Sunday 15 January 2017

Chilli pepper update - Decorating reservoirs

All my peppers are doing well and starting to take over every window. As they get bigger they start to empty there reservoirs quicker and quicker. As I have mentioned in the blog before I will be using poly-boxes for multiple plants as larger reservoirs once they go outside. In the mean time someone on http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/ forum (which I am now a posting member of, Hi guys) suggested using 2l bottles as bigger reservoirs. Luckily the pots I have spent a fortune on, when I have plenty of old pots, fit perfectly into both pint glasses AND 2l bottles. As they get much wider at the top. This makes me feel not so bad about buying so many of them just to have uniform plants.
Two Capsicum rhomboideum in my old (or now my beginner) reservoirs.

Capsicum pubescens "Mini rocoto" in new larger 2l bottle reservoir.

This has worked very well and saved me a lot of watering. The one issue with this (highlighted by some of the peeps on the forum) is that the clear reservoirs mean you can unwanted algae growth in the water/nutes. This was never really much of an issue in the cups as they would drain in a week or less and not have time to grow much algae. Now using the larger 2l bottles this could become more of a problem.

I decided I would use wrapping paper (lots left over after Christmas) to make sleeves to go over all my 2l bottle plants. Also one of my overwintered Aji lemon is one of the few plants in a different sized pot so wouldn't fit in a 2l bottle, so  I needed to find something with a slightly more narrow opening. luckily i found a vase that it fitted perfectly which holds even more than the 2l bottles.

Rocoto large red, Aji lemon, and Turbo pube in there new decorated reservoirs.

I was really pleased with how these turned out and will be making lots more.

This week I also decided to install a reservoir for my over-wintered second year Red Rocoto. It wasn't growing much and always seemed dry. I used polystyrene to make a "collar" to make the flower bucket its in sit nicely on top of a large ex-salt bucket. I hope this kick starts my Red rocoto as i would love a bumper crop this year, as I enjoy cooking with them.
2nd year Rocoto

That's all folks! Stay tuned for more updates. I have cut back my colt coral some more so the marine aquarium looks very different I will be sure to post an update soon. I am also currently finalizing my list of Capsicum annuums that I will be growing and of course there is all the pepper relatives that I am in the process of starting. 
Happy growing!

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