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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 probably prefer reds over orange/yellows generally, though not across the board. For flavor and pod firmness/texture among those three, EPFH and De Soto have been my favorites. I may be splitting hairs a bit though because they're all good ones and I've seen some turbos that really cranked out the pods.
 
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CaneDog said:
I probably prefer reds over orange/yellows generally, though not across the board. For flavor and pod firmness/texture among those three, EPFH and De Soto have been my favorites. I may be splitting hairs a bit though because they're all good ones and I've seen some turbos that really cranked out the pods.
Click to expand...

@CaneDog thank you! I'm excited to share that some of the seeds for the EPFH that I started this past Tuesday have already germinated! I'm excited about finally growing this new species this year.
 
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I'm happy to report that I have germination from all three types. I've also decided that I'm going to try growing all three types, and patiently play the long game in hopes to have a harvest later in the year, and then overwinter them. I've got three pots, greater than 5 gallon volume, and will acquire trellises for the plants. From the research I've done, I figure that I'll keep them in relatively full sun until it starts hitting >85 degrees F, then I'll begin putting them in more shade proportional to how hot the weather is. I might even consider bringing them inside under grow lights if it goes beyond 95 degrees F. Once late August hits and it starts getting cooler I'll start moving them back to full sun in hopes that they will start setting pods in September/October. I have a sunporch, when I close the windows that room is like a greenhouse, about 10 degrees warmer than outside when the windows are shut, so I don't think it'll be out of the question for them to ripen in November/December. Does this sound like a solid plan to the experienced pubescens growers?

@CaneDog thanks again for the advice to use SLP as a seed source, their seeds are great!

Here are some baby pics:

Ecuador Red Pepper From Hell:


20240327_1536241.jpg


Rocoto Turbo:

20240327_154136.jpg


Rocoto de Seda:

20240327_153812.jpg
 
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Awesome to see those fuzzy sprouts, NJC! Your plan sounds solid. My 2 cents is that they seem to prefer early light and longer periods of less intense light to shorter periods of more intense light and heat. Ideally, I'll put them in a location where they get the first sun of the day - and perhaps mottled sunlight during the afternoon once the summer really heats up - but they often do just fine when treated like any other pepper.

I'm looking forward to seeing these guys do great for you. I'm growing a De Seda, but neither of the other two this season.
 
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CaneDog said:
Awesome to see those fuzzy sprouts, NJC! Your plan sounds solid. My 2 cents is that they seem to prefer early light and longer periods of less intense light to shorter periods of more intense light and heat. Ideally, I'll put them in a location where they get the first sun of the day - and perhaps mottled sunlight during the afternoon once the summer really heats up - but they often do just fine when treated like any other pepper.

I'm looking forward to seeing these guys do great for you. I'm growing a De Seda, but neither of the other two this season.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Regarding the light, I think I can find a spot that has longer periods of less intense light during the summer.
 
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i don't have enough experience with pubescens to have much idea of their growth pattern. I THINK they're comparable to annuums. A tomato cage should be more than enough, but let's see what those with more experience say. (BTW I don't trellis anything - I just put in stakes for any plants that start falling over.)
 
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My take is similar to HF's. I'd grow them normally, staking or caging if that becomes appropriate for support. In my experience, they often don't require support, though they sometimes will as branches can get long and rocoto pods can get heavy. When I overwinter them, I typically prune back the branches right up to or into the woody parts, which causes the plants to maintain a sturdy base structure. When I see trellises used, it's often in a climate that allows the rocotos to be outside in the ground year-around, so they get big established root structures and can turn into huge sprawling plants.

If you want to use a trellis, it would make sense to me to wait until later in the season when the plants get big enough to benefit from one and by that point you'd have a much better idea of the height and width that would be appropriate. I've always liked the idea of having a huge trellised rocoto and may sometime try to do that. It just seems cool to me even beyond practical benefits. If and when I do, I'd probably have a very large container on something like a furniture dolly so I could move it between the garage and back yard as needed. I'd still probably prune it back and re-establish the trellis annually.
 
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One month in! I was expecting slower growth, but they're reasonably keeping up with the others.

Rocoto Turbo:

20240425_215015.jpg


Rocoto De Seda (the two in the foreground):
20240425_214912.jpg


Ecuador Red Pepper from Hell:

20240425_214920.jpg



In case anyone is wondering what happened to the leaves, I made a mistake that I can't believe I made-I watered them before putting them out for their early hardening off in the sun (they were already used to some outside time in the shade), was sidetracked by a phone call and they were out for about 20 minutes. I think the water droplets magnified the sun and they got some mild sunscald on the edges. ERPFH got it the worst, but it seems to be bouncing back.

Also @CaneDog @Pr0digal_son @Crazy Monkey @HellfireFarm and any other Rocoto enthusiasts: I'm making my future (FOMO?) list of C. pubescens varieties that would be considered must-grows (besides, of course, the ones that I'm growing now). Seems like Mini-Olive Rocoto comes up a lot. Are there any other must-grow rocotos? In the future I'd be happy to sidestep the need for productivity to go right to the best tasting-what are your thoughts?
 
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