping the ground WARM enough and planting fall crops in August.

Ahh....

 

[romy6]

Gary i have to back you on the bacc's. I have one lonely aji lemon( from NMSU) in a 7 gallon container the loves the heat. I started her in march and this will be my 3rd harvest from her. You know it doesn't get much hotter than where I am so proof is in the pudding!

here she be