TL;DR: Should I continue to pinch the flowers on my plant? I just brought her outside and she’s showing signs of stress. I’d like to see her with fruit after all this effort if there’s a reasonable chance she might suffer to my inexperience with gardening outdoors. I’d also appreciate some guidance.
I love this plant.
In the past year I discovered a passion for horticulture and gardening, and most of the credit goes to this ghost pepper plant. Ive become quite attached to her, and at this point I know just enough to know that I don’t know much of anything yet. I read far too much and now I’m afraid for her. Shes been my first experience with germination, transplanting, everything. I’d like to take the best care of her I can.
Last year a coworker returned from a trip and gifted me a souvenir ghost pepper growing kit. It included 5 seeds. I babied the thing and checked on it every day. I still hate that coworker.
A month or so later and the poorly translated instructions basically concluded with “now it needs a bigger pot and cut the top off! Good luck!”
At the time the word “it” confused me, because I had 5 seedlings. Ends up I missed the step about thinning to one plant. But me being me, I had to save all of them.
A half day long introverted adventure to the garden center and dollar store later and I had tools, mix, pots, watering cans…even grow lights coming from Amazon that I was too ignorant to know were useless.
I pulled the five seedlings out to separate them and cringed as I gently massacred the roots in an unexpected lesson on how much tension is too much. I imagine everyone learns that one the same way.
I moved them inside and it was about this time that they were tall enough to top according to the instructions. In hindsight, mine were leggy, but I didn’t know. It did seem strange that I had to remove a teency weency little growth above the true leaves. I had to use my fingers, and I couldn’t see anything at that scale so I pretty much butchered whatever was growing there. Later I learned I had unknowingly and inadvertently “fimmed” them.
They pretty much gave me the silent treatment over the next 5 months. That’s about how long the fungus gnat siege lasted, too. The few surviving plants grew a tight nest of small, waxy, and crispy leaves that knotted and twisted through each other for space. They showed signs of edema and all but two were lost. Over this time I began learning as much as I could and I enjoyed it! Checking them for bugs, bottom watering them exactly as I’d learned, turning on a fan, etc.
Then just over a month ago this one took off. Holy moly did she burst. Great big leaves and nonstop flowers that I’ve been removing until now.
I just brought her back outside and despite the bazillion very clear guides I read on hardening off, I still rushed the process.
I believe she is showing signs of stress (light-colored and malformed new growth). She’s about 10” at her highest point and has around 32 flowers growing. Her sister might be dying, and I’m afraid of pests, diseases, wind, and so much more. Should I pinch them off and chance more time outdoors? Or should I let her fruit and secure the small success? Is she even strong enough for fruit yet?
by earfull