Saturday, January 1, 2011

Growing Green Chillies using Simplified Hydroponics

Growing Green Chillies using Simplified Hydroponics by Pritham 'MetalFarmer' D'Souza


  • Green Chillies (Capsicum annuum) is one of the select few crops to be grown in almost all states of India and is largely exported worldwide.
  • A green chilli is referred to as ' Hot' due to the presence of 'capsiacin' which is extracted and used in pepper sprays as a non lethal but effect irritant.
  • excellent source of Vitamin A and also Iron, Potassium and Magnesium
  • since the seeds are small, i sowed them in a plastic tub and watered using the Hydroponic Nutrient 'grow' which quickened the germination.
  • as you can see the pics above, i managed to achieve 99 percent germination, which is not even possible in the field (just around 70 percent)


  • for this post, i chose 1 plant and transplanted the same to a black colored pot which was made for hydroponics.
  • i continued to give it "GROW" nutrient till flowering stage.
  • the lush green look is due to the nutrients present in 'GROW'.
Flowering
  • once flower buds were seen, i stopped giving it 'GROW' nutrient and switched over to "BLOOM" nutrient.
  • BLOOM helps in fruit formation and prevents immature fruit drop and flower shedding.



  • chillies take up to 60 days to flower , from the first day of transplanting and take another 30 to 40 days to produce yield in the field.
  • here flowering was observed in less than 50 days and the first chillies were produced 3 weeks later.



  • to prevent the incidence of pests, i regularly sprayed the plant using neem sprays.
  • every morning, one must check the leaves for insect droppings and eggs and if seen must be removed immediately. fortunately i never encountered such problems after switching over to Simplified Hydroponics.


  • now i get a regular supply of fresh, pesticide free tasty green chillies every alternate day. since my parents dont like spicy food, i just pluck one or two green chillies whenever required and add while cooking.
  • this has stopped us from buying green chillies from the market, and storing them in the fridge for several days before using them. refrigeration dehydrates vegetables (makes them all wrinkled) and now thanks to SH we have a continuous supply of green chillies everyday.

32 comments:

  1. Hi,

    When you say you are using GROWTH and BLOOM nutrients, what is the ppm level of those nutrients.

    Do you have the information about the same or are you using a readymade nutrient ?

    Thanks & Regards,

    Deepak

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for stopping by Deepak.... regarding the nutrients.... i will be posting a page very soon just about GROW, BLOOM , ROOT nutrients.....

    and its ready made.... u just to add few grams in 90 litres of water... all that i will explain in detail... thanks

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Pritham,

    I am very interested in your fly traps and tindora plantation..how does one get in touch with you?

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi,

    I need to upload an unknown leafy vegetable pic. How do I get in touch with you? Please let me know.

    Thanks,
    Madhuri.

    ReplyDelete
  5. email me prithamdsouza@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. very helpful..will follow re light requirements anna in Canada

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  7. thank you very helpful..need info on light agumentation for green chillis

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Pritham, I am growing chillies in my balcony in pots on the 10th floor. They seem be growing ok but suddenly have too many insects around it and also brown fly like things under the leaves. How can I get rid of them? and can you also tell me where I can get the SH you mentioned? I travel quiet often and so watering plants everyday is a challenge as well.. You're help will be appreciated... Thanks. Smitha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for visiting my blog Smitha. it will be helpful if u can send me mail prithamdsouza@gmail.com and if u have photos so i can take a closer look at what the problem is. sorry for the late reply as its been a while since i checked the blog. thank u

      Delete
  9. Hi Pritham, I am growing chillies in my balcony in pots on the 10th floor. They seem be growing ok but suddenly have too many insects around it and also brown fly like things under the leaves. How can I get rid of them? and can you also tell me where I can get the SH you mentioned? I travel quiet often and so watering plants everyday is a challenge as well.. You're help will be appreciated... Thanks. Smitha

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Pritham
    Stumbled onto your site, very informative forum.
    I am trying to grow organic vegetables in Sri Lanka.1 What soap do you recommend for use with diluted neem oil for general pest control.2. I have a white fly infestation on the undersides of leaves ( bean, chilli, cabbage plants ), neem spray doesnt seem to work on them. Any suggestions for organic control. 3. Any suggestions on making compost tea, I would like to use this as a foliar spray 4. My vegetables are being eaten by deer and porcupine, any suggestions for organic control
    Thanks
    Devinder


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for visiting Devinder. for controlling white fly have u tried using garlic sprays and also making stick traps? they are pretty effective. i have written about the yellow sticky traps on my blog here. do have a look.

      i have not used compost tea as a foliar spray but used it as manure for potted plants and its very effective. regarding deer and porcupine i am terribly sorry, cant help u there since i have never some across such problems. however i can suggest the best method is to fence the plot where u grow vegetables properly. thanks

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the feedback Pritham. 1. Could you suggest composition of the garlic spray for white flies and other insects, should I use water as the base or will it be more effective if I use neem oil as the base.2. What soap do you recommend for use with diluted neem oil for general insect control
      I find your forum wonderful for sharing information about cultivation practises, and am glad I located your site.
      For your information, I am also trying camouflage cultivation, my crop of bitter gourd and leeks are never eaten by animals and insects, the only problem I face is blight in the monsoons. I am now growing rows of bitter gourd and Leeks on the borders as camouflage and cultivating vulnerable varieties like cabbage, cucurbits and bell pepper in the centre, this has reduced my crop loss considerably

      Look forward to your feedback and will continue to visit your site for new inputs

      Regards
      Devinder

      Delete
  11. Wonderful pictures and excellent article. It's really useful information for farmers. I am very enthusiastic about your fly barriers and tindora farmville farm. A green spicy spice up is termed as ' Hot' due to the use of 'capsiacin' which is produced and used in spice up fumigations as a non deadly but impact damaging. Such an excellent farming, I really like to do farming of fresh vegetables. Great post, keep it up. Global Market Research

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  12. A green spicy spice up is termed as ' Hot' due to the use of 'capsiacin' which is produced and used in spice up fumigations as a non deadly but effect damaging. really nice post..


    Seed Drills

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  13. How can I get the nutrients for simplified hydroponics?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.petbharoproject.co.in/ i got mine from here. u should get in touch with them as well

      Delete
  14. Hi Pritham,
    Thanks for the info on your site. I wanted to know what types of growth hormone to be used and in what ratio and how many types are their. I wanted to know if we can visit your farm and learn some good things. If u have any information on growing fodder,coconut and dairy farming.How can we make the compost tea and liquid fertilizers at home.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi.

    I am from Trichy. Can you tell me where I cam buy Growth and Bloom nutrients. Sriram

    ReplyDelete
  16. Can i grow chillis now . Am based in Assam

    ReplyDelete
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