[CH] A few things...
Jonathan Smillie (jts6811@earthlink.net)
Sat, 2 Jun 2001 17:50:18 -0400 (EDT)
First of all: Brad, thanks for the chile scans. The medium-sized one makes a perfect wallpaper for my desktop...
Second: need some advice on transplanting. I am an apartment-dweller in Louisville, Kentucky, and am restricted to pot gardening (no, no- I meant plants IN pots...) . I have three chile plants, all seedlings this spring- one red habanero, one Thai, and one cayenne. Currently, all three share a window box where they get the full afternoon sun. The habanero is no more than 2" tall, though putting out numerous new leaves; the Thai has already produced three chiles varying in length from 1/2" to 11/2" and has a number of new blossoms; and the cayenne is sprouting flowers but no chiles yet. The cayenne and Thai are each about 5-6" tall.
My question here- I suspect each of these might do better individually potted. However, I'm concerned about trauma, especially to the two which are blossoming/setting fruit. Any advice on making the transition to individual pots as painless as possible? Or if leaving them alone right now is best, that too...?
Third: somewhat OT, but also on gardening. I have another pot plant, a sweet basil my parents gave me, in a 12" diameter pot. It sits on my front porch, which faces west, and gets a good 3-4 hours of direct sun. However, this plant (and the other two my parents bought it with) were rather tall and spindly, and since I've had this one the lower leaves have yellowed and withered, while the top has attempted (twice) to seed; in each case I've nipped it off. Overall, it's somewhat sickly-looking and doesn't seem inclined to produce too much in the way of new foliage- would I be better off with a fresh seedling or two and just harvest what I can of this one? Or can it be saved?
Thanks,
Jonathan