Concerned About My Ghost Pepper

[Trickerie]

Hey All,

I received this ghost pepper a few months ago, and am concerned about it. It's been getting chilly at night a few times a week and noticed, while my plant is producing a ton of fruit, the leaves are yellowing and falling off quite a bit. Does it need to be transferred to a bigger pot? I snapped a crappy pic, but you can see what I'm talking about I hope.

[img]https://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh532/Mark_Torsiello/D6AECD6D-6C18-4511-AF4F-C3206E2E0F6F-729-00000105524717BA.jpg[/img]

Thanks,

Mark

[rainbowgardener]

How chilly is chilly? (or how chilly is the chili? )

I don't grow ghost peppers, but by reputation, they are the least cold tolerant pepper; they like lots of heat and humidity. You could try bringing yours in for the winter.

[Trickerie]

Its been hitting 40's and 50's at night (South Florida... thats chilly to me!). Bringing it inside would be great, but I have no where to put it where it would receive sufficient light. So, I'm stuck outside

[ElizabethB]

Keep in mind that peppers are generally grown as annuals even in Florida. I live 20 miles from the Tobasco farm and processing plant. At this time of year they are working the fields and preparing for next years crop. Harvest and dry some of the seeds. You can start the seeds in a window in January/February and transplant outside March/April.

I have never aquired a taste for ghost peppers. Too hot for my system. I stick to jalapeno and cayenne peppers. Even then I go easy on the cayenne.

BTW - if you protect it from frost and don't forget to water occasionally your plant may survive even if it loses it's leaves and stops producing.

[Trickerie]

Thank you for the advice guys. I definitely planned on harvesting some seeds and starting some plants for the up coming year For now, I hope my plant makes it through the winter! Would a mulch cover help at all?

[ElizabethB]

Your winters are so mild it should be fine outside. If frost is predicted or even a mild freeze you can bring it in for the night or cover it with an old sheet. Don't forget to uncover it in the morning.

[rainbowgardener]

Most peppers are typically grown as annuals, even though they are actually tender perennials. However the ghost pepper is somewhat an exception to that, because it can be very slow to set the first fruit. In much of the US (not so much Florida), if you started it from seed in January, transplant it outside, grow it all spring and summer, you might be getting your first fruit about the time it is time to trash it due to frost.

Or at least that is their reputation. Like I said, I don't have personal experience with them.

[applestar]

You might bring it inside just for the night when it's in the 40's. Otherwise, the plant would stop producing and might even go dormant.

To keep inside 24 hrs -- I use clamp on utility light with 26W daylight CFL as supplemental light for many of my winter container plants inside. They are usually available in automotive section of Walmart and Target type big stores as well as big box hardware stores. I also have purchased chicken brooder lights with wire cage cover (which I remove) from feed stores that serves the same purpose. All come in variety diameter of aluminum reflectors -- 10" or bigger works best. I turn them on from sunup until bedtime (around 16 hrs).

[applestar]

Oh! Just found the thread I was thinking about when I read this thread.
You might find this relevant/informative
[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30955]Perennial hot peppers - natural seasonal lifecycle?[/url]