This second one is kinda nothing like any of my other plants...it has many side stems and pretty much looks like a tiny tree...one possible reason is that around month or so ago, when it was only the main stem, for some reason nearly all foliage fell off...it started sprouting new ones and this is the result...

What were the seeds in the mix? The first pic seems to be an early jalapeno. The second is not identifiable until a pod pops.

What soil are they in? And what is on top of the soil, a mulch? What does that tag say on plant #2?

Well I did not buy it as a mix, but the story goes like this: my friend gave me 5 seeds of:
Jalapeno NuMex Vaquero
Jalapeno NuMex Primavera
Jalapeno NuMex Pinata
Habanero Baby Yellow
Serrano chilli

plus I had like 15 seeds from a hot pepper I found home, dried. It looked like a cherry so I figured it was a cherry pepper, right? :)

So I put all of the seeds together and thought it would be fun to just wait what will grow out of each flower - such a bad idea lol :P

The soil is some kind of basic potting soil for indoor flowers, peppers and tomatos...why?
The top of the soil is the soil itself, I did not put anything on top, is that important?
The tag on the second one is just a note of last fertilizing...

Guess we will have to see how that pod matures! I'll be watching for updates!

I will check my seed packets for the numex varieties I have and see which one matches but so far, I'm sticking with my rather limited knowledge. I grow Jalapenos every year as they are the most adaptable, and Habanero peppers, so I am confident ruling out habs...

From the pic, it looks like a mulch was added on top, which is a good idea, unless it is treated/colored. While I am not organic, the chemicals most of the time in mulch will work against the plant.

As for soil, I use well rotted cow manure straight for my potted plants in the final pot. Before that, they are planted in a mix of miracle grow moisture control with top soil or potting soil mixed in. I also mix in a bunch of different nutrients. I'll write the list and post it for you.

Again, I am no expert, but I do have good success! Let's see what comes of your plants!

Thanks very much!
I wanted to ask...during the hot days, my plants tend to wilt, but in the evening they always pick up, sometimes I have to water a bit more...do you think I should get concerned and cover the pots with something? Do the wilting affect the growth/fruits?

Yes and no. Wilting happens in heat. I have ONE that is very sensitive while the others do very well. I either move it to the shade, but more often, I just bring it into the AC until the direct sun passes. If you are not home to tend them, leave the wilter in a shady spot.

Bigger pots with more material can also help. You'll be surprised how fast the roots fill a container! Once they reach the pot side, they are dealing with direct heat!

There is a technique called stressing to develop hotter pods. That is when you deliberately hold back water until the plant with pods wilts. I do it occasionally, but i have no way to determine if the heat level is increased or not since each pod on each plant varies. If I did it to a bell, and it bit me back....

Back to the original question. Scratch pinata too. Vaquero and Primavera are close as well. Now, you have got me curious! I'll be watching for updates!

GROW ON!

okay then, thx :) I will update the thread when there's some news :)

Hi Sam.

If the seeds you mention are the only possibilities, my guess is photo #1 is the habanero and photo #2 is the serrano.

That's my 2c.

Rick

Hey Sam, The first pepper could definitely be one of those jalapenos, but there's a chance it's a cherry type pepper too, the only reason I say that it the way the stem crowns around the shoulder of the pod, much like cherry peppers I have grown.

As for the bottom one, It could certainly be Serrano, the best way to tell is to look at the stems of the newer branches and you will notice a slight "furriness" almost like a tomato plant. If you see that, it's most likely a Serrano.

Here is a link that might be useful: PEPPERMEISTER!

Sup guys, thx all for the input!

I have another question tho...the plant on the first picture kinda halts the production...the big pepper is kinda really big (picture) but there are numerous new blossoms, some of them already fallen off and seem to be forming new peppers...the problem is, that the little peppers inside seem not to be growing, the blossom just falls off and nothing happens, the little pea stays inside and doesn't grow. Some of them have been there for almost a week...Normally it takes like 3 days for the pepper to grow considerably...
There is definitely enough fertiliser and all...so what should I do? Should I collect the one big pepper to let the new ones grow? Or trim some leaves?

Btw the second one is prob really the serrano, there is some furriness on the newer branches :)

I rarely top off plants and pinch flowers, but one thing i often do is yank the pod that grows off that first split.

It's often a runt, tastes funny, or at least turns out very different from the other pods. Not to mention it is taking a teeny bit of energy from younger plants.

Never trim leaves from a young plant unless they are thoroughly diseased or touching ground soil, because leaves provide food and energy to your plant for pod production.

This post was edited by sjetski on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 10:27

Oh, yeah I did that with several other plants cos I read your advice somewhere before, but I decided to leave this one be...

About the leafs, I read somewhere that some people tend to thoroughly trim off leaves off their plants once the plant puts out fruits as the plant has enough photosynthesis from the pods and branches plus the energy is more focused on the fruits. It could be nonsense, ofc :)

What do you think about the halted pods, will they eventually come off?

Thanks!

That is almost definitely a hot cherry, I had exactly the same pod on mine. The second batch of peppers look more like cherries. One of my plants had five pods in the first batch and the other had six. They're ripening now, which took a while. They are good green or red, so you could pick it and eat it now. If the plant can't support the peppers it will just drop the undeveloped ones. I'm of the opinion that for the most part, let the plant do its own thing.