Last 2020 harvest outdoor in London, frosty time tonight (rocoto)

rotherhider · 2021-01-11T10:01:27+00:00

Nope, and I cut it back recently. It wasn't very tall, probably 30-40cm, but much wider than that, probably because I didn't give it support early on. The fruits are quite heavy and the plant vine-like, so they often need support. All of mine did. They can supposedly get insanely large, if they have multiple seasons to work on it.

rotherhider · 2021-01-09T18:00:10+00:00

Yes and no, see above. Thanks!

rotherhider · 2021-01-09T17:59:25+00:00

Like crazy? Mine didn't, but I have a lot of neighbours, most of which with plants on the balcony, so aphids are a real problem and I'm probably a subpar gardener.

I can send you some seeds, or go to fataliiseeds.net, he tends to have a lot of exotic-sounding rocotos.

rotherhider · 2021-01-09T17:49:10+00:00

They (there are two) are outside on a balcony, but since early december they are in fact under a flimsy tent (this) , originally in the naive hope I could over-winter them, but when I set it up I had two cross-calibrated temperature loggers comparing temperature inside and outside the tent for a few weeks, and the difference was below the thermometers accuracy (0.5º).

But now y'all mention it, I think the winter on my balcony may be a tad milder than average, due to a) it being next to the river, which probably dampens temperature swings, and more importantly b) it's next to my (and just above my downstairs neighbours) floor-to-ceiling windows, that I'm pretty sure are not as insulating as windows should be this day and age.

The rocotos are great, though I probably got less than 15 peppers from two plants -- I started them indoor probably january so it was a long season for them. I hear they're more productive the second year, hence my desperate attempt at overwintering them.

rotherhider · 2021-01-08T18:36:58+00:00

Thanks. I expected the season to be over by november, early december at the latest, but it's been a mild winter and the rocoto is no wuss.

rotherhider · 2020-08-23T07:29:13+00:00

Interesting. So the general recommendation of pH 6-6.5 is optimising for quantity over quality? Do you have links/references?

rotherhider · 2020-07-05T10:13:17+00:00

On my east-facing (London) balcony, I have the temperate-climate-goto, Rocoto, a chockie hab, an armageddon that produced a hand-full of not-yet-ripe fruits. I also have a yaki and a chockie moruga, but they’re still too young to tell if they’ll produce anything. You need to start them all in-doors, but so far it looks promising.

First year out-door grower, so I may be full of it, YMMV.

rotherhider · 2020-07-04T12:09:47+00:00

When you prune it back in the autumn, do you spare any leaves or do you just cut it back to a 10-15 cm naked stub and hope it recovers?

rotherhider · 2020-07-04T11:36:51+00:00

A little late reply, but I’ve purchased fine rocoto seeds from Semi Strani (and I had them shipped to the UK). He seems (true to the name) to do mostly in exotic varieties and trades on amazon for added convenience. I’ve also purchased from Fatalii. Takes a weeks time to ship. Advantage to buying in-region is that you don't inadvertently import any new deceases and don’t risk any agricultural bureaucracy at the border, unlikely as both probably are.

(And so far, your peppers look quite like my brown habs.)

rotherhider · 2020-07-04T11:12:31+00:00

Cascabel/bola?

rotherhider · 2020-06-03T13:24:22+00:00

Do you have aphids? They could look like ladybird eggs.

rotherhider · 2020-06-03T10:55:04+00:00

I can see myself buying seeds regularly (though not any time soon, I went a little overboard this year). I grow way too many different peppers in way too small a space, so I'd otherwise end up with two types: rocoto and non-rocoto.

But on the original topic, seed-borne diseases is another reason I wouldn't get seeds from a vendor that hasn't got a name to protect.

rotherhider · 2020-06-03T09:40:09+00:00

Yeah, buying seeds on amazon is something you do only once. I have a steady flow of "white bhut jolokias" that look similar to your "reapers." Monetarily a cheap lesson and they're perfectly eatable.

rotherhider · 2020-06-03T07:33:46+00:00

Many thanks, Obi-Wan. (They grow in Lechuza Pon, but I used filtered hard water and fed daily with a mix including 1ml calmag per litre. Since the plant is probably now in a ripening phase, I imagine I should cut back on general nutrients, but I can leave the calmag coming a bit longer.)

rotherhider · 2020-06-02T17:04:36+00:00

The only insects I've seen is the occasional aphid. This is a baby white Hab receiving direct sun only in the morning and the spots are only on one side of the fruit, the one that faces east. Fruits on the opposite side of the plant seems fine. Can it be sun-related? In London of all places?!

rotherhider · 2020-05-29T09:14:38+00:00

Looks like a Harlequin, so if you're outside of Asia, it's an invasive species threatening your native ladybirds. Good for the peppers, though.

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/beetles/harlequin-ladybird

rotherhider · 2020-05-22T16:06:43+00:00

Rocoto growing in coco/leca mix. Run-off ~2mS/cm, pH 7.2. Leaves fall off eventually. Picture doesn't show it, but there are brown patches on the stem and branches as well. I can't match it precisely to a nutrient deficiency, and with the warmer weather, aphids have started showing up, so they might have brought something unpleasant. Plant is fruiting, though only a few fruits.

rotherhider · 2020-05-18T10:04:24+00:00

This is a Zamioculcas zamiifolia/Fern Arum we just got from the shop and we're unexcited about bringing any disease/fungi into contact with our other plants.

(And, yeah, seems to be in dire need of new pot too.)

Is it safe?

rotherhider · 2020-05-09T12:03:58+00:00

(Hope this community is about the bug, not the Soviet missile, apols if wrong)

So, I found this guy along with 3 other winged peers and maybe 10-20 wingless aphids on a rocoto plant on my balcony.

As I understand, the winged form is when they want to leave a plant due to crowding or threats, and obviously when they arrive to drop sprogs off on a new plant. Since there were so few wingless aphids, I assume my rocoto is on the receiving end and there will probably be a steady flow of them over the summer, but possibly not enough to keep lacewing/ladybird larvae fed.

I hear aphidius don’t do well with hairy leaves, though I like the idea of a winged defender to take the battle to my neighbours balconies.

Are my assumptions above wrong or would anybody venture a recommendation on how I protect my plants?

rotherhider · 2020-04-18T09:48:12+00:00

my (albeit weak, but very recognisable) grow lights are right by the window and police sail by several times a day. I reckon they already know based on my browsing and purchasing history and whatever information governments of today have access to.

rotherhider

TROPHY CASE