I have a theory; don't laugh. It's my belief that if you under-water your peppers, you get super hot ones; if you over-water them, you get less heat.garden5 wrote:I too have heard that peppers that grow in hotter, dryer climates have more heat than peppers that grow in cooler, wetter ones.
I've been under-watering my Super Chilies this year. I put them in the window boxes at the front base of two of my 5 x 5 raised beds. Generally, I put flowers there, but this year I wanted to experiment with these little ornamentals instead. I have five pepper plants crammed together in each 1' x 5' window box. They're out by the sidewalk and easy to forget about. Whenever I do chance to remember them, poking a finger at their soil, it is as dry as a bone
The other day ago, I asked the neighbor's grandson, a hot pepper aficionado, to do a taste test for me. Because I prefer a mild pepper, I didn't want to take a chance on these peppers, which are on the hot side of medium heat normally. He took one bite, chewed for a split second and ran for the house with Grandma and his mother yelling at him to get milk.
I think my neighbor will speak to me again once the memory has faded. I do know I kept telling the kid to throw the rest away. The last time I saw him, he was holding half a Super Chile aloft as his mother drove him away. I suspect a friend, um, ate the rest.
Anyway, after decades of growng hot peppers, having dud years and five-alarm years, I really believe watering has an influence on heat level
