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Post by macmex on Apr 10, 2020 10:49:22 GMT -6
Glen sent me some seed to Ajícito, a local sweet pepper, from his neighborhood in Panama. I set about to germinate it in a damp paper towel on the April 4. Yesterday (April 8) I saw that most of it was germinating, so I planted it in a tray with seed starting medium. I'll keep you posted on how it does. Just thought I'd start a thread on this one and document it this growing season. Glen, by all means, chime in and tell us whatever you deem would be helpful, about this pepper. I recall that you said it doesn't have a very large plant.
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Post by glen on Apr 10, 2020 13:29:40 GMT -6
George, that is excellent that you are trialing this ahi. This is a rare pepper. I found this pepper in the supermarket in Chitre Panama last year. I have actually seen it twice. When I saw it it was sold wrapped in those little foam tray's with plastic wrap. There was only 2 or 3 on each tray. Peppers were large, about the size of golf balls. That is good sized for this type of ahi. I bought about 10 trays of these peppers. They were ripe and orange in color. They look like mini-pumpkins. They were full of beautiful seed. I saved every seed. Ahicito means little ahi. I didn't know it at the time but this pepper is a dwarf. Plants only get about 15 inches tall, maybe a little taller. This is a capsaicum Chinense variety. You can grow them either in small pots(10 inch wide is ideal) or grow them in raised beds. You don't have to give these guys too much space. Plants are sturdy and do not need support. Beautiful green plants. You could plant these peppers 12 to 15 inches apart and even have double rows if you want with about 15 inches between the rows. Peppers can get nice sized if you have good soil. Peppers sort of remind me of habenero's except they are thick walled with that nice chili smell and flavor(zero heat). Try chopping this pepper up and making pepper steak out of this pepper!!! You will like it.
I have Ajicito growing now outside now and they made it thru the hot dry season and high winds like a champ. I didn't even have to protect them from the sun or wind. They are perfectly adapted to Panama's climate. They are little dwarf plants. Real pretty.
George, if you can remember, please take photo's along the way so we can see the progress of the plants. Rick also has some of this seed. Maybe he will post some photo's also. There are photo's here already on the pepper part of the forum if you look around you can find them.
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Post by glen on Apr 10, 2020 13:53:32 GMT -6
This is the ahicito when it was a little younger. This seed was sewn last December, 2019. Plant is sturdy and attractive. 10 inch pot. There are 2 specimans in the pot. I should have thinned one. I took this foto today, 4-10-2020. This is the same ahicito plant that has been in mostly full sun and in the high winds. I have not paid much attention to this plant at all. Ajicito can produce a lot of fruits if you care for it better than I did with this one. I just have too many pepper plants growing now to pay much attention to any of them. It pretty much continuously produces these little sweet ahi's though. Ripen to a nice red pumpkin orange color. George, I would plant every single one of those seeds you got germinating. You will eat every single one of the ahi's this plant produces. They are addictive. If you have too many, just split them and chop them up, throw them in a zip lock bag and into the freezer they go. Use them later.
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Post by macmex on Apr 10, 2020 14:28:06 GMT -6
Thanks Glen! I will do that. They look very nice!
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Post by macmex on Apr 14, 2020 11:37:28 GMT -6
The Ajícito plants are doing very well now. All but, perhaps one is up. I think I have 16 plants, if I recall correctly.
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Post by glen on Apr 14, 2020 12:05:30 GMT -6
George, I am real excited to see this project. Look at how beautiful those seedlings are! To those of you who are not familiar with this variety. These are dwarf, Capsicum Chinense sweet ahi's. Very rare. I can't wait.
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Post by glen on Apr 14, 2020 18:03:13 GMT -6
These are foto's of some Ajicito peppers I picked today. They are kind of a pumpkin red color. Or, an orangish red. Its some kind of red color. These ahi's are heavy as they have thick walls and a very peppery smell. Zero heat. Juicy.
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Post by mountianj on Apr 14, 2020 20:30:46 GMT -6
Those peppers look to be a good all around pepper.Wonder how good they be baked with somthing as in chicken or maybe even a dish of some kind .maybe even stuffing some with meat and cheese with some the hotter pepper diced up into them?be kinda like appetizers
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Ajícito
Apr 14, 2020 22:47:35 GMT -6
Post by glen on Apr 14, 2020 22:47:35 GMT -6
Hey, thanx. We'll wait and see what George has to say about em when he gets his first Ahicito pepper. He is going to have a bunch of em.
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Post by macmex on Apr 24, 2020 9:06:32 GMT -6
Here's an up to date photo of the Ajícito peppers, 20 days from when I started the seed. I have 16 plants. They are looking great! Just started putting them outdoors.
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Post by glen on Apr 24, 2020 12:33:15 GMT -6
George, those seedlings are perfect. I counted 16 seedlings. Thats going to be a very good trial. You will have ajicito coming out of your eyeballs later.
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Post by macmex on Apr 24, 2020 14:34:47 GMT -6
I counted 16 too. Planning on a big patch of them, though you did say the plants aren't very large. I'm excited about trying this one! The little plants have truly prospered on the heat mat, on my sun porch. Now we'll see how they do outside, now that it appears that the cold has passed.
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Post by glen on Apr 24, 2020 18:38:02 GMT -6
The plants are dwarf. Do you remember that variety of tomato that they used to sell in the hardware store called patio tomato? They were dwarfs. I know you have seen those. Thats what these peppers are sort of like. I haven't tried 12 inches apart with these but I bet they would do great at 12 inches apart in rows. They are also the perfect pepper for the 10 inch wide nursery pot. You could have one in a little pot and keep it as a companion on the sun porch. I think you could even grow these in smaller pots than that. Maybe an 8 inch nursery pot. They are so pretty that it would be worth trying. Its hard not to like these little fella's.
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Post by macmex on Jul 24, 2020 8:17:12 GMT -6
It's past due for an update on this pepper. I forget to post a picture when I transplanted them into the garden on May 26. Not much to look at, but planting through cardboard is my favorite way to grow peppers.
I planted them on the far end of the garden, in case I should plant Murupi Amarela, which is of the same species. This should prevent crossing. Anyway, I never got to Murupi Amareal, so it's the only pepper of this species, in the garden, this year. Being so far out, it's also hard to get it watered, but Ajicito has just kept plugging along. Two or three times I've found it nearly buried in weeds, and have pulled the weeds, yet it has prospered in neglect.
Last night I got out there and ripped out some weeds, revealing Ajicito, yet again. Haven't lost a plant, and they look good. Here's a top view of a plant. They are all flowering now. I'm extremely pleased with how they are doing.
Here's another plant, viewed from the side. They all look extremely healthy.
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Ajícito
Jul 25, 2020 18:00:52 GMT -6
Post by glen on Jul 25, 2020 18:00:52 GMT -6
George, those look nice. You got 16 plants so you are going to have a nice harvest. Lots of blooms. I still have plants in the yard growing in the ground from last summer. They have been neglected since Bercy doesn't use the peppers. They are covered over in nice red ajicito peppers. Those plants live for a long time here in Panama I am finding out. Wait until you taste em. Really full of flavor. They will make peppers until it gets too cold.
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