I can't figure these guys out. 4 years straight of plants dying back within a month or two of transplant. Last year was the best results I've gotten with some old P.S. Chocolates that I was able to get to flower, but died a few days later. I'm determined this year to get some fruiting, just wish I knew where I was going wrong.
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container-growing What is the trick for C. Pubescens?
- Thread starter DementedWelder
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Hey DW. My take on this is that pubescens generally don't like high heat or prolonged periods of intense direct sunlight, so that may be a consideration given your climate. I'd suggest hardening them off well before they go out, planting out into areas that receive morning sun, but shade or mixed/dappled shade the rest of the day, and considering things like shade cloth, mulch and protecting their containers from the direct hot sun using loose container wraps and such, as things that will help them stay more chill. It's likely key that you help them avoid shock at transplant and really get their roots dug into their new homes before the weather gets oppressive for them.
Hey @DementedWelder, @CaneDog is the expert here, but I grew a few types last year (my first year growing them) and was successful. Through research and note taking, one of the things that I've found that makes them eccentric to growing other species of pepper is that they tend to favor temperatures with nighttime lows down to 40-45 and daytime highs no higher than 80. I had 6 plants of three types last year that were transplanted in May. They lingered in the heat, flowered but dropped all flowers, and if I put them in full sun, they started dying. I kept them in morning sun only (about 3-4 hours tops) and shade the remainder of the day. Despite regular feeding, watering and care, they kept doing nothing for me except flowering until nighttime temps dropped into the mid-low 50's, at which time they started setting fruit very vigorously. I got 50-100 peppers on each plant in a period of about 4-5 weeks, and then it got cold so they slowed way down. As long as I kept them from frost, they continued to ripen peppers even when temps were in the high 30's.
Here's a screenshot of the average temps in your area:
It looks like the temps outlined in blue are the best for pubescens fruit set for your area, so try timing it so that you start your seeds and get them into their full-sized containers about 4-6 weeks before these temps hit. I think the more mature the plant, the better your odds, so playing the long game and trying to get them to set later in October and November is perfect. That means that you can start them in April, grow them through the summer in a protected, shaded area, and get them fruiting around that time. It's good that your area looks to remain frost free, as long as there is no frost, they'll keep going. Use large containers (5 gallons, at very least) and I recommend against planting in ground because they'll need heavy shading in summer, and then need to go back into fuller sun when it gets cooler for ripening, and taken indoors in case of freak frost.
The Ecuadorian Red Pepper from Hell was one type that didn't seem as affected by the heat. Rocoto de Seda was definitely affected, and Rocoto Turbo was somewhere in the middle. I'm guessing that the Ecuadorian Rocotos are more hardy? I have read and been told by more experienced pubescens growers that Rocoto Aji Largo and Rocoto Aji Oro do a little better in the heat as well. The latter is a Bolivian type.
Hope these tips are helpful! Keep your eye on my GLOG this year, I'll be detailing more Rocoto growing!
The heat has gotta be what's doing it in for me. Last year we set some record for over 100+ days of 100*F weather. Explains why I had no luck in Florida either. Night temps never dropped below 65* if ever. The last years they've been in my most shaded area that only gets a few hours of morning sun and what ever else is diffused through 40% shade cloth.
I wish that graph was close to accurate. We've gotten some good freezes, snow, 75+ days of 100*+ weather one year and 60+ days of 100*+ weather the last few years here. It's been pretty crazy.
Plan b is a 15 gal container inside at my west facing window. May just have to go with that.
I wish that graph was close to accurate. We've gotten some good freezes, snow, 75+ days of 100*+ weather one year and 60+ days of 100*+ weather the last few years here. It's been pretty crazy.
Plan b is a 15 gal container inside at my west facing window. May just have to go with that.
Wow man that's brutal (regarding the temps). I believe your best bet is to experiment with what happens between late October and early April outdoors and in containers. As long as you protect them from frost, they won't die. If you have daytime temps at 70 or below, a warm, sunny outdoor microclimate might be helpful, especially if it's particularly cool at night. As far as I've seen, they seem to be fine with direct sun on warm (but not hot) days, but those warm days and cool nights are what really throws them into gear. I had to move mine from the East side of my house in the summer, to the South facing driveway once we got past about October 1st, to keep them happy.
I think that's what throws experienced growers off, especially in warmer zones like yours. You are basically growing them in the opposite seasons that you'd grow the other domesticated types (and if it weren't for the good advice I got here, I would have not been successful either). They're definitely more work for that reason, but I really think they're worth it. Properly ripened Rocotos are delicious and different than other pepper types.
