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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.
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@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.
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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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Just posting an update, in case anyone is interested!

On 4/27/24, I moved one each of the de Seda, Turbo, and Ecuadorian Red PFH into 32-oz drink cups. My rationale is that I wanted to do an intermediate up-potting to get the rootball as large and substantial as possible before moving them into their permanent homes for the rest of the year (I decided on tan, 7-gallon grow bags after reading about how others' peppers have performed in grow bags). The cups were wrapped in foil to prevent solarization of the roots (they're looking a tiny bit wilted because they just came from outside):

20240507_163821.jpg



I added some worm castings to give some nutrients and help to offset transplant shock. They've already grown quite a bit in the 10 days since being up-potted, and the roots are stretching nicely into the lower reaches of the cup now. My plan is to get the soil a bit drier on the top few inches of the soil, and get the roots reaching a little more for moisture and once it gets a little thirsty, adding some fish/kelp fertilizer for a nice boost. My hope is to get a full root ball by June 1st and then move them to the grow-bags. Fingers crossed!

20240507_164008.jpg


@CaneDog , should I post the rest of my entries about growing C. pubescens in that other thread that you linked? Not sure how folks feel about resurrecting old threads!
 
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NJChilehead said:
@CaneDog , should I post the rest of my entries about growing C. pubescens in that other thread that you linked? Not sure how folks feel about resurrecting old threads!
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I'm sure either is fine. I was wondering if linking that thread might generate some activity as I'd love to see what others are doing with rocotos this season.

BTW. Your methods and plans are looking solid. I'm expecting big things from these guys!
 
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@growyourown nice!! Good luck! Your plants look beautiful!

I have some 7 gallon grow bags. If anyone has recommendations for best soil for the pubescens, I'd be grateful. HappyFrog might be kinda pricey if I'm doing 3 or 4, 7-gallon bags!
 
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A decent container soil suitable for food plants from a local nursery (not Home Depot) should be fine. You can even mix in some fluffy peat moss to make it go farther, particularly given that you plan to supplement some with nutrients. Good soil structure is key. My opinion is that the ROI curve flattens out quickly once you get to a reasonable level of quality, especially once you get to the final transplant where the plants are well established and you're filling bigger containers.
 
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CaneDog said:
A decent container soil suitable for food plants from a local nursery (not Home Depot) should be fine. You can even mix in some fluffy peat moss to make it go farther, particularly given that you plan to supplement some with nutrients. Good soil structure is key. My opinion is that the ROI curve flattens out quickly once you get to a reasonable level of quality, especially once you get to the final transplant where the plants are well established and you're filling bigger containers.
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Thank you! I feel like I should start paying you guys for consulting!

When you say not Home Depot, are you specifically referring to HD or do you mean any big box store? I have some Miracle Grow potting soil that my wife used half a bag of, plus I also have an excessive amount of HP promix available to me (I have about 3/4 of a compressed bale left over from some fig tree potting), and a little leftover lobster compost so I have some materials here too that check the boxes for aeration/moisture retention/organic matter, but regarding the suitable container soil that you recommended, did you have a particular brand in mind? I'm interested in what worked for you!
 
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