#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  Growing C. chinense and Jalapenos in LOS

## Grower

I've been growing for about a year now; 5 varieties of C. chinense and 1 annum (Jalapeño).
Since the cooler weather has arrived with the rainy season, 2 of my red and 4 of my orange Habaneros have podded up nicely; 100+ as of today. My Jalapenos are just starting to flower, so they're a bit behind the rest. 
Is anyone else growing out there? I'd be interested to hear your experience with these peppers. Cheers.

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## Humbert

Cheers and I hope your green thumb serves you well. Anybody know how to pickle jalapenos like the Old El Paso bottled variety on the shelves here?

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## hillbilly

My Jalapenos did the same thing and then withered. I continue to try but not having much luck.

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## Grower

Try this; it's great for cucumbers. I haven't harvested any Jalapenos yet, but this is the recipe I'll use when I do.

Semi-Sweet Pickled-Sliced Jalapenos (Cold Pack)

1-1/2 Liter Jar (plus or minus)
10-20 Jalapenos-sliced
¼ tsp. Celery seed
½ tsp. Coriander seed
¼ tsp. Caraway seed (optional)
½ tsp. Black pepper corns
1 tblsp. Salt
12 tblsp. (heaping) Raw sugar (important)
Optional;
Whole Garlic to taste (recommended)
Onion slices halved
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slice Jalapenos into approximately 3mm thick slices (or to taste) and fill the jar. Add sugar (I recommend dissolving the sugar in a little hot water) and salt and the rest of the spices.
Fill the jar 2/3 full of vinegar of choice (I like Kewpie Jasmine Rice vinegar) and the rest of the jar with water.
Stir and put on the lid and put in the refrigerator. Wait at least a couple of days (a week is ideal) before trying. At that point you can add more sugar if you want them sweeter.

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## Grower

> My Jalapenos did the same thing and then withered. I continue to try but not having much luck.


Where are you? Thailand is a real challenge to grow Habaneros and Jalapenos, especially if one is in central Thailand as I am.

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## hillbilly

I have tried growing peppers in a pot in BKK and sowing a few seeds up at our resort. Nothing so far. Here in BKK the peppers start to show and then just die away.

I pride myself on having a green thumb but these plants have got me stumped. Would love to see a pictoral thread from Grower about the ins and outs. Hint...

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## Grower

> I have tried growing peppers in a pot in BKK and sowing a few seeds up at our resort. Nothing so far. Here in BKK the peppers start to show and then just die away.
> 
> I pride myself on having a green thumb but these plants have got me stumped. Would love to see a pictoral thread from Grower about the ins and outs. Hint...


Go to my blog; Growing Habaneros and Jalapenos in Thailand

I just started the Jalapenos, so they're about 2 months from producing. But my Habs are going strong at this point. I'm growing mostly in pots, but I've got 5 plants in the ground also.
Anyway, my blog is all about growing C. chinense (Habs, Bhuts, and Nagas) and Jalapenos here in LOS. Cheers.

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## Grower

Here's an update for any interested parties; I've got 2 orange Habanero pods turning color. This just started this afternoon. Here's some pics;









At this time I've got many plants (chinense) with pods (well over 100), which should be ripening over the next few weeks. Cheers.

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## Grower

Harvested My First Orange Habanero Pod:
The thing I learned today is that I'm out of shape; I ate 1/4 of the pod with a full placental rib. *It was bloody hot!* It's been about 8 years since I'd eaten an orange Habanero due to their lack of availability here. I had eaten some fried rice an hour or two earlier but it still hit my stomach fairly hard, but no problem. The flavor was just as I remembered, which is why I like Habaneros so much.
The burn lasted about 6 minutes and set off some endorphens which was nice, very nice. I don't normally eat raw pods by themselves; I usually make a salsa, put them on pizza, or in a dish like chili con carne.
Anyway, it put a big smile on my face; it appears I've got a good crop. 
Here's a pic;



Cheers.

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## grasshopper

Great thread to keep looking at. I tried to post a comment on the extreme action to save the plant thread and couldnt. i dont have any of those addresses, for want
of a better term. But it was interestsing and I might take that step with my ailing birdseye chilli here in Oz. Maybe I need to repot, is all?

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## Pol the Pot

Where did you get the seed? Are they available in Thailand or do you get them sent from the US?

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## Grower

> Where did you get the seed? Are they available in Thailand or do you get them sent from the US?


I don't know of any place here in Thailand that carries any C. chinense seeds.
Actually a friend sent them to me from England (South Devon Chili Farm), but I know a seed company in Australia that is first rate (good, true seeds). Contact Neil from The Hippy Seed Company;
http://www.thehippyseedcompany.com/

He'd be a lot closer and quicker.

I now have some Jalapeño pods on three of the 8 plants I've got.
And an update on orange Habs; there are 6 ripe pods...salsa tomorrow for sure. Cheers.

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## Grower

> Great thread to keep looking at. I tried to post a comment on the extreme action to save the plant thread and couldnt. i dont have any of those addresses, for want
> of a better term. *But it was interestsing and I might take that step with my ailing birdseye chilli here in Oz. Maybe I need to repot, is all?*


There are a lot of chili growers in Oz doing very well with many different varieties including birdseye. Go to 
The Hot Pepper

You can get all the help there you'll need and you can post to the other Aussies because there are many on the forum. Cheers.

