Aji Charapita is a rare chili variety that displays diva-like traits when grown . Since their fruits are also very small, the price for a kilogram of dried chillies is in the five-digit range.
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Aji Charapita
Botanically, this chili variety belongs to the plant genus Capsicum chinense . The home of the chilli is the tropical north of Peru on the Brazilian border. Since it is rarely grown outside of the Andean country, it is also called caviarchili. The name “yellow wild chili” comes from the fact that the cultivation of the variety does not have a long tradition.
Prefer
Since this chilli variety takes between six and ten months from sowing to harvest, you should prefer plants. The sowing time is between January and April. However, it is advisable to sow the seeds early in the year so that the fruits can ripen. The optimal conditions for germination are:
- Germination temperature: 22 to 28 degrees Celsius
- Germination time: 10 to 45 days
- Sowing container: heated mini greenhouse
- Substrate: potting soil
- Care: Keep soil moist but not wet
Once the seedlings have formed their first leaves, place the plants in a very bright location. There they should get between 10 and 14 hours of light per day. On darker days, you should illuminate the young chili plants with a special plant lamp. After pricking, they convert the Aji Charapita into chili soil.
location
Like all chili plants , Aji Charapita loves light and warmth. To grow for preferred plants is a
- full sun (at least six hours of sunlight) and
- rainproof
Location ideal.
soil / substrate
This chilli variety does not make any special demands on the soil. He should
- frisch,
- well fertilized and
- permeable
being. In pot culture, the substrate should also have these properties. Alternatively, you can put the plants in special chili soil.
plant
Since this chili variety is extremely sensitive to cold, you should plant it out at the earliest in mid-May after the ice saints, or put it in a pot on the balcony. If the temperature falls below plus 12 degrees Celsius, they stop growing. As a result, there is no longer enough time for the fruit to ripen.
Therefore, it is recommended to cultivate Aji Charapita in a pot. So you can bring in the cold-sensitive plants if necessary. Alternatives to growing include greenhouse or polytunnel cultivation, although the latter won’t tolerate a drop in temperature either.
pour
The chili plants do not like waterlogging or drought, although they tolerate shorter dry periods better than wet. It is ideal if the substrate is always slightly damp. In addition, the thirst of the chilies depends on the weather conditions. When it’s hot and dry, they need more water than when it’s cool and wet.
Fertilize
In the pot culture you should fertilize the chillies. A fertilizer that is low in nitrogen but high in phosphorus is ideal. Give to the plants during the growing season
- every two weeks
- half the manufacturer’s recommended dose
To cut
Plants do not need pruning during the growing season. If yellow leaves appear due to extreme heat or too much moisture, you can remove them. If the chili grows too densely, you can thin it out from spring to autumn so that more light can get inside the plant again.
To harvest
Harvesting begins when the pea-sized chillies (maximum diameter of one centimeter) have turned a beautiful yellow-orange colour. As a rule, the ripening time of the fruit is between 90 and 100 days. According to the calendar, the harvest time is between the end of August and the beginning of September.
hibernate
Cut back the chili plants by 20 centimeters for the winter. After that, put the chillies on one
- bright place
- at least 15 degrees Celsius.
multiply
You can propagate Aji Charapita with cuttings. The ideal time for this is in the spring, so that the cuttings are warm enough when they take root.
diseases and pests
Hardly anything is known about diseases and pests. The greatest danger is said to threaten the plants from the whitefly .
frequently asked Questions
The hotness of the yellow chilli balls is given as medium to hot. The Scoville value is between 50,000 and 100,000 SHU. The aroma is fruity, floral and exotic.
Aji Charapita is described as a very productive chilli plant. A plant is said to produce hundreds of fruits. However, since they are very small, you should plan about two hours of picking time for a handful of chillies. Incidentally, the manual labor involved in harvesting is also a reason for the high price.
If the growing conditions are ideal, the plants can live for several years. However, they need a suitable winter quarters for this.
