Pests and Diseases
Slugs and Snails
Slugs and snails are the biggest problem for the Chilli grower, usual signs of a slug or snail attack are the usual slime trails, the young branches near the base of the plant have been stripped away overnight or often the centre of the leaves have been munched away.
These prefer dark damp places to live so basic housekeeping such as keep your plants free from any fallen leaves and manually remove any slugs or snails you find. Alternative methods to deter slug and snails include copper tape or rings, or sprinkling egg shells or used coffee grounds round the base of the plant.
Aphids
These can infest you chillies at any time of the season. They look like tiny white flecks usually gathered around the shoot tips, flower buds or young leaves. An easy solution to these pests is to spray your chillies with a very weak soap solution. Natural preditors of the Aphid are lady birds and hover flies, attract these to your garden by planting marigolds and other bright flowers around your chillies.
Mold and Rot
If you are growing in pots, do not over crowd the chillies, keep them well ventilated, and water regularly but not too much. Symptoms can include mold on the leaves, soft fruit, and fungus around the stems.
The usual causes of this is over watering or under watering, so if you are growing in any of our Grow Kits you simply will not suffer with any of these problems.
If you would like to grow chillies more successfully then our 4 pot Quadgrow or 8 pot Octogrow self-watering pots may be just what you are looking for. These 11 litre pots are the ideal size for your chillies and thanks to the clever SmartMat strip powered watering, we guarantee you will have a bumper harvest.
