By early summer the plants should be in flower and at this stage it is better to keep them outside, in a position where they are shaded from the midday sun, in the hope that the flowers will be pollinated by the insects, rather than in the greenhouse, where insects are not encouraged. The crop of berries the plant will produce is entirely dependent on how well the flowers are pollinated. While the plants are flowering it is essential that the pots are kept well watered, and not allowed to dry out. The star-shaped flowers are white, and although numerous they are so small that they appear insignificant.
When the berries have developed satisfactorily the plants can then be brought inside the greenhouse which will speed up the growth. The berries when first formed are green in colour and they gradually change through yellow and orange to the ultimate familiar orange-red colour.
Solanums require plenty of light but they last longer if kept in a temperature range of 50 -60°F (10 - 16 ° C) during the autumn and winter months. The best time to buy a plant is in the autumn when it is bearing yellow to red berries and you are able to see how well-laden it is. The following spring, after taking any cuttings you require, the plants should be pruned by cutting back the stems to about half their length; and, as soon as new growth appears, either pot on into a larger size pot or preferably remove the old compost from the roots and repot in new compost.
