overwintering Winter-Summer in OZ "Comparison" / Aussie Blabberers

[Mezo]

Im in the same boat as you & asking the same questions (cross pollinating) i see your grow list, are they all growing right now?
Do you have a Glog on the go right now? ive only got Bhut Jolokia from last year fruiting & im growing all the stuff you see in my profile (similar to yours) but you have more variety's than me.

My glog is here Benzo.

Mezo.

 

[MiLK_MaN]

I had a Choc Bhut Jolokia in a pot in my 2011 grow season, and I think I let some pods dry on the plant and just fall down in the pot. A whole bunch of seedlings germinated in the pot by themselves, so I thought I'd let one grow to see what happens.

And here are some Yellow 7 Pots from the garden bed.

 

[Mezo]

Haaa, so what is it? a Choc Bhut Jolokia ?

I bunged a load of crap away thinking it was dead, the next thing i know ive got chilli's growing.

Mezo.

 

[MiLK_MaN]

Not sure. Some of the pods have a traditional bhut shape, but others are definitely more roundish like a habanero.

I might grab the seeds from the roundish pods and grow them again next season. Will be interesting to see what colour they ripen to.

 

[lancecook]

growing over winter
update on my yellow bhuts jolokias,
going strong still
3/05/12

http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m595/lancecook24/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ36

 

[gasificada]

Looking good, lancey boy!

Well, this here thread seems to be dying, eh?

Worst season ever for me. Mites and fruit fly ended up pretty much destroying everything...

The only ray of hope left is a Fatalii I have growing at my place...

Strangest thing. It seems to be defying the horrible fate that the rest of my plants have succumbed to. So far no sign of fruit fly attack and it is the only plant that hasn't been affected by mite at all this season! Recently I did find some aphids and white fly hanging around but that's all taken care of now and apart from the possums having a little nibble around the edges--even they've held back!--it just seems to be powering on.

And for a comparison of just how destructive broad mite is, the plant on the left in this photo (taken a couple months back) was started and planted out at the same time as the Fatalii:

Nuts, huh?

And just some random pod shots...

C. chacoense:

Aji Russian Yellow. Glad I got a chance to try these buggers before fruit fly destroyed most of the crop. Tropical fruity smell and taste. I was expecting something similar to Aji Lemon but it turned out, I dunno, almost passionfruity or pineappley or something...

(Definitely will grow them again next season!)

CGN 21566. Bit of an interesting looking one. Shame I never got a chance to try one though--fruit fly smashed 'em before they even had a chance to ripen.

Pasilla Bajio:

 

[Trippa]

That sucks Gas. My plants are all in varying stages of death except a few hardy ones. They will be being overwintered where as I will start afresh with my others I think.

 

[Mezo]

Hey Gas, have you tried coffee grounds? someone mentioned on my glog about them & ive started to stockpile it.

Apparently you sprinkle in your pots/around you plants to stop crawly type (slugs/snails) and make up a soup to spray on your plants leaves to stop flying insects, i thought well its free & plentiful so im going to give it a go in spring when i do the big plant out.

Hey Trippa, when you say "overwinter" what are you going to do exactly with your plants? mine young ones are budding & i had posted a thread asking what i should so?

Mezo.

 

[gasificada]

That sucks Gas. My plants are all in varying stages of death except a few hardy ones. They will be being overwintered where as I will start afresh with my others I think.

Most of my plants gave up about a month ago (too much stress from insect attacks and all that, I guess--the poor buggers) and I have since culled the majority of them bar the exception of a handful which show potential as keepers. Some of them really did try hard though and just pumped pods throughout the season... it's just a shame that the fruit fly favourited these ones the most.

I'm surprised to hear that yours are all in varying stages of death though!

Hey Gas, have you tried coffee grounds? someone mentioned on my glog about them & ive started to stockpile it.

Apparently you sprinkle in your pots/around you plants to stop crawly type (slugs/snails) and make up a soup to spray on your plants leaves to stop flying insects, i thought well its free & plentiful so im going to give it a go in spring when i do the big plant out.

Sounds interesting, Mezo, but at the moment I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that it appears that some pests just can't be stopped (i.e. bloody broad mite!). I dunno though, it's worth a shot. Plenty of grounds that could be put to use get washed down the sink every day here (I couldn't do without my daily espresso!).

Another thing I came across that has me thinking is Yates DroughtShield. I'm wondering if the polymer coating it leaves on the leaf surface would also block sap-sucking insects and mites. Apparently the coating stays and "stretches" on the leaf for up to 90 days. As broad mite prefer new foliage though, successful results would require almost constant maintenance and first getting that coating on all new growth as it first appears.

A few more random piccies.....

Aji Amarillo x Yellow Trinidad Scorpion F1 (which I'm not quite so sure now even took!):

Apart from a lack of gold markings on the flowers, there seems to be no indication that it is even a hybrid.