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## Pol the Pot

Thanks for the link.

I think I'll have a friend bring some over from California.

My only experiment with growing chillis didn't work out. Something nibbled away at each and every chilli and the plant died. Will keep an eye opn this thread and hopefully learn something!

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## Grower

> Thanks for the link.
> 
> I think I'll have a friend bring some over from California.
> 
> My only experiment with growing chillis didn't work out. Something nibbled away at each and every chilli and the plant died. Will keep an eye opn this thread and hopefully learn something!


This thread isn't very active, but I've got a blog I keep current;
Growing Habaneros and Jalapenos in Thailand

I see you're in Phnom Penh, so conditions shouldn't be that different. What works here should work there. Soil is the most important thing and water can be an issue also. Anyway, good luck.
Tell your friend to stay away from the _Redwood City Seed Company_; their reputation is not good. My sister is getting some seeds from a company in Oregon (we both lived there) that has a very good reputation, but I don't know the name. Cheers.

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## Grower

Habanero/Garlic/Tomato Salsa

5 or more orange Habaneros (I only had 5 or there would be 8)
5 ripe, medium tomatoes
1 bulb garlic (12-14 cloves)
½ c. fresh lime juice
½ medium onion
3 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. Gebhardt’s Chili Powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. raw sugar
1-1/2 tsp. black pepper

I used a food processor to chop everything. Don’t overload the processor or you’ll chop everything too fine. I like about ¼” for the tomatoes and onions, and about 1/8” for the Habaneros and garlic (a little smaller won’t hurt).
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, 2 is better. Cheers.

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## Eliminator

My Habaneros just started to bloom so I should see something soon. I will take some pics as I have plants in all stages. Would love to get some Jalapenos seeds if anyone has some.

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## Grower

> My Habaneros just started to bloom so I should see something soon. I will take some pics as I have plants in all stages. Would love to get some Jalapenos seeds if anyone has some.


What kind of Habanero have you got and where are you in Thailand? I may be able to help with some Jalapeño seeds but not sure yet.
Pics would be great.

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## Eliminator

Grower, don't know what kind of Habs, got the seeds from another member of this forum. They're supposed to be some REAL hot ones. 555  I'm in Nonthaburi (about an hour north of Bkk. I'll gladly trade for some Jalepeno seeds.

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## Grower

> Grower, don't know what kind of Habs, got the seeds from another member of this forum. They're supposed to be some REAL hot ones. 555  I'm in Nonthaburi (about an hour north of Bkk. I'll gladly trade for some Jalepeno seeds.


Thanks for the offer, but I don't really need anything at this point. If I get some Jalapeño seeds, I'll just send some over. I've got about 6 or 7 Jalapeño pods at this point, but the plants are just getting going. I don't consider I have any pods until they're in my hand, LOL. TIT. Cheers.

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## Grower

> My Habaneros just started to bloom so I should see something soon. I will take some pics as I have plants in all stages. Would love to get some Jalapenos seeds if anyone has some.


Well, how are the Habs? Have you got any pods yet? Pics would be good. Cheers.

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## WhiteLotusLane

Awesome topic!!!

I have one Orange Habanero plant with a lot of pods on it, the pods are beginning to turn color.   The plant itself doesn't look good though, most leaves are turning yellow.  I never know why that is..  Perhaps too much water, perhaps too much fertilizer, or not enough, perhaps some disease. 

Most of my chilli plants die, but out of every 10 or so that I plant there are usually two or three that reach production stage.  I try many different spots around the garden to see what works best, but it seems completely random.  I did figure out that too much heat and direct sun is bad. 

I also used to plant Jalapenos, pretty much the same kinds of results.  Typically a few plants reach production stage, but then catch some disease, bug or fungus and die.  The seeds I just take from Jalapenos bought in a store and letting them turn red.

EDIT: I just read your entire blog site.  :Wink:    Excellent advice!  One thing though I can say is that I don't have much trouble with germination.  I just plant into soil in small pots or growing bags.  Jalapenos are ridiculously easy to germinate, any of the Habaneros take a little more time but my germination rates are very good.  If I keep the seeds I'm not exactly short on seeds either, so I'm not overly worried if I get 90% or 60% germination.  I often just select the fastest growers and bin the rest.

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## Grower

Thanks for your comment on my blog. Calcium and magnesium are 2 critical nutrients for capsicum. You are correct about the sun here, especially in the afternoon. Use shade cloth or shade after 11 or 12. Yellow leaves could be over watering; without pictures it's difficult to say. Fertilizer is very easy to over apply. If you're not over watering try 2 tbsp. Epsom salts per gallon of water. This will give the required magnesium and help green up the leaves. If you're getting fruit and no BER (blossom end rot) then the plant is probably okay with calcium. Good Luck.
By the way; where are you? Cheers.

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## WhiteLotusLane

Thanks!   I'm in Chiang Mai. I shoudl probably be planting now to take maximum benefit from the cool season..