@CaneDog is successful with growing indoors, I've never done it. I have no clue what kind of lighting and environmental demands they'd have indoors.
@Marturo that's a really cool approach!
Also apologies for reiterating a lot of what CaneDog already said. I was typing furiously between touchdowns!
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Would make sense I've got the growing season there backwards. Can't remember if I looked into their natural climate much, it's been a while. Just always assumed they grew during similar seasons.
The seasons seem pretty homogeneous in areas where they tend to be grown (areas of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc.) Here's the average weather by month in Quito, Ecuador, for example:
The seasons seem pretty homogeneous in areas where they tend to be grown (areas of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc.) Here's the average weather by month in Quito, Ecuador, for example:
But solar irradiance is high year-round in Ecuador, while in TX this is only an issue in summer (theoretically speaking). I'm not sure how important this factor is for peppers though.
That's a great point!
I think the humidity, or lack there of, plus the heat here has more of an affect on it. One of the things I'm going to try working on this year.
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I grew a plant a few years back that didn't look that bad, but it didn't produce (as expected). I grew it in a bright spot, protected from direct sun for most of the day. Our max temperatures are in the same league as SA, TX, but our min temperatures are higher (18ºC) and also our relative humidity is high year-round (50-60% in the dry season).
Now that it is the dry season, I spray my plants with water in the evening using a pesticide sprayer, to increase humidity. I have a few palms from Indonesia that require special treatment or they perish. Aroid lovers in the tropics also mist their plants during the dry season.
Now that it is the dry season, I spray my plants with water in the evening using a pesticide sprayer, to increase humidity. I have a few palms from Indonesia that require special treatment or they perish. Aroid lovers in the tropics also mist their plants during the dry season.
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We're about 50-60% in the wet season. Seen it get down to the 30% range in our last drought. Been crappy out and raining the last few days, just hit 68% humidity in the weld shop which I have not seen in a long time.
Use your local climate to your advantage. Biggest head scratcher I have seen in my time here. If you are in Florida,do not follow the sow seeds in winter pattern that most of us do. Get the best plants you can possibly grow indoors for plant out. Not spring,but the conditions that these grow well in. It might be February in in your specific area. For the Deep South USA,you get a very long window in fall as opposed to here where it goes straight to freeze. We get a better intro to summmer months and it’s what I try take advantage of.
This species does ridiculously well under fluorescent lighting indoors,even fruiting and flowering without any TomFoolery. Get the best plants possible for your plant out. Even if it means lowering numbers to focus on quality.
Try to use containers in colder areas. Plants inground grow massive and generally set fruit very late which is not a good thing in colder climates. Smaller containers help fruit set with C.pubescens and many wild forms of Capsicum. Your attention to watering and feed will be greater but it works. A small plant with 30 berries > a giant fruitless plant. In areas with extreme heat,keep the containers and bury them to keep the roots cool. I have never had to use shade cloth but it seems like the ticket for hotter areas with higher UV. Native regions of these have the most extreme UV numbers on earth but with very mild temps with high humidity.
Lower your expectations!!! I grow numerous citrus here and can’t expect the same results as Floridians while getting 130 frost free days. It is what is it. I do appreciate the growing love for these though. They are as versatile as the Jalapeño in terms of cooking. And far superior beauty.
This species does ridiculously well under fluorescent lighting indoors,even fruiting and flowering without any TomFoolery. Get the best plants possible for your plant out. Even if it means lowering numbers to focus on quality.
Try to use containers in colder areas. Plants inground grow massive and generally set fruit very late which is not a good thing in colder climates. Smaller containers help fruit set with C.pubescens and many wild forms of Capsicum. Your attention to watering and feed will be greater but it works. A small plant with 30 berries > a giant fruitless plant. In areas with extreme heat,keep the containers and bury them to keep the roots cool. I have never had to use shade cloth but it seems like the ticket for hotter areas with higher UV. Native regions of these have the most extreme UV numbers on earth but with very mild temps with high humidity.
Lower your expectations!!! I grow numerous citrus here and can’t expect the same results as Floridians while getting 130 frost free days. It is what is it. I do appreciate the growing love for these though. They are as versatile as the Jalapeño in terms of cooking. And far superior beauty.
Yeah I've always seen them doing well inside, so that's where they'll be this year. Last year outside was the best luck I've had and got a few flowers before they died. It gets way cooler at night here in TX than it ever did in FL, so based off the new knowledge I've learned here, that's likely the only thing that kept them going until it stopped dropping below the 75*F range. All my wilds did really well here which was confusing.
