Hi Guys,
Brand new to your forum, been lurking for awhile now. I started growing Cayenne pepper plants about a month and a half ago, my first attempt ever at growing indoors. I started a blog on Wordpress so I can keep track of the progress, so these first entries here are copied from that blog. If interested, the blog is at http://chiligrowindude.wordpress.com.
After months of watching people eat hot peppers on YouTube (and usually puke), I decided to see if I could grow my own pepper plants from seed. Some of my favorites to watch on the YouTubes are The Fire Breathing Idiot (aka Ted Barris), George Payne, LA Beast, Cult Moo, Freak Eating, and of course, the one and only Wreckless Eating. So how does one grow pepper plants from seed? I didn’t have a friggin’ clue. Probably still don’t. But I researched a whackload of videos online and found many ways to do this…but most involved expensive greenhouses, grow lights, and for someone who has never done this before, I was unwilling to make a large investment in an unknown hobby.
Eventually I came across a series of videos that chronicled the growth of pepper plants, indoors, on a shoestring budget. My “incubator” for the seeds until they sprout is a modified clear tupperwear container with a seed mat inside (see photo below). A co-worker, who has been growing her own peppers for decades, gave me Cayenne Pepper seeds, which I planted this morning in dollar store plastic cups. If they get big enough, the next step will be transplanting them into red solo cups, which I can then use for beer pong after they outgrow them.
Each cup has 3 seeds planted in it, and will take up to 3 weeks to sprout (or so I’ve been told by the internet). Once they sprout, I will move them into a tinfoil-lined box and place fluorescent lights directly over top of them to get them to grow.
Wish me luck…I think I’ll need it.
So from what I undertand, once the seeds germinate I move them to a warm area with lots of light. So here is where I go ultra-ghetto. My “light box” for stage 2 is a couple of copier paper boxes joined together, then lined with tin foil.
I purchased 2 plug-in 18″ fluorescent lights from Wal-fart for approx $35 for the pair, and I mounted each to a thin piece of wood. When I move the germinated seeds to the box I will cut notches in the side of the box so the lights are right above the plants, and I will gradually move the lights higher as the plants grow.
That’s the plan, anyway.
It took 6 days to sprout. My first ever plants from seed.
I just checked my planters and I have several sprouting already!!! Gonna go full ghetto on the weekend and get them under the lights!
Wow.
I have moved the plants into my homemade lightbox. Out of the 25 seeds planted, only 3 haven’t sprouted yet.
Going well so far.
It sounds like Shawshank Redemption, but it’s day two in the box. The light box, that is. So far, so good.
The sprouts are looking healthy, and I’m pleased so far. Once the sprouts develop their second set of leaves and start to get root-bound, I will replant them in the red solo cups. Then I will drink tons of beer from the unused solo cups.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some NFL football to watch.
Most of the seedlings have their second set of leaves started! All is going as planned. Only one seedling has bit the dust so far. RIP.
Blurry pic, my apologies
Got home from a long day of work, check my plants, and many were in distress because they got too “leggy”, which means they got too tall and the stems were frail. Spent the last two hours transplanting what I could into red solo cups…one per cup. Limited space in the light box so could only move 16.
Buried them deep so they form strong root systems. Again…wish me luck.
Took the plants out for some water. Most look good, some don’t. Here are a couple photos…
So last night I added Jobes Plant Food Spikes to each pot. We’ll see if it helps them or kills them. I’ve seen these mentioned by other hobby growers, so currently I have my fingers, legs, arms, and eyes crossed.
Brand new to your forum, been lurking for awhile now. I started growing Cayenne pepper plants about a month and a half ago, my first attempt ever at growing indoors. I started a blog on Wordpress so I can keep track of the progress, so these first entries here are copied from that blog. If interested, the blog is at http://chiligrowindude.wordpress.com.
After months of watching people eat hot peppers on YouTube (and usually puke), I decided to see if I could grow my own pepper plants from seed. Some of my favorites to watch on the YouTubes are The Fire Breathing Idiot (aka Ted Barris), George Payne, LA Beast, Cult Moo, Freak Eating, and of course, the one and only Wreckless Eating. So how does one grow pepper plants from seed? I didn’t have a friggin’ clue. Probably still don’t. But I researched a whackload of videos online and found many ways to do this…but most involved expensive greenhouses, grow lights, and for someone who has never done this before, I was unwilling to make a large investment in an unknown hobby.
Eventually I came across a series of videos that chronicled the growth of pepper plants, indoors, on a shoestring budget. My “incubator” for the seeds until they sprout is a modified clear tupperwear container with a seed mat inside (see photo below). A co-worker, who has been growing her own peppers for decades, gave me Cayenne Pepper seeds, which I planted this morning in dollar store plastic cups. If they get big enough, the next step will be transplanting them into red solo cups, which I can then use for beer pong after they outgrow them.
Each cup has 3 seeds planted in it, and will take up to 3 weeks to sprout (or so I’ve been told by the internet). Once they sprout, I will move them into a tinfoil-lined box and place fluorescent lights directly over top of them to get them to grow.
Wish me luck…I think I’ll need it.
So from what I undertand, once the seeds germinate I move them to a warm area with lots of light. So here is where I go ultra-ghetto. My “light box” for stage 2 is a couple of copier paper boxes joined together, then lined with tin foil.
I purchased 2 plug-in 18″ fluorescent lights from Wal-fart for approx $35 for the pair, and I mounted each to a thin piece of wood. When I move the germinated seeds to the box I will cut notches in the side of the box so the lights are right above the plants, and I will gradually move the lights higher as the plants grow.
That’s the plan, anyway.
It took 6 days to sprout. My first ever plants from seed.
I just checked my planters and I have several sprouting already!!! Gonna go full ghetto on the weekend and get them under the lights!
Wow.
I have moved the plants into my homemade lightbox. Out of the 25 seeds planted, only 3 haven’t sprouted yet.
Going well so far.
It sounds like Shawshank Redemption, but it’s day two in the box. The light box, that is. So far, so good.
The sprouts are looking healthy, and I’m pleased so far. Once the sprouts develop their second set of leaves and start to get root-bound, I will replant them in the red solo cups. Then I will drink tons of beer from the unused solo cups.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some NFL football to watch.
Most of the seedlings have their second set of leaves started! All is going as planned. Only one seedling has bit the dust so far. RIP.
Blurry pic, my apologies
Got home from a long day of work, check my plants, and many were in distress because they got too “leggy”, which means they got too tall and the stems were frail. Spent the last two hours transplanting what I could into red solo cups…one per cup. Limited space in the light box so could only move 16.
Buried them deep so they form strong root systems. Again…wish me luck.
Took the plants out for some water. Most look good, some don’t. Here are a couple photos…
So last night I added Jobes Plant Food Spikes to each pot. We’ll see if it helps them or kills them. I’ve seen these mentioned by other hobby growers, so currently I have my fingers, legs, arms, and eyes crossed.
