PeriPeri's Grow Log 2012: South Africa

Hi All,

So I'll give it another try this year. God knows I love chillies and I would love nothing more than to have a bumper harvest... but I suspect the truth of the matter is I do not have green fingers. In fact, give me a chilli and I will be pretty guaranteed to kill it lol That's not negativity talking, that's reality based on last years experiences lol

Last year it was pots. This year its a farm east of Pretoria, here in South Africa. My reasoning for this madness is pretty much like a hunter hunting with a machine gun... out of the thousand seedlings I plant... I must walk away with something lol (I hope).

So I have a pice of land. Good soil down by a river in the african sun.

The planting area has been divided into two sections. An enclosed area (±40mx40m) with shade netting and an open area (±40mx40m). Water is limited, but there is borehole water.

Outside Area:

Inside Area:

Temps this time of the year are in the mid to high 30ºC. It's the rainy season, so there is rain and it comes in buckets and hail-stones!

So here are the pics I took of the inside and outside areas Saturday 6/10/2012. It was 37ºC that day. I have a video as well which I took last Sunday when I started the planting (to come). Luckily we have a cold front at the moment, so since monday it has been overcast, cool and we have rain (magic). I think its about 23/25ºC at the moment. I planted on Sunday (36ºC) early morning (24/25ºC) and late afternoon and pretty much watered for the rest of the day. Didn't look like rain at all... but it's here and could not have come at a better time really!

As you can see I have laid out the beds in rows. Planting is at 45-60cm intervals. I am doing a little experiment also with double planting and single planting. I suspect the yield will be lower with the bushes that have been double planted... but who knows. A different climate... maybe results will show different.

On the grow list:

Bishops Crown
PeriPeri (naturally)
Hotazel
Hot Pixie
Thaibo
Thai Dragon
Baby Belle
Cal Wonder
Yellow Scorpions
ButchT
Black Pearl
Naga Viper
White Hab
Orange Hab
Brown Hab
Red Hab
Big Jim
Long Thai
Cayenne
Cheyenne
Jalapeno
Carolina Reaper
Serrano
Pasilla Bajio
7 Pod
Bhut Jolokia
Naga King
Scotch Bonnet
Hungarian Sweet Wax
Cherry Bomb
Boriya Mirch
Brain Strain
Ring of Fire

Still to come...

Angkor Sunrise
Devils Tongue White
Barrakpore
Douglah
Jonah
JonahxButchT
Primo
Naga Morich
Infinity
Goronong
Devils Tongue Choc
Hab Choc

One or two other... but I can't remember.

First lot I planted on Sunday 7/10/2012.... details will follow...

Over and out for now!

PeriPeri

 

[PeriPeri]

Antilaise Carribean showing some colour...

Lourens, you have to stop posting so much great stuff ... I come here and use up all my "Like This" allotment for the week, lol. Great stuff mon keep dat great grow going Have you tried the Douglah yet? I love the taste on the red ones, wasn't sure on the color of yours from the pics. Have a great week mon!

Hey Ramon! Thanks man! I have not tried a fresh Douglah I have tried a dried pod... the smell and taste was fantastic... so I have high expectations on that fresh pod. I believe these are the brown ones, although thanks to Conor, I also have a red plant growing... but is still a way off from having pods!

 

[armac]

I am sorry you feel that way. I would feel that if I saw my plants 2 days a week, then somebody else tended them 70 % of the time. Correct?


Nice plants

 

[saugapepper]

I gave you Douglahs????

armac, just enjoy the photos.

 

[PeriPeri]

Now there are about three plants I lost track on as my last seeds in the seed trays got in a pickle. This plant here could be one of three varieties. A ButchT, a Devils White or a Yellow Scorp X Bhut... luckily the pods will be a tell tale once they appear

I gave you Douglahs????

armac, just enjoy the photos.

