Honu

?? Soil starting media? Fertilization? Temperature? Moisture?

Soil starting media? Gardener & Bloome planting mix w/ added perlite, 1 seed per 4" pot.
Fertilization? None until seedlings are a few weeks old. Then slow release organic 4-6-4:
http://elawngarden.com/item.php?itemID=145
Temperature? Highs in 80's (sometimes topping 90 in summer), lows in 70s. Mostly sunny days. Frequent nightly rain.
Moisture? Evenly moist through germination. After germination, water every other day if it didn't rain.

This seems to work fine for the serranos, but I don't understand why the jalapenos don't survive.

Pot size for growing?

It never lived long enough to get transplanted to the bigger pot. Did not sprout or died between 1 & 4 weeks old. Do Serranos and Jalapenos have different growing requirements? Would you share your growing methods, please? Pot size? Growing media? Fertilization? Moisture? Thanks!

Honu

My methods are slightly different than most folks

I start my seeds is a sterile/sanitized medium in a 1/2 of a 20 row tray placed on a heat mat/box

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/byron101540/detail?.dir=8974&.dnm=3af1.jpg

As soon as the plants emerge I transplant to a 3.5 x 5" newspaper pot. This last about 6 weeks

I give a 10% fertilizer at the 4th true leaf stage

But it's just my way

Thanks Byron. That was interesting. So which seedling group did best?

The no fert at start did the best :-)

Followed by 1 tsp manure tea in a gal of water gave me the better starts

What variety of jalapeño do (did) you have? There are so many varieties, and some don't even grow or taste like jalpeños. Firenza is my favorite variety, and is usually one of the first to germinate and grow fast; in fact, it grows so quickly it is one of a few types I start a week later than other types, or it will be rootbound and possibly flower before I put it out in the spring.

I start my seeds almost exactly like Byron - using sterilized vermiculite in those 20 row flats, keeping them at about 85º, which speeds them up. I transplant the seedlings to 36/flat pots, and by week 5 (for jalapeños) they are ready to go out.

I have had problems like you describe with some varities through the years - usually a new variety. Where did you purchase your seeds from? (note the Reimer seeds warning I will be posting...I have had problems with their seeds the last two years). Old seeds sometimes will germinate, but the seedlings will have little vigor left in them.

Since the serranos did OK and you treated them the same, the problem is probably in the seeds, not what you are doing.

Dave

Dave, I don't know the type of jalapeno -- I ordered it from Thyme Garden (see link below). The serranos were in the same order, and they along with all the other seeds were fine, but it makes sense that maybe something was wrong with the jalapeno seeds.
Thanks for sharing your experience!

Here is a link that might be useful: Jalapeno from Thyme Garden

I have tried growing from seed and always had that problem too. I found it much easier going to Home Depot or Lowes and buying a 6" plant and starting with that. They grew like gangbusters this year. The plants were under $2 each and gave me plenty of fruit all spring and summer and are still going. Good luck....

Thanks Harley. That's a good option, but I prefer to start my own seed when possible.

I may be all wet here, but here is my two cents worth. I start mine in just plain ole Pro Mix. Leave then under flourecent lights 16-hours a day. I keep th esoil moist with a spray bottle. After they germinate, just keep the lights on for 16 hours and not vey much water. Only water when the plants show signs of stress. I do not feed them anything until the second true leaves appear, then only 1/3 strength fertilizer. After about 6 to 8-weeks, harden them off for a few days and put out in sandy soil.

So what I think might be going on is HI is tropic, Jalapenos like dry conditions with sandy soil. Could it be you are giving them too much water, fertlizer and TLC? I never water mine until the leaves wilt. Had bumper crops for 20 years.

Thanks dereckbc! You could be right about overwatering. It's been raining practically every night this fall. My serranos don't mind at all, but jalapenos need drier conditions? I'm trying to sprout more right now.
Is the flavor of jalapenos much different from serranos?

Honu, I am no expert, just learned over the years from mistakes and constantly reading. Jalapenos are a staple agriculture products from west Texas and New Mexico. Those regions get less than 12-inches of rain per year; low humidity, high temps, and has high phosphorous content sandy soils.

Of the two evils under watering and over watering, over watering is the killer. Over watering will promote Phytopthora which will cause the plant to wilt and die suddenly. Being in HI might be a challenge growing Jalapenos. You might try a raised bed to get drainage. Use a sandy soil rich with compost. I am clueless about Phosphorus content of HI soils, if low supplement with Triple Phosphate.