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## Grower

> Thanks!   I'm in Chiang Mai. *I shoudl probably be planting now to take maximum benefit from the cool season.*.


I agree; my plants shut down in March, April, and most of May because of the heat. They are all podded up now and doing pretty well. Good luck. Cheers.

Edit: Re your comment above; in the beginning a friend and I went through 100 seeds without any germinating; thus my paranoia about germination. Plus seeds were not easy to come by, but we remedied that situation with coir pucks and plenty of seeds. Cheers.

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## WhiteLotusLane

Some update on the yellow leaf condition: I found some fertilizer that has magnesium and other stuff in it; see if that makes it better.  What brand are you using?

It's not like the leaves turn yellow evenly, near the veins in the leafe it's relatively greener, so you can see the veines in the leaf real clear because they're greener against the rest which is yellowing.





> Originally Posted by WhiteLotusLane
> 
> 
> Thanks!   I'm in Chiang Mai. *I shoudl probably be planting now to take maximum benefit from the cool season.*.
> 
> 
> I agree; my plants shut down in March, April, and most of May because of the heat. They are all podded up now and doing pretty well. Good luck. Cheers.
> 
> Edit: Re your comment above; in the beginning a friend and I went through 100 seeds without any germinating; thus my paranoia about germination. Plus seeds were not easy to come by, but we remedied that situation with coir pucks and plenty of seeds. Cheers.

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## Grower

I've used 2; Unilate and Fetrilon-Combi 1. Fetrilon has more magnesium in it, so that's what I've been using lately. But Unilate is okay; they both have a broad spectrum of micro-nutrients. A friend of mine just found another product that has calcium in it along with everything else. We haven't hooked up yet so I don't know the brand, but I'll post that as soon as I find out. Cheers.

EDIT: Both product are very "hot", meaning you have to be very careful to use the correct dilution ratio; it extrapolates out to about 1/8 tsp. per gallon. Strong stuff. I'll get back about the new fert. when I know more. Cheers.

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## WhiteLotusLane

Thanks!! And these are commonly available in Thailand right?  Or from any specialty store?

And 1/8th teaspoon!!!  I'm now thinking I'm using WAY too much fertilizer.  :Wink:

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## Grower

> Thanks!! And these are commonly available in Thailand right?  Or from any specialty store?
> 
> And 1/8th teaspoon!!!  *I'm now thinking I'm using WAY too much fertilizer.*


Re your comment about fertilizer; Unilate and Fetrilon-Combi 1 aren't fertilizers as such; they're a source of micro-nutrients, but lack calcium. They don't have any nitrogen, potassium, or phosphorus. I'm very conservative with all fertilizers. Normally I use kee wua (cow poop) and in 6 months I've only used Fetrilon-Combi 1 twice. I also make my own calcium phosphate from eggshells and vinegar. The recipe is in my blog. 
For the Fetrilon-Combi 1 any large fertilizer store should have it and/or Unilate. You can also google them for some additional information.
I just made a worm cast (Vermi-Compost) tea and applied it this morning. I'll let you know how that works out. I'll post the recipe in my blog also. The same stores should also have the Vermi-Compost.
Cheers. 

Verne

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## PaulBunyon

Great thread Grower. Someday I would like to try to grow some veggies too. I'd guess your plants are in pots from the pics I've seen.

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## Grower

> Great thread Grower. Someday I would like to try to grow some veggies too. I'd guess your plants are in pots from the pics I've seen.


Thanks. I do have 5 plants in the ground. I used compost, coir, and wood ash over a couple of months, turning weekly by hand to prepare the soil. I created a raised bed using the angle of repose of the dirt (I didn't build a border). Four of the 5 are producing  pods, but the 5th one is lagging behind. My other 25 plants are all in pots for now and 5 of them are in full production with close to 200 pods. 
So, either in-the-ground or in pots work fine. The ground is a bit more of a challenge though. Cheers.

Edit: Here's some pics of my in-the-ground plants;





All but the one smaller red are considerably bigger today. But I think it will be fine. Cheers.

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## PaulBunyon

It seems like you have quite a few plants now. Are you eating them with your family, raising them for seeds, or planning on starting some sort of business with them eventually. If you turn them into salsa does that keep for long? Are these types of chilis dried? Sorry for all the questions. Just curious. 

Personally, I love salsa and Mexican food. or is is Tex-mex? I'm never really sure what now that I hear the two names. Anyways, I could see a lot of salsa being made with all those veggies. Are you using them in any way with the local thai food? How about some sort of chili paste/dip that the Thais like.

By the way, I used to live in Kanachanaburi about 14 years ago. At that time I was working at the college there. I made salsa from mixing the local chilis and bought the deep-fried salted taro that they sell in that area to use as chips. It wasn't bad and a few of my students seemed to like the combo. I think I remember buying a big bag of taro chips for 100baht at a waterfall there, either SaiYokeNoi or Erawan. The chips seemed to be some sort of item tourists would buy and take back as a gift from the area. The Thais didn't eat them with any sort of dip as far as I remember.

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## WhiteLotusLane

Hot sauce keeps for a long time and you can freeze it as well. And any kind of chili can be dried, especially the thin skinned ones like Habanero. 

