5 Year Native Tree Challenge - olympics (Jalapeno)

olympics

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Hi everyone!

I've been a lurker for some time now, but ever since Covid I have been really getting into bonsai!
I know this specific species isn't popular and has a short life span (all chilies in general), but as jalapenos are native to my area I couldn't pass up on this opportunity!
My other hobby is cooking, and this will serve as a good addition to my garden while feeding into my bonsai addiction :). I started these indoor from seeds that were engineered by Texas A&M back in the start of the year and transitioned them outside after our last freeze. This is the most recent picture, I have since placed it into a larger pot and have started to see one jalapeno growing already!

IMG_7520 (1).jpg

I know this picture isn't the best, it's raining outside and I'm lazy. I'm a complete beginner so the purpose of this was to share my progress and document my and my plants' growth. Since I have already made some movement in the lower trunk, I suspect it will stay this shape. Now I will let it grow and produce some summer peppers.


I will be updating this as my journey continues!

I also have a bonus pic - twin trunk habanero seedling I wanted to share, growing slower than my jalapeno at the moment.
 

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HorseloverFat

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I have a question about Chiles grown in Texas.... what’s the lifespan looking like?

Up here.. i get 3 years, average...(Wintering in a grow room)

My cousin in Oregon averages 4(ish) Years when he was TRYING the biennial “route” (ALSO wintering in a grow room)

I’ve HEARD that 5 is average, in ground in native conditions.

Just wondering if you had any information on The Lifespan of Native Texas Chiles..
 

olympics

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I am by no means a reputable source on this, but I believe yes we can usually expect to reach the 5+ year mark on peppers. I personally have grown a thai chili pepper tree around the same age (and it had no issues) until it died due to a freeze. From what I’m reading online it seems that the fruits take up a bunch the trees nutrients, and freezing temps are dangerous. These peppers LOVE the heat, and we rarely get freezing temperatures here; so based on my experiences and climate I expect these to live quite long.
 

HorseloverFat

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I am by no means a reputable source on this, but I believe yes we can usually expect to reach the 5+ year mark on peppers. I personally have grown a thai chili pepper tree around the same age (and it had no issues) until it died due to a freeze. From what I’m reading online it seems that the fruits take up a bunch the trees nutrients, and freezing temps are dangerous. These peppers LOVE the heat, and we rarely get freezing temperatures here; so based on my experiences and climate I expect these to live quite long.
Oh yes! I know of peppers.. i have been growing them fairly consistently for the last 10ish years... I was just making sure that.. with this being a multi-year challenge.. you were COMFORTABLE keeping them for 5 years.. or if you though that the lifespan loses some in translation to a pot..

just trying to help.. because i’ve never heard of a 5 year-old pepper plant in a container...not saying that it ISN’T attainable..your climate IS where they belong. 🤣 Just injecting some thoughts to be “thunk”.

🤓
 

olympics

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Ohh okay I was mistaken in what you were saying. This might change things 😂. We’ll see how it works out
 

bendem

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View attachment 382099Getting some fruit! Excited for this summer...
Go peppers go!

I'm growing peppers (mainly jalapeno but also serrano and apocalypse scorpion) for the first time this year, and I've read that jalapenos don't often survive for more than a year. Super hot peppers (scorpion, reaper, maybe habanero) tend to have a longer lifespan, at 2-3 years or sometimes longer. I don't have first-hand knowledge to back any of this up.

I live in Virginia and may bring my apocalypse scorpion pepper plant indoors this winter to try to keep it alive. Good luck!
 

olympics

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Go peppers go!

I'm growing peppers (mainly jalapeno but also serrano and apocalypse scorpion) for the first time this year, and I've read that jalapenos don't often survive for more than a year. Super hot peppers (scorpion, reaper, maybe habanero) tend to have a longer lifespan, at 2-3 years or sometimes longer. I don't have first-hand knowledge to back any of this up.

I live in Virginia and may bring my apocalypse scorpion pepper plant indoors this winter to try to keep it alive. Good luck!
I'm slowly starting to realize this haha. It would be a great learning experience though, plus I'd get some nice peppers out of it.
On the topic of practicing bonsai techniques on peppers, are they good to practice on? I feel like the growth rate on these is crazy.
 

bendem

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I'm slowly starting to realize this haha. It would be a great learning experience though, plus I'd get some nice peppers out of it.
On the topic of practicing bonsai techniques on peppers, are they good to practice on? I feel like the growth rate on these is crazy.
Right now I'm just focused on keeping them alive and producing peppers. I started harvesting jalapenos over the weekend, and the other types have just barely started to flower. That said, I did come across this site with some impressive bonchi (bonsai chiles): https://www.fatalii.net/Bonsai_Chiles_Bonchi

The site has inspired me to try to bonsaify a pepper plant after the growing season is over here.

Just curious ... Where are you at in south Texas? I used to visit there a lot. My grandparents retired in Weslaco, while my parents retired in Alamo. Unfortunately none of them are around anymore.
 

olympics

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Right now I'm just focused on keeping them alive and producing peppers. I started harvesting jalapenos over the weekend, and the other types have just barely started to flower. That said, I did come across this site with some impressive bonchi (bonsai chiles): https://www.fatalii.net/Bonsai_Chiles_Bonchi

The site has inspired me to try to bonsaify a pepper plant after the growing season is over here.

Just curious ... Where are you at in south Texas? I used to visit there a lot. My grandparents retired in Weslaco, while my parents retired in Alamo. Unfortunately none of them are around anymore.
Wow thank you for that link, will definitely be bookmarking that one! I'm not that south, in Corpus.
 

Wulfskaar

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Hi olympics! I'm also growing a some peppers as bonchi, so I'll be watching this thread as you go.

I've got 5 cayenne plants, 3 of which I have tied together hoping the trunks grow into a single fat trunk. We'll see what happens with that. I've planted a few habaneros as well, but the first round was destroyed by squirrels. The second round has been in the dirt for a month and still have not sprouted. Looks like I'm going to have a lot more success with the cayennes.
 

olympics

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Hi olympics! I'm also growing a some peppers as bonchi, so I'll be watching this thread as you go.

I've got 5 cayenne plants, 3 of which I have tied together hoping the trunks grow into a single fat trunk. We'll see what happens with that. I've planted a few habaneros as well, but the first round was destroyed by squirrels. The second round has been in the dirt for a month and still have not sprouted. Looks like I'm going to have a lot more success with the cayennes.
Id love to see update on this! good luck to you
 

olympics

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So my I abandoned the Jalapeno and harvested it for some pickled peppers and focused on the Habenero. Here it is as of April 2022. It survived 2 freezes over the winter and I cut it back hard. I want to encourage branching facing outwards so I'm picking off the inward facing buds. I could move it to a larger pot, but I'm lazy 😁
 

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