What size container would you guys recommend for indoors? Also deeper or wider containers? I have 1g, 3g, 5g, 10g, 15g, and 25g bags at my disposal.
What size container would you guys recommend for indoors? Also deeper or wider containers? I have 1g, 3g, 5g, 10g, 15g, and 25g bags at my disposal.
Container size depends on what you want from them and I might choose different sizes based on whether I was growing to ripe fruit indoors or planning/timing a transplant to outdoors.
I've fruited them successfully indoors in standard sized solo cups, but they're smaller plants with perhaps a few pods. Currently I have a half-dozen of them inside in McConkey 5.5" Square Nursery Pots (supposedly 2.3 quarts). The main part of each plant is roughly basketball sized, though some like to start growing out more out than up. They dry out pretty quickly inside with the heat running, so I have to keep a reasonably close eye on them in the smaller containers. With your containers, I'd probably go with the 1g and transplant up in advance if I were transitioning them to outside. Again though, it really depends what you want out of them and I'm not focused on bigger plants when I grow indoors.
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For the time being, goals are to get ripe fruit indoors as it seems I completely missed my grow window. I'm fortunate enough that rocotos are sold in stores around here, they're just extremely pricy. A bigger plant I could eventually move outdoors when weather is right would be perfectly fine for me as would a few smaller plants, though ideally just one. Though I could be incorrect in my thinking I'd be able to get 6-12 fruits a month from one plant. Many years ago I had an employee with one plant outdoors that took over a good portion of his fence that had managed to survive droughts, hurricanes, harsh summers, and handled that well for ~6 years until he passed. That's why I've been baffled so much about mine having always died off within a month or two. Though it was only chocolate rocoto x PS I've tried growing in the past until this year; maybe they're more tricky to grow?
I have a ton of 5.5" round and square containers too but find the dry out really quick here with my media.
I have a ton of 5.5" round and square containers too but find the dry out really quick here with my media.
If you're planning for one plant and getting significant production, then you'll certainly want a bigger container than I've been talking about. I would expect the 3 or 5 gallon pots would likely be best for indoor use, leaning toward the 5g if you have the space for it.
You'll also need a reasonable strong and canopy-penetrating light source suitable for a taller plant. LED is almost certainly the choice here. My experience is that the color spectrum will influence fruit set - also the growing habit of the plants. With a 4000K HLG 100 LED, I got extremely compact plants which had trouble setting pods. With my current HLG 100 Rspec (which has red in the mix) I get plants that grow more like outdoor rocotos and set fruit much better.
I don't think there's anything tricky about the CRxPS rocoto. I have one growing inside now and it's just fine. It suffered a little edema early on when things were more humid, but now that humidity is under control it's growing nicely.
As to growing outside, I suspect the issue is either that they aren't getting well established and transitioned comfortably to growing outside or it's a choice of location. Once they're deeply rooted in (like the employee's plant that you mention) they're in a much better position to survive and produce and their roots are more protected against extreme temperatures. As to location, that's been discussed above.
And yeah, rocotos are like $2.50/ pepper at my local store. It adds up quick!
You'll also need a reasonable strong and canopy-penetrating light source suitable for a taller plant. LED is almost certainly the choice here. My experience is that the color spectrum will influence fruit set - also the growing habit of the plants. With a 4000K HLG 100 LED, I got extremely compact plants which had trouble setting pods. With my current HLG 100 Rspec (which has red in the mix) I get plants that grow more like outdoor rocotos and set fruit much better.
I don't think there's anything tricky about the CRxPS rocoto. I have one growing inside now and it's just fine. It suffered a little edema early on when things were more humid, but now that humidity is under control it's growing nicely.
As to growing outside, I suspect the issue is either that they aren't getting well established and transitioned comfortably to growing outside or it's a choice of location. Once they're deeply rooted in (like the employee's plant that you mention) they're in a much better position to survive and produce and their roots are more protected against extreme temperatures. As to location, that's been discussed above.
And yeah, rocotos are like $2.50/ pepper at my local store. It adds up quick!
I definitely have space for the 5g and is my main choice for growing most things. Definitely will have to look into a higher powered grow light which has been on the list of wants, but haven't had a need quite yet. At least for my starting, I've had good luck with my mix of small 6500k T5 fluorescents (x4) , 2700k (x3) and 5000k (x2) LED floodlights, and 4500k T8 LED. About 18,500 total lumens. Should be enough light I hope.
Orange Manzanos have run $5-$6 per pepper around here. It definitely adds up quick, but so worth it for stuffed peppers.
Orange Manzanos have run $5-$6 per pepper around here. It definitely adds up quick, but so worth it for stuffed peppers.