"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
Lawrence Logic wrote:
I bought some Bhut Jolokai seeds and some Orange Habanero seeds on
eBay a couple of weeks before Christmas, but was unable to plant them
when the weather became cooler and wet on the Gold Coast. Last
Sunday I went to Bunnings, after the promise of warmer weather, and
bought a mini green house with twenty four segments for planting
seeds, plus a small bag of seed raising mix, and set about planting
twelve of each seed. From what I'd read via Google, they should
sprout after two to four weeks.

You are a bit late in the season but if it stays warm and you are not in a
frost area you might get them to maturity before winter.


I live at Nerang. I wouldn't expect any frost for quite a while, if I get
any at all.

As I've never done anything like this before, I approached the
venture with failure foremost in my mind. Today, however, a little
baby Bhut Jolokai popped its head above the soil from the seed known
as BJ10 - just a couple of hours more than a week since it was
planted. I'm hoping that its eleven siblings and twelve cousins
won't be too far behind.
After that long-winded preface, I have a few questions:

Does anyone here have experience with growing these chillis,
particularly the Bhut Jolokai?


Nope I am talking about chilli plants in general.


Understood.

I have the vents closed on the mini green house to keep in the heat
and moisture. My little green friend probably has different
requirements now, such as a fresh supply of oxygen. My concern is
that the mini green house can only provide one environment at a time,
so I don't want the seedlings to suffer while I wait for the
stragglers to catch up. At what point should I transplant the
seedlings?

Don't keep them too moist or you will get fungus. You would be better off
opening the vents and checking for water each day. Transplant when the
second pair of true leaves appear.


I've opened the vents and I'm administering a gentle spray of water each
evening. The sections of the "green house" are usually pretty dry when I
get home each afternoon now that the vents are open.

Six of the Bhuts have sprouted now. What do you mean by "true leaves"?
Does that exclude the pair of leaves that open when these babies first
sprout?

What should I transplant into? I'll be using pots, and I read a page
that said to have a pot at least 60cm wide. Is that correct?

For how many chilli plants each? A 30cm pot would do for one. You could
get 3 in a 60cm if the mix was good and rich. Bigger pots have the
advantage that they don't dry out as quickly as small ones. Mulch the
top. Keep in filtered sun until they take.


I was going to have one pot each. I'll still have one pot each, but I'll
probably compromise and have pots somewhere around 45cm in diameter. I want
them to have enough room to spread their roots and grow as much as they can.
The pots are still on the "to buy" list, so I haven't committed to anything
yet.


Apparently they prefer soil with pH around 6. What sort of soil or
potting mix should I use, and what additives would you suggest to get
the pH to the desired level?


Most potting mix is slightly acid which is what you want but it may be
already limed so don't start adding lime etc unless you are sure the pH is
wrong. If it isn't on the bag the manufacturer may tell you.


So you'd advise that I use a potting mix rather than digging soil from
somewhere and trying to treat it to satisfy what I think the plants will
require? My intention is to get good results, so I'll buy whatever I need
to achieve that.

Should I actually measure and monitor the pH level, or am I just
being an over-protective "parent"?


I wouldn't worry too much, if the pH is 5 or 7 they will still do OK. If
you are likely to grow other things in future or really want to know the
pH get one of the dye indicator kits (about $15) not a meter.


I'll consider getting a kit. If I monitor what's going on, at least I can
use my experience from this attempt to make a better fist next time in the
event that everything turns to fertiliser!!

As I'm not endowed with a green thumb or two, I'd appreciate any
guidance you could give me.

Thanks

Enrich your potting mix with horse or cow manure or compost before you
plant. After they have taken move them into full sun and check the
moisture daily as they will dry out quickly in a pot especially on hot
days and very especially on exposed balconies or verandas. Chilli plants
like heat but not to dry out and wilt.


I don't have a balcony or a verandah. I have places to strategically locate
the pots so that the sun exposure can be controlled to a point. That's why
I'm using pots rather than planting them in the garden where they'll be in
the sun all day.

Thanks very much for your advice, David. I'll let you know how things
progress.

--
Lawrence
"If I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the past" - Tommy Bolin -
Melbourne 1975