How To Grow Your Own Chilies

Chili growing has become a gardening trend these days. The cuisines worldwide use chili peppers in everything that they make. Though the secret of chili growing was not known to people and so hardly anyone showed interest on chili growing. Today chili growing has become easy and chili growers find it full of fun.

1 – Germinating Chili Plants
The first thing needed here are some chili seeds from a healthy chili plant. This can be bought from a garden shop or the favorite chili species can be saved to plant later. Germination of the seeds requires much effort and this is a very sensitive phase for the young shoots. The seeds need to be planted in regular compost and the seedlings should be placed 3mm below the soil. While watering the young shoots, be careful not to pour water directly but use a spray. The moisture might dry up and so it is wise to place a plastic bag over the seed tray. As soon as both the root and shoot appear, plant the seedlings in a separate pot.

2 – Early growth of chili plants
When the shoots have formed green leaves, their main requirement is light and the need to get a lot of sunlight. At this phase, growth takes place frequently and so lack of sunshine will make the plants have less leaves and look spindly. Such a plant has no balance to withstand wind. If it becomes tough to introduce sunlight, artificial lighting methods must be implemented for the plants.

The domestic fluorescent lights work fine and it saves a lot of money. The plants need to be kept under light for at least 12 hours. The fluorescent lights give off a particular spectrum of light which is ideal for the young chili plants.

3 – Maturing pants through to fruit
Now as the 2 main phases are complete, you need to wait to reap the rewards of your hard work! There is a common problem with all mature chili plants. They do not pollinate easily and some flowers fall off early and so do not allow the setting of fruit. You can take a paint brush and rub gently over the flowers for pollination to take place. This should be done everyday and soon you can expect to see some fruits.

The roots must never be left exposed to the sun, wind and heat. This happens when we remove the young shoots and plant one after another. The first few weeks need much monitoring as the new plants are sensitive and wind might shift them from their original position. If you have planted a transplant, you need to water them everyday. The young shoots need much nurturing and so you might have to water twice a day if the weather is too hot. If the plant is large and there are fewer roots according to the top growth ratio, this means that the chili plant needs more water. Make sure the young chili plants are not uprooted as it might affect on the type of chili you get than the type you were expecting to get.

Author Bio: The best chili recipes in the world

Category: Gardening
Keywords: chili recipes,chili recipe

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