Q. I finally planted several Jalapeño Peppers and I’ve been pleasantly surprised on how well they have grown but disappointed that the flavor has been quite mild instead of hot. My wife thinks I picked them too soon. What do I need to do to increase the heat?
A. Your wife is correct. You’re harvesting the peppers too early. When mature, Jalapeño Peppers should be three-inches long and two-inches wide. The color will cycle from a green to a darker almost blackish green color. Some varieties of hot peppers do turn a blackish red. If left on the plant long enough, all the varieties will turn a red color. Red Jalapeños have a wonderfully sweet/hot taste. Once you think maturity has been reached, harvest a few and check their flavor. If the taste is suitable, then you’ll no you can pick the rest when they reach that stage. If they’re not quite spicy enough for you, wait a few more days and try again. You’ll need to keep trying the peppers at different stages until the taste suits you. The Scoville Scale measures the spicy heat or pungency of each pepper variety. This scale runs from 2,500 to over 500,000. Jalapeño is in the low range of hot peppers while Cayenne, Serrano, and Habanero are near the top of the scale. The heat and flavor does increase as they mature; however, geography plays a role, as the mature chili pepper is more intense the closer they’re grown to the equator. Hence, Jalapeno Peppers growing in Orange County will be hotter than those in San Jose or Portland Oregon. When you harvest hot or chili peppers, you should carefully snap each pepper from the plant. Better yet, use a pair of sharp garden shears to cut the stem an inch or so above each pepper. It’s highly recommended to wear a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands especially those with nicks and cut from any juice that might leak out during harvesting and for whatever reason don’t touch your eyes as you will encounter sever and intense discomfort.
Q. I have several beautiful rose bushes, but they’re developing small red flowers on some aggressive growth that in some cases is over eight feet tall. The growth is taking over the rose bushes. What can I do to prevent this from happening?
A. Most of the modern day roses are not growing on their own roots. Instead, they are budded on to a second type of rose known as the rootstock. They are joined together at the bud union. The bud union is the large knot near the ground. Any shoots or growth from below the bud union is growing off the rootstock. This plant produces a single, cherry red flower, which is what I think you are describing. These rogue shoot are commonly referred too as suckers. Roses sucker naturally, so it’s impossible to prevent them from reoccurring. All you can do is be observant and prune off the shoots as they develop.
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