Hey Conor, yup - I believe it was "Douglah Red X" or something like that. By the way, I have sent your seeds. The first batch may not arrive due to the postal strike. They came to an agreement and now they are striking again I have sent the second batch via another postal network. Some great seeds in that!

Conor, your Purple Tigers are coming along great too and this is your Douglah

I lost a few due to cutworm

Your Douglah

 

[Sawyer]

I have sent the second batch via another postal network.

Thurn-und-Taxis or Trystero?

 

[PeriPeri]

Your Cabe Merah...

Thurn-und-Taxis or Trystero?

A little more boring than that... PostNet

Bahamian Goat Pepper getting flowers...

The Hong Kong that comes from India lol... Interesting pepper... don't know much about it.

Sorry - pic is blurry...

Naga Morich plant has been producing steady stream of pods. Not a fan of the taste of the Naga Morich, but it is quite sought after... or so I am told.

My one Bhut Jolokia is turning colour... seems to be going brown rather than orange. Not sure if this means its a brown Bhut or if it changes brown before going orange?

The label on this plant says Antilaise Carribean... but it don't look like one. Pods are quite distinguished... maybe you guys can guess what this is?

White Habanero...

Naga Viper...

Might need a Bump folks!

 

[Sawyer]

bump

 

[PeriPeri]

Thanks Sawyer!

Condom chillies changing by the dozen now...

Carolina Reaper pods turning red quickly now... most of the pods are showing that tail...

 

[saugapepper]

Thanks Lourens! I appreciate the seeds. I have a few more varieties for you for your 2014 grow that you will be interested in.... Superhots this time around

 

[PeriPeri]

Phuli Jyoti after I picked all the red ones

 

[WalkGood]

… I have not tried a fresh Douglah I have tried a dried pod... the smell and taste was fantastic... so I have high expectations on that fresh pod. I believe these are the brown ones, although thanks to Conor, I also have a red plant growing... but is still a way off from having pods!

I did enjoy the chocolate one as well, both are very tasty, the chocolate seemed hotter to me. Although that could be because the fruity flavor of the red one disguised the heat better for my palate. I also enjoyed the red in sofrito starter and dip, nice kick on dem!

 

[stickman]

Man Lourens, you sure know how to give a guy pepper envy! Lots of great pics of good looking pods.

 

[PeriPeri]

Thanks Lourens! I appreciate the seeds. I have a few more varieties for you for your 2014 grow that you will be interested in.... Superhots this time around

Next year I may just scale down lol I think this season has been way too many plants! But I think I'm already getting a better idea of what works well and what does not work so well...

I did enjoy the chocolate one as well, both are very tasty, the chocolate seemed hotter to me. Although that could be because the fruity flavor of the red one disguised the heat better for my palate. I also enjoyed the red in sofrito starter and dip, nice kick on dem!

A meal at casa WalkGood is eating at a flame proof table with asbestos serviettes lol I know my friend... you like those hot chillies lol

Man Lourens, you sure know how to give a guy pepper envy! Lots of great pics of good looking pods.

Thanks Stickman! I'm having a wee bit of an issue with something, rodent or insect that is eating actual big holes into the pods... All of my Red Fatalii's, one of my Reapers... can't put my finger on it. Looks like it might be a rodent... but a Reaper? Really??? Other than this its good. My guys that are doing the watering are still busy on fence patrol and putting up fences, so everything is looking a little dry... but I think this does help make the pods hotter. Bummer is just that I want to get on with harvesting... and I have to do the watering... lol never enough time! I will have to go during the week this week to bring in the pods I didn't manage this weekend.... all the big Peri's I call them... of which there are huge amounts now... and the little PeriPeri and the Tabascos and and and aaaah!

I will have to leave it there folks. Its past 1am here... still got work to do till tomorrow morning... chiao & thanks for checking in!

Sorry I forgot to mention. The guys that do my watering only water the chillies twice a week. BUT they dont actually stand there watering the chillies, they plug the hose pipe into a sprinkler and walk away for a few hours and do other things on the farm that need doing. They then come back and reposition the sprinkler... so technically they only spend 2 hours per week watering. I am not even going to try working that one out, because my life is actually quite exciting lol Good Night!

