• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

growing in south Texas

H

hilljack13

I moved to San Antonio last summer and during the move my reaper fell out upon arrival due to the heat. It has since recovered and it is now in it's 4th growing season. I started it from seed in 2017. So the good news is that the early warm weather has put the growth spurt on overdrive. I also use fish fertilizer to start each growing season. After topping the wilted growth last year, the plant now stands just over 3 ft and twice as busy as it has ever been. That said, during the hot days which now get to 90, leafs start to wilt but spring back once the sun goes down.
 
So, in short, is there anyone in south Texas that has any advice on what to do? I have an upstairs but it would be completely out of all sunlight except the first hour of the day. I'm not sure if growing this way will produce good peppers. The first few flowers had zero pollen in them :(. I moved from TN and at the time I had almost 15-20 peppers growing and lost them all, so I think as the plant ages it produces much more.
 
I also have those super tiny black ants working the plant. I want to make sure they are all gone if I need to bring in the plant for the rest of the season since temps will be 100 easy.
 
Thanks!
 
hilljack13 said:
That said, during the hot days which now get to 90, leafs start to wilt but spring back once the sun goes down.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Transpiration?
 
rNtJZiN.jpg
 
I'm in Central FL. We're on almost the same latitude.
 
Shade brother. Shade. If I can't move my plants somewhere where they can catch early morning sun and part shade the rest of the day then I construct something.I prefer the morning sun because it's nice and bright but not scalding like midday and later.
 
As afar as the ants g, look for almost clear little eggs. Aphids. Where there's ants in my experience there's aphids.
 
sirex said:
I'm in Central FL. We're on almost the same latitude.
 
Shade brother. Shade. If I can't move my plants somewhere where they can catch early morning sun and part shade the rest of the day then I construct something.I prefer the morning sun because it's nice and bright but not scalding like midday and later.
 
As afar as the ants g, look for almost clear little eggs. Aphids. Where there's ants in my experience there's aphids.
Click to expand...
I am thinking about getting some burlap to use since it is cheap. I have one spot in the back where the fence allows shade for about 95% of the day, but I still have the wind to deal with. I have seen the ants working these small little white "eggs"? There are no aphids on the plant, yet. I had them two years ago and it was all I could do to get rid of them. Those things are no joke!
 
I may end up bringing it inside in another month or so. Upstairs will stay constant temp and no wind. Still learning as I go.
 
Aphids are easy to deal with unless you've become infested. They then become a pain in the ass.

Others on the forum swear by cold pressed neem oil.

I however prefer to use Dr Bronners pure liquid Castile soap. Mix it up in water and spray her down.
 
I just moved from San Antonio. By some shade cloth, it helps a lot. You always hear how much peppers love the sun, but not necessarily the San Antonio heat. I think I went with 50-60% shade???
 
San Antonio is humid and not too terribly hot.  It's actually pretty similar to Arizona's monsoon climate. Peppers should do well there, although many varieties will not flower or fruit well in the hotter months. No idea what a reaper will do. My Fatalii plants grew great all summer, but other stupid-hot varieties did bugger-all.  If you can keep it growing and happy in the hot months it should start to flower in late August and bear pods well into October.  If you're growing in a container, do what you can to keep the roots cool.  Mulch, shade cloth, etc. will help.
 
The daily wilting will cause the plant to try to grow more roots. Consider a bigger container.  You might try a big fabric grow-bag. These allow the root ball to cool via evaporation, which helps my plants quite a bit when it's 100+ in the shade... Make sure it's a woven, 'breathable' cloth and not just a glorified garbage bag!
 
I've noticed ants also go for pollen or nectar in the flowers. It doesn't necessarily mean there are aphids, but it's good to check if they ants are going under leaves. The white eggs may be their own eggs.
 
Dulac said:
I've noticed ants also go for pollen or nectar in the flowers. It doesn't necessarily mean there are aphids, but it's good to check if they ants are going under leaves. The white eggs may be their own eggs.
Click to expand...
Really? I never knew or noticed that. I'm going to keep an eye out.
 
Thanks all, I'm thinking of just bringing it inside for now. I did try the neem just last night. I did notice a few ants near the trunk so I'll try to hit that spot again in a few days to give it time. I have had a few flowers open, but no pollen is being produced. I have had the same issue with this plant in past years and usually I end up with 20-30 peppers. I think I should be getting a lot more. Is there anything I can do to promote pollen production or is it something I might be doing that is causing the lack of.
 
Also, I am growing in a container. It has about a 2 foot diameter and is about as tall. Here is a picture, growing wild and I have already cut it back. Not sure why it came in sideways?
 
IMG_0597.JPG
 
IMO, that plant could use a bigger pot.  (They can ALWAYS use a bigger pot!)
 
Shade cloth or even a mist system to keep the peak temps down 'should' improve fertility.  
 
Geonerd said:
IMO, that plant could use a bigger pot.  (They can ALWAYS use a bigger pot!)
Click to expand...
 
Ya know, I always thought (And practiced!) that theory.... I recently read below, scratching my head to this day as I don't get the theory. I also refrained from joining in and was waiting for someone to post what you did so I could ask them.......Your thoughts o this?
 
EDIT: Just noticed the below was missing.....
 
podz said:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/73564-question-about-containers/?p=1677911
There is such a thing as having too large containers. For example, with long season plants if they are in an 8 gallon pot and your season ends mid-September then they probably don't ripen because there is just so much space to keep growing and growing.
 
Pot size could optimally be 3 gallon if you have drip irrigation or have time to water every day during the hot season. In that size pot, you shouldn't have issues with tons of green pods at end of season. Bear in mind, though - it's a lot easier for the wind to flip a 3 gallon pot than it is an 8 gallon pot but they will both be flipped repeatedly - proper staking and securing is needed in either case.
 
Then again, if I had a greenhouse I'd probably use 20 gallon pots.
Click to expand...
 
sirex said:
That's a nice looking plant, even if it's a bit sideways ;)
 
What is it?
Click to expand...
Carolina Reaper I planted from seed in 2017.
 
Geonerd said:
IMO, that plant could use a bigger pot.  (They can ALWAYS use a bigger pot!)
 
Shade cloth or even a mist system to keep the peak temps down 'should' improve fertility.  
Click to expand...
It is the biggest pot I have for now. I did have it with a scorpion. It died last winter. When I pulled it the roots were not that extensive for the size. Could have been too crowded? If I cut it back you might think it is not that impressive. The growth this year has been much better with the exception of the first year. Again, could be due to overcrowding with the scorpion?
 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top