Chilli pepper
Capsicum annuum
- Wants
- Bright direct
- Tolerates
- Bright direct down to bright direct
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Pets
- Not safe
- Outdoors
- Hardy
Why it wants that
It comes from open tropical ground where the light and the heat arrive together, so a balcony has to supply both - RHS notes it 'needs lots of sun and consistent warmth to crop well', and sun alone at 12degC will not ripen fruit.
Too little light
Flower buds drop off before setting, stems stretch thin and pale between leaves, the leaves grow large and thin, and any fruit that does form stays small and takes weeks longer to colour.
Too much
On the fruit rather than the leaves: exposed shoulders develop pale, papery sunken patches of sunscald, and the whole plant wilts at midday when the pot cannot keep up with the transpiration.