Hi Dave,I have a pepper garden in planters. I have limited space and I am concerned with cross pollination. I have serrano, Anaheim, yellow bell, tabasco, cayenne, habanero, poblano, and jalapeno. Do I need to worry about cross pollination and if so what should I do about it? Do you recommend to prune suckers from plants? How about any kind …
Using Bat Guano
Hello Dave!I’m on the horns of a dilemma. This year I bought bat guano, as usual, to fertilize my pepper plants. When doing so they said that they had two different kinds, one from Mexican bats (which had a higher nitrogen content), and the other domestic bat guano, which has a nutrient ratio of 3-8-1. I opted for the latter …
Scorched baccatum Pods
Q. Dear Dave,Have you noticed in growing C. baccatum any sun scorching on the pods? This summer I grew C. baccatum for the first time. I planted seeds of the ’Aji Limon’ variety and early on had them in full sun. As the first pods started to develop I noticed that they began to get sun scorched quite easily. After …
Self-Incompatible Rocotos
Q. Dear Dave:Well, I notice that the rocoto has problems self-pollinating. I have one on order from the Chili-gal (seedling to be shipped to Louisiana in May,) but should I order another for proper fruiting? Thanks,Primo A. Hello Primo:Rocotos are self-incompatible, meaning that they cannot self-pollinate. The pollen must be transferred, usually by insects, from the flower of another plant. I …
When to Pick
Q: Hello Dave!I just had a question. How do I know when to pick the fruit from my Jalapeno plant? I noticed one pepper this morning for the first time! I don’t want to pick them too soon or too late. Thanks!Chris Sever A: Hello Chris:You can start picking them green when they are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches …