[Grubbypaws]

My Padron chillies now have tiny fruits. How often should I be watering and feeding them now?

[JayG]

Usual advice is to feed with tomato fertiliser, but less often than you would tomatoes, and overall less water too (i.e. let the compost almost dry out between waterings/feeding.)

That regime seems to work for me - my over-wintered cayenne peppers are now ripening their second flush of chillies of the year in my spare bedroom. 

[mattwragg94]

yep i do the same as jay too, i.e. let the compost dry out a little then water and feed, and my chilli's always do well, also if you let the compost dry out a little before picking the chillis it intensify's the heat of them. 

[galen]

Although certain chilli varieties actually produce hotter fruits when well watered! As with most growing there is no size fits all 

[DoubleDigger]

I grew Diablo last year.  Beautiful looking plants...pretty as a picture, covered in tiny little Chili's.

They were so good, we gave some plants away as presents to our 'Chilli' loving friends.

The Chilli's sent us into something akin to 'toxic' shock they were so hot ! Inedible for us & everyone we gave them to.

We are now off several Christmas card lists ! 

I think I may have messed up again this year, the Catalogue I bought my seed from says this years 'pick' are 'sweet & strong' another says they are "Hot!!!"  Plants are great again, 2' tall, fairly stout & just starting to flower, having been topped out a few weeks ago.

Best not give any away this year

[Lawrence]

Diablo sounds great! where did you get the seed from?

[DoubleDigger]

Diablo sounds great! where did you get the seed from?

Unusually, although I didn't use all the seed, I have thrown the packet/remnants away.  I can't recall the company, but they came "off the Shelf" from a decent Nursery / Garden Centre, so it wan't an obscure company, one of the usual Thompson & Morgan / Suttons etc.  Most references to 'Diablo' are to a long sweet 'horn' type Pepper & it certainly wasn't that.  It may be the El Diablo which is a XXX hot.  This is a picture of the remnants that hung in the Conservatory looking 'pretty' (lethal  ) all winter & has been refusing to rot in the garden since !

The Chilli's are 2cm long.....& still full of seed - so, if it isn't a hybrid & you want some either for this year or next I will gladly send you some !   They're a bit damp, but they may self-ignite once they dry out 

[Grubbypaws]

What is going on? Some of my Padron peppers are forming fruit and then dropping off when still tiny.

They are inside with temperature controlled so it is not the cold and wet. Could it just be low light levels?

[Grubbypaws]

I think it was the green fly. It seems to have stopped now.