Cayennes not turning red

M

mitchNC

I'm a little concerned, but not panicked.
 
I'm growing the same cayennes as last year, Long Thin Cayenne from Baker Creek.
They made incredible sauce and I have people wanting to pay for it this year.
 
My plants look great, very healthy and strong.  They get about 8 hours of direct sunlight a day.
 
The pods are getting huge but nothing is turning red.
Today I decided to harvest 2 big ones.  One to taste and one to leave on the counter to see if it ripens.
The one I tasted had no heat.  Just tasted like a bell.
 
Should I be worried?
 
Same question i asked years ago...
Growing peppers taught me a new level of patience... lol
 
Just make sure they get as much direct sun as possible and all growing parameters are just right. They will ripen eventually.
 
Once they stop getting 'bigger, then they will work on getting ripe, sweet and hot...
 
I've been leaving my peppers on the plant even after they turn. Letting the Jala get red&heat cracks, others till just a little soft or a few wrinkles, or when the stem starts to yellow. Makes for the sweetest, hottest, best flavor imo. Thats what we have over store bought that are usually picked before they fully ripen. We can let them 'vine ripen to the max, making for the very best tasting hottest peppers... Longer you can leave them on, the hotter they get...
 
 Possible Exception to the above advice... Got some chocolate reapers that I might have left on to long, think they gave us radiation poisoning,,they're nuclear I tell ya, like biting into the sun,,, milk didn't even help...
 
Just picked this one for some guacamole tonight, been on the plant for a month or more after turning red... These organic Jala's are scorching hot for a Jala... love em.
 
CjFO1fx.jpg
 
This is the average size.
I tasted the red one that I picked and it has the right heat.

The orange ring in the picture is a clip that I 3D-printed. They're awesome. I have them on all my peppers and some tomatoes.

I may try to mass produce them and sell them next year.
 

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My cayenne pepper plant germinated around the beginning of march, and I only picked the first red pod a couple of days ago.  And this was a much smaller cayenne variety than the one you have. So I don't think you have anything to worry about!
 
So now getting about 60 bright red peppers every other day.
But today was 101 peppers.  Yes, I count as I pick.  :)
 
And they are massive pods.  Not little skinny things.
I'm sure today's harvest will fill a half-gallon jar for fermenting.
 
So...a little late but now it's ON!
 
Also, I've always grown Reapers in buckets.  This year I'm growing them in a raised bed for the first time.  The plants are huge.  Easily 4 1/2 feet tall and loaded with pods that I won't eat.  :)
 
Different varieties take longer to turn red, orange or yellow.  I have red habanero's, KS Lemon Starburst ripe, but my Aji Guyana's only 3 have turned ripe so far, lots of green ones.  My Yellow Peru have had a few ripe one's, and I know I will have to wait much longer for my Aji Amarillo's.  
 
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