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Jalepeno HELP

19 years ago

Hey, I am a lover hot peppers, but my favorite has always been jalepenos. I also always liked to garden, and had only tried Aloe Vera's in the past, which grew wonderfully here in the Arizona heat.

Just 2 months ago, I went to Home Depot and saw a whole collection of Jalepeno plants and I bought myself one, after reading the package and realizing it said Jalepenos loved hot weather and lots of sun.

Now, two months after that, I love my jalepeno plant, but have experienced many things I had no idea I would experience, and I need some help. First off, my Jalepenos turned red while they were still very small. I didn't pick them when they were green only because they were so tiny, and today I was forced to pick a few of them because they were beginning to shrivel up. The peppers are about the size of a penny!!! The leaves of the plant are also browning a little, but I thought that might just be this hot 115 degrees Arizona heat.

A week after I got the plant, it began to die, and almost did; it got really small and began to tip over, so I began watering it three times a day, instead of once a day, and it sprung back to life, but now I'm wondering if that experience may have resulted in my small peppers, or if maybe I'm overwatering them.

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M WORRIED MY PLANT MAY DIE, AND I NEED TO KNOW IF I CAN HELP IT!!!

Comments (15)

  • 19 years ago

    Small pods aren't unusual for first fruits. Mulch your plant and give it some partial shade if possible. Watering 3 times a day may have kept the plant alive, but made for a poor root system. Shading it would have been better.

    We're talking about 1 plant and it is in the ground in full sun.. right?

    jt

  • 19 years ago

    Yes, it's one plant, but no, its not in the ground, but it is in a very very large pot. It would have to move its roots out about a feet in both directions to hit any walls.

    I've got these pics so you can see the size

    {{gwi:1190498}}

    {{gwi:1190499}}

  • 19 years ago

    And in full sunlight, correct

  • 19 years ago

    Were the roots possibly already stunted when you bought the plant?

  • 19 years ago

    Do the pods taste like jalapeños? Can't say they look like one. Rather interesting I must say.

    Partial shade and mulch is still my advice.

    I would like to see a picture of the plant with pot included.

    jt

  • 19 years ago

    ok, sorry it took so long to get the pics..

    This here's the stem of the plant and a stick I use to support it.
    {{gwi:1190500}}

    {{gwi:1190501}}

    As you can see some of the peppers are still changing...
    {{gwi:1190502}}

    {{gwi:1190503}}

    In the soil, I have no idea what those little white rocks are... The soil didnt come that way

  • 19 years ago

    Quote:
    Posted by lvben (My Page) on Sun, Jul 15, 07 at 14:36

    Were the roots possibly already stunted when you bought the plant?

    Uh... they were all bundled up in a biodegradable pot. I pulled off the pot instead of planting with the plant like the instructions said I could. The brand is "Bonnie Plants"

  • 19 years ago

    By the way, don't mind the date on the pictures, I never changed the date on the camera.

  • 19 years ago

    I'm a fan of Bonnie Plants.

    Still would like to know about the taste.

    The white pebbles are possibly vermiculite. Perfectly normal in a potting mix. Thumbs up. Or is it perlite? One or the other.

    Doubt that with the intense heat that you are experiencing that the plant will bloom in the near future. And if does the pods probably won't set. If nighttime temps are in the 80s then it possibly will.

    Keep the pods picked when they just turn red and the plant will bloom and set more.

    Mulch. I use at least 2" of shredded cypress. Don't apply at transplant. Wait at least 4 weeks so roots will grow deep. The mulch will make the plant set out feeder roots just under the surface. Very helpful for a container plant. Overwatering a new container plant is one of the most common mistakes that we container gardeners make.

    jt

  • 19 years ago

    that pot looks small too re pot it in a bigger pot mix som sulfur and manure in your potting mix

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hook M Lures

  • 19 years ago

    this year all of what i know is now wrong because of what big company's do to soil and plants they sell.
    having a green house i always did well growing anything and this year was hell!!!
    you may have overwatered or made some sort of mistake along the way bringing up this plat OR you may have tainted soil with crap to make plants grow slow or bloom faster or bla bla bla .
    next year i have good ol garden dirt with some perlite and vermiculite mixed in then cooked to kill of weeds.
    this years crop has been way off compared to last years .
    last year my cayenne grew to 4 to 8 inches long and were huge .
    this year they are about 2 inches long and tiny?????
    same seeds same way of growing ....
    only thing i did diff was soil.
    keep growing and dont give up.

  • 19 years ago

    k, well I've reduced the number of times I water it a day, and I'm hoping that'll fix the problem. One other thing, when should I pick the peppers? It's sorta hard to tell considering how small they are. Also, where on the plant should I pick them from?

  • 19 years ago

    I just tasted one, BTW, and it's really really bitter. I had to spit it out it was so weird. I suppose it still tasted like a jalepeno, and it was a little more than mild, but there's most definately something wrong with the taste.

  • 18 years ago

    I have six plants and they are producing. They aren't hot at all though. What pointers can anyone give to help? Very new at growing.

  • 18 years ago

    I grow peppers in the ground in desert AZ. You have to get them in the ground in early April at the latest so they have time to establish a root system before the 100+ temps are regular. To get a strong root system you need to water infrequently - let them dry out between waterings so the roots will grow to find water - dry means a bit of wilting even when shaded and dry soil several inches down. Only then will they survive the full heat of summer. In full 115F sun a healthy plant will still have heavy wilting, but as soon as they get shade they perk up very quickly.

    Of course you can plant seedling later, but then you need to keep shaded and water more frequently - and still you will end up with stunted plants that are prone to insects.

    In desert AZ I've learned to get the best harvest, plant in March, get a few spring fruits before the summer heat, then the name of the game is keeping the plants healthy thru the summer - you will get a fruit set here and thee with occasional drops in temp. As soon as temps cool in the fall the plants will perk up, fruit will set and you will have a massive winter harvest.

    Al

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