Trinidad Scorpion ButchT still loaded with pods:

Sadly they are all goners though. Closer inspection reveals fruit fly marks. Second year plant that produced a tonne of pods this season... and I didn't even get to eat one.

"Ripe" ButchT pods:

Don't let them fool you though... premmies brought on by fruit maggots.

Doogies:

First time growing 'em... didn't even get to try one.

NOT Dorset:

(I hate you, fruit fly.)

Lick me!

(Doogie, I think.)

 

[Mezo]

I hope this don't happen to me, i haven't seen any fruit fly here (just over the ranges from you) but i still had a barrage of other insects decimate my veggie patch last year, im nuking it with coffee grounds this spring.

Mezo.

 

[Trippa]

Just going to cut my overwinters back Mezo and repot them into some fresh soil/pots. Doesn't get cold enough here to warrant doing anything to special other then that

 

[chilliover]

So dissappointed to see my chilli plants in the greenhouse have aphids on them and quite a lot. The bloody ants are farming them. Time to take out the garlic and detergent spray. Exams have made me neglect my babies.

 

[binzeh]

I know I probably shouldn't, but I just started one out of 10 of my fatallis. I've got this overwhelming need to have lots of peppers & edible plants overflow in my lack of a yard. Although, I'm wondering if it'd be worth it to grow 4 more fatallis and just keep them all inside this winter....?

 

[simon]

I had a fruit fly attack this year and ended up nuking them with this stuff. Seemed to do a good job.

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29378-grubs-growing-inside-of-pods-how-to-prevent-them/#entry608846

 

[gasificada]

Hell yeah! And no fruit fly sting that I can see.

Sorry to hear that you've been battling the little bastages too, simon. Absolutely f'ing brutal, ain't they?

 

[Pablo_h]

Gassy, I thought you went AWOL completely! One of the reasons I don't check in here so much anymore.
According your symptoms, i got mites in at least 8 plants, and fruit flies have been a major major problem for me too. I never know much about them before, but this is a 100 y/o house with a massive fig tree, and lemons and mandarins, so has always bred fruit flies. Stuff it, I can deal with that and just save seed, but it was unexpected, like the root knot nematodes in the soil that kill anything in the ground as well was a suprise to be there.
I have thrown away a few stragglers in the past month, either got off to a bad start or got mites, but the rest are still growing, flowering, or finishing off their full size pods even with our 25C max and 8C nights in Perth, but even 4 or more of them have the 'mite' curl. I don't really care that much, letting them finish off pods for seeds etc.
Other than that, just mysterious leaf drop. No idea really why unless aphids transmitted a leaf spot bacteria. It;s weird, they will drop nearly all leaves, then grow back with full recovery and start flowering and podding. Well at least some will, some got so hard hit early on in the season that have only just recovered and may not be warm enough now, ie I never got a single true naga or TS-BT. Others like the 7 pot or brainstrain got hit after giving me a few pods, (but half of them were fruit fly damaged so only good for seeds), but at least now are recovered again so I at least got a few pods, I written more about it at gc.com. Others weren't even affected with the bacteria leaf spot, but showed more like the mite leaf curl.
All this time I was dealing with heavy aphid problems too, but about a month ago I have 100s of lady bug larvae running around (most of them were on the tomato and basil plants so I had to manually move the pricks onto the chilli plants). But as of today, some chilli plants still doing well, not a single ladybug/larvae or aphid to be seen though). Hopefully the current plants that survived finish their pods (got heaps of full size pods waiting to mature), and any flowering plant give my something, if only for seeds next season.

 

[gasificada]

Damn, Pablo, sounds like you got the same sh*t luck as me when it comes to pests! Every bloody pest hanging around the area wants your chillies! Good to hear that some plants are still putting out for ya though and your efforts aren't a total waste.

Sounds as though the ladybugs did their job and moved on, aye? Just as long as they return if the aphid bastages decide to make a reappearance! (Knock on wood.)

 

[Mezo]

Has anyone had any luck with companion planting to beat these fruit fly?

Mezo.

 

[gasificada]

Hurry up already!

Has anyone had any luck with companion planting to beat these fruit fly?

Mezo.

To be honest, I've never experimented with companion planting for any reason. It's definitely something I am going to look into though for next season. I really don't want to be using chemicals anymore... especially when they don't work or become ineffective so quickly!

I've decided too that I will be moving once my lease runs out here and with any luck, hopefully move into somewhere fruit fly-free, mite-free, and anything else -free that is gonna mess up my plants!

 

[Mezo]

Well was in Vegas & then moved over yonder mountain rage Gas, haven't seen any fruit fly but my veggie patch was eaten alive by everything else?

I think it don't matter where you live in OZ, you just have to protect your plants (i hate to use this word) period.

Its either nuking them with expensive chemicals, covering them with something? or companion planting.

What a f'ing PITA.

Mezo.