And it's fun showing up at your favorite som tam lady with one or two Orange Habaneros in hand.  Or just any Thai really, they don't believe they'll be hotter than the hottest Thai chilis but of course they are, by quite a margin.  :Wink:

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## Grower

> It seems like you have quite a few plants now. *Are you eating them with your family, raising them for seeds, or planning on starting some sort of business with them eventually. If you turn them into salsa does that keep for long? Are these types of chilis dried? Sorry for all the questions. Just curious.* 
> 
> Personally, I love salsa and Mexican food. or is is Tex-mex? I'm never really sure what now that I hear the two names. Anyways, I could see a lot of salsa being made with all those veggies. Are you using them in any way with the local thai food? How about some sort of chili paste/dip that the Thais like.
> 
> By the way, I used to live in Kanachanaburi about 14 years ago. At that time I was working at the college there. I made salsa from mixing the local chilis and bought the deep-fried salted taro that they sell in that area to use as chips. It wasn't bad and a few of my students seemed to like the combo. I think I remember buying a big bag of taro chips for 100baht at a waterfall there, either SaiYokeNoi or Erawan. The chips seemed to be some sort of item tourists would buy and take back as a gift from the area. The Thais didn't eat them with any sort of dip as far as I remember.


This has been a year long project and I went into it as a challenging hobby; the first step was to successfully grow and harvest pods. It appears the first step is complete; I've harvested 13 pods and there are about 30 ripening now, with more every day. I'm making salsa's; I will also dry, pickle, make powder and sauces. I may consider selling fresh and dried pods and powders if my production exceeds my consumption. 
Unfortunately my wife can't eat chilies as hot as I can, so I'm pretty much the only one eating them. 
I'm growing Bhut Jolokias, Dorset Nagas, (Chocolate, Orange, Red, and Yellow) Habaneros, Fatalii, Tepins, Paper Lantern (yet another Habanero), and Jalapenos. If all of them produce, they will certainly exceed my ability to consume them; so we'll see.
Thanks for your interest; I usually check in here a couple of times a day (I'm retired). Sounds like you've been here for many, many years; almost 8 for me. My wife is a civil servant who teaches M5 & M6. I taught for 5 years at the same school (not my wife's) also.
Cheers.
Verne

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## Grower

From my blog post today:

Fertilizers, Numbers, and Nutrition...
The further I get into growing C. chinense, annums, and baccatums the more I'm *not* impressed with numbers like 16-16-16, 8-24-24, 0-10-30, and 3-2-2.  Numbers are akin to steroids and have little to do with nutrition. The only non-organic nutrient I've used is Fetrilon-Combi 1 which is a source of magnesium, iron, zinc, boron, copper, etc.,etc.. Soil in my region of Thailand is deficient in many of these micro-nutrients; thus the use of this product. But Fetrilon isn't food; it's more like vitamins/minerals.
For food I'm using compost, wood ash, and cow manure. This feeds the plants and builds a healthy soil with a thriving community of healthy microbes.
Recently I've learned of Vermi-Compost Tea. It is rich in beneficial bacteria. Three days ago I bought the equipment to make some. The equipment is an air pump (the kind used for aquariums) and a couple of air-stones. Here's the recipe;
1-1/2 c. Vermi-Compost
2 tbsp. molasses or raw sugar (food for the microbes)
1 gal. chlorine free water
Combine all ingredients in a bucket w/lid and run air through it for 24 hours. Strain the solids out (cheese cloth works) and mix 1 part tea with equal part water and spray foliar or pour in the soil.
I had made 4 gallons which yielded 8 gallons when mixed 1:1 with, in my case, rain water. I fed the tea to all 30 of my plants. 



This set-up cost ฿500 (about $14 USD).
Cheers.

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## Grower

> Hot sauce keeps for a long time and you can freeze it as well. And any kind of chili can be dried, especially the thin skinned ones like Habanero. 
> 
> *And it's fun showing up at your favorite som tam lady with one or two Orange Habaneros in hand.*  Or just any Thai really, they don't believe they'll be hotter than the hottest Thai chilis but of course they are, by quite a margin.


What a great idea; I love som tam Thai. Will do. Cheers.

Edit: We just had a western style kitchen addition built and the Chang were really good, so I gave them (husband & wife team) 3 ripe orange Habaneros. That was 4 days ago and I ran into them today and asked the wife if she had tried them; she said she put them in a type of Yam I'm not familiar with and she said it was phet mak-mak, but aloi. With a big smile I might add.

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## WhiteLotusLane

It's really interesting, Som Tam with a Habanero type chili.  You definitely notice the fruity taste.   (Did this with some Fatalli a while ago. The Som Tam lady made sure to keep a couple seeds back to try planting.  :Wink:  )

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## Grower

> It's really interesting, Som Tam with a Habanero type chili.  You definitely notice the fruity taste.   (Did this with some Fatalli a while ago. *The Som Tam lady made sure to keep a couple seeds back to try planting.*  )


Ah, so you have been growing for a while. Fatalii eh? I'm just germinating some Fatalii, yellow Habs, Tepins, and some Paper Lantern Habs to add to my menu, so-to-speak. 

