Chillies

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by David G, Feb 25, 2008.

  1. David G

    David G Gardener

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2005
    Messages:
    314
    Ratings:
    +24
    Hi All
    I managed to grow some Chillies last year and have overwintered them in the office at home. Should I cut these back now and if so by how much??

    I did cut off some bits that had gone brown in the autumn. I had loads of chillies of these plants last year and all this from a couple of chillies from the supermarket. See picture below.
    [​IMG]
    By the way they did grow upwards! but photobucket seems to prefer them on their side.
    :confused: [​IMG]
    Dave
     
  2. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
    Hi DaveG, I'd wait a bit to see where you start getting the new growth sprouting from before pruning. Get the plants into a warm room with plenty of light and they should sprout pretty quickly. If you get lots of side sprouts then you will know how much you can afford to prune the plants. They look a little bit leggy at the moment and the one on the right looks as though it might get a bit crowded near the top.

    As with a lot of plants, you don't want the the inner parts to get too thick and bushy but your plants look as though they had the small variety of chillies on them so they can be allowed to be fairly bushy.

    These plants below are in our lounge, which is the warmest room in the house and are right by the floor to ceiling windows and french doors. They had lots of new growth all through the winter because they were warm and in the light. The new shoots grew about 3" in Dec and have grown 6" this month. I have been shortening the new growth by a third to two thirds and cutting out some of the old growth that doesn't seem to be doing too well. some flowers have already started to form as the daylight hours are getting longer.

    Good luck :D

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Sarraceniac

    Sarraceniac Gardener

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    2,980
    Ratings:
    +3
    I would also re-pot Dave into something larger.
     
  4. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
    John, how big a pot will be needed to repot Dave? [​IMG] :D
     
  5. Sarraceniac

    Sarraceniac Gardener

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    2,980
    Ratings:
    +3
    I'm sorry. I'll read that again.

    I would also re-pot into soemthing larger Dave. :D
     
  6. Sarraceniac

    Sarraceniac Gardener

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    2,980
    Ratings:
    +3
    I'm sorry. I'll read that again.

    I would also re-pot into something larger Dave. :D
     
  7. Sarraceniac

    Sarraceniac Gardener

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    2,980
    Ratings:
    +3
    Doh. My web connection is crawling. [​IMG]
     
  8. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
    Maybe it needs repotting! [​IMG]
     
  9. Sarraceniac

    Sarraceniac Gardener

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2007
    Messages:
    2,980
    Ratings:
    +3
  10. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
  11. David G

    David G Gardener

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2005
    Messages:
    314
    Ratings:
    +24
    Thanks for all the info both of you, I have cut them both back 1 more than the other. I will repot them after they have got over the shock of cutting back.

    I just hope I can get them to look like yours Shiney & I will use the info you have put on to refer to as they grow.

    Thanks Again

    Dave
     
  12. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
  13. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
    Just noticed the first chilli of the season [​IMG] [​IMG] :D


    [​IMG]
     
  14. high kype

    high kype Gardener

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2006
    Messages:
    1,209
    Ratings:
    +0
    hi shiney have just planted my first chillies so looking for all the help i can get :confused:
     
  15. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2006
    Messages:
    67,362
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired - Last Century!!!
    Location:
    Herts/Essex border. Zone 8b
    Ratings:
    +134,396
    Hi high kype, there are a couple of links above to other chilli threads on here. Maybe they might be of use.

    I, originally, just planted mine and kept them in the greenhouse. I watered them when I remembered to and fed them occasionally, and they did OK. At the end of the season I brought three of them from the greenhouse and into the utility room.

    As they seemed to survive the winter in there I then pruned them a bit and potted them into slightly larger pots. The end result being that they got going quicker and gave a good crop.

    I was more careful with them this year and brought them into the lounge as mentioned above. I have repotted them into large pots this time and they seem very happy. So this is the third year with the same plants and we shall see how they go. I get the impression that they are as tough as old boots and just need a little TLC.

    Watch this space :D
     
Loading...

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice