heat How to get the hottest pods

VegHead

VegHead

I know every pepper grower has asked this question. Well, I was reading a guide with some "tips on growing peppers" and came across the following....

"How to Grow Hotter Peppers

Hot temperatures and bright sunlight are how to grow chili peppers that sizzle.
In general, the longer a hot pepper remains on the plant, the more capsaicin it will manufacture.

To a point.

You can't turn a jalapeno into a habanaro just by leaving it on the bush for a few more days.

Each of the types of hot peppers falls into a range on the Scoville Heat Scale. All you can do is try to push the variety you are growing to the outer limits of its range. It simply isn't possible to push a pepper plant beyond this genetic limit.

Hot peppers growing in cool climates with short summers will tend to be milder than the same pepper growing in Arizona or Southern California where the summers are as fiery as you want your chilis to be.

For similar reasons, growing chili peppers in a shady location will result in a milder harvest."

http://www.botanical-journeys-plant-guides.com/growing-peppers.html

^^^^Here is the article. Take it as you will. I just thought I would pass on the info. :mouthonfire:
 
Interesting article Louie8.

Another thing that causes peppers to be hotter, is if they are stressed, especially by growing them on the dryer side with less water.

Well watered peppers will tend to be milder than those that have just crawled on their bellies across the desert and are just now bellying themselves up to the saloon fer' sumthin' to wet their whistle with and help knock some of that dust off... :rofl:

dvg
 
I find feeding them makes em into little sluggers. Sulphate of potash makes em bright colored and angry. My sizzlers are well watered and in semi shade. My orange Habs are close to 7 pod in sting factor.

I could be wrong, but I recon a sick stressed plant isn't going to produce capciacin levels any where near that of a happy well fed bad boy. Ask sci, his 7 pods are tall and pods are fat and juicy in semi shade.

But, there maybe others out there that could prove me wrong, I can except that - but this way works for me.
 
stressed plants make hotter pods...not only that, but when you pick the pods makes a difference too...

exercpt from http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf970972z

"Capsaicinoids, capsaicin, and dihydrocapsaicin increased continuously and reached a peak after 45−50 days from fruit set (DFFS) in Habañero and De arobol and after 40 DFFS in Piquin and then declined."
 
Water stress, heat stress and/or nutrient stress can significantly raise heat levels in chiles. My mid summer pods and those grown in my warm greenhouse are always hotter than spring or fall pods grown outside.
Just don't do like some and try stressing the plants before pods develop
 
POTAWIE said:
Water stress, heat stress and/or nutrient stress can significantly raise heat levels in chiles. My mid summer pods and those grown in my warm greenhouse are always hotter than spring or fall pods grown outside.
Just don't do like some and try stressing the plants before pods develop
Click to expand...

Nice!! I was going to ask what are some good ways to stress a pepper plant :)
 
I can't really "heat stress" my plants up here in northeast Ohio the way it can be done down south, but I have noticed a definite difference in heat levels of peppers picked during the warmer parts of summer vs. the increasingly cooler days of fall. I've picked some serious disappointments over the last few years in the fall, so I tend to put any late-picked fall peppers in a separate bag to avoid mixing them with the good ones... even if they're fully ripe.
 
Does sulfur in the soil heat up the peppers ?? volcanic areas where there are lots of minerals & sulfur.. when i was in Hungary , their hot /cispos chilli's come from vocanic areas where there are lot of hot water pools. In malaysia , sabah same trend i found here. the chilli's coming from the southern east part where they got volcanic mud erruptions and around mount kinabalu where they got hot water springs tend to produce hotter chillis.

i might be wrong.. just an observation i want to share.
 
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