So, will the seeds grow true? Did you isolate them? I've got so many varieties I don't think any of my seeds from the pods will grow true. My flowers have too many visitors.
Cheers. And thanks for helping keep this thread alive. Most die a quick death here, it seems. Again Cheers.

EDIT: Try the Vermi-Compost Tea; it really seems to help...a lot!

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## WhiteLotusLane

Some pictures, finally..

Plant looks like shit, with yellow leaves.. It did however produce a metric fuckton of pods..  :Smile:    I guess that's better than pretty foliage..

I think the seeds will come true because I had the same plants next to each other, and they didn't all flower at the same time..  We'll see.

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## Grower

Nice one; great pod production. The leaves are definitely lacking something and it may well be magnesium. Be careful about over watering.

Here's a shot of todays harvest;



Cheers.

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## Pol the Pot

Is there a difference in taste if the chiilies are of different colour?

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## Grower

Not too much. The main difference between the Costa Rican red and orange Habaneros is heat level, the orange being hotter. But red Savina Habs are hotter than orange and chocolate is hotter yet. My understanding is the yellow Hab has a unique flavor but still recognizable as a Habanero flavor. I'm growing all of these but don't have any chocolate or yellow Habs fruiting yet. I'll let you know when I have pods. 
It would be interesting to hear some others opinions on this. Taste is certainly very subjective so opinions may vary. Cheers.

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## PaulBunyon

great pics grower. You have an amazing amount of chilis on that plant!

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## Grower

Here's the recipe I used for the 9 Habs;

3 red Habaneros
6 orange Habaneros
8 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. raw sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor (blenders don't work well with so little liquid) and pulse until everything reduces to a paste and then run steady until you get the texture you want. I prefer some body so I don't completely liquefy the mixture. Cheers.

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## Grower

> great pics grower. You have an amazing amount of chilis on that plant!


Are you referring to the pics posted by WhiteLotusLane? Or the ones I posted back on page 1? WhiteLotusLane's plant is a producing maniac, LOL. 
But mine are doing well also. Cheers.

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## WhiteLotusLane

Taste wise I have found so far that all of the Habanero-esque chillies have a similar and instantly recognizable habanero taste.  So far I have tasted Orange Habanero, Jamaican Chocolate and Fatalii.   This is quite different from Thai chilies. 

As for heat level... I have a feeling that a LOT of the heat is attributable to growing conditions.. the soil, the amount of sun, the amount of water.  This is just a guess at this point, but it would not surprise me if this is the bigger factor than if it's a red, orange or yellow habanero.

With Jalapenos the difference in heat is just ridiculous: some are almost as mild as bell peppers, others almost approach Thai phrik khee noo in terms of hotness. It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.  :Wink:

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## WhiteLotusLane

I just harvested half the pods and made hot sauce.  No wait, that doesn't accurately describe the result..


I mean  !!! HOT !!!  sauce.

* Some sesame oil (or any oil)
* Garlic
* Hand full of habaneros, halved and seeds removed
* Passion Fruit (!)
* Sweet soy sauce
* Salt
* Sugar (quite a lot actually)
* Little bit water

Boiled that for a little bit, not too much but enough to mix the taste of the passion fruit in.  Then strain to remove the passion fruit seeds.  Then put in blender or food processor to turn it in to a sauce.

Most hot sauces that I come across in the US I find far too sour.  When you feed those to Thai people they'll call it sour more than spicy.  In the sauce I just made the passion fruit still provides enough of a sour note, but there's also some sweetness there.   And then the hotness hits you like a grand piano falling from the 10th floor.

I like that in Habaneros, the delayed action effect.  Just enough time to think, 'a pleasant', and then BOOM!.  :Smile: 

Future projects: Habanero peanut butter (Or sateh sauce) and Habanero Mayo.  :Wink:  

And I just mixed some of the above sauce with some Kraft brand sandwich spread, and that tasted very promising too.

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## newscctv

Thanks for the link.

I think I'll have a friend bring some over from California.


My only experiment with growing chillis didn't work out. Something nibbled away at each and every chilli and the plant died. Will keep an eye opn this thread and hopefully learn something

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## newscctv

Thanks for the link.

I think I'll have a friend bring some over from California.

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## Grower

> Taste wise I have found so far that all of the Habanero-esque chillies have a similar and instantly recognizable habanero taste.  So far I have tasted Orange Habanero, Jamaican Chocolate and Fatalii.   This is quite different from Thai chilies. 
> 
> As for heat level... I have a feeling that a LOT of the heat is attributable to growing conditions.. the soil, the amount of sun, the amount of water.  This is just a guess at this point, but it would not surprise me if this is the bigger factor than if it's a red, orange or yellow habanero.
> 
> _With Jalapenos the difference in heat is just ridiculous: some are almost as mild as bell peppers, others almost approach Thai phrik khee noo in terms of hotness. It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get._


Glad to hear you had incendiary results; congratulations.  :Firedevil: 

Yeah, Jalapenos can be all over the planet because there are so many varieties/hybrids. I'm growing the "Early" variety Jalapenos, which have a Scoville rating of 30,000 units. They should be toasty and make great poppers. I've only got a couple of pods at this point (started them way after my chinense) so I should know the heat level in a week or so.

