[CH] Hello to all and more..

MidNight RamBler (nkal@hol.gr)
Thu, 26 Feb 1998 01:20:08 +0200 

Hello to all,

I'm a new member, abt a moth now, and of course I'm pretty excited to see 
that there are chile addicts all over the world.

Well, here are the topics:

1) I ordered seeds from Tough Love Chile Co. 
   Jam Scotch Bon.
   Car. Red Hab
   Charleston Cayenne
   Jalapenos
   Piquin
   Tabasco
   Orange Hab
   Red Hab
   Thai Hot
   Early Scotch Bon.
   Santo Cillantro
   Leisure Cillantro
   Toma Verde Tomatillos
   Veeroma Tomatoes
   Starfire Tomatoes

   Within a month from sending my money order I already had seedlings looking
   at the sun. (not affiliated etc.. just a happy customer..great prices too )
   
   Planted 3 of each except from ESB's (2) , L.Cill (2) ,S. Cill (2),
   tomatillos (2) and tomatoes (none).
   
   Germination time is 8 days for most of them.
   Then comes 7 days and then 9 and 10 days .

   Germination rate 27/35
   
   First tomatillo came on the 5th day !!! and the 2nd the 9th...(?)
   Day six was for rest and on the 7th day there was light..ehhmm...the CRH
   I mean :)

   The Thai hot was the most stubern (sp?), day 10 the first and still waiting
   for the others. Also only 1/3 JSB's but I followed my own method which 
   I'm sure is to blame for the zombies I found when I transplanted them 
   in pots today (day 11)

   Method (just for the record) :

   Aluminum "foil" "bed" 23x30x5 cm or aprx 9x12x2 inches
   Sawed 7x5=35 seeds like this

   s.cil 8  tomatillo 9 esb * charl 9 rh  8
   s.cil 7  tomatillo 5 esb 7 charl 9 rh  8
   l.cil 7  l.cil     * piq 8 jal   7 oh  9
   tab   8  piq       7 piq 7 jal   7 oh  8
   rh    8  crh       * tab 8 jsb   7 crh 7
   jal   *  oh        8 tab 8 jsb   * crh 8
   thot  10 charl     9 jsb * thot  * thot *

 It seems I overwatered occasionally some areas (jsb & th hot areas) and/or
 the water somehow travelled to the sides..anywayz ... the zombies I found
 today were left in the soil just out of curiosity of what they 'll do..

 Preparation:
 Cut a few rows in the bottom of the bed. Filled with soil and poured lukewarm
 water to warm it a bit. After making holes with a scredriver and putting
 the seeds in covered the holes with dry soil and tapped lightly. Then the
 bed was put under a lamp with moderate heat just to keep things a bit on the
 warm side. The lamp was about 10" above the bed. Each morning I placed the bed
 *behind*  a sunny window to make it warm as deep as possible.
 In the afternoon the bed was brought back in the living room :) behind the
 sofa. I watered almost everyday with a syringe :) mostly areas that seemed 
 dry. One time I forgot the lamp a little closer to the center of the bed and
 the soil seemed *pretty* hot when I remembered to check it. I thought I
 would get chipotles :) but they survived ok as you can see on the chart.
 Maybe because it lasted only for an hour or so.

2)
I live in an appartment and now I have 27 seedlings(hmm.. dwarf seedlings
actually)
Suppose I manage to grow all of them ok and I give some to friends etc and
keep as many as possible in the porch, I still will have way too many to spare.

What should I do with them, I certainly can't kill them. Anyone ever tried to
eat a chile plant? :)))) Any  recipes? Maybe fill the trunk with soil and put
a few in there? Maybe buy a cabrio and put even more there? Anything but waste
them.

3) Since our climate (Greece) is pretty warm and chiles can survive the winter
  with minor precautions:
  - what happens to a chile *fruit* that results from cross-pollination?
    I mean what happens to a hab for example that gets cross-pol from a jal?
    I guess the fruit is a pure hab except from the seeds right?

  - What happens now if the plant survives winter and gets cross-pol again?
    I guess the same as above right? (stupid qustion but just making sure)


4) Can one actually make a mini chile plant eg Hab by growing it in a smaller
   pot and doing all the cutting etc needed? I don't mean a bonzai, just have
   a smaller plant that produces fruits normally and doesn't die easily.
   Will the fruit number,size, pungency be affected? 

5) Almost forgot!
   One of my Orange Habs has been born with three (3) seed leaves!!
   Is this normal or will it grow teeth and eat me alive?


If you actually read this far , and actually understood all I said, then you
sure are a brave chilehead..

Cheers

Nikos Kalofolias
nkal@hol.gr

PS: What is the worst thing that can happen to a CH? 
    Doctor said no spicy/hot food for 15 days :(((((( 
    Lesson learned: Don't ever go to the doctor.