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container Questions about Growing C. pubescens

N

NJChilehead

Hey Everyone,

I have lots of experience growing all of the Capsicum species besides pubescens. I've just never given them a shot, but I think this year I'd like to give it a try. I did look back over some of the older threads on it and got some info, but I was interested in seeing if any of the experts can weigh in on a few questions:

First, I'm in New Jersey, zone 7a (just outside of 6b) we have some hot summers and some real cold in the winter (although that's not quite as consistent as it used to be). If dormant, I'm wondering if the peppers could handle light frost? I can overwinter the plants in a sunporch which occasionally does get below 32, but it never plunges very low. Also, at times when the temp plunges, can the plant handle a dark garage for a few days?

Also, are there potting soil recommendations that are different than those of the other four species?

Last, what would you recommend as an entry-level starter? Red, yellow, orange, Ecuadorian Pepper from Hell? We've got 4 chileheads in the house so looking for something tasty and prolific!

Thank you for any suggestions or help!
 
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I've grown lots of pubescens and overwinter several each year in my garage. In my experience, they won't tolerate frost and are good with the same soil/media as others, although I've seen some indication they may not like the soil quite as hot (as in heavy nutrients) as some other peppers. They have some quirks, but generally can be treated like other pepper species. One quirk is they prefer slightly lower germination temperatures, more in the mid/upped 70's rather than 80's. Still, they'll generally germinate OKinto the 80's.

I've left mine for weeks in the garage with no light and had them survive just fine, but I agree with Hellfire to generally get them some amount of light regularly. Generally, I leave them on my deck when the weather's okay and move them into the garage when it gets below upper 30's. Sometimes I get lazy and leave them in the garage, hence the weeks without light.

SLP's Ecuadorian Pepper from Hell is a fun one. So are SLP's Giant Red Arequipa and Giant Yellow (Gelbe Riesen) if you want fewer, but larger pods. Turbo Pube is a big producer of medium pods as is Rio Huallaga, which is also a vigorous grower. Basically, there's lots of good varieties out there and I've run across only a very few "bad" ones.

Good luck!
 
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CaneDog said:
I've grown lots of pubescens and overwinter several each year in my garage. In my experience, they won't tolerate frost and are good with the same soil/media as others, although I've seen some indication they may not like the soil quite as hot (as in heavy nutrients) as some other peppers. They have some quirks, but generally can be treated like other pepper species. One quirk is they prefer slightly lower germination temperatures, more in the mid/upped 70's rather than 80's. Still, they'll generally germinate OKinto the 80's.

I've left mine for weeks in the garage with no light and had them survive just fine, but I agree with Hellfire to generally get them some amount of light regularly. Generally, I leave them on my deck when the weather's okay and move them into the garage when it gets below upper 30's. Sometimes I get lazy and leave them in the garage, hence the weeks without light.

SLP's Ecuadorian Pepper from Hell is a fun one. So are SLP's Giant Red Arequipa and Giant Yellow (Gelbe Riesen) if you want fewer, but larger pods. Turbo Pube is a big producer of medium pods as is Rio Huallaga, which is also a vigorous grower. Basically, there's lots of good varieties out there and I've run across only a very few "bad" ones.

Good luck!
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Thanks folks for your help! I should have asked about pot size-I imagine 12" would be too small. Should I go with 16-18"?

@CaneDog Turbo Pube and Rio Huallaga sound interesting, as does Ecuadorian Pepper from Hell. Can you recommend any reliable sources for seeds? Also are any of these better than others for taste? Looking for something that we can really enjoy!

Thanks again!
 
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last year was my first with pubes, and i grew EPFH and Rio Hualaga. rio grew and produced better for me, i did not get any ripe EPFH. rio had excellent flavour. added rocoto giant yellow for this year as well and have had 6/8 germ fairly quickly.

START NOW! as they do take ages to fruit and ripen.
 
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NJChilehead said:
Thanks folks for your help! I should have asked about pot size-I imagine 12" would be too small. Should I go with 16-18"?

