how do people deal with aphids (green fly)? Our chili plants do really well in the kitchen but get swamped with green fly and we're reluctant to blitzt food with pesticides. The "organic" solutions are a misnomer, they don't seem to solve much at all. The plants get really sticky and suffer, and the aphids ooze this sap like stuff that drips onto the worktop and adjacent window sill/window glass. It's a pain to get it off.
2021 Season Chilli Growing
- Thread starter pooey
- Start date
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@ik9000 I find that the neem oil mixed with dishsoap does do the trick it just requires persistence.
3 times a day for 3 days, then wash plants down with clean water as even neem oil and soap can be hazadous to consume, they are still better than chemical pesticides imo.
I would also recommend moving you plants outdoors from time to time when the weather is good to a space where there is a lot of insect activity.
Natural pest control through good bugs like hover flies, ladybirds, spiders etc also really helps.
Failing that if you have a greenhouse or coldframe and can get the temp up into the mid 30's plus nice high humidity this will also over time do the aphids in.
Aphids are somewhat inevitable and outdoors while they are often present in my plants they can't cause an infestation due to natural predators and small numbers of them don't really impact the plants that badly. It is indoor growing where they run riot and spread causing infestations across all your plants potentially killing them.
You can also try turning your plants upside down and fully submerging them in water for a few minutes which will wash aphids off and potentially drown the remainers but I havwe not tried this myself so I am unsure on the efficacy.
3 times a day for 3 days, then wash plants down with clean water as even neem oil and soap can be hazadous to consume, they are still better than chemical pesticides imo.
I would also recommend moving you plants outdoors from time to time when the weather is good to a space where there is a lot of insect activity.
Natural pest control through good bugs like hover flies, ladybirds, spiders etc also really helps.
Failing that if you have a greenhouse or coldframe and can get the temp up into the mid 30's plus nice high humidity this will also over time do the aphids in.
Aphids are somewhat inevitable and outdoors while they are often present in my plants they can't cause an infestation due to natural predators and small numbers of them don't really impact the plants that badly. It is indoor growing where they run riot and spread causing infestations across all your plants potentially killing them.
You can also try turning your plants upside down and fully submerging them in water for a few minutes which will wash aphids off and potentially drown the remainers but I havwe not tried this myself so I am unsure on the efficacy.
+1 for dunking the whole plant 
If they're in the kitchen you could just blast em off under the tap in the sink if you can get the angle
I just use cooking oil + touch of dishsoap with water in a spray too for my outdoor pants and that does the job
Also since getting a puppy I've noticed there are 0 (ZERO!) aphids on the plants that are near the outdoor dog poo bin
Coincidence? Maybe...
If they're in the kitchen you could just blast em off under the tap in the sink if you can get the angle
I just use cooking oil + touch of dishsoap with water in a spray too for my outdoor pants and that does the job
Also since getting a puppy I've noticed there are 0 (ZERO!) aphids on the plants that are near the outdoor dog poo bin
Coincidence? Maybe...
Soldato
@Rathian Thx for your help. I cut off the damaged pepper, cut in half and discovered that whatever had gnawed the hole had stopped after about 10mm of tunnelling and left it at that. Maybe he doesn't like a hot Fresno pepper!
Thinking about moving to self-watering pots after @Rathian posted a positive review. Been looking at these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FRQ25S9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_WAYWFM7QGG1EYP31EDD6?psc=1
I'll look into getting the right potting mix when I move them. Do I need to completely clear the roots of existing mix first or is it more of a 50/50 existing plonked in some "ideal" mix?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FRQ25S9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_WAYWFM7QGG1EYP31EDD6?psc=1
I'll look into getting the right potting mix when I move them. Do I need to completely clear the roots of existing mix first or is it more of a 50/50 existing plonked in some "ideal" mix?
They freeze well so that's my go-to usually. Air drying is possible if you're careful with humidity. Then there's sauces, infused oils, smoke em on a BBQ, loads of options 
Edit to add - you can grab pretty cheap dehydrators these days if you're set on drying but don't want to use the oven and pepper gas the kitchen.
Edit to add - you can grab pretty cheap dehydrators these days if you're set on drying but don't want to use the oven and pepper gas the kitchen.
Last month I bought a Sundew plant - Drosera Capensis - for this purpose. My kitchen windows sill has chilli plants on it, the fruit flies always come in through the back door.
Unfortunately the previous owner installed a kitchen window with no opening windows(!), so once in they just sit around with no way out.
The Sundew has been brilliant, it took a few weeks to recover from transit and get some dew back on it but it's catching plenty and the odd moth I've seen in there too.
It may be my imagination but I'm not seeing any/many fruit flies on my chillies now.
I don't know if Sundews will work with aphids and greenfly but it seems to work for fruit flies.
I'd never considered freezing, I'll look into that thanks.They freeze well so that's my go-to usually. Air drying is possible if you're careful with humidity. Then there's sauces, infused oils, smoke em on a BBQ, loads of options
Edit to add - you can grab pretty cheap dehydrators these days if you're set on drying but don't want to use the oven and pepper gas the kitchen.
Freezing chilis does work well for cooking etc. Don't expect a picture perfect whole chili after defrost for garnish/decoration though. Chopped is fine. Also chop them while they're still frozen. It's much easier imo provided you have a sharp knife. Same goes for ginger too.
