Chilies are taking over my apartment!

13 years ago

myy boyfriend and I have an apartment in DFW and we have this fabulous room with a lot of windows and very poor air conditioning which is great for our plants. and by plants, we have many, entirely on accident, you see. our friend's mother is from the phillipines and has what she told us, in broken english, a few full sized thai chili pepper plants. since we love chilis, and have no gardening experience whatsoever, and no yard to speak of, we begged, and she gave us some dried chilis. they were about an inch long, ranging from yellow to a tomato color. because we're morons we pretty much scattered all the seeds in a few pots.

after a few massive problems with things like organic soil infested with spider mites (these forums helped me IMMENSELY with that, thanks so much guys!), of having to re-pot what started out with about 75 *$@^(%$# seedlings now 4 or 5 times since may of 2010, and we are still running out of space, things like that, we're still learning.

OBVIOUSLY. these little guys have been through hell and they just keep kicking! one is still in quarantine, even after the whole mite issue, because i saw 3, and i am not ruining what is turning out to be a crop. the tobacco juice thing seems to have done the trick on them, after the bleach (1/4 cup per gallon of water) worked on the rest (too late for my basil though, it had to be sacrificed). these plants actually came out hardier after the bleach. we were shocked. our friend, the one whose mother gave us the plants, calls them boonie peppers, and said they also grow wild all over guam, which is where she smuggled them in from. which also has me really confused as to exactly what we've got here.

i think about 50-55 out of the original 75 are going to make it (i'm never buying organic soil again, that's for sure, and i sterilize everything now just in case, including my soil, and add in my nutrients afterward), though i have no idea how we're going to fit them all, even with this stadium seating thing we've started to arrange, and that we're going to have to start giving some away to friends as gifts before they've begun to flower and fruit, due to lack of space, pots, and finances.the healthiest of the bunch are staked with bamboo kabob skewers at about a bit over 12" high.

we're not sure when they should typically begin to flower, though after all the reading i've done, i'm assuming it won't be till next year. and then about a month after that they should start to fruit. i know they need more phosphates in their soil, but i don't know if we should keep up with their current fertilizer to allow them to continue to grow to full size yet.

i'd also like to know because as i give these other seedlings away i'd like to make up a care sheet so that our friends don't kill some of the babies we went through hell it seems to rescue so many times. by accident. because obviously we're learning as we go.

sorry for the novel, and thanks in advance for all your help! ...

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Comments (13)

gardendawgie
13 years ago
The only solution is to throw your boy friend out and make more room for the plants. This winter put up a greenhouse in the back room for next year.

If you hook up the building sprinkler system to water the plants you can save a lot of time by simply starting a fire when you want to water the plants. With luck the sprinkler will drown the aphids.

If you think you went through hell. Wait until next year and you will see this year as heaven.

Next year grow a few hundred Hatch chiles on the roof of the apartment building. You can simply run a hose up the fire escape which you will need because the back room is on fire.
User
13 years ago
gardendawgie,

You're a genius!

Now if you can help, a friend, ya, a friend with some advice on controlling unwanted hair growth in one area; unwanted hair loss in another; foot odor and embarrassing gas, my friend, ya my friend, would appreciate it.

Too funny, thanks for the laugh,

Bill
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smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
I don't understand this TOO MANY CHILE PLANTS thing...

I live in a 1 bdrm. apt. this is my kitchen ( 10X10ft.) last year

{{gwi:1205025}}

I did over 400 varieties and 2 plantings of about 400 each.I can grow pretty much year round here in S. California

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Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1188046}}
smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
Over the above pictured stuff.

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and more boxes to stack more under the lights in the midle of my kitchen floor

{{gwi:1205032}}

Then they went outside

{{gwi:1205034}}

{{gwi:1186281}}

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1186282}}
smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
{{gwi:1198099}}

{{gwi:1198093}}

{{gwi:1205036}}

{{gwi:1188047}}

No such thing as too many pepper plants!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1188046}}
shoontok
13 years ago
All you people are out of your minds. Heck i like you guys.

I grew about 200 seedlings this spring and had a styrofoam cup, and 16 ounce solo cup village this early summer. That 200 was just peppers.

I germinated probably another 400-600 plants of various natures too.

Needless to say i had to give away alot of them seedlings to friends and family members, cause i only have limited grow space outside and its a heavily wooded area of large oaks and such, so only certain sections of the yard get adequate sunlight.

I too live in a one bedroom apartment, im thankful the landlord lets me use the yard space to grow stuff. We are pretty good friends now. He aint much for getting out there and getting his thumbs green, or maybe he just lets me do all the work cause he knows how much i enjoy it, but he sure does love the veggies. Plenty to go around.

Ya know if im still here for next year, ill do the same darn thing!
thenewmidwestchilehead
13 years ago
Wow, Smoke, you are a pepper genius. I have an just over an acre, but don't have nearly as many plants as you. I did bite the bullet last weekend though, and put all my living seedlings into pots. Hopefully I will get some pods before it freezes. No greenhouse, and no place inside to store a bunch of pepper plants where they will get sun. It gets cold her in late October. I will overwinter as many as I can, though. Any tips on overwintering? You probably don't need to overwinter in SOCAL, but just thought I would ask.
taz6122
13 years ago
I don't feel so bad about my cluttered one bdrm house now. I guess that's one thing us plant freaks have in common.

mwch I would suggest visiting the Growing under Lights forum because they will need artificial light if they don't get much sun.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing under Lights
smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
If I had an acre I'd have to quit my job...
I DO have priorities. LOL

I only have a couple hundred sq. ft. maybe less.
roper2008
13 years ago
smokemaster. Nobody bothers your plants, or you have a little
private area there. What city do you live in? I was raised in Whittier.
Moved to Chino Hills after high school.
smokemaster_2007
13 years ago
Actually I live where I work,at a motorhome sales and service lot.
Not private at all.
They do mess with my plants all the time.
A lot of times in the winter when my plants only have a couple pods on them and I've been watching a pod ripen,dreaming about the day I'll pick it.
I'll go out and it's gone.
One time a couple red Savinas finaly ripened.I went to the store to get salsa ingrediants and they were gone when I came back.
I don't mind when there are several ripe pods if somebody takes 1 or 2 but when I only have 1 or 2 it pisses me off.
I live in North Hills/Van Nuys area.
Grew up in Granada Hills.
roper2008
13 years ago
Bummer people messing with your peppers. That would have been
some super hot salsa...Heard of Granada Hills and Van Nuys, north
of whittier, but I don't think I ever went there..What I miss most about
So.Cal is being able to grow everything outdoors all year.
sarcazm
Original Author
13 years ago
that's awesome you guys! here i thought we were the only ones who ended up with not just a plant but... many. very many. the boyfriend won't be thrown out in lieu of the peppers though, definitely not. he's the one with the green thumb, and i'm the one who happens to rock at killing bugs.

i wonder if they have to reach full-size before they begin to flower and fruit though? they grow so fast, almost 2" a week.

Chilies are taking over my apartment!

Comments (13)

gardendawgie

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Chilies are taking over my apartment!

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