@CaneDog Turbo Pube and Rio Huallaga sound interesting, as does Ecuadorian Pepper from Hell. Can you recommend any reliable sources for seeds? Also are any of these better than others for taste? Looking for something that we can really enjoy!

Thanks again!
Click to expand...
I think Semillas la Palma has some very good rocoto offerings - SLP's rocoto page. Here's a quick take on what they have that I've really liked. I have seeds for all these, but most are a few years old now and only a few were isolated. I'd be happy to share seeds from a mix of the varieties with you if you like, but if you want fresh seeds with a high degree of certainty they'll grow true, SLP does a really good job of that. Typically it's taken about 10 days for (international) shipping with SLP, though my last order in Nov 2023 took 16 days.

Canario - hotter w/ reasonable production
Ecuadorian Red Pepper For Hell - hotter with strong production
Giant Rocoto - hotter w/ great peppers, but fewer.
Rocoto Costa Rican Red - good all around
Rocoto de Seda - Good w/ solid pods and durable plant.
Rocoto Gelbe Riesen - Big pods, but fewer.
Rocoto Montufar - good all around.
Rocoto Río Hualaga orange - good all around, solid production and strong plants.
Rocoto Turbo Pube - good with strong production.
 
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CaneDog said:
I think Semillas la Palma has some very good rocoto offerings - SLP's rocoto page. Here's a quick take on what they have that I've really liked. I have seeds for all these, but most are a few years old now and only a few were isolated. I'd be happy to share seeds from a mix of the varieties with you if you like, but if you want fresh seeds with a high degree of certainty they'll grow true, SLP does a really good job of that. Typically it's taken about 10 days for (international) shipping with SLP, though my last order in Nov 2023 took 16 days.

Canario - hotter w/ reasonable production
Ecuadorian Red Pepper For Hell - hotter with strong production
Giant Rocoto - hotter w/ great peppers, but fewer.
Rocoto Costa Rican Red - good all around
Rocoto de Seda - Good w/ solid pods and durable plant.
Rocoto Gelbe Riesen - Big pods, but fewer.
Rocoto Montufar - good all around.
Rocoto Río Hualaga orange - good all around, solid production and strong plants.
Rocoto Turbo Pube - good with strong production.
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CaneDog, thank you so much! I will keep everyone posted.
 
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@HellfireFarm @Crazy Monkey @CaneDog @growyourown just one more question for now! What would be the minimum pot size for them if I wanted to keep them for a few years? I have to conserve space because I'm also planning on growing fig trees this year for the first time and will have about 10 fig trees in 7-8 gallon pots, but at the same time I want the pubescens plants to get nice and big! I typically grow in 12" pots for peppers-what diameter might be good for pubescens?
 
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i move my plants to raised beds outside for the summer/fall, so i can't comment on mature pot size requirements.

but i will say that the pubes in particular have a sprawling growth habit like a tomato plant, and as such i have seen it suggested to grow in a hanging pot and let the branches grow over the sides and downward. this could help you save space if you have a means of hanging/suspending medium-large pots.

i have not tried this though, and with the fruits often being large/heavy compared to other peppers, it is likely you may also need to support the individual branches somehow so they don't break.
 
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Same here. I grow mine in raised beds and also in 3-gallon Dutch bucket hydroponic systems. They do grow like vines. I've had individual branches grow up over a 7ft trellis and back down to the ground.
 
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For getting decent production from a container with soil (as opposed to hydro), I'd probably use at least a nursery #5, which is a 10.75 inch diameter. Going a little bigger, like a #7, would probably result in a bigger plant - mine in the ground and raised beds have always been bigger than the ones in containers. I've used 5g Home Depot buckets quite a bit for convenience, but peppers generally prefer more width than depth (once they have sufficient depth) and I don't think the taller narrower HD buckets optimize the width:depth ratio - the result simply being a slightly smaller plant for the amount of soil used than you might get with a wider-if-shallower container.

