Habanero Twilight Zone...

...All available information says that temperatures above 32c will cause flower drop. Over the last 20 days the temperature has been 35 - 37c; in that time I harvested 4 peppers and since the harvest 4 days ago flower drop has been intermittent  and approximately 6 fruits have set. There are roughly 30 flowers on any given day. There are no fruit on the plant now except for the newly set ones.
It would appear that temperatures above 32c do not completely stop fruit from setting on this plant.
The flavor from the 4 pepper harvest is fantastic and the heat level is excellent.

On another note; I planted 20 seeds yesterday in coir plugs. 10 orange Habanero and 10 seeds from the harvested red Habanero fruits. We're hoping this will solve the germination problem.

Habanero-Mango Chutney

Habanero-Mango Chutney;

4 or more Habaneros (to taste)
2 Mangoes (yellow sweet variety-ripe)
1 Medium yellow onion
10-12 Cloves of garlic
4-5 Tbsp. lime juice (fresh squeezed)(lemon is okay)
1 Tbsp. Aged rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar is fine)

Finely chop 4 seeded Habaneros
Finely chop the garlic
Finely chop the onion
Finely chop the mango
Add lime juice and vinegar, mix well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This gives everything a chance to meld the flavors and to get the heat from the peppers. The yield is approximately 1-1/2 cups.
This chutney can be used as a condiment, salsa, dip, topping (vanilla ice cream) or anything else you'd like to spice up.
Enjoy.

And Then There was One...

I harvested 3 of the 4 Habaneros today. Upon expert advice I took them and now there is one which I shall take tomorrow. Pictures below;







Now; what to do with them? I'll figure it out.

Almost there...

This morning (Saturday the 27th);



About 9 am.

Things move quickly and surprisingly...

...It's the morning of the 23rd and we have a RED Habanero; not an orange one, as we had thought. What a difference a day makes.



The pepper just to the left is turning also. If you look dead center top, you can just see a spot of reddish orange.

Going Orange...

Here's the latest shot, Monday morning, the 22nd;

Aphids again; the ants are herding them for...

...a kind of excreted "milk". Sprayed again this morning and got everything covered. Aphids can destroy a capsicum within a few days. So far so good.

Orange! This morning...

...It's Friday morning and orange is on the way. The oldest pepper is turning orange at the very top where it attaches to the stem. A lovelier sight I've never seen.

Aphid attack, treat immediately...

...Sprayed first thing this morning (Thursday) especially under the leaves. Aphids will severely stunt the plant and ruin the fruit very quickly. I caught this very quickly, so no harm done.
Had the first real rain in more than 3 months yesterday.

It may be another six weeks...

...before there will be anymore fruit. Daytime temperatures are running 35c with a one or two day break; which isn't long enough. The plant is doing fine; growing, flowering and dropping flowers within 36 hours.

Tuesday; early afternoon and the temperature for the last two days...

...has moderated somewhat, to 34c. No new fruit and the flowers are still dropping.
I moved the plant to a cooler spot that doesn't get so much sun; maybe 3 hours a day direct and the rest filtered.

Saturday evening, six o'clock and 34c...

...Hottest March in 6 years; 37c today. As long as it's watered well, the plant seems to be okay but I don't think there'll be any new fruit for awhile. The five set fruits are fine and looking good.

Flower Drop despite shade cloth...

The days have been 35/36c for over a week now, and this is of course, the temperature in the shade.
Three o'clock is the high point of the day and it's back down to about 32 by around six o'clock.
I'm in a maintenance mode for now. I'm not expecting any new fruit until the end of April when the rainy season starts and the temperatures moderate.

Look at these Bad Boys...

Today March 2, '10. Bad Boys and shade cloth to cool them a bit. It might help stop flower drop;