[CH] C. pubescens

Cameron Begg (begg.4@osu.edu)
Fri, 20 Aug 1999 08:49:36 -0500 

Hi C-H's,

I wrote this reply to Tony Flynn's question, but thought some of you 
might also find it useful.

Tony's rocoto:
>
>The problem is what do I do with it next? It is still too cold to go
>outside for at least another month or more. Should I plant it out then
>or should I leave it in the pot. Another option is to plant it complete
>with pot into the garden?

A plant that big (1.5m) should be in at least a four (Imp.) or five 
(US) gal container. I do not plant mine out. A suitable potting 
mixture for moving it up to a larger container would be a good 
draining but moisture retaining mixture. Ask your horticultural 
Hell's Angels (his local dope growing supplies shop) for something 
made of top soil, rotted manure and sand. A sheet of newspaper in the 
bottom of the container will allow it to drain slowly, and give the 
mixture time to absorb lots of liquid.

Now to your particular case. Rocotos do not need continuous bright 
sunshine. They will do very well in partial shade. Also I suspect 
that your pals were a bit heavy handed with the fertilisers. I have 
noticed a great variation in the way different varieties of these 
plants respond to fertilisers. My method is, during the growing 
season, to water them every time I water with a very dilute tomato 
fertiliser. If you buy some, you will find a formula on the label for 
pot grown plants, likely at a rate of around a half teaspoon per 
gallon. To fertilise the flowers you will need suitable insect 
vectors or patient work with a small artist's type paint brush and a 
magnifying glass. Don't be surprised to get no fruit set (or even 
flowers) the first year.These guys need a well established root 
system. Towards the end of Summer cut back to just using water, only 
switching back to the dilute fertiliser solution if the leaves start 
to yellow slightly. This is to encourage fruit development instead of 
vegetative growth. In the Winter, just use water. Don't be afraid to 
trim them severely, just leaving enough healthy leaves to get them 
through till Spring. I try to never expose mine to temperatures below 
45degF (7degC).

---
                      Regards,               Cameron.