Tuesday 27 October 2015

Chillies doing great !

           My chilli plants don't just pose for me, they give me harvests too...
These are the local, thin and long hot variety.

My chilli plants are mostly growing in 12"- 6" earthen pots. The potting mix is equal parts of soil and vermi compost with some neem cake powder thrown in to arrest fungal infections. I have about eight plants planted in succession. Three of them are fruiting now and the rest are in various stages of flowering. A couple of them had started off with leaf curl at the tips. I just pinch off the tips. This helps both in arresting the leaf curl and promoting lateral shoots. Leaf curl is a common problem with chillies/peppers. It's caused by either pests, viral infections or even environmental stress. Spraying neem oil or other effective organic sprays, adding neem cake powder and egg shell powder to the potting mix to arrest infection and to provide calcium (A vital nutrient for peppers) also helps. Thankfully, I haven't had to deal with major leaf curl or pest problems with my chillies. Touch wood, pinching off the tips has been enough for me till now.

The tender soft morning light, the fresh green of the chillies and the even fresher green of the turmeric leaves in the background, tempted me to spend some enchanting moments with my chilli plants. That sure fuelled me for the day and also gifted me some lovely chillies...















































































































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