There is evidence that growing condition can vary the heat somewhat. My 2 fruiting varieties (red and orange) are right in the ballpark. I just took another 15 pods today which makes 30 pods in the last 2 weeks. I'll probably start drying some for powder and whole dried pods.

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## Grower

Actually I need to make a correction regarding color and heat levels. Color in and of itself isn't the determining factor, genetics are; a red Savina is much hotter than a Costa Rican Red (which I'm growing), my generic orange Hab is also hotter than the Costa red, the chocolate is hotter than the red, Savina and orange. The yellow Hab has good heat but the flavor varies from the others to a sweeter, fruitiness. 
That said, environmental issues (soil, heat, water, nutes, ph, etc.) can add to the mix and if things are too far off then heat levels may suffer. Cheers.

Edit: Purity of the seed (no cross pollination) is probably the largest factor, in the end, for heat.

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## Grower

I took about a dozen pods to try drying them. My wife bought me a couple of Kradongs; traditional bamboo drying baskets.



I've never done this before, so I didn't want to chance screwing up a bunch of pods.
Luckily it's been pretty hot and sunny today. Cheers.

EDIT: Sometimes nature interferes;



That should fix 'em! Cheers

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## bsnub

Great thread!!

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## Grower

The end of day 2 drying Habaneros in the sun. I sure hope this works, because I've got way more pods than I can consume. 
A restaurant owner contacted me a few days ago but I haven't heard back. 
LOL. It could be worse, no? Cheers.

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## Grower

Oui Sadao (Neem oil) is now in hand. That means I can finally go 100% organic. 
I have a recipe for insecticide using neem oil, garlic, ginger, and something else I can't remember. As soon as I find the recipe I'll post it. Cheers.

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## Grower

Well, my sun drying project ended in failure. Day 4 wasn't different than day 3, 2 or 1.
So, I put them in my convection oven for 6 hours and they are looking good. I'm letting them "rest" tonight and will continue if they show any signs of softness in the morning. 
Another 1 or 2 hours should do it. I maintained 100c throughout. That's about the highest temp to maintain quality/integrity of the pods. Cheers.

Addendum: The rainy season isn't the time to sun dry C. chinense (aka Habanero) because the skins are too thick and they're too heavy with oil.

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## Isee

> The end of day 2 drying Habaneros in the sun. I sure hope this works, because I've got way more pods than I can consume.


Why not pickle them? Seems the best way to preserve them and a more usable product for a restaurant. 

Whats the benefit of drying them?

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## Grower

> Originally Posted by Grower
> 
> 
> The end of day 2 drying Habaneros in the sun. I sure hope this works, because I've got way more pods than I can consume.
> 
> 
> Why not pickle them? Seems the best way to preserve them and a more usable product for a restaurant. 
> 
> Whats the benefit of drying them?


Once you pickle them, that's it, the flavor is set, limiting uses. Restaurants DO want dried pods if they can't get fresh because they're interested in heat and flavor; both of which are there when a dried pod is re-constituted.
Essentially, a dried pod can be used for anything a fresh pod is used for. 
Oh, and I made an orange Habanero chili powder this morning from a dozen dried pods; hot and delicious.
Cheers

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## Eliminator

My Habs have turned out badly as they all have krinkle leaf and not growing very fast at all. Must be me doing something wrong as I have a couple of plants to a Thai friend down the road and one of his is doing fine and its at least 5 times taller than mine and bearing friuit. Will have to get a better translator to find out what he's doing different. 5555 My thai chillies are doing great. Still want to get some jalepeno pepper seads.

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## Grower

> Still want to get some jalepeno pepper seads.


A guy in Khon Khaen sent me hundreds of Jalapeno seeds (from imported Jalapenos) and not one germinated. I found out later the Jalapenos were treated with radiation; fried the seeds unfortunately.
Bummer.
My sister is coming in September and is bringing me some Jalapeno seeds (commercial). So, I'll give it another shot. We'll see.

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## Humbert

I make a killer hot sauce from jalapenos grown here. I roast them, remove the skin and seeds, put them in a food processor and add lime juice, salt, sugar and garlic.

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## aging one

That sounds very nice indeed.  :Smile:

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## Grower

> I roast them,


By what method? Chipotle is a favorite of mine.

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## Humbert

^I just stick them on a fork and hold them over the gas flame until they get a char. The blackened
skin comes off with a little rubbing.

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## Grower

^ Thanks, have you tried charcoal? for a smokey flavor?

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## Humbert

No, the reason for the charring is just to remove the skin. If you cook them over charoal you need to make sure they develop a char so the skin can be removed easily. Cooking them evenly might just have the effect of softening the skin without burning it.

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## Grower

^ Well, something to try; but, first things first. I gotta get the bloody Jalapenos to grow.
My last attempt wasn't pretty. Cheers.

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## Grower

> I make a killer hot sauce from jalapenos grown here.


Oops, almost forgot, who grew the Jalapenos here?

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## Humbert

^I buy them at Foodland in the produce section.

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## Grower

^ I think that's where the seeds came from. The guy owns a Mexican restaurant and bought the Jalapenos from a Thai grocery in Pattaya. Hmmm...

