1. Overwintered plants 2. Container plants 3. Garden plants
We're receiving a lot of mail on 3 topics. How/what to fertilize plants with, Pest problems, and what to do with an abundance of Hot Peppers. For sake of review and for our new subscribers here goes: I'll address the abundance issue in 'Ask Pepper Joe'.
Pests ===== I like dishsoap as an all-around good, biodegradable pesticide. The formula is 1 tsp. of dishsoap (i.e Ivory, Dawn, etc) to a typical size spray bottle filled with water and shaken to mix up. It smothers soft bodied insects because they breathe through their bodies, so get a direct hit on Aphids, Cabbage worms, etc. It gives most hard bodied insects a terminal case of dysentery. Again, go for the direct hit if possible. For tougher problems I like pyrola, made from pyrithrines. It's a derivative of a daisy variety.
Fertilizing =========== I highly recommend Epsom salt for Max yields. Put 3 tbs. of epsom salt in a typical spray bottle filled with water. 'Shaken not stirred'...and do it vigorously until the salt is gone. Spray every 2 weeks after blossom set time throughout the season. On the alternate weeks I like Fish Emulsion in a watering can. Many non-organic customers use Miracle Grow Successfully on the alternate weeks. What is conversely giving off a slow steady meal of nutrients to the plants are the matches buried in the hole at transplant time, the fish-heads buried over the winter/early spring and the eggshells and coffee grounds applied over the winter. Also the grass clippings used as mulch add nutrients and humus to the soil.
Ask Pepper Joe ==============
> Pepper Joe I ordered some seeds from you about 18 > months ago . I am writing now to ask if you have some idea what I can > do with all the peppers . The Scotch Bonnets are 6 feet tall and just > beautiful I am talking hundreds of the most beautiful Scotch Bonnets I > have ever seen . My hot pepper friends , the people I work with , and > all there friends have all the heat they can stand . The Golden