Something I don't think anyone brought up yet is that pubescens are notorious for not setting pods well during the heat of summer and for the pods taking long to ripen when they set later in the season. Getting an early start with them so they're big and ready to go before the dog days can really help.
 
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Just grow them like you do your other peppers and you will be fine. Bigger grow space will equal bigger plants and later fruiting. Smaller grow space will equal more watering. Pick your poison. Just use some shade cloth if they look stressed or give them some type of shade.They are endemic to the Andes Mountains so NJ is just a bit off from what they thrive in. I grow in 5a so my fall is about 2 weeks. Whatever you lose from heat in the summer you will gain in having a longer fall season in 7a.

In my experience,they flower and fruit very quickly,most of the time they are covered in flowers in a couple months while still indoors in my tents. They do however struggle with high temps and take a bit longer to ripen but not much longer than some baccatums. Don’t overthink it. You’ll grow them just fine I am sure.
 
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I don't use pots much so can't say too much about that, but I've had peppers do ok in both 2-gallon and 5-gallon buckets (i put holes in the bottom so they don't get too soggy).

Based on the root systems when I pull up my rows in the fall, A 3-gallon should do ok, just be sure it gets plenty of nutrients. But that's just from my experience. I would lean toward what the others who do more potting have to say.
 
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NJChilehead said:
Thanks again for your help everyone! @CaneDog I went with Ecuador Red Pepper from Hell, Rocoto de Seda and Rocoto Turbo Pube.

@Pr0digal_son good call on the shade cloth!
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Those are just generic names. Turbo was quipped because they are easier to grow to maturity. There is very limited diversity with these so the flavor and quickness to fruit and ripen will be more dependent upon your growing techniques rather than what the name is.Your small podded varieties (turbo)will fruit sooner,ripen sooner and have better prolifically. Larger podded varieties will be opposite obviously but have better flavor in my opinion.

Let them ripen properly or you will just get a grass flavor that most people that dislike them taste.Try some inground to see if 7b is long enough of a season which I suspect it is. Your root system will thank you when the heat kicks in. Anything north of that area in the North Atlantic and the season is not long enough to get good hauls unless using pots.

You will be fine if you have experience growing peppers in containers.Years ago people gave these a bad name because a few individuals struggled with them. I’m happy to see this many people enjoying them now because they are as versatile as a jalapeño and the plants are as beautiful as any pepper you will grow.
 
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CaneDog said:
I think Semillas la Palma has some very good rocoto offerings - SLP's rocoto page. Here's a quick take on what they have that I've really liked. I have seeds for all these, but most are a few years old now and only a few were isolated. I'd be happy to share seeds from a mix of the varieties with you if you like, but if you want fresh seeds with a high degree of certainty they'll grow true, SLP does a really good job of that. Typically it's taken about 10 days for (international) shipping with SLP, though my last order in Nov 2023 took 16 days.

Canario - hotter w/ reasonable production
Ecuadorian Red Pepper For Hell - hotter with strong production
Giant Rocoto - hotter w/ great peppers, but fewer.
Rocoto Costa Rican Red - good all around
Rocoto de Seda - Good w/ solid pods and durable plant.
Rocoto Gelbe Riesen - Big pods, but fewer.
Rocoto Montufar - good all around.
Rocoto Río Hualaga orange - good all around, solid production and strong plants.
Rocoto Turbo Pube - good with strong production.
Click to expand...

@CaneDog I purchased and started seeds for ERPFH, Turbo Pube and Rocoto de Seda. With space limitations, I may have to pick just one. If taste is my highest priority, and general ease of growing also a consideration, which of the three would you say would be the best?
 
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Great that you have those started! I'm not really sure how I'd compare them. The ERPFH is red and the other two are yellow (the orangish yellow), so if you want a red one that's easy. Of the De Seda and Turbo Pube, I suspect the De Seda would provide a little bigger better pod, but the Turbo Pube would have better productivity. De Seda for me has been a very strong plant. It's probably not much help, but I don't think you can go wrong among those. :)
 
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