Chili Peppers for Beginners

By Julian Livsey
This guide is for anyone who has somehow hit on the idea that it would be fun to grow chile peppers. You haven't grown them before, perhaps you haven't really grown anything before. After a bit of research on the internet you are completely overwhelmed by the advice and information; not sure where to begin. thechileman website is not aimed at the prefessional growers, yet when we start talking in the guides about vermiculite and heated propagators it may make you wonder whether growing chile peppers is for you afterall. Well don't be put off, there is an easier way! Yes we like pre-germinating our seeds. We like heat mats, and the drainage advantage of perlite in our soil mix but you don't have to do all that. Chile plants can be stunningly easy to grow. So here is thechileman's guide for first time growers or those who don't want to bother with anything complicated...

Seeds

To grow your own chile peppers you first need seeds. There are lots of fantastic varieties of peppers available to choose from. But for the complete beginner who wants garanteed chile pods and doesn't want to wait too long to get them, the usually shorter growing time of the Capsicum Annuum's are probably a good choice, particularly for anyone growing in a cooler climate. You can buy seeds from your local garden centre or take a look at our pod pals section for some recommended seed suppliers. But if you prefer, it really is as simple as popping down to your local supermarket, buying a couple of peppers and scraping out the seeds.

Germination.

This is probably the single most discussed stage of chile pepper growing and the one that offers the most opinions. Now that you have your seeds the trick is to turn them into plants. The first stage of that is to get them to germinate. The main requirements for a seed to germinate are heat, moisture and oxygen. It is possible to germinate your seeds in everything from tissue paper to rock wool cubes, but the easiest growing medium is soil.

It doesn't matter what you use to hold your soil. Whether it is a propagator or a simple plastic box with some small drainage holes cut into the bottom of it to stop the soil getting water logged. Sow your seeds by placing them on the surface of the soil, then cover them over with more soil but only so that they are just below the surface, perhaps as little as three milimeters. Seeds only have so much energy stored before they need to generate more from light, so plant them too deep and they will run out of energy before they reach the surface.
To get moisture to the seeds you need to water the surface of the soil. Not too much, you want the soil to be moist, not water logged. The final ingredient is heat. At this stage there is no requirement for light so you may find something like an airing cupboard is ideal. Above a radiator, anywhere reasonably warm will do. But bear in mind you don't want to bake them, and also that too much heat will reduce the moisture content of your soil.

Sucessful germination

Depending upon the variety that you are growing, your seeds will take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to break the surface. You need to be patient but you will be rewarded when they push their way through the surface. While they are seedlings your plants are very sensitive and delicate so best not to touch them. Heat and moisture are still important but key now is the amount of light your seedlings receive. Place your plants in a south facing window or a warm greenhouse if you can.

Transplanting

Chile plants generally produce sets of leaves in pairs. The first set are called the seed leaves, the next set will be the first true set of leaves. Once your seedlings have these you will need to move them to a larger pot to give them more room to grow. Plant pots are cheap and easy to find. It doesn't matter what size you use, but most people would start off with one about four inches in diameter and gradually move up as the roots start showing through the drainage holes at the bottom. Leaving in a small pot will check the growth of your chile plant. You may be happy with a six inch pot so that your plant can sit on the kitchen windowsill, or you may have your eye on the empty beer keg round the back of your local pub.

Feeding

Another black art during chile pepper growing is fertilizer. Most come with a mix of NPK which is nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Too much nitrogen and your plants will be all leaves and no fruit, not enough and your plants may be yellow and withered. But you don't need to worry about fertilizer if you don't want to. The correct balance of light, water are really all that the plant needs. As long as your soil is half way decent the plant will be able to get all the nutrients it needs from that.

Flowering

When your plants produce flowers you are in business. This is where the fruit comes from. Again you can read plenty about how best to pollinate your chile plant's flowers but trust us, this will work - when there are several flowers open on your plant, rub your finger around the middle part to pick up the pollen, and repeat a couple of times for each flower. This will move the pollen to the stamen and start the chemical reaction needed to make the fruit.

Fruiting

If all is well the flower petals will drop off as the green middle part of the flower starts to swell slightly. This is the chile pepper beginning to grow. Depending upon which variety you have decided to grow, the chile pod that is now starting to form could end up like any of these. Keep your plant happy and it will continue to produce fruit well into the autumn and perhaps even beyond.

Source: http://www.thechileman.org

How to keep a moth orchid alive

By Adrian Higgins

To some minds, the poinsettia is cheapened by its ubiquity. But somehow that everywhere orchid — the phalaenopsis or moth orchid — always seems elegant and exotic, even when herded in the big-box store or supermarket.