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## hillbilly

Great input but nothing that actually works.

My Mexican peppers died again this year.

But then again I planted in BKK and Central North Thailand.

This is one of my goals before I die...

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## Grower

> Great input but nothing that actually works.


My first year the Habaneros produced a ton of pods, all good. But after 18 months they just went down hill. I was never able to figure out why. 
What I've come to is; everything I planted in November and December did fine; but the stuff I planted in March and April didn't.
So, sister will be here September 14th; I'll start again in October and see what happens.

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## Rural Surin

> ^ Thanks, have you tried charcoal? for a smokey flavor?


That would be the trick.
Enclosed smokey slow-roasted.

A few hours will do it handsomely.
Changes the complexity of the chili for the better.

The final product can be applied quite diversely.

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## Grower

^ Yes, agree completely.   :Smile:

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## Humbert

If you slow roast enclosed them over charcoal place them in a bowl covered with cellophane for ten minutes or so after cooking, the moisture will help separate the skin for easy removal.

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## Grower

> Great input but nothing that actually works.
> 
> My Mexican peppers died again this year.


Don't plant until just before the end of the rainy season (best guesstement). Try not to use commercial dirt unless you know it's been composted.
You'll need calcium, magnesium, and bonemeal. 
my probl;ems came about March after an October planting; did great for 5 months and then it all went downhill from there. It's now been 1 year and I'm going for it again. We'll see.

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## Grower

This has been the wettest year in the 10 I've been here. Everything's ready to go except the weather.
In fact, it's looking like the end of October now.

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## Grower

Okay; planted 4 Jalapeno seeds 2 days ago. Still got a few Caribbean Reds and Orange Habanero seeds to plant; next week, me thinks.
I've got a narrow planting range here due to the rainy season (too many fruit fly's) and when the temps go up beyond 35 (Summer) the plants go sterile and don't produce fruit.
Here's hoping...

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## aging one

good luck mate, I was fortunate enough to try your last crop and they were great. Although you did blow the head off of my braver child.  :Smile:

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## Grower

Yeah, but she's a real trooper. Cheers.

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## brucev

I would love to grow them.  What area of Thaila d do you live?

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## Grower

> What area of Thaila d do you live?


Ratchaburi (AKA Lalee) close to the border with Kanchanaburi.

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## Derk

I just read through the thread and I think I like what I'll be able to do with the house and garden we rent in Udon Thani province.
I've been growing chilies since 8 years now and have a collection of over 90 varieties (some doubled but different seed source).
My most productive year was 2007 when e.g. I had a single Tepin with over 2000 pods and the plant was higher than me (180 cm). 
Also from yellow Habanero I have two varieties, one with thin walled pods and one with thick walled, close to Jalapenos.

For long term cultivation you need to ensure your pods to take seeds are pure strain which can either be made by pollinating unopened flowers (you have to cut) or by netting your plant so insects can't pollinate and you do it by shaking or manually.
I usually have half a dozen flowers prepared like this and marked with a small band to recognize.

Regarding the influence of cultivation climate to hotness it's common sense that giving the plant some stress, so letting it dry that the leaves start to hang, will give hotter pods than normal cultivation. This also explains why from the same plant some pods are really hot while others are mild.

Bye,
Derk

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## Grower

Interesting; my first 4 seeds failed to germinate. 
Today I planted 6 Jalapeno and 6 Caribbean Reds (Habanero). 
I've had very good luck with the reds in the past and not very good with the "Early" variety of Jalapenos. I planted a larger, but milder variety of Jalapenos this time around.
They're supposed to be good for poppers, which I love; decadent they are, at least here in LOS. Cheers...

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## Makmak456

Great info here. I love mexican food and all imported stuff here is very expensive.
The internet is a great place for finding info such as this post.
Thanks...
To OP: off to read your blog next

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## Grower

> To OP: off to read your blog next


Cheers Makmak; my second planting didn't germinate either; Just pisses me off.
The seeds are from an Oregon (USA) company named Nichols; I'll likely e-mail them and find out what's the problem.

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## Imminent

Grower, do you grow any other types of veggies?

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## Grower

> Grower, do you grow any other types of veggies?


Veggies, fruit, bromeliads, and orchids.
Tomatoes, corn, kale, basil, sweet basil, prik kee nu, 2 kinds of figs, limes, mangoes, papaya, and mulberries. 
But it's the bloody Jalapenos and Habaneros that are problematic.   :Confused:

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## Gipsy

There's a small Thai company selling some seeds of various chillies on Craigslist: HOT GHOST CHILLI PEPPER "Bhut Jolokia Chocolate"

The Bhut jolokia chocolate look interesting to me.

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## Grower

> The Bhut jolokia chocolate look interesting to me.


I'm a heat afficianado, but those go beyond my tolerance levels (I've grown them).
I dunno, maybe as I get older my tolerance is lower, but Bhut's are way hot and even the endorphin rush ain't worth it for me; go for it!   :Smile:

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## Capex

I am happy to report that I have four splendid examples of what Yates Seeds in Australia offer as their Chilli Jalapeno. They are now about 12 cm high. No other description is available. However, from the recent vigour of the seedlings growth after almost 2 months of almost hibernation after emergence, which can only attributed to the fact that I threw some blue coloured "pui" at them as the "Organic" fertilizer  previously used had SFA effect. I presume that the "pui" contained some phosphate and ammonium nitrate to have had such an effect. Will keep you informed if you are interested, in the outcome.

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## Makmak456

> I am happy to report that I have four splendid examples of what Yates Seeds in Australia offer as their Chilli Jalapeno. They are now about 12 cm high. No other description is available. However, from the recent vigour of the seedlings growth after almost 2 months of almost hibernation after emergence, which can only attributed to the fact that I threw some blue coloured "pui" at them as the "Organic" fertilizer  previously used had SFA effect. I presume that the "pui" contained some phosphate and ammonium nitrate to have had such an effect. Will keep you informed if you are interested, in the outcome.


After planting me mum in Oz  :Sad:  who, what, where can I buy in Oz ???? :Smile:

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## hazz

Cannot help you with oz, but in the uk Nickeys nursery sell over 200 varieties including most if not all the WMD chillis

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## Capex

> Originally Posted by Capex
> 
> 
> I am happy to report that I have four splendid examples of what Yates Seeds in Australia offer as their Chilli Jalapeno. They are now about 12 cm high. No other description is available. However, from the recent vigour of the seedlings growth after almost 2 months of almost hibernation after emergence, which can only attributed to the fact that I threw some blue coloured "pui" at them as the "Organic" fertilizer  previously used had SFA effect. I presume that the "pui" contained some phosphate and ammonium nitrate to have had such an effect. Will keep you informed if you are interested, in the outcome.
> 
> 
> After planting me mum in Oz  who, what, where can I buy in Oz ????


I bought these seeds at Bunnings in Perth while visiting Oz in October last. I planted them in about December and they emerged within about a week. Yates Seeds are available almost anywhere in Australia and you may be able to arrange for delivery here in Thailand. Not too sure of the quarantine regs.

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## 2Prick

My neighbor managed to grow some scotch bonnets last year.

It wasn't the best of crops and the peppers were on the small side, but what he could pickle, pickled well.

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## Makmak456

Tomorrow, am   :Smile:  Will look for seed packets  :Smile: 
THX
Mark

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## Bmouthboyo

Hi there, love all your info on growing chillis. I am struggling to grow my superhots, or indeed any chilli seeds at.

As you can see I am now keeping the moisture up with a propagator type setup but still no luck. Starting to think it is soil or temps. Do you know where I can get coir plugs from in thailand or even better Bangkok? Also do you think my compost / soil looks ok for seeds ?  

Cheers

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## Bmouthboyo

Oops sorry link wouldn't work as under 5 posts.

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## senoremac

I bought some jalaps and seeded them (from Doi Kham), which is under one of the King's projects, at the supermarket up here in Chiang Mai. Not as spicy as the mexi-variety, but they grow well and produce juicy fruits.

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## Marmite the Dog

> I bought some jalaps and seeded them (from Doi Kham), which is under one of the King's projects, at the supermarket up here in Chiang Mai. Not as spicy as the mexi-variety, but they grow well and produce juicy fruits.


We don't even bother to grow them as the Royal Project chillies (in fact all their produce) is excellent and cheap.

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## jarvispe

I am a chilli grower in Ratchaburi (Amphur Muang) had some good success growing everything from the jalapeno to the calorina reaper (worlds hottest) plants grew well but insect are a problem here spider mites and chilli maggot 
started at home to see it was viable to grow these varieties here worked well so will be starting a 1/2 rai garden in school holidays for chilli and other fruit and veg aquired lots of varieties not available in Thailand so will be an interesting year ahead seeing what grows here

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## Bmouthboyo

Can I ask how you dealt with spider mites? I have a lot of small white mite looking things running about the bottom of my pots  :Sad:

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## jarvispe

I would love to tell you organically but the truth of is i sprayed  there are so many bugs here in Thailand that will destroy/damage your plants 
what you have don't sound like spider mites ,
Spider mites love the dry weather  and can quickly make a mess of your plant hard to see the insect but look for tiny webs forming , rinse the whole plant  when watering helps also trying a EM solution foliar  spray to deter them and growing tobacco to make a tea as well
best solution for fungal gnats and soil mites is cover top of plant with inch of sand  should stop the problem you are having

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## DentDent

I have not had good luck with peppers. The damn birds eat them as soon as they pop up, and if they make it past that, the insects do them in. I'll keep trying!

Your peppers are looking phenomenal!

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## jksc2388

Hi, I am starting a chilli farm in Malaysia in 2017. I am interested to learn from my Thai counterpart . Thailand technique and farming methods are superior to those of Malaysia. I would be much grateful if I am able to visit any farm in Haatyai to learn more from the best. Please help me in this matter. Thanking you in advance. 

Regards, 
James Kam

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## jksc2388

> Can I ask how you dealt with spider mites? I have a lot of small white mite looking things running about the bottom of my pots


In Malaysia , I am doing gardening at home and our solution to spider mites is Baking Soda. Please do not confuse it with baking Powder. Dosage is 1 teaspoon to 1 liter of water. Spray daily all over the plants and pot/soil till problem solved.

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