Re: Flowering Over wintered chilli plants?
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:35 pm
I don't think chillies get blight but the pot on the right rather looks as if it has. Actually it looks as if it's been attacked by some kind of infection although I've never had this problem with chillies. it also looks as if a snail may have got at it. I've never tasted chilli leaves so don't know if they're hot like the fruits, but I've had my pepper plant leaves attacked by snails in my plastic greenhouse this summer. They seem to get everywhere.
I've only dried chillies once which I did in the airing cupboard. I don't think they could have been 100% dry before I stored them in a glass jar as they subsequently went mouldy unfortunately. These days we either deep freeze them whole and use as required or turn them into chilli paste which we store in small jars in the fridge and just use a teaspoon when we need some heat in something. We prefer this latter method as it saves you from the risk of chopping chillies and accidentally rubbing your eye, or something even worse !
If you try the airing cupboard method for drying them over a few weeks, I'd still perhaps finishing the drying in a very low oven for a short period just to wring out the last vestiges of moisture, otherwise you could end up with them going mouldy.
I've successfully over-wintered chilli plants by pruning them back drastically at the end of summer cropping and changing a little of the compost but I always lose a few to sustained whitefly attacks. I suspect this is because outdoors they're up against a house wall and are sheltered but catch a little breeze whereas indoors the air is very still and this seems to produce a very favourable breeding ground for whitefly unfortunately.
I've only dried chillies once which I did in the airing cupboard. I don't think they could have been 100% dry before I stored them in a glass jar as they subsequently went mouldy unfortunately. These days we either deep freeze them whole and use as required or turn them into chilli paste which we store in small jars in the fridge and just use a teaspoon when we need some heat in something. We prefer this latter method as it saves you from the risk of chopping chillies and accidentally rubbing your eye, or something even worse !
If you try the airing cupboard method for drying them over a few weeks, I'd still perhaps finishing the drying in a very low oven for a short period just to wring out the last vestiges of moisture, otherwise you could end up with them going mouldy.
I've successfully over-wintered chilli plants by pruning them back drastically at the end of summer cropping and changing a little of the compost but I always lose a few to sustained whitefly attacks. I suspect this is because outdoors they're up against a house wall and are sheltered but catch a little breeze whereas indoors the air is very still and this seems to produce a very favourable breeding ground for whitefly unfortunately.