 

[saugapepper]

Trust me mate, these superhots will NEED to be in your grow.

 

[PeriPeri]

Trust me mate, these superhots will NEED to be in your grow.

Thanks Conor.... much appreciated.... can never have enough of those for sure!

This is one of yours as well...

I didn't take any pics of the Jonah or Primo... but this one is going to be interesting...

 

[AzoreanRuister]

Is their another parcel of land available next to where you are growing? Maybe it is time to pack up and move there. Hot weather, hot peppers and monkeys to play with!! Yippee!!

 

[PeriPeri]

lol I bet you would! I'm sure calgary is beautiful, but from what I hear it's pretty cold most part of the year? And not to mention we have a huge Portuguese community here... plenty chilli paste and PeriPeri chicken!

Trust me mate, these superhots will NEED to be in your grow.

Hey I don't need any convincing lol... if it's a chilli and I don't know it... I must grow it!

 

[megamoo]

Have you gotten any Douglah pods to ripen because yours look long and pointy. Mine are more of a shorter fatter pod, I just thought they were all supposed to look like that?

Oh and I love the pod pictures, you really are growing some great plants!

 

[PeriPeri]

Have you gotten any Douglah pods to ripen because yours look long and pointy. Mine are more of a shorter fatter pod, I just thought they were all supposed to look like that?

Oh and I love the pod pictures, you really are growing some great plants!

Hi Megamoo, got my seeds for these from Grant aka Junglerain... when I do a search on the internet, there are so many variations in pod shape that come up. The one I seem to think is correct is the one that looks like a Naga King but brown? But ther are also blunt looking pods that look more like brown habas or brown bhuts... maybe someone here can fill us in?

Thank you... there are quite a few lol.

 

[PjPEPPERS]

It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered ~ Aeschylus

Amazing update pictures again Lourens. Exciting to see some of the other peppers you are growing.

After my recent cull of plants it turns out I’m growing a few that you have going also, though mine as no way nears as ready as yours are. 2 that come to mind are the Naga Kings(although mine is classed as the morich - more on this in a minute) and the Nagalah. The Nagalah is very popular over here being a cross of a naga and douglah people seem to get real hyped about it. I have not tried it myself yet but after seeing yours grow out I am looking forward to seeing some bright oranges pods.

The Naga Kings you have I think are the same as what I have (at least I hope so) Mine are called King naga morich and I think there is a variety called the King naga Jolokia. The lime green colour of your pods, I believe is to be correct to how they should be. From what I understand the lime green King Nagas are a hybrid of the morich and Jolokia. As always though it’s just my opinion and don’t take as gospel. I hope mine do actually turn out to be lime green though, I think the colour would go really well in a rub or powder, the obvious choice would be sauce but I think a lime green rub or powder is something a bit different.

Ahh soo much good stuff to mention and don’t want to ramble on so:

- The colouring on the Bhut Jolokia, I reckon that’s a choc bhut jolokia you have there.
- 7 pot’s look really freaky, I love the 7 pots and brain strains just because of the way they look, very unique
- Red Fatali pods look cool, can understand my micky mouse likes them so much. I have 1 red fatali growing at the moment. The yellow is popular over here and seeds are easy to get hold of but red is not so means good £’s to be made.
- Never heard of the Jonah until I joined THP so interesting to see that grow out. I know SpicyChicken has hundred’s of them growing a the moment - check it out if you haven’t already.
- Glad you still have a purple tiger growing - love the purple plants so different to the super hots.
- Hong Kong peppers sounds interesting, wonder what that will turn out like, looks like it has fairly large peppers
- Mystery peppers is..well a mystery. Very unique looking fruit though. Time will tell.

Great stuff mate, keep up the good work, the peppers gods as rewarding you for the love you show.

Over and out for now
Pete