Various issues growing habanero

N

nils

Hi all,
 
I am growing some habanero chilis in pots, but am having issues.
 
I live in Mexico City and started them(10+ plants) indoors. Currently temperatures don´t drop below 55 Fahrenheit at night and they stay outside.
In the daytime they get some 6 hours of direct sunlight and temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees.
 
Most of the plants are in 2 gallon containers, some are in smaller containers(about 1-1.5 gallon) and one in a larger container of about 3 gallons.
At first they were very very slow to grow and problems then really started when I had an aphids problem. To tackle the aphids I sprayed with a soap solution. I needed to repeat this about every two days to really control the insects. I now only spray again when there are visible signs of aphids.
 
For potting I used a potting mix from Home Depot. I water only when the soil seems dry.
 
Remaining problems:
  • they still grow extremely slow and any fruit remains very small as well(1/2 inch?).
  • very few flowers remain after the spraying with the soap solution
  • most plants have curly, misshaped leaves. I read that this might be a calcium deficit, so I added crushed chicken egg shells for a while, but this didn´t improve the issue.
  • I increased fertilization frequency to once a week, but this doesn´t seem to make a difference(I tried both an organic one and Miracle Grow)
I also have two Chile Manzano(Rocotto) trees since the last year. They are doing extremely well with the same recipee.
 
Can anybody give me some hints what might be the problem with the habaneros?
 
Thanks
 
Hi Moruga Welder,
 
Sorry, do you mean the kind of leaf deformations? I searched how to upload a picture, but couldn´t find how to.
I am not giving them cal -mag. I went to Home Depot here in Mexico, but they don´t sell anything that sofisticated :(
 
Thanks
 
Move them into 5 gallon pots, minimum, and give them plenty of sun. Mine are exploding with growth after a week of rain.
 
First off,  you said you are giving them 6 hours off direct sun, if you are doing this after spraying them with your soap solution, that would be your first problem. Any time you spray any kind of spray on your plants you need to do so in the evening when the sun will not come into direct contact while the solution is wet.
Second, I feel you are taking to many corrective measures and the resulting effects are adding to the symptom list. Aphids wear a plant down and time needs to be given to the plant to recuperate after the pest assault has been rendered moot. The curled leaves may be due the the weak condition of the plants and your spraying them with the soapy solution and the exposure to the sun.
Your plants, in the weakened state that they are in, while trying to bear fruit puts additional stress on the plant and they will not put energy into foliar growth. The reduction of flowers indicates what I have stated. When stressed, the plant will shed first what drains it the most, flowers and fruit.
Eggs shells will never work until they break down and that takes a long, long time. Adding ferts in an attempt to jump start your plants because they are not responding as quickly as you would like is a recipe for disaster. I recommend your take a step back, assess the problems you still have and systematically address those issues in a more controlled approach and BE PATIENT!
 
I notice you have only 2 posts on the forum, and i don't know how experienced you are at gardening... check under the leaves of your habaneros, also the growing tips of the branches. Some aphids hide on leaf undersides, and within young foliage.

Please forgive me if this advice is obvious, and already something you have checked for.
 
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