No Heat In My Chillis?

[jonohanson]

I tried some of my green chillis yeseterday (jalapeno and Scotch bonnet) and there were next to no heat in them, will they get hotter the longer they stay on the plant? Is tehre anything I can do to increase heat?

Many Thanks

[taff]

I think they get hotter as they ripen but don't take my word for it.

[zazen999]

The first from my Glebe Kirschen was limp but the second blew our heads off.

[HeyWayne]

I think that's part of the fun with chillis - even on the same plant you can get variations of heat.

I don't think it changes with colour either - as far as I'm aware the red-hot/green-mild theory is a misconception.

Green are more bitter in taste, red are sweeter - as per "sweet" peppers, the green ones are quite bitter, but the red/orange/yellow ones are sweeter.

That's how I understand it anyway. It's the variety that usually dictates the heat.

[jonohanson]

Cheers for the advice, will have to wait for some more to get to pickable size now and test.

[Keith2202]

I believe with jalapenos at least , it is the amount of scarring on the sides that indicates hotness rather than colour. I think it increases the longer they are on the plant.

[ForkHandles]

I think if you 'stress' the plant the chillies get hotter, try cutting back on the water.

[PaulG]

I think if you 'stress' the plant the chillies get hotter, try cutting back on the water.

This was a tip an American friend gave me, he said to let it dry up a lot then give a little water and repeat. I have been doing it with mine that are in fruit, the Apache is the only one close to ripening so far but as they are all at the correct size i decided to try some. Used 1 diced in a curry and it gave the curry a lovely punch. I also cut a second into strips and tried a bit raw, the heast was instant and it took 2 hours for my tongue to regain some kind of normal feeling so i can only assume the stress technique really does help.

[Twang20]

There aren't many hot Jalapeno varieties anyway green or otherwise and generally Scotch bonnets wont have heat until they ripen.

[rustylady]

There aren't many hot Jalapeno varieties anyway

I had a doozie last year (at least the seed packet said it was Jalapeno), and I'm with the person who said heat depends on growing conditions as well as variety. I've had mild and hot ones from the same plant, picked at apparently the same stage of growth.

[hsthst]

Yep, grow them "hard" ie, hot and dry and don't feed them anything.

[BarleySugar]

Mine have been on the kitchen windowsill, http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...den_30418.html fed weekly with tomato feed and watered regularly, but they are still only in 6 inch pots. The scotch bonnet and chocolate habeneros are all pretty hot once ripe, not so much when green. The Hot lemon had virtually no taste when green, but do have a scented hot lemon taste now they are ripe. The purple jalapenos are more like sweet peppers in taste, not hot at all.

"Are red chillies hotter than green ones?

This really depends on the variety - The change of colour of the chilli from green to red as it ripens does affects the flavour of the chilli more than the heat. As the sugar content increases the chilli becomes red, much the same as a tomato, and the flavour evolves and becomes sweeter.

It is true that the first few chillies on a plant may not pack as much heat as subsequent chillies. Also, if you bite into an immature chilli you may find that it doesn’t have as much, or any, heat. "Chilli FAQ – informative chilli facts and figures


I have had quite a few ripen, and they have proved quite a talking point with passers by. I now have garlands of chillies hung on the kithen door handles.

[Waffler]

I've got the same problem, which is why I've just searched the site. Whilst not drenching the plants, I have been maintaining watering, so I'll perhaps try cutting back and see what happens. I did wonder whether the current lack of sun was also playing a part?

[sdgtiger]

Chillis vary immensley from one pod to another as i have unfortunately found out. I decided to try a couple of my unripe Naga Morich pods and the first was nothing spectacular. The second however provided heat which must have rivalled that which is in hell itself and left me in a very poor state for a goodly period. Can't wait for the little gems to eventually ripen. So just enjoy trying them i'm sure some will produce the heat you are after

[coreopsis]

I think if you 'stress' the plant the chillies get hotter, try cutting back on the water.

Hope they won't stress you much later