Ripening Chillies.

[Leo_Rossini27]

Hi there,
This is my first season growing chillies and so far has gone pretty well! However the weather started off quite well giving off nice hot days but the last two weeks we haven't had the hottest of temperatures around 15-19oC. The plants i have are Bhut Jolokia (Still waiting for fruit) Cayenne, Prairie Fire and fire cracker they all fave fruit but the problem I'm having is their not ripening!
Im not sure what to do, I don't have a green house and was wondering if the lower temperatures prevent the fruits from ripening? any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
- Leo.

 

[CaneDog]

Hey Leo.  I don't know when you started your plants or for how long you've had full-sized pods on them, but yes, cooler weather will slow ripening/warmer weather accelerates it.  I believe our climates are reasonably similar and it's common for September to be the month ripening kicks into gear locally, at least until you get the hang of how to time your season and manage the plants most effectively. Pods can hang green on the plants for quite a long time before ripening.