Mass cloning techniques and industrial-scale propagation in places like Taiwan have kept the market well-fed with unnamed varieties — big whites, pinky purples and weird bicolors — that seem as abundant and non-seasonal as potatoes. Still, the tree-dwelling jungle plant lends grace to its surroundings, the condo lobby, the swanky restaurant or your kitchen countertop. Does anyone not like a moth orchid?

But this affection, I wager, is accompanied by an underlying anxiety that we will kill the plant through neglect or abuse. Getting the most from a moth orchid — eight weeks of bloom and repeat flowering in a few months — is not difficult but requires method. In search of the best advice, I traveled to the Floradise Orchids greenhouse of Janet Cherchuck and Stephen Shifflett in Gordonsville, Va., where the couple has been raising orchids commercially for more than 30 years. (They sell at two D.C. farmers markets, regional orchid shows and from their greenhouse 100 miles south of Washington.)

Moth orchids have light and temperature needs, but the single biggest reason they crash, said Cherchuck, is through incorrect watering: usually overwatering, sometimes underwatering, or a combination of the two. Typically, the roots begin to rot and the leaves grow limp.

Getting it right is complicated by the type of growing medium used: either a loose mix of pine bark or sphagnum peat moss. In either case, the orchid should be thoroughly watered and not watered again until nearly dry. The more densely packed moss takes longer to dry and may need watering every 10 to 14 days compared with the weekly pine bark watering, but the timing varies by light levels, warmth and humidity. Use your finger to probe about an inch into the pot to see if the surface is dry. Another way to tell: A watered pot feels heavier than one that is dry.

At a sink, run the orchid under a tap of room temperature water — neither hot nor cold — and let at least a gallon run through the drain holes to ensure complete saturation. With open-growing media in free-draining pots, “watering is about frequency, not quantity,” said Cherchuck. Feed with a weak soluble fertilizer after watering. It’s okay to get the leaves wet, but not the flowers. Finally, tip the plant to remove water from the leaf bases and crown, where the stem meets the roots.

Once the flowers have finished, you can cut to just above a node to promote a new flowering stem. This will appear in a few weeks if the plant is happy. This constant blooming, however, will stress the plant, and the subsequent blooms will be smaller and fewer. If you want to build up your orchid for long-term cultivation, cut off the flower stem and in June, place the orchid outside in a shady, sheltered spot away from direct sunlight. Continue to water and feed as the growing medium dries; don’t rely on rainfall. The required difference in day and night temperatures outside will encourage the plant to bloom after you bring it back indoors in early fall.

Small phalaenopsis varieties, with different bloodlines, can bloom more freely than large hybrids and are a good choice for apartment dwellers who have no yard for summer care.

Buying a moth orchid

Orchids can become stressed if mishandled or improperly kept. Orchids in grocery stores tend to be too cold and displayed close to produce. Nearby apples, bananas or other fruit give off ethylene gas, which causes the orchid blooms to age prematurely.

Look at the general health of the plant. Look for fleshy, live roots. The leaves should be green, turgid and the central growth stem upright. Avoid plants with yellowing tips to the flower stem or with buds that are falling off. Choose an orchid that has begun to flower, not just in bud. When stressed, the buds will be small or fail to open.

Repotting

Moth orchid roots are meant to wander out of the pot. But if the plant is potbound at the base or if the growing mix has broken down and smells musty, repot the plant. This is best done after flowering in late spring. Remove all the old mix, cut off shriveled dead roots and use fresh mix. The roots should occupy about three-quarters of the volume of the new pot — typically about an inch bigger in diameter than the old pot. Placed in a pot that is too big, the orchid will suffer root rot. If your orchid is part of a larger florist’s arrangement, wait for the plant to finish flowering and then pot it individually in a container of the correct size. Moth orchids do not grow by rhizomes and do not need to be divided like other orchids.

Bark... or moss?

Bark:

Pros-

Makes for tougher plants. Reduced risk of overwatering. Easier to see state of roots.

Cons-

Needs watering more often. Harder to tell if it is wet enough.

Moss:

Pros -

Plants grow larger. Looks attractive. Surface lightens when it dries out.

Cons-

More prone to waterlogging. Risk of compacting when repotting. Slight risk of skin disease from moss-borne fungus; wear rubber gloves.

Temperature and humidity

Typical room temperature is fine, but go no lower than 60 degrees. Raising humidity in winter is a boon to orchid and orchid grower alike, but correct watering is more important than high humidity. Misting is unnecessary and may damage the blooms.

Light

Moth orchids like bright, indirect light. Direct sunlight will turn the leaves pale green or yellowish green and stress the plant. Insufficient light will cause the upper leaves to be smaller than the ones below (they should be larger).

Watering

Forget the dainty watering can. Take the orchid to a sink and run water through the pot thoroughly. This will saturate the medium and wash out old fertilizer salts. Test dryness with your finger and learn to judge the watering need by the weight of the pot.

Source of Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/