For me, I only water just like grass, only when the plants show the first signs of stress. My soil is a mix of native clay, sand, and heavy doses of compost every year. In the fall after all is dead, I till in compost and leaves and let it sit all winter. About two or three weeks before planting I send off soil samples and apply soybean meal to the soil (scratched in the surface). When the test results are returned, I will add Triple Phosphate and Greensand if needed (about every 5-year cycle). Then all I do is put the plants in the ground and let Mother Nature do her thing other than water from time-to-time and stake them up.

IMO Jalapenos have a very distinct flavor from all other peppers. Some describe it as "grassy". I grow Biker Billy and Mucho Nacho varieties. For me they are very productive and HOT. Good luck and let me know how things work out. I envy you living in HI, you can grow just about anything year round. My favorites are tomatoes, peppers, onions, okra, and corn.

Dereck

Thanks Dereck! That makes sense -- we have year-round humidity and abundant rain. Sounds like I should just stick to the Serranos and Hawaiian chilis.

Honu, don't give up yet. Ask around at nurseries if there is a variety that grows well in HI. I think the key to your success is either a raised bed or five gallon container that will provide very good drainage.

What are Hawaiian Chiles? Sounds interesting, I assume some tropical variety like Habanaros or Scotch Bonnet. I used to have a friend in Gaum that sent me these little peppers he called Boonie Peppers because they grew everywhere wild out in the boonies and the birds eat them (hotter than sin).

Thanks for the encouragement Dereck! I actually am growing the peppers in pots, with a good well-draining potting mix, but the jalapenos either won't sprout, or sprout but don't last long. My serranos did fine with the exact same treatment and soil.
The link below describes my Hawaiian chilis. Email me if you'd like to try these Hawaiian pepper seeds (I have both Hawaiian and Waialua, and am wondering if the flavor is like mainland jalapeno -- it shaped like one). Also I can send you some of my "stubborn" Jalapeno seeds if you want to test them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hawaiian chili

Honu, those are Boonie peppers. Or at least they look just like the ones my friend from Guam sent me. About 1-inch in length, cheery red, and hotter than he!!.

Well I am about out of suggestions on the Jalapenos, other than suggest try them in pots with sand or a high sand ratio to dry them out. Maybe someone from Florida, HI, or simular climate will jump in and know what types will work and how to get around the moisture problem. Good Luck

Dereck

Thanks Dereck!
We make chili pepper water w/ the Hawaiian chilis to sprinkle on everything.
In Guam, they use it in finadene sauce, which I like with garlic in it as well as the other ingredients in below link.

Here is a link that might be useful: finadene sauce

Florida here, you'll get no help from me, jalaps grow like weeds here.

Hey why dont you grow wialua chiles instead?

how big of pots should I use to grow jalapeno plants? I'm new to gardening, so I just bought some 6" plants.

I am trying to grow jalapeno pepper. I noticed that the leaves are being eaten by some kind of bugs/insects. Is there any natural remedy to treat this problem?

I start seeds in the plastic seed starter trays that come pre-filled with potting soil from any garden supply. I have a west-south west exposure in my guest room, and I leave the seeds/seedlings in front of the window from mid-February until after the last frost in mid-spring. I water them from below, keeping the soil moist but not wet until I thin the seedlings. Then I water when they start to wilt. Being that we have forced air heat, they wilt every 2-3 days until the heat goes off.

After the last frost, I plant them right in our back yard, slightly rotating the location in the garden from year to year. They get a south-southwest exposure with full sun all day. I add no compost, nitrogen, phosphorous, etc, to the soil beforehand as their natural environment is desert sand and not exceptionally nutrient-rich.

After transplanting, I use MG Vegetable fertilizer every 2 weeks to help them grow large and leafy. Once they're about to start to produce flowers, I stop fertilizing. I water the whole garden most evenings with a sprinkler for about 20-30 minutes (if it doesn't rain). Like with the lawn, I think evening is the best time to water, and I make sure to give a good drenching, like an afternoon thunderstorm would.

