[abefroman]

Has anyone had success with exotic peppers?

Indian PC-1, Chocolate habenero, etc?

I tried growing these the last few years with no success, the plants, would grow, but never any peppers.

Got any tips?

I read somewhere the special nutrients are needed for the plant to flower and then the pepper grows from the flower, is that true? And if so, what nuetrients do I need?

[Dillbert]

I rarely have any issue with peppers or tomatoes - but this year was -save for the banana peppers - a real bust.

peppers have very similar requirements to tomatoes - full sun, well drained soil, slightly acidic preferred, constant even (root) moisture. copious amounts of mulching helps with the consistent moisture need.

being in FL, I doubt you've got a "heavy clay concrete soil" issue - but the moisture situation is aggravated.

uneven moisture can cause blossom drop - they bloom, blooms fade & fall off, no fruit.
too much nitrogen / fertilizer can produce lush green growth and not much fruit....

[abefroman]

Originally Posted by Dillbert

I rarely have any issue with peppers or tomatoes - but this year was -save for the banana peppers - a real bust.

peppers have very similar requirements to tomatoes - full sun, well drained soil, slightly acidic preferred, constant even (root) moisture. copious amounts of mulching helps with the consistent moisture need.

being in FL, I doubt you've got a "heavy clay concrete soil" issue - but the moisture situation is aggravated.

uneven moisture can cause blossom drop - they bloom, blooms fade & fall off, no fruit.
too much nitrogen / fertilizer can produce lush green growth and not much fruit....

Thanks! My garden is actually in in the Chicago area, do you recommend starting the peppers inside?

[Dillbert]

for Chicago, in a word, yes.

in climates with a moderate season, things like
tomato
pepper
celery
leeks
cabbage
brussel sprouts
melons
broccoli
cauliflower
cabbage
<and stuff I've probably missed>
are all candidates for starter plants indoors.

peas
beans - pretty much any type
corn

all benefit from a 24 hour water soak prior to direct seeding - gets the germination going and the seeds will sprout much faster with less risk of rotting in cold soil.

depending on the available "conditions" - starting things extra early can be not good - once a plant has put out a couple pairs of leaves, it needs the absolute maximum (early season) sunlight available. a "sunny windowsill" may not be sufficient. started too early plants can get "leggy" or "spindly" and in fact get a bit "stunted" from inadequate sunlight.

[renhoek]

I've always had good luck growing peppers outdoors in tubs. It allows me to control the soil, nutrients, watering, drainage etc much better. I also use a deep watering system to get water and fertiliser down to the roots.

Mind you, where I live is a different climate from Chicago. Actually, the biggest problem I've had with peppers is stopping the possums from eating the leaves and blossoms.

[L2T]

Has anyone had success with exotic peppers?

Yes. Start indoors 8 weeks (at least) before last frost in your zone. A 1-2-1 ratio blend fertilizer works well. I use MiracleGro 15-30-15 in my container garden at 1/2 recommended strength with great success. Where you are located makes a huge difference as to success of various species/varieties of capsicums.

jt

[KYHeirloomer]

I'm not sure what you mean by "exotic." There are five species of domesticated capsicums, and, with the possible exception of C. pubescens, you should be able to grow any of them with little trouble in the Chicago area. The pubescens might require special handling.

Many peppers can be slow to germinate, taking as much as 28 days. But, in general, you want to start them, indoors, 8 to 10 weeks before last frost in your area. They also benefit from bottom heat until they germinate. Most of them, particularly the C. annuums (which are the most common), should germinate in 7-10 days.

Once transplanted, consistent watering is one of the keys to success. Peppers suffer from a feast-or-famine watering schedule, so should be watered on a regular basis.

Sometimes, peppers will go into a sort of dormancy during the height of the summer. The don't die, but they don't grow, either. Then, in late August, with cooling night temperatures, they suddenly take off again. This tends to be more of a problem with sweet peppers, though, like the various bells.

BTW, peppers are a perenial that we usually grow as an annual. You can take them indoors and grow them under lights through the winter, if you desire. I have a friend who's maintained one plant for more than six years that way.

Chocolate Hab is a hybrid, so I can't help you with that, as I don't grow hybrids. But I can't see that culturing it would be any different than an open pollinated variety.

Indian PC-1 was much touted by the folks at Redwood City Seeds as "the hottest pepper in the world." But they use their own scale, not recognized by anyone else, and not nearly as discriminating as the Scoville. I grew it once, and, frankly, was underwhelmed. It just doesn't live up to its hype.

"....the pepper grows from the flower, is that true?"

That's true about all fruits and vegetables. The flower is actually the plant's ovary. Once pollinated, the fruit develops from it. Peppers, indeed, all the solanceae, have perfect flowers. This means each flower contains both male and female reproductive organs, and the flowers are self-pollinating. Because of that, it's relatively easy to maintain seed purity even when you can't separate varieties by distance.

[LuvPie]

Peppers I can grow like Jalepeno's and bells. But that's it. They look like they should but all taste exactly the same as eachother.
I hear you have to shock them with not a lot of water and a fair amount of heat outside, but not overwatering, and it's hot here, hasn't helped. I also heard to light a regular match, blow it out and put it down in the soil where the seeds will go and that helps them to do something due to the suphur in it or something, didn't work either.