Without a doubt they greatly enhance the visual appearance. The pretty chili flowers also have important tasks to fulfill. Anyone who takes their properties and functions into account will be rewarded with a productive harvest.
What are chili flowers important for and how do you pollinate them yourself?
Chili flowers are important for pollination and fruit formation of the plant. The first flower, the royal flower, should be removed to encourage growth. To ensure varietal purity, amateur gardeners can self-pollinate chili flowers by transferring pollen from one flower to the next.
Why does the royal blossom have to go?
Chili gardeners refer to the first flower of a plant as the royal flower. It arises from a Y-branch and strives to develop the first pod there. If you want a small, compact plant with mini pods, do not touch the royal flower.
If you aim to increase height growth; If you want to attract a dense bloom and voluminous pods, the royal flower must not remain on the plant. Either cut or break out this first flower if the chili does not drop it itself.
Pollinate your own chili flowers for unadulterated seeds
In commercial chili cultivation, the Federal Plant Variety Office keeps a strict eye on maintaining varietal purity. Hobby gardeners, on the other hand, are responsible for unadulterated seeds if they want to use them for propagation and cultivation. Chili flowers play a central role in this process.
Unwanted cross-pollination is reliably prevented by pollination by hand:
- carefully open the closed flower with tweezers
- Transfer the pollen from one flower to the next using a hair brush (€4.00 on Amazon)
- cover each pollinated flower with air-permeable gauze
It is important to note that you use a separate brush for each type. So that busy bees don't sabotage your efforts in the field or greenhouse, wrap the chili plants completely in tight-meshed nets.
Why do chili flowers fall off?
A cry for help regularly echoes through the community of chili gardeners when another plant drops its flowers. This is a completely natural process if fertilization did not occur. Insects as pollinators are simply missing in indoor culture.
If chili flowers fall off despite artificial insemination, there is a failure in care. Dryness of the ball causes flowers to drop, as does waterlogging. If temperatures are below 19 degrees Celsius during and after pollination, the flowers will also say goodbye.
Tips & Tricks
Chili flowers are easy to dry. Simply place on a plate and cover with baking paper. Place another plate on top to press the flowers together. Dry in the microwave on high. The dried flowers make a sensible table decoration when you serve your chili dishes.