Most people say that the northeast doesn't have a long enough growing season for jalapenos to mature and turn red, but mine are proving them wrong. I was the first in the neighborhood to have peppers this season and am still getting more every day. I actually gave half of my seedlings to my neighbor who uses manure, compost, sweet peat, and a rototiller to till in all that stuff, and I'm putting him to shame.

the pictures below are of my seedlings, garden, mature plants and some of this years' crop.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s22/xchikaxchikax/Cherry%20Lane/th_04-21-07_1115.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s22/xchikaxchikax/Cherry%20Lane/th_CIMG0008.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s22/xchikaxchikax/Cherry%20Lane/th_CIMG0009.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s22/xchikaxchikax/Cherry%20Lane/th_jalapenos.jpg

Nothing could be easier to post pictures than Photobucket. go down next to your picture and click on the HTML. the 3rd one down. it will load information into your mouse memory. Come to this message page and click edit paste.

The correct programming to have the picture appear will be printed.

do a preview message and you will see your picture. You can post all the pictures.

Hi Honu,

I realize IÂm a little late here in the post and you have had a lot of good feedback but IÂd like to offer a little something different. IÂm located in Ottawa Canada and have a relatively short growing period with periods of HIGH humidity. I get my seeds from Richters here in Ontario and always have great success.

IÂll be ordering some fresh Jalapeno seed this fall and would be more than happy to forward some seed for you to try. Who knows, the variety I get may do well in your environment.

If interested, send me a note at ottawapepper(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Regards,

Bill

Hi Bill, I was so surprised to see that old post of mine resurface. That is very kind of you to offer, but I am fine and don't need any jalapeno seeds. I have grown lots of hot peppers since that old post. I think something was just wrong w/ those seeds. My serrano plant I mentioned above actually lived almost 2 years, but I didn't take care of it, and it finally died.
Greenthumb, since my climate can be very wet and humid, I found that well drained, lean potting mix in 3-4 gal pots worked best for my hot peppers. (Not true for my other plants, though.)
Will, I use organic Sluggo pellets to deter slugs & snails, which can chomp holes in leaves. I never found caterpillars chewing on my pepper leaves, but if you do, you might try BT (organic), or covering the pepper plants w/ netting. My biggest pepper problem is introduced birds that have become major fruit pests here, as they bite and ruin all my peppers (they are unaffected by the heat) as soon as they start to blush.

Hi;

My Jalapeno plants were grown from seeds bought at the local Wallmart and they seem to be growing well.They are leafy with flowers and peppers at 10" tall.

However I have noticed a white powdery substance on the underside of the leaves. This is probably some kind of FUNGUS right? What can I do to save my plants? Thanks.Ravee

Ravee

Odds are you have the start of powdery mildew

Byron

New hot pepper grower here with a question for all you experts: If I want my jalapenos to ripen to red on the plant, how long am I going to have to wait? Are we talking a couple of weeks, a few months, or what?

I'll probably pick a few green, but I really prefer the flavor of ripe red ones.

Many Peppers can be difficult to grow if your a beginner.Its not as difficult once you get it down.Picking viable seeds and good genectics is important.I keep whole peppers each yr. and use the seeds for next yrs. crop...I usually grow Jalapenos,tabasco,chillies,tai dragon,and Bell peppers.I use Jiffy seed mix and greenhouses.I use peat trays instead of pellets.I use MH Lights in March indoors and only water when the mix is almost bone dry.The temp stays at about 80 degrees during the day and 75 at night.I fertilize with Miracle gro tomato fertilizer after 3 sets of leaves and pot up once.Once the temp outside reaches 65-70 during the day I bring them outside for 3-4 hrs at a time for 2-3 weeks.Once its 60 at night they go out in the garden.I fertilize every two weeks with the same tomato fertilizer.One gallon to each plant.I never have any problems....One of the biggest keys to growing peppers as well as tomatos is not to over water seedlings,over fertilize or lack of enough light and low temps.Remember these plants are from warm climates...GL and happy growing...!

Hi,
I have just move my jalapeno in final pot of 11 inch. But it after the potting-up when I expose them to the sun they wilt :-( and very fast. When i move them to the light but not in direct sun, they recover.
Please tell me if do you know why, because from my knowledge they need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Maybe it is because they have very small buds, so they are flowering?
Thanks a lot,
Tudor

Tudor: did you harden off properly? If not, then do it now and I'm sure it will recover.

Btw, my jalapenos grown in smallish pots don't fare nearly as well than those in larger pots or the ground.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin. I didn't knew about hardening-off. But they stayed before in sun and the others from the same generation, which were not moved and are in the same smaller pot are OK in full sunlight.
Do you know something about harden-off when the plants are transplanted in a bigger pot, and kept in the same environment indoors?