Organic White Bird’s Eye Chilli Seed - Open Pollinated

The perennial Bird’s eye chili has a very distinct smell and imparts great flavor to the food. It is one of the important ingredients in Asian and African cooking. The hotness of the chili is known to increase the body temperature that in turns speeds up the waste elimination process, burning more calories. Thus Bird’s eye chili indirectly contributes to burning calories. From olden days, bird’s eye chili is employed in treating bruises and swelling. The chili thins out the blood healing the damaged areas. 

Benefits/ Uses

• Bird’s eye chili could stimulate the gut thus increasing appetite. This is effective in controlling flatulence. 
• It is high in Capsaicin, which is effective in controlling cholesterol levels. 
• Bird’s eye chili was also traditionally used to ease arthritis pain.
• It is a perennial plant that can yield chilies throughout the year when taken good care.

Specifications

Sowing and Caring

• Use a comfortable grow bag like Seed2Plant HDPE 15x15 grow bags to plant. It requires proper drainage, which will be provided by the HDPE grow bags.
• Use organically enriched potting mix like the one we have to pot the seeds. Cultivation could be started with composts/ cow dung manure to speed up growth. 
• The best time to sow the seeds is March.
• Leave a one-inch gap from the top of the soil to plant.
• Keep the soil slightly loose for the roots to breathe. 
• The crop should be kept away from frost during cold weather. The plant desires sunny spots, however with a little care in winter, the crop gives good yields. 
• Water appropriately such that the soil is moist and not soggy. Adding porridge water now and then is seen to boost growth. The chili needs a lot of water and the trick is to water the plant every 2-3 days with a gap of 2-3 hours. 
• Bird’s eye chili requires simple supplements like cow dung and porrdige water to grow. However, It is advisable to add a fish emulsion fertilizer like the Neem oil fertilizer to prevent the attacks from pests and diseases. 

Harvest

• As soon as the change in color is noticed on the yields, it can be harvested. Harvesting starts after 90 days from planting. 
• Harvest the chili by carefully removing the mature yields from the plants. It is common to see flowers (yet to become chili) around mature chili (in the same node), thus chili requires extra care while harvesting. 

Common Problems

Caterpillars, Spider mites, nematodes, Trips, Aphids and Grasshoppers are common pests that affect the chili crop. In addition, bacterial leaf spot is a common problem along with leaf curling. 

Precautions

• Adding nitrogen-rich organic manure/ compost to the soil will stimulate the growth of the plant.
• Application (foliar spraying) of neem oil like Seed2Plant Water-soluble neem oil will prevent pests. In addition, the affected parts of the leaves should be pruned to prevent the spreading of disease or pests larvae to other parts.