RE: [CH] Cuttings from chile plants
McWilliams, Robert C. CPT--504MI (MCWILLIAMSR@hood-emh3.army.mil)
Tue, 5 May 1998 12:28:31 -0500
Your comment sparked a question for this novice gardener. Any
suggestions for aphid control? I'd prefer to go the organic route, but
failing that, chemicals aren't out of the realm of possibilities.
I've also been monitoring the conversations on heat vs taste, and concur
that heat is fine, but not at the expense of flavor. Habs seem to be
the pepper of choice among Chile-Heads. While I'm able to tolerate
their heat, it's certainly uncomfortable. Am I just a C-H wannabe, or
do habs come in a variety of levels on the Scoville scale?
Rob
> ----------
> From: Brent Thompson[SMTP:brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com]
> Reply To: Brent Thompson
> Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 1998 10:16 AM
> To: Dale.Freeman@dofa.gov.au
> Cc: chile-heads@hplbct.hpl.hp.com
> Subject: Re: [CH] Cuttings from chile plants
>
> > Any of you out there had much success with taking cuttings from
> chiles?
>
> Sure. Works fine. YMMV, but my experience has been that the
> percentage of
> cuttings that strike roots decreases considerably as the temperatures
> drop.
> So, for example, if chile cuttings are just stuck into a glass of
> water in
> the kitchen at room temperature, maybe 50-75% will strike (and mostly
> within 2-3 weeks) during height of Summer, but maybe only 25% will
> strike
> (and mostly taking more than a month) during early Fall. (And worse
> success rates could be expected doing it during winter.) Under these
> conditions, treating the cuttings with rooting hormone before sticking
> them
> into the glass of water seems to have only minimal beneficial effect.
>
> My best results have come from treating the cuttings with rooting
> hormone,
> sticking them into little pots filled with potting soil, and keeping
> them
> under bright light in a 24-hour-per day high humidity/high temperature
> (like 90 degrees F) environment. Under these conditions, I would
> expect
> most of them to strike, and mostly within two weeks or so. Of course
> the
> down side is that the inevitable aphids will explode at the 4-week
> mark and
> make the newly developed foliage completely disappear. :-(
>
> --- Brent
>