Nice tip thanks, I just use then as ingredients so that should be fine.
How does one know when a chilli is ready to be picked? I assumed it would be when they gain full colour but my Hungarian blacks have all grown with full colour. Some are green for the first 10mm but they go dark shortly after.
My biggest choc bbg is about 25mm long but fully green.
My biggest choc bbg is about 25mm long but fully green.
I just wait until they come off the plant easily.
Some varieties take quite a while to fully ripen, even once they've gained their colour.
some people even pick them before they are ripe so the plant is encouraged to grow more
Cheers! I'll refrain from picking them early
some people even prevent the plants from trying to fruit to early by picking off the buds, no one wants a stick with 6 leaves and 1-3 fruit taking up all the energy.
my french climbing beans are growing crazy good now :O , went from flowers to having 1 inch long skinny beans in 2 days.
my tomatoes and peppers are still in the vegetation stage lol
think I'll do beans again next year with how easy it is and how many beans seem to be setting on each plant, cooking them with white wine when the time comes
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@Cadder On the self watering pots the ones from Amazon look pretty decent, the 22cm size should give you approx. 5L of volume.
A little on the small side for my liking but definitely not a deal breaker.
If you are DIY inclined like me then you can of course make your own very easily and for a lot less cash.
Let me know if you want a mini guide and links to materials
@bainbridge Are the pests that were going after your fruit gone now? I have had a bit of an attack on both leaves and fruit, pretty sure it is caterpillars dropping down from the lime tree overhead, seeing a lot of white butterflies too which I am taking as an indicator.
For preserving I'm not the biggest fan of freezing I have to admit.
I like to go down the sauces, oils, powders and even sweets route.
The hot weather is stressing the plants out a bit, the wicks in the elf watering tubs can't pull the water up fast enough.
Next year I'll have to make them a bit bigger, a bit of top watering is helping though as well as a bit of foliar epsom salt spray.
Not long until this thread is going to be pull of harvest pictures!
A little on the small side for my liking but definitely not a deal breaker.
If you are DIY inclined like me then you can of course make your own very easily and for a lot less cash.
Let me know if you want a mini guide and links to materials
@bainbridge Are the pests that were going after your fruit gone now? I have had a bit of an attack on both leaves and fruit, pretty sure it is caterpillars dropping down from the lime tree overhead, seeing a lot of white butterflies too which I am taking as an indicator.
For preserving I'm not the biggest fan of freezing I have to admit.
I like to go down the sauces, oils, powders and even sweets route.
The hot weather is stressing the plants out a bit, the wicks in the elf watering tubs can't pull the water up fast enough.
Next year I'll have to make them a bit bigger, a bit of top watering is helping though as well as a bit of foliar epsom salt spray.
Not long until this thread is going to be pull of harvest pictures!
I don't think it does chilli plants any harm to suffer a bit of water distress. Think I read that it'll tend to make the fruits hotter.
I've left mine outside all day and overnight during this hot weather....did have some kind of pest causing leaf curl on a couple of them....not aphids though, couldn't actually see any insects? Just some bumps on the underside of the leaves. Anyway, our garden is pretty wild in places so it's a bug paradise, letting nature take it's course.
Going to bring them in when we head out as we're away overnight, no way of getting enough water on em to survive these temps in the sun.
I've left mine outside all day and overnight during this hot weather....did have some kind of pest causing leaf curl on a couple of them....not aphids though, couldn't actually see any insects? Just some bumps on the underside of the leaves. Anyway, our garden is pretty wild in places so it's a bug paradise, letting nature take it's course.
Going to bring them in when we head out as we're away overnight, no way of getting enough water on em to survive these temps in the sun.
Soldato
I've been away for 5 days and had a friend watering my plot...always a lottery. will post pictures later. I've got lots of fruit setting which is great.
@Rathian Id like a look at your version of a self-watering pot, please.
@Rathian Id like a look at your version of a self-watering pot, please.
@Cadder On the self watering pots the ones from Amazon look pretty decent, the 22cm size should give you approx. 5L of volume.
A little on the small side for my liking but definitely not a deal breaker.
If you are DIY inclined like me then you can of course make your own very easily and for a lot less cash.
Let me know if you want a mini guide and links to materials
..
For preserving I'm not the biggest fan of freezing I have to admit.
I like to go down the sauces, oils, powders and even sweets route.
..
The hot weather is stressing the plants out a bit, the wicks in the elf watering tubs can't pull the water up fast enough.
Next year I'll have to make them a bit bigger, a bit of top watering is helping though as well as a bit of foliar epsom salt spray.
Thanks for the tips @Rathian - as usual I have more questions
1. How much bigger would you advise I go? I can actually see roots coming out the bottom of my Naga plant pot - and that's the one I stunted at the beginning. Very proud of her actually she's caught up size and leaf-wise, just need some chillies to come out. Just checked and other plants are showing roots out the bottom
2. Sweets? Feel free to come back to this one later, I am very interested in this.
3. Foliar Epson Salt Spray. Is this sprinkled on the top of the soil or is it part of the potting mix?
Finally - I would love to see a DIY self-watering